So there seems to be much confusion on how to sell a firearm in the Old North State here on the forums. Mostly new members, some old members, and some in-between. I've decided to take a break after second breakfast and the 8 Mimosa brunch to help clarify things to make things easier for you.
1. Legality. The first thing is that rifles/shotguns/handguns in NC do not require any special considerations.... no BS. You see, the state overrode ole Pooper Scooper to ditch the vile Pistol Permit law back in March 2023. It was a completely arbitrary law that allowed the CLEO in your county to deny you a right to a handgun. Unlike a NICS check, the CLEO could deny your moral character on the grounds that he didn't like you because you took his pew on Sundays at church. Since it's been abolished, you can now follow basic Federal law and not worry about anything. Even the NC CCH license is no longer needed for private sales. It only benefits bypassing a NICS check unless you are buying from a store (may Jesus forgive me for even saying it) like Dunham's. So when you post an ad, you don't need to require a pistol permit because you. can. not. get. one. anymore. period.
2A. Cover Your Donkey. Now when selling a firearm, some guys get all antsy in their pantsy about selling to the felonious type for an item that ultimately belongs in a hardware store next to nail guns. While it is good to be vigilant, you shouldn't be paranoid. The Bill of Sale is a popular fallback, but when we really think about it, it's kind of silly. You see, people can do this thing called "lie" on a piece of paper. I'm sure even many a firearm has been sold on a 4473 after a Martini Business Lunch with Bolivian Marching Powder before stumbling to the golf course with the other executives. Now, if folks can do that on official gubmint papers, they surely can do it on inkjet paper in a Food Lion parking lot. Likewise, the BoS also gives out too much information at times. You see, ultimately you don't know who you are giving your full address to. Maybe that fine dressed gentleman you gave your full address to is a Nightstalker 2.0 who plans on giving your home a visit later or maybe he will send the information to some urban yutes that will supply the streets of Chiraq thanks to the nature of capitalism. Your best bet in all this is to use your intuition and that part of your reptile-like brain that tells you something seems off. Follow your instincts because they trump a sheet of paper. Now the biggest thing is to setup a meeting in a public place where you are safe. Don't go into a stranger's home, don't meet in an easily ambushed place with blind spots, and once again follow your instincts. I've done deals as late as 11pm in Walmart parking lots (ya know back when 24/7 Wal-Marts that sold 9mm/223 was a thing) because I used intuition and well-lit areas in front of cameras. I've never felt unsafe because I made every deal to give me the advantage in case crap went sideways. The only sketch deal was a wild-west days of Armslist climbing in the back of a van with a guy and his wife to trade pistols at a Barnes and Noble. It wasn't my personal safety because I followed my rules. It was more of that I believe his spouse had a thing for Hobbit-like men and wanted me to put my ring into her Mt. Doom while he drank coffee inside.... but that's a different story more suited for Penthouse Forums.
2B. BUT SLIMER! WHAT IF I END UP BUYING A STOLEN FIREARM? Well, ole Slimer did just that once. He didn't get put in jail, he didn't have his dog shot, and his butthole is still tighter than a duck's. In my situation, it was a Winchester 1894AE that made it from Slimer's second home of the Pacific Wonderland known as Oregon (Note: Screw Multnomah and Lane counties). Now old Slimer was easily able to debunk he stole it since he was just a lad playing Street Fighter II on his Super Nintendo with the other neighborhood kids when it was stolen. The deputy gave him a call and said just go pay the trade-in value the FFL gave you since I have to take it into custody. There was nothing scary and it took 3 minutes to resolve. The FFL wasn't mad, the Sheriff's Department wasn't mad, and I hope that 1894AE made it back to the original owner. The seller wasn't guilty either, and he paid me back what I paid to him. Now maybe this is different in Mecklenburg or Durham, but unless you are buying stolen goods with full knowledge, don't worry about it. That intutition and common sense will get you far in life.
3. The Art of the Deal. So you took your chill pill, quit worrying about the generally unfounded fears of selling tools, and now you want to get rid of a gun that you really don't want. Now we need to remember it's 2024. That means even the most basic phone has a good camera on it on par with old 35mms. You want to get good lighting, use your auto-focus, and get good clear pictures. Doing this is worth 1,000 words no matter if it's a completely stock Glock. If it's a mil-surp, pictures of proof-marks and acceptance stamps can be captured with Macro-mode. If there are blemishes, capture them because your buyer will appreciate you being honest about wear. Don't use a stock picture or not even take a picture. Nobody wants to take a chance and taking pictures takes about the same amount of time of writing an ad. If you are including accessories, it only helps you to take a quick picture as well. If you are selling a modular firearm like an AR-15, it helps to actually list what parts are in it. The barrel twist/material/finish makes a huge difference because I'll pay a lot more for a 4150CMV 1/7 CHF chrome-lined barrel with a pinned gas block and Tooltech 158-Carpenter steel BCG than a 4140 unlined 1/9 phosphate only barrel with an unknown gas block held on by screws and unknown BCG with an unstaked carrier key.
