# Glock 22 Gen 4 Value question



## xeonman13 (May 7, 2012)

(Not looking to sell or trade here, just need advice)

I have a Glock 22 Gen 4. I have had it for 3 years and had about 200 rounds through it. Have all original paperwork/box/clips.
My quesiton is the following.

I bought this firearm when I used to go to the range alot. It was my primary home defense gun and range gun.
I also owned a Ruger LCP at the time.

I have since sold my LCP (too small for my hands) and don't really go to the range as much. So looking to get rid of the 22 and jump to a glock 26 for concealed and home defense.
Should this be considered an even trade at a gun store for a preowned 26? Or how much should I expect to hand over along with my Glock 22? 
I dont want to get taken so Im asking for advice. THanks,


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

No, there is no store that I know of that would even get close to an even trade. The stores have to make money on every transaction to pay the employees, keep the lights on, make a profit, etc. This is going to be painful to hear, so sit down and try to relax before reading any more.

Most gun shops I have worked at used a set formula to value a gun coming in on trade. If it's pistol that is still in production (like yours), they find out what the dealer/wholesale price is for a new one, and start from there (why would they buy or take a trade from you on a used gun that they could buy new for the same cost?). If your gun is in absolutely top condition, well cared for, looks almost new, then you can expect about 50% to 60% of the wholesale price of a new one on trade, unless market conditions force them to offer less. If your gun is well-used and beat-up-looking, you'll be offered less; maybe a LOT less. They might use a condition grading guide to set a consistent value on similar guns, but if they do, it will probably be fudged to the store's advantage (you'll rate your gun as in 90% condition; they'll claim it's closer to 80%).

Market forces that can drive values down might include a temporary glut of guns in a given size or caliber in that particular store, or city, or state, or region. Right now, my favorite local gun shop has an entire shelf of pre-owned .40 Glocks of varying sizes, as people have been trading them in for 9mms (cheaper to shoot, less recoil) or newer gun models in the same or larger calibers. There are also a bunch of used police trade-in Glock .40 pistols entering the used-pistol market right now, as departments change-over to new guns or calibers (many are moving to 9mm). If anyone brought a .40 Glock to that shop right now and asked to trade on anything, they'd probably offer them 35%-40% of the value of a new one (or less), hoping that the person wouldn't trade at all if they offered a crappy enough trade-in value (because they REALLY don't want another used .40 Glock on the shelf). If I tried to trade, because they know me, and they know that I know how these things work, they'd just tell me "I really don't want to say what I'd be able to offer for your gun on a trade, because you'll probably be insulted." At that point, I can continue with the deal and take a painful hit to my wallet, or I can decide to try to sell it myself (a pain in the butt, and somewhat dangerous in some cities; people will sometimes respond to a For-Sale ad by trying to steal the gun), or I can keep it and try to finance the new purchase in some other way (use a layby/layaway pay-over-time option, finance it myself by using a credit card, sell my old/fat/male body on the street for a few months until I can save enough, etc.). There are pros and cons to each of these options; evaluate them carefully.

The best choice for some people is to make a private sale to a (mentally stable, non-felon, non-violent) friend, relative, or co-worker. You can give them a better price than if they bought a similar gun at full retail price, and you'll still be able to get more money for the pistol than if you traded it in to a gun shop under poor market conditions. However, there are dangers here, as well; what if the gun breaks under normal use in the next few months? Will you feel guilty/uncomfortable, will your buyer feel angry/taken, will these feelings damage your relationship (whatever that is)? What happens if your buyer decides they don't like the pistol (not accurate enough, kicks too hard, ammo is too expensive, whatever)? Will they seek a refund from you? All potential problems.

So, in closing, you should expect a very low offer for your pistol, and that offer may or may not be firm, depending on the store (some stores make a fixed offer, and that's it; others may be able to "adjust" the offer after some negotiations, if you know how to negotiate). In my area right now, a person that brought in a pre-owned several-year-old .40 Glock, asking to trade on a used 9mm Glock (which are always easier to sell than a .40, in my experience), would probably be offered $125 to $250 less in trade than the used 9mm Glock 26 was priced (lots of possible variation on both sides of the transaction here, so this is a VERY rough estimate). If they were to offer you a trade-in value that got you within $100 of the used 9mm, then I'd be rather pleasantly shocked (again, making a lot of assumptions, here).

Good luck, and tell us how it goes if you take it to a shop for a trade. Remember, you can always say no, and don't take a low offer personally; they're not necessarily trying to "steal" your gun, they are just trying to balance a lot of different things; making you a reasonable offer so you are not an angry former customer, while not getting "stuck" with a pistol that they either can't sell at an attractive price, or can't sell at a profit due to the market conditions.


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## xeonman13 (May 7, 2012)

No insult taken. Thank you for taking the time to post such an informative answer. I get it, they need to make money. Ill hold onto it for a private sale and just pay out right for a 26. Thanks!


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