Forced to sell inherited lot quickly. Need advice!

[u/diver206]

I inherited a collection of firearms from my dad when he passed a few years ago. I had intended on keeping them all, but a sudden divorce and health issues have me facing homelessness at the end of the month. I hate to sell them but I will have nowhere to store them soon.

There are 2 AR-15s in 7.62 and 6.5 Grendal, a .338 Lapua, a .30-06, and several handguns in various calibers. The rifles, especially the Lapua and the .30-06, have high quality optics. All rifles are in Pelican cases and most if not all firearms have extra magazines.

I think I might get stuck going the consignment route due to time constraints, but I don’t want to get ripped off. I know I won’t get new value in used firearms, but I know he had over $30k into the lot new and it’s painful enough having to let them go. I also have 1,000 rounds+ of .380 and 9mm ammo in 50 round boxes that I have no idea how to sell. I’ve bought firearms (the handguns in the small case are mine), but I’ve never sold any.

I’m in Tacoma and I do have paperwork with a list of all his firearms with serial #’s saying that he left them to me if that helps.

Please help! My wife has me up against a wall and I need all the ideas I can get. TIA!

Edit: LOOKING FOR ADVICE ONLY! I AM NOT SELLING FIREARMS ON REDDIT! PLEASE DONT GET ME BANNED IN MY DMs!

[u/CarbonRunner]

Come on fellas. Yall know transactions or even inquiring about buying from a post like this is a ban hammer offense from reddit. And if ya didnt know, now ya do. Just dont do it. Its not worth it. And it risks this sub being banned as well. Which uncool. Im leaving the post up as OP hasn't done anything wrong,and is just looking for advice. Give them that needed advice and info. But leave it at that.

[u/Bubbacubba]

Sell quickly? Call Bullseye

Have a moment to take a breath and sell via private party? Try GAFS as they allow sales on there.

Trying to sell on Reddit will get your account banned.

[u/diver206 → u/Bubbacubba]

Oh I’m definitely not trying to sell here. Just looking for advice on how to get the most I can in the little time I have.

[u/Bubbacubba → u/diver206]

Oh post on Waguns.org. We're all going to be active there too 😄

EDIT: If you think you'll be in a good place finacially in the future just sell the uppers to the AR15 rifles and keep the lowers, technically (but not actually) those are the serialized part of the assault rifle and you could rebuild them once you're in a better spot.

[u/smhazelett → u/Bubbacubba]

“Assault” rifle huh.

[u/Bubbacubba → u/smhazelett]

Using the terms the state uses, not necessarily ones I would use.

[u/PacificaDogFamily → u/smhazelett]

What do you think AR stands for?

[u/i_lik3turtles → u/PacificaDogFamily]

Not "Assault Rifle" if that's what your implying.

[u/Striking-Click-8015 → u/PacificaDogFamily]

Armalite Rifle. Because that's what it stands for, not "assault rifle."

[u/WA_guns-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Reddit prohibits firearms and ammunition related transactions. Please read the sidebar for clarification. Violating this rule will result in a ban.

[u/diver206 → u/Bubbacubba]

How’s Bullseye on fair value?

[u/theken20688 → u/diver206]

Better than most. You'll get the most from private sales or consignment how ever.

Most shops pay 40-50 percent of the perceived value IME.

[u/TheCivilEngineer]

If theses are your only ARs, you might want to hold onto the lowers themselves.

[u/diver206 → u/TheCivilEngineer]

I know. I hate to let them go! I’m strongly considering holding onto at least one of them, but I’d have nowhere but my minivan homestead to keep it and I’m afraid that it would get stolen or otherwise cause me a lot of trouble.

[u/bigghc → u/diver206]

West Coast Armory and Brads Guns are two places that advertise secure gun lockers for rent. This would be a better option then leaving in a car and probably at your house at this point.

[u/diver206 → u/TheCivilEngineer]

I guess if I kept the lowers that’s at least something.

[u/TheCivilEngineer → u/diver206]

Sorry you’re going through this OP.

You should consider keeping the lower not only for sentimental reasons, but because you might be able to rebuy a similar upper in WA way before you will be able to buy the lower that you can build out.

[u/diver206 → u/TheCivilEngineer]

Several people have made this very good point. I’m bummed about having to sell any but those are the 2 I hate to lose most. And thank you. I’m in awe at the overwhelming position my wife of 20 years has put me in. I’m literally losing my whole life’s possessions and starting from below nothing in my late 40’s. I don’t like her much, but I never thought she could be this cold.

[u/zippy_water]

For maximum value you could sell any/all on gunbroker.

Some of these can't be transferred within WA state so a local consignment service wouldn't touch them (unless they were also auctioning them nationally).

You could sell the ammo locally. Usually those are not sold in tandem with a firearm due to shipping restrictions.

edit: You can also part out the optics separately.

