A common question is, "What is the best way to sell a firearm?" Often the answer is not that simple as there are many possible outlets, each with their advantages and disadvantages. Most collectors are familiar with the ins and outs, if not from selling, then from buying firearms to build their collection. However, many times a firearm is inherited or otherwise acquired by someone who isn't knowledgeable in this area but would still like to receive the maximum value from the sale. This article is addressed to the second group, but should also be helpful to new collectors and those who are selling from their collection for the first time.

Legal Issues First off, because firearms are heavily regulated at federal, state, and local levels, there are many laws regarding sales, transfers, and shipping. It is the sellers responsibility to know the applicable laws in their area. The information on this web site is not legal advice or provided by a lawyer and 7.62x54r.net or it's principals are not responsible for any results from the use or misuse of the contents of this web site. The huge volume of firearm law makes it nearly impossible for any one person to understand all the statutes, even in one jurisdiction. While most Federal Firearm License holders (FFLs) and law enforcement officers have the best intentions, many are not familiar with laws governing the sale and shipping of firearms by non-FFL holders and are not always the best source of information in this area. If there is any doubt about the legality of an action it is best to err on the side of caution and cancel the sale. There are many resources available to research applicable laws including government web sites, firearm law books, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) web site, and the NRA and other 2nd Amendment groups' web sites. Finally, consultation with a lawyer that practices firearm related law would be in order if any doubt remained.

The average person not already familiar with selling a firearm might find this frightening and decide that selling a firearm is not worth the risk. That is not the case as thousands of firearms are bought and sold each day by honest citizens without running afoul of the law. A little research and common sense will make what seems a daunting task appear simple in the long run. If a firearm is inherited then it must first be determined if it is legally owned before disposing of it. This would fall under state and local laws. Some jurisdictions ban the ownership of firearms outright, while others require registration or purchase permits. The next step is determining who the firearm can be sold to. Federal law prohibits the sale of long guns (rifles and shotguns) to anyone under the age of 18 and handguns to anyone under the age of 21 as well as all firearms to anyone with a felony conviction, mental illness, or several other disqualifications. A good rule of thumb is to only sell to personal acquaintances or Federal Firearm License holders (FFLs). While there are several classifications of FFL, the two most commonly encountered are an 01FFL, or dealer's license, and an 03FFL, or collector's license. An 01FFL holder is licensed to buy and sell firearms for profit. An 03FFL holder is licensed to receive Curio and Relic (C&R) firearms directly from distributors, dealers, or other collectors for their own collection (not resale) without using an 01FFL to transfer them. Firearms qualify as a C&R in one of two ways. Either they are over 50 years old or they are specifically listed as C&R by the BATF. All Mosin Nagants are C&R with the exception of Chinese T53 carbines that are less than 50 years old.

Identifying and Determining Value Before selling a firearm the owner should know as much as possible about it so that questions from potential buyers can be answered. 7.62x54r.net has several pages of information on Mosin Nagant identification. If the firearm is another type there is probably a web site dedicated to it that will help in identification. There are also many firearm related discussion boards where help can be obtained. While the model of firearm is important; the year, arsenal, and any unique marks can also be critical when determining value. Discussion forums can be a good resource for determining value also, with a range of opinions in a matter of hours. A full description including condition, along with pictures, will help tremendously and will be discussed further below. Another way to determine value is to find similar firearms for sale on the internet. This can be done at classified type sites or at auction sites. When using the auction sites, look at the closed auctions to determine the final prices rather than the ongoing auctions. The average gun shop is not necessarily the best place to get a collectible firearm appraised because they are often not familiar with the many variations and markings unique to various designs.