Now you got your pics, you written all the details about what your selling, and you are about to post. Let's be frank at this point... you ain't getting what you put into it. Guns are like cars, you lose a percentage as soon as you take it out the store. Aftermarket accessories don't mean jack unless the buyer happens to be interested and if you really want to recoup your money, sell them separate. Making a "package deal" means you need to.... ya know, make it a deal. As a consumer, what you paid means nothing to me because in one minute I can google it and have it shipped to my home at the best price all while in my underwear. You need to take this into consideration if you really want to sell. Making a list of itemized parts means jack when those items go on sale for less than what you paid or are no longer in vouge to market trends.
When it comes to setting a value, you can use websites like wikiarms or gun.deals to find the value of your item via SKU/UPC. There is also Gunbroker/Buds/KYGunCo etc to see general prices. See, a potential buyer doesn't have interest in paying more than what they can get brand spanking new. It's not 1986 where a gun show or driving around to hole-in-the-wall pawn shops leads to deals anymore. Everyone has a supercomputer in their pockets where pricing can be established for better or worse. What you think you know what you got is not set in reality if you're not checking the market. What you paid 6 months ago may be null and void if gunmakers are having rebates, a new model came out, or political nonsense that leads to panic buying has ended. The only potential buyers you are attracting at this point are the felonious types that will pay a high price because they can't pass a 4473 or people who need instant gratification who still can use the interwebz and find what you are selling at a Big Box Store or good gun shops that have their inventory online.
Now, this is not to say you should be a pushover as a seller. Some people will look at the Bud's price of say $500, but they don't figure in cash discounts, shipping, taxes and FFL fees which pushes the price closer to $600. Others are frugal at best or cheap-butts at worst who would negotiate for free piles of cow crap. You also have tire-kickers who really don't have any real interest in buying and the ever popular junk traders who want to trade their non-running Snapper lawnmower, Kyle Petty commentative pocket knife, collectable Avon cologne in a car bottle, and stained Tupperware for your KAC SR-15. Even so, it pays to be polite because they may get lucky on a scratch-off at the Speedway while they block the line for people trying to pay for gas as they furiously use a quarter to chase the gambling dragon, spreading ticket residue over the counter while the clerk politely askes them to move to the side. You never know if they are going to get that $10,000 winning ticket and will meet your fair asking price.
TL;DR Don't be a bureaucrat with paperwork, follow your gut instinct, take good pictures, price your stuff against the market (not your financial losses), accept the headaches of selling, and don't play Fellowship of the Ring in the back of a Honda Odyssey unless you are into that sort of thing and can take the public indecency charge (along with a shot of penicillin).
Thanks for reading my blog, hit that upvote, like & subscribe, and say hi to your Momma and all them.
1. Legality. The first thing is that rifles/shotguns/handguns in NC do not require any special considerations.... no BS. You see, the state overrode ole Pooper Scooper to ditch the vile Pistol Permit law back in March 2023. It was a completely arbitrary law that allowed the CLEO in your county to deny you a right to a handgun. Unlike a NICS check, the CLEO could deny your moral character on the grounds that he didn't like you because you took his pew on Sundays at church. Since it's been abolished, you can now follow basic Federal law and not worry about anything. Even the NC CCH license is no longer needed for private sales. It only benefits bypassing a NICS check unless you are buying from a store (may Jesus forgive me for even saying it) like Dunham's. So when you post an ad, you don't need to require a pistol permit because you. can. not. get. one. anymore. period.
2A. Cover Your Donkey. Now when selling a firearm, some guys get all antsy in their pantsy about selling to the felonious type for an item that ultimately belongs in a hardware store next to nail guns. While it is good to be vigilant, you shouldn't be paranoid. The Bill of Sale is a popular fallback, but when we really think about it, it's kind of silly. You see, people can do this thing called "lie" on a piece of paper. I'm sure even many a firearm has been sold on a 4473 after a Martini Business Lunch with Bolivian Marching Powder before stumbling to the golf course with the other executives. Now, if folks can do that on official gubmint papers, they surely can do it on inkjet paper in a Food Lion parking lot. Likewise, the BoS also gives out too much information at times. You see, ultimately you don't know who you are giving your full address to. Maybe that fine dressed gentleman you gave your full address to is a Nightstalker 2.0 who plans on giving your home a visit later or maybe he will send the information to some urban yutes that will supply the streets of Chiraq thanks to the nature of capitalism. Your best bet in all this is to use your intuition and that part of your reptile-like brain that tells you something seems off. Follow your instincts because they trump a sheet of paper. Now the biggest thing is to setup a meeting in a public place where you are safe. Don't go into a stranger's home, don't meet in an easily ambushed place with blind spots, and once again follow your instincts. I've done deals as late as 11pm in Walmart parking lots (ya know back when 24/7 Wal-Marts that sold 9mm/223 was a thing) because I used intuition and well-lit areas in front of cameras. I've never felt unsafe because I made every deal to give me the advantage in case crap went sideways. The only sketch deal was a wild-west days of Armslist climbing in the back of a van with a guy and his wife to trade pistols at a Barnes and Noble. It wasn't my personal safety because I followed my rules. It was more of that I believe his spouse had a thing for Hobbit-like men and wanted me to put my ring into her Mt. Doom while he drank coffee inside.... but that's a different story more suited for Penthouse Forums.
