Here's my list of thoughts to keep in mind:
1. The value is only what the market will pay for it. An appraisal for 20k is worthless if no one wants to BUY it for 20k.
2. The value is always at minimum what the market will pay for it. Truegunvalue may say that gun X is only worth 325, but if they are selling for 500 in the real world, then you can easily under price.
3. Gunbroker is nearly always too high except when you find a unicorn.
4. The deals that you see online are likely the ones that HAVEN'T sold. The good ones go too fast to come up in many searches.
5. In most cases the value of a gun is never greater than the new price where it's being sold. Some exceptions exist where nostalgia kicks in or people believe that "the ones made before X" are worth more (like the JM stamped Marlins as a prime example).
6. Value, for purposes of selling or trading, CAN include tax/ffl/shipping depending on the situation.
7. Using auction websites for pricing is a good tool, but must be considered carefully. Many of the people buying auction guns are paying stupid prices and they know it.
8. Similarly, when reviewing auction websites, you must calculate the buyers premium. I.e. if gun "Y" sold for 1k, then REALLY it sold for 1k+17.5% premium. But this is tempered against point 7 to be honest.
9. Don't knock Armlist. Searching across the nation tells a good idea of what real people are selling for face to face.
The case of the Baikal is a tough one to crack. They were selling as little as 700-900 a few years back when I last looked it up. Today, depending on the source, they are "valued" around 1800-2000. However, the two examples I've seen come across Armlist in recent months are going precisely no where fast at 1200-1400. Rock Island Auction has had some example sell 800-1800 in recent years so that's an almost unhelpfully large spread.
1. The value is only what the market will pay for it. An appraisal for 20k is worthless if no one wants to BUY it for 20k.
2. The value is always at minimum what the market will pay for it. Truegunvalue may say that gun X is only worth 325, but if they are selling for 500 in the real world, then you can easily under price.
3. Gunbroker is nearly always too high except when you find a unicorn.
4. The deals that you see online are likely the ones that HAVEN'T sold. The good ones go too fast to come up in many searches.
5. In most cases the value of a gun is never greater than the new price where it's being sold. Some exceptions exist where nostalgia kicks in or people believe that "the ones made before X" are worth more (like the JM stamped Marlins as a prime example).
6. Value, for purposes of selling or trading, CAN include tax/ffl/shipping depending on the situation.
7. Using auction websites for pricing is a good tool, but must be considered carefully. Many of the people buying auction guns are paying stupid prices and they know it.
8. Similarly, when reviewing auction websites, you must calculate the buyers premium. I.e. if gun "Y" sold for 1k, then REALLY it sold for 1k+17.5% premium. But this is tempered against point 7 to be honest.
9. Don't knock Armlist. Searching across the nation tells a good idea of what real people are selling for face to face.
The case of the Baikal is a tough one to crack. They were selling as little as 700-900 a few years back when I last looked it up. Today, depending on the source, they are "valued" around 1800-2000. However, the two examples I've seen come across Armlist in recent months are going precisely no where fast at 1200-1400. Rock Island Auction has had some example sell 800-1800 in recent years so that's an almost unhelpfully large spread.
