Was there a gun bubble? Did it burst?
By @Gun_Carry
I know we are all looking at the sky high prices of firearms and ammunition these days and as a result you probably think I’m nuts right now. Well, if you’re in the market for a modern sporting rifle/black rifle/AR platform you know the prices are through the roof and set to climb again after the MD judge’s ruling in federal court this week. Or perhaps you are thinking of buying a KSG and wondering why the price tag is 2.5x the MSRP? You’re right primary gun market prices are high certainly not bubble has burst there!
But what about the used gun market? It seems to me the used weapons (at least the ones that interest me) are at a crazy low. Firearms has always been worth an investment. With care you could always count on getting your money back when you need or making a profit when you want. I wonder if that holds true today.
I’ve shopped a little in the secondary market of late and I’ve also offered up items for sale and trade. What I find is the money just isn’t there. First I took this to be a sign of the economy in general but I’m just not so sure anymore. Gun sales boards paint a wild picture. If you look at the prices you on the for sale side you see some large figures but if you take the time to look at auctions that have ended you will see the actual selling prices are much lower. Most of the items you originally saw will end without a sale.
Today’s case in point, I found a nearby Ruger Super Blackhawk for sale in very nice condition for $425. It seems like a great deal but I questioned this because it had been up for sale for 30days without being bought. I looked the gun up on Gunbroker and found the same type of weapon being sold in completed auctions at a high price of $400. Most were between $325-375. These were good condition used weapons. The same guns new have price tags over $600. Needless to say my counter offered market price was rejected and I don’t blame him. Why would a person let such a fine weapon go for so little?
I am afraid there is a wide disturbance in the market and gun owners need to be aware, your gun may lose value for the first time. It’s a hard pill to swallow. But something is out of balance.
It’s pure economics, and it’s definitely a bubble. The prices of new firearms are way over their real value, and are based on emotional purchasing that is fueled by scarcity rhetoric from many quarters, and that in turn is fueled by stupid policy and practices from government and related bodies.
Manufacturers and sellers are getting as much out of this as they can, because like all bubbles, it will burst.
It may be the availability of firearms as a whole in the community. High supply and low demand after everyone rushed to be armed before the feds lowered the boom on gun sales. We currently feel secure that we have our firearms and we wont be overly obstructed from future purchases at this point. When the next legislative push for firearm regulation the market will respond with high demand and a fast depleted supply and your firearms value will grow massively. Just another market being manipulated by legislation and fear.