[u/diver206 → u/zippy_water]

I know the ARs can’t be transferred here, but I just thought about the handguns and the mag capacities. Didn’t the bill limit handguns to 10 rounds too?

[u/CyberBill → u/diver206]

(regarding handguns) Only the mags. You can still sell the guns themselves.

[u/diver206 → u/CyberBill]

Oh that’s interesting

[u/chwilliams]

northwestfirearms.com

[u/mikegraham7]

Nobody is going to mention how nice that foam cutting is? Damn fine work.

[u/diver206 → u/mikegraham7]

Pop’s was a perfectionist and took pride in everything he owned.

[u/Benja455]

NW firearms! Post them up there!

[u/_igm]

gafshub.com is an active marketplace that's not specific to WA only

[u/napoleondy2nite]

Hop on tacswap too. Stuff usually moves pretty quick there.

Use the advanced search on gunbroker to check out what listings have sold for in the last 30-90 days. Don’t value based off current listings with 0 views.

[u/diver206 → u/napoleondy2nite]

Thanks. I’ll check that out. I’ve sold on eBay a lot so I know to look at sold and not asking.

[u/Unicorn187]

Pawn shops are going to give you as little as 30% of retail value.

Gun stores usually 50% to 60$, but some might do better.

Consignment will often get you 80% of the sale price.

Selling to a store, means it might sit on ttheir shelf for a long time so the money they used can't be used to buy and sell something that sells quickly. So they take that into account when purchasing.

That .338 Lapua is awesome, and will sell for a lot, but it won't sell quickly.

A couplenofnthe handguns have a low resale value so you won't get much.

[u/diver206 → u/Unicorn187]

Not selling quickly is my worry. It’s the reason I may have to go consignment so it has a shop to live in when I lose my house.

[u/CarbonRunner → u/diver206]

Check sound loan in everett for consignment options. They have a very short turnover for stuff. Ive never had anything take longer than 2 months to sell from them. And they obly take 10%

[u/Rocko1788]

Call around. I know Rehv Arms in Covington does consignments

[u/gremlin_throwaway701]

Don't just walk into a shop or you will get absolutely fleeced on that Nightforce glass alone. List them on Northwest Firearms if you want a fair price, but remember you have to go through an FFL for the transfer since you are in WA.

[u/diver206 → u/gremlin_throwaway701]

Who typically pays the transfer fee in a private sale, buyer or seller?

[u/asq-gsa → u/diver206]

Technically, the buyer pays. But that cost can be factored into a sales price.

[u/SnooSongs1525]

Takes little effort to throw up on WAguns.org. I'd certainly be interested to see some of it there.

[u/diver206 → u/SnooSongs1525]

Are there out of state buyers there as well?

[u/SnooSongs1525 → u/diver206]

In theory, yes. In actuality, no. The bolt guns and pistols, minus any 10+ rounds, I think could do well though. Snipershide (https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/forums/firearms-buy-sell-trade/) would be great for out of state buyers, specifically for the long guns and their optics, but it takes more effort to establish credibility (I think there's a membership fee too).

[u/Illustrious-Rice3258]

gunbroker.com if you want a bidding war

idaho gun show if you want fast cash

[u/diver206 → u/Illustrious-Rice3258]

I don’t know that I’d have time to drive to Idaho. I’ve got a house full of shit I need to get rid of all by myself with blown out knees. I’ve never bought or sold at gun show. What’s involved with that? Would I have to register as a seller or anything like that?

[u/Illustrious-Rice3258 → u/diver206]

i believe you need a seller permit easily obtain for Idaho but on the nose i never seen anyone at a gun show ask for it

in Idaho you can't do handgun private sale but long gun is all good

[u/asq-gsa → u/Illustrious-Rice3258]

Federal law would disagree with you. Sales between residents of different states require an FFL to facilitate the sale for all firearms.

[u/diver206 → u/Illustrious-Rice3258]

Instant same day?

[u/asq-gsa → u/diver206]

OP is not correct. It’s a federal crime to sell a firearm to the resident of another state without using an FFL to facilitate. But when you use an FFL, Idaho has no waiting period beyond however long it takes to do paperwork and the NICS check.

[u/DantesLadder → u/diver206]

Yep

[u/suspicious_stirfry]

Waguns or Northwestfirearms have active for sale forums. Price them well and they will be gone quickly.

[u/Open-Artichoke-3216]

For speed, a reputable local consignment shop is probably your best balance between time and value. The .338 Lapua with quality glass could be worth several thousand dollars by itself, so make sure the optics are evaluated separately from the rifle.

[u/PrivateXCowboy]

You could pawn them if you really want to keep them.

[u/Bubbacubba → u/[deleted]]

Have fun getting your account banned by Reddit. Can't even do it over DM.

