Bravo Store Systems · Free Pricing Toolkit
The Used-Gun Pricing Cheat Sheet
A repeatable way to price any used firearm in under two minutes, so you buy with confidence, protect your margin, and stop leaving money on the counter.
Gun stores · Pawn
Buy & resale
Print at the buy counter
Pricing used firearms by gut feel costs you on both ends: overpay at the buy and the piece sits, underprice the resale and you give away margin. This cheat sheet turns it into a checklist anyone behind the counter can run the same way every time.
Step 1 of 4
Identify it precisely
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Record manufacturer, exact model and sub-variant, caliber, barrel length, and serial.
A base model and a premium variant can differ by hundreds of dollars.
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Note finish, sights, and any factory or aftermarket modifications.
Aftermarket parts rarely add resale value and can lower it.
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Flag anything collectible: discontinued runs, milsurp, first-year production, or original box and papers.
Step 2 of 4
Grade the condition honestly
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Grade against the NRA used-condition scale: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair.
Buyers price off condition first; be consistent so your numbers hold up.
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Check bore and function, not just the exterior.
A clean exterior with a pitted bore is a Fair gun at a Good price.
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Photograph wear points so the grade is defensible if a customer pushes back.
Step 3 of 4
Anchor to real market data
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Pull recent sold (not asking) prices from at least two sources.
Asking prices are wishes; sold prices are the market.
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Use completed listings on the major firearms marketplaces and your own past sales.
Your local sell-through speed matters more than a national average.
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Adjust for local demand: what moves fast in one market sits in another.
Step 4 of 4
Do the margin math
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Set your resale price from sold comps and condition, then work backward to your buy or loan offer.
Decide the margin you need first, then offer; never the reverse.
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Account for cleaning, minor repair, and the time the piece will sit.
A slow-moving caliber ties up cash you could lend or restock.
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Keep a target margin band per category so offers stay consistent shift to shift.
Reality check: a high-traffic pricing question pulls in plenty of individual owners, not just shops. The framework is the same either way, what protects you is grading honestly and anchoring to sold prices, not asking prices.