Where to Sell Once a selling price is determined it must be decided where to sell the firearm. There are several outlets and each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Probably the quickest way to sell a firearm is through a pawn shop, but the money received is usually far below the actual value. Most pawn brokers are not firearm experts and will not appreciate the collectible firearm or have a market to resell it in. Another outlet would be a gun shop that will usually pay more than a pawn shop, but still not full retail value. After all, the shop owner has overhead that must be covered and is in business to make a profit. If a shop does not regularly deal in military surplus firearms they may not be interested in a purchase at all. Some shops will also take firearms on consignment for a percentage of the selling price. Gun shows have two primary groups of potential buyers; dealers and other members of the general public. Most dealers are actively looking for firearms to purchase for inventory and know that they are competing with each other. This can result in a higher price than would be offered in an individual shop. If the firearm is unique in some way it will also generate a lot of interest from other patrons who will be willing to pay closer to the retail value. Of course everyone is trying to get the most for their money and a certain amount of haggling is to be expected. The drawback to gun shows is the time and expense involved in travel and admission. A sale is also not guaranteed and strict adherence to the law is important. Overzealous law enforcement are known to actively look for violations at gun shows. It should also be noted that all vendors with tables at gun shows are not licensed dealers. This does not preclude them from purchasing firearms, but there are gray areas in the law here. 01FFL holders will usually have a copy of their license displayed on their table. Specialty dealers that trade primarily in collectibles and buy only hand selected firearms will usually pay more than the average gun dealer. 7.62x54.net Links page and many attend gun shows regularly in search of more inventory. This would be a good outlet when a large collection of firearms is involved because there would only be one transaction to complete. A classified type ad is a more direct route to sell a firearm and receive full or close to full retail value. A traditional print type newspaper ad is not recommended because of the possibility that criminals would use it as a way to gain access to the location of the firearm, often with the thought that there would be many more other than the one for sale. An online ad is much safer due to the anonymity that is possible until an agreement is reached. Most online firearm discussion boards have a forum specifically for this purpose. The rules for each forum will vary and should be read and followed. The main drawback to selling online is packing and shipping the firearm is often required because buyers are seldom in the same area as sellers. It is usually acceptable to limit sales to a specific region, but this will drastically reduce the number of potential buyers. Online auction sites probably return the most money and it's not necessary to determine a set price, but there are some fees involved and it will nearly always require packing and shipping the firearm. Firearm discussion boards and online auction sites are listed on the 7.62x54.net Links page.

Description and Presentation When selling a firearm, like anything else, as many details as possible, both good and bad, should be pointed out. Information to include would be the model, year of manufacture, country or arsenal, and matching or non-matching serial numbers. Simply providing the model is not enough for advanced collectors that are looking for specific years or arsenals. An honest effort at describing the condition of the metal, inside and out, and the stock is also necessary. There are NRA guidelines for describing condition, but they are geared more towards modern firearms than military surplus. A percentage of finish is one acceptable method. For example, "85% bluing on the barrel and 75% finish on the stock". Price, unless on an auction, accepted methods of payment, cost of shipping, method of shipping, and return privileges should also be stated in the ad. United States Postal Service (USPS) money orders are a common method of payment among collectors since they provide a certain amount of protection against fraud for both parties. Shipping is often a fixed price, but can also be "actual cost". In this case the seller's zip code should be included in the ad so that the potential buyer can at least make a rough estimate of the shipping. If a particular carrier will be used for shipping with no options for the buyer that should be stated in the ad also as many buyer's prefer a carrier that uses tracking numbers for each package. A three day "non-firing" return privilege is common when dealing with firearms with return shipping paid by the buyer. Unlike many other items, "a good cleaning" beforehand is not always the wisest move. Most collectors prefer firearms in original condition and consider the grime, dirt, and oil to be a part of it's history. It's usually best to leave a firearm alone and let the next owner decide for themselves how they want to deal with cleaning it. Pictures of the firearm will often "close the deal" because they remove any uncertainty about the details and condition of the firearm. It's best to use a neutral background and crop the picture to eliminate anything not related to the sale. This will give a professional appearance and also reduce the size of the picture and make downloading or e-mailing much faster. For more information on photographing firearms see the 01 Firearms (non-C&R)
Federal law only, local and state laws vary Shipped to Non-FFL 03FFL (C&R) 01FFL (dealer) Shipped from Non-FFL Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS Long guns USPS or CC
Handguns CC only 03FFL (C&R) Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS Long guns USPS or CC
Handguns CC only 01FFL (dealer) NA NA USPS or CC

03 Firearms (C&R) Federal law only, local and state laws vary		Shipped to
		Non-FFL	03FFL (C&R)	01FFL (dealer)
Shipped from	Non-FFL	Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS	Long guns USPS or CC Handguns CC only	Long guns USPS or CC Handguns CC only
	03FFL (C&R)	Long guns only between residents of the same state by CC or USPS	Long guns USPS or CC Handguns CC only	Long guns USPS or CC Handguns CC only
	01FFL (dealer)	NA	Long guns USPS or CC Handguns CC only	USPS or CC

Antique (non-firearm) Federal law only, local and state laws vary		Shipped to
		Non-FFL	03FFL (C&R)	01FFL (dealer)
Shipped from	Non-FFL	USPS or CC	USPS or CC	USPS or CC
	03FFL (C&R)	USPS or CC	USPS or CC	USPS or CC
	01FFL (dealer)	USPS or CC	USPS or CC	USPS or CC

Sample Advertisement Following is a sample advertisement. The firearm is not actually for sale. Please do not contact me about purchasing it.

ATF Online Firearm FAQ page

Firearms Curio or Relics list

Code of Federal Regulations - Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms

USPS - Pub. 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail

Thank you to Dennis Kroh at Empire Arms for his input on the contents of this page.

Visit the 7.62x54r.net Firearm Buying Guide for similar information from the opposite point of view.

Visit the Mosin Nagants Wanted page for a list of rifles that 7.62x54r.net is interested in purchasing.