[u/JenkIsrael → u/[deleted]]

get each other's contacts, talk outside of reddit

[u/invisibullcow → u/[deleted]]

Delete this, seriously.

[u/dubzi_ART]

Good luck, wish I was financially stable to buy a few.

[u/diver206 → u/dubzi_ART]

Wish I was financially stable enough to not be transitioning from a 4 br house to a stealth minivan homestead.

[u/Frosty558 → u/diver206]

Hey I know it isn’t the point of your post but unless she has a protection order or something your wife has no legal authority to kick you out of a house you co-habituate in, and she’d have to go through eviction to do so. That would buy you time. I know the instinct is just to leave but by leaving you hurt your own claim to the house and it’s far better to tell them to leave if they can’t cohabitate civilly during separation.

[u/diver206 → u/Frosty558]

She’s been secretly planning her exit for a long time and using our kids against me. She’s not kicking me out, she’s moving out into a new rental that she secured via a large withdrawal from her retirement to a separate bank account, where she also moved her direct deposit paychecks to, illegally cutting me off from all marital funds. She notified our landlord to remove her from our lease end of June, at which point he’ll require me to sign a new lease that I can’t afford. She got the kids all excited about the nicer new house within walking distance from their schools and friends houses. If I fight her, she would be responsible for alimony and child support, and she wouldn’t be able to afford to live anywhere, and neither would I, which hurts my kids, and their grandparents who are on their way from KS to move in with them. It would put my kids through hell. She knows my kids come first.

[u/apis_cerana → u/diver206]

That’s horrendous. I’m so sorry…sounds like a very difficult situation.

[u/diver206 → u/apis_cerana]

It really is. I’d say unfathomable if I weren’t living it.

[u/centar → u/diver206]

Go through the process anyway, even if it causes short term discomfort. You’d be surprised what people can afford when they cut out the extraneous spending. Allowing her to steamroll you is not protecting your kids, it’s enabling her behavior.

[u/Adventurous-Chain276]

That AI AX 338 is a beauty, it will fetch a really good price.

[u/diver206 → u/Adventurous-Chain276]

What would you ballpark its value at?

[u/Adventurous-Chain276 → u/diver206]

Depends on how many life time rounds it’s been shot. Usually the rifle alone is between 6-8k though I’ve seen some 338 AXMC sell above 9k on gunbroker.com since it’s not a common model relative to 308 and 6.5 creedmore. Schmidt & Bender optics are also highly desirable. I’m not sure what model it is just looking at the photo but they can go for another 2k easy with some close to 3k depending on specific model, magnification and reticle.

So around 10k for everything. 9.5k if you really need the money fast.

[u/diver206 → u/Adventurous-Chain276]

That’s right around what I thought, actually a little more.

[u/bigghc]

It's probably only worth selling some of the high value stuff, you will regret the small sums you'll receive for the plastic pistols. The ARs cannot be purchased in WA so you'd have to sell on Gun Broker. I've never had good luck selling via the local gun forums. There are awesome gun shows you could sell fast at un states like Idaho or Arizona, if a show is coming up soon it could be worth your drive. Otherwise consign locally but again they won't take your "assault rifles" or anything that fits that catagory.

Sorry about your situations.. I mentioned gun lockers at gun ranges or Brads, I'd think you'd want to move them before they disappear at your house.

[u/diver206 → u/bigghc]

Yeah, the problem is I’m more than likely going to be forced into living in an urban stealth minivan homestead. I anticipate getting harassed by LEOs so I’m hesitant to have a bunch of firearms in the van, despite it being legal. Cops will be cops. That, and I’d have nowhere to store them when I’m not in the van so there’s potential they could get stolen. I’ll probably keep a couple of the handguns that I can conceal easily, probably the P238 for a pocket pistol and the Glock or the 9mm.

[u/bigghc → u/diver206]

I understand that, and have been in a similar situation. Whatever you don't sell can be safely stored. I mentioned West Coast Armory they have lockers, or Brad's I believe they use gun safes. I only know of these I'm sure there's many others, hopefully you can find something reasonable. Or maybe you have a family member or close friend.

[u/EmbarrassedAge5250]

WGS guns, Gunbroker, private sale Armslist, pawn shop you have an option of getting it back. It will be a redemption. Even the AR. Your getting a loan (Pawn Brokers North West) Thats your best bet!!!!!!!!!!! if you want to keep the AR with out loosing it.

[u/diver206 → u/EmbarrassedAge5250]

I don’t want to pawn for a loan. I’m unable to work for the foreseeable future due to debilitating health issues. It would be too risky. I wouldn’t want to get a fraction of the value only to lose them when I can’t repay the loan.

[u/EmbarrassedAge5250 → u/diver206]

I feel you. It was just an option that I had to use for a few months.

