# 22a resale value?



## Marcus99 (Apr 23, 2008)

I've got a S&W 22a that I'm looking to sell to a dealer and I'm trying to figure what he'll give me for it. Here's some info on the pistol if that helps...

Model - 22S (says that on box), 22S-1 (says that on barrel) 
5.5 inch barrel
Bull Wood grips (worst grips I have ever seen), currently have black plastic grips on that they sold there at the S&W factory
new price (according to box) $372
Purchased in August of 2004

I am the first and original owner. It's in very good condition, almost mint, fired only 200-300 times at most. I have all the manuals, paperwork, receipts, accessories and box to go with it. 

So what should I expect to get for this gun?


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Sell, as in "getting cash in your hand"? It's gonna be ugly.

I'd guess $100 to $150; $175, tops. Most dealers will figure out what they think they can sell it for, then give you a percentage of that price. If it retails new for around $300, he probably will figure he can get $200-$250 for it, and he'll offer you 40%-60% of that so he can cover his overhead/expenses and still make a small profit on the deal. If you want to trade it for something else in the store, you'll probably get a slightly better deal, but not much.

If you end up getting a quote (or two), let me know what they offer (sending a PM is fine if you don't want to say in public). Just curious on the resale value of that model of S&W.


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## Marcus99 (Apr 23, 2008)

Yeah, he offered us $125 for it. Kinda a disappointment, we'd be taking a big hit considering we paid $372. He didn't have any 96FS's in stock, just two 92FS's and a 96D. Said he could get a new 96FS for $615, which according to him is being discontinued.

What I'm gonna do is shop around up in NH and see what I can do. Won't have to deal with all those BS liberal laws placed on guns and Mass-compliant crap and things are also just plain cheaper up in NH.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Thanks for saying what he offered.

Yeah, selling a gun to a dealer is usually a painful experience. You'll always do better if you sell face-to-face to another end-user; they don't have to worry about making a profit so YOU get more money, and he can buy it from you for less money than through a dealer. It's a win-win! However, some states don't allow (or severely regulate) F2F purchases. There are downsides, of course, including that whole pay-for-an-advertisement, field-the-never-ending-phone-calls, sort-out-the-dirtbags-felons-teenagers-and-out-of-staters, and invite-strangers-into-your-home-and-hope-they-don't-try-to-rob-you, thing. 

I try not to sell to strangers whenever possible, but if you keep your ears open, often you can find a coworker, friend, or relative who might be interested. Make sure you are comfortable with the deal, and they are too, and be careful about announcing it in the lunchroom at work (some folks are a bit twitchy about that -- including bosses). 

Good luck!


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## Marcus99 (Apr 23, 2008)

Thanks for the info DJ.

The problem here though is that I'm not really able to sell/purchase a pistol since I'm only 18. I need my father to do this stuff with me. While I suppose I wouldn't mind selling it to another person, my father won't sell it to anyone but a dealer. He's not too crazy about guns, he got his CCW permit for me so I could go shooting with him and we could inherit my grandfathers guns when he got sick. So, a dealer is really the only option.

There are actually quite a few gun stores up here in NH. They don't seem to be gun stores per say though. A few also sell knives, fireworks and cigars, while the others are smaller than MA gun stores and run in a mom-and-pop type fashion. Good news is if I do end up buying it up here it's tax free and I'm pretty sure I don't have to wait 7 days (or is that a federal thing).

Quite frankly I don't think this will amount to much. We'll probably keep the 22a and once I get out of school and hit the legal age I'll take over the guns we hve and I'll sell the 22a and get something else. I'm sure there will still be 96FS's around in a few years.


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