2B. BUT SLIMER! WHAT IF I END UP BUYING A STOLEN FIREARM? Well, ole Slimer did just that once. He didn't get put in jail, he didn't have his dog shot, and his butthole is still tighter than a duck's. In my situation, it was a Winchester 1894AE that made it from Slimer's second home of the Pacific Wonderland known as Oregon (Note: Screw Multnomah and Lane counties). Now old Slimer was easily able to debunk he stole it since he was just a lad playing Street Fighter II on his Super Nintendo with the other neighborhood kids when it was stolen. The deputy gave him a call and said just go pay the trade-in value the FFL gave you since I have to take it into custody. There was nothing scary and it took 3 minutes to resolve. The FFL wasn't mad, the Sheriff's Department wasn't mad, and I hope that 1894AE made it back to the original owner. The seller wasn't guilty either, and he paid me back what I paid to him. Now maybe this is different in Mecklenburg or Durham, but unless you are buying stolen goods with full knowledge, don't worry about it. That intutition and common sense will get you far in life.
3. The Art of the Deal. So you took your chill pill, quit worrying about the generally unfounded fears of selling tools, and now you want to get rid of a gun that you really don't want. Now we need to remember it's 2024. That means even the most basic phone has a good camera on it on par with old 35mms. You want to get good lighting, use your auto-focus, and get good clear pictures. Doing this is worth 1,000 words no matter if it's a completely stock Glock. If it's a mil-surp, pictures of proof-marks and acceptance stamps can be captured with Macro-mode. If there are blemishes, capture them because your buyer will appreciate you being honest about wear. Don't use a stock picture or not even take a picture. Nobody wants to take a chance and taking pictures takes about the same amount of time of writing an ad. If you are including accessories, it only helps you to take a quick picture as well. If you are selling a modular firearm like an AR-15, it helps to actually list what parts are in it. The barrel twist/material/finish makes a huge difference because I'll pay a lot more for a 4150CMV 1/7 CHF chrome-lined barrel with a pinned gas block and Tooltech 158-Carpenter steel BCG than a 4140 unlined 1/9 phosphate only barrel with an unknown gas block held on by screws and unknown BCG with an unstaked carrier key.
Now you got your pics, you written all the details about what your selling, and you are about to post. Let's be frank at this point... you ain't getting what you put into it. Guns are like cars, you lose a percentage as soon as you take it out the store. Aftermarket accessories don't mean jack unless the buyer happens to be interested and if you really want to recoup your money, sell them separate. Making a "package deal" means you need to.... ya know, make it a deal. As a consumer, what you paid means nothing to me because in one minute I can google it and have it shipped to my home at the best price all while in my underwear. You need to take this into consideration if you really want to sell. Making a list of itemized parts means jack when those items go on sale for less than what you paid or are no longer in vouge to market trends.
When it comes to setting a value, you can use websites like wikiarms or gun.deals to find the value of your item via SKU/UPC. There is also Gunbroker/Buds/KYGunCo etc to see general prices. See, a potential buyer doesn't have interest in paying more than what they can get brand spanking new. It's not 1986 where a gun show or driving around to hole-in-the-wall pawn shops leads to deals anymore. Everyone has a supercomputer in their pockets where pricing can be established for better or worse. What you think you know what you got is not set in reality if you're not checking the market. What you paid 6 months ago may be null and void if gunmakers are having rebates, a new model came out, or political nonsense that leads to panic buying has ended. The only potential buyers you are attracting at this point are the felonious types that will pay a high price because they can't pass a 4473 or people who need instant gratification who still can use the interwebz and find what you are selling at a Big Box Store or good gun shops that have their inventory online.
Now, this is not to say you should be a pushover as a seller. Some people will look at the Bud's price of say $500, but they don't figure in cash discounts, shipping, taxes and FFL fees which pushes the price closer to $600. Others are frugal at best or cheap-butts at worst who would negotiate for free piles of cow crap. You also have tire-kickers who really don't have any real interest in buying and the ever popular junk traders who want to trade their non-running Snapper lawnmower, Kyle Petty commentative pocket knife, collectable Avon cologne in a car bottle, and stained Tupperware for your KAC SR-15. Even so, it pays to be polite because they may get lucky on a scratch-off at the Speedway while they block the line for people trying to pay for gas as they furiously use a quarter to chase the gambling dragon, spreading ticket residue over the counter while the clerk politely askes them to move to the side. You never know if they are going to get that $10,000 winning ticket and will meet your fair asking price.
TL;DR Don't be a bureaucrat with paperwork, follow your gut instinct, take good pictures, price your stuff against the market (not your financial losses), accept the headaches of selling, and don't play Fellowship of the Ring in the back of a Honda Odyssey unless you are into that sort of thing and can take the public indecency charge (along with a shot of penicillin).
Thanks for reading my blog, hit that upvote, like & subscribe, and say hi to your Momma and all them.