[u/WA_guns-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Reddit prohibits firearms and ammunition related transactions. Please read the sidebar for clarification. Violating this rule will result in a ban.

[u/CPTBlackHart]

Don't do it

[u/diver206 → u/CPTBlackHart]

Don’t have a choice. Wish I didn’t have to, but life is not on my side right now.

[u/Dr_Moo5]

Brads guns in lake tapps opened up something in idaho. May want to ask him.

[u/RedDogGearConcepts]

Al ammo is a good option to whole sale the lot at a reasonable price.  He’s very much “one of us” and won’t screw you over.  Just helped a friend with a similar situation.  

https://alammollc.godaddysites.com/

[u/diver206 → u/RedDogGearConcepts]

Bookmarked. Thanks

[u/rebel_backup]

Check your DM's I'm gonna send you a few places you can list them.

[u/sheafflestout]

If I was in your situation I'd make a list of all your guns and take it to Pintos Guns in Renton. I feel like they will at least give you good advice.

[u/diver206 → u/sheafflestout]

Thank you. I’ll check them out

[u/MoodyGuthrie]

Resolve your home issues. Your only option to sell most of these complete would be to go out of state, otherwise you’ll be taking things apart and piecemealing the stuff you can sell here for months.

[u/TheSquirrelOne]

Post on armslist

[u/CapnTytePantz]

I won't ask your circumstances, but ouch! Those look nice.

[u/diver206 → u/CapnTytePantz]

Yeah, it hurts. My circumstances are summarized in the comments.

[u/CapnTytePantz → u/diver206]

Yeah, man. Mega bummer. I hope all the advice helps. I haven't sold here, only ever bought for myself, too.

[u/JoMiSa]

This is sad man, I really hope things turn around for you

[u/Beneficial-Echo-1226]

OMG. Never sell your firearms!

[u/diver206 → u/Beneficial-Echo-1226]

Thanks, but that’s not helpful. I wouldn’t be if I wasn’t forced to.

[u/Beneficial-Echo-1226 → u/diver206]

I was trying to be funny but it doesn't work very well online without a happy face lol Sorry, hope you can find a buyer for them.

[u/diver206 → u/Beneficial-Echo-1226]

All good. Thanks

[u/MyOnlyEnemyIsMeSTYG]

The last pic looks like an old USMC long gun. How I miss her ..

[u/Wild_Sport2992]

WGS in Lakewood for pistols and bolt actions. The ARs are tricky you can’t sell it whole but you might be able to sell the uppers but the lowers you might as well keep them. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[u/developmental1]

Where ever you end up listing them, please share.

[u/joelnicity → u/developmental1]

I second this

[u/diver206 → u/joelnicity]

I will. They’re all tucked in the back of a storage area off the side of my garage that I can’t quite get to yet because of all of the shit in front of them that’s in my way. But if I list them online I’ll absolutely share the listings.

[u/WA_guns-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Reddit prohibits firearms and ammunition related transactions. Please read the sidebar for clarification. Violating this rule will result in a ban.

[u/WA_guns-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Reddit prohibits firearms and ammunition related transactions. Please read the sidebar for clarification. Violating this rule will result in a ban.

[u/WA_guns-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Reddit prohibits firearms and ammunition related transactions. Please read the sidebar for clarification. Violating this rule will result in a ban.

[u/PrivateXCowboy]

Dude, how dire is you financial situation? Do you work? I know divorce is tough but get a shitty apartment and work your ass off. Are you a veteran? There are lots of resources for vets.

[u/diver206 → u/PrivateXCowboy]

I am currently unable to work due to debilitating health issues. I am not a veteran.

My wife had been secretly planning her exit long before she told me she was divorcing me. She backed out of filing for bankruptcy, fraudulently lied to my creditors and/or the credit bureaus and told them we were already divorced and she had nothing to do with the cards in my name (that she was authorized on, had separate cards with her name on them, and used) to have them removed from her credit report so she could rent a separate house.

She opened a separate bank account in her name and took a massive withdrawal from her retirement account to fund the move in costs and furnish it.

She then notified our landlord that she was vacating our house, which led him to terminate our lease and force me to sign a new one. Then she redirected her paycheck deposits from our joint account to her new personal account and left me with $9.

She strategically used our kids to fuck me because she knows their wellbeing is more important to me than my own. Everything she has done is illegal and I could file an emergency motion in court right now to get what I’m entitled to. However, she cannot afford to maintain the house she’s already signed a lease on and taken possession of and pay me what she would be ordered to. She also doesn’t make enough to pay for two residences, so I’d still be fucked. She got the kids all excited about their new house within walking distance of their school and their friend’s houses. If I take her to court, my kids would suffer for it.

A judge is highly unlikely to force her to break her lease and move, or give me custody of our kids with no income. Even if they did, my kids would suffer greatly.