Selling Guns Through TOW

[wetzel]

I am considering sending one of my gun builds to Track and wondered if anybody had sold through them what was thought about it.  It is fairly expensive to ship a long gun.  In reading their website it looks like they will sell it without asking commission or offer a cash price and an exchange for merchandise price.  Just looking for opinions on the experience before investing money in the shipping.  Thanks.

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I have sold through them.  You tell them what you want out of it.  They then tack on their commission.  If they think you are asking too much they will tell you, or send it back to you. 

I sold a very dear flintlock through them when times got tough.  They told me I was asking too much for it becuase of damage done where the stock was worn from carrying it so long.  I carried it daily for years.  When it was on their website that damage turned into "a fine patina."  I barely made a months rent out of it.

As a horn maker I have tried to sell horns through them and ended up just telling them to send me the horns back.  They also sent me another contemporary makers horns and asked if I could copy his style for cheaper. 

Just my experiences.  A buddy of mine sells a lot of guns through them and has always had no issues that he has mentioned to me. 

Coryjoe

[Sequatchie Rifle]

I think they undervalue rifles.  I sent a very fine longrifle and they told me it was worth $1300, they'd give me $1270 cash for it.  I had already turned down two offers in the $3k range and was expecting they would be closer to market value.  You never know with them.  I think you could do better here or on the CLA site.  Just my experience.

[rf50cal]

I sold a high priced rifle there two years ago and things went smoothly. It took about three months to sell the rifle and four weeks later I received  my check.

Last fall, I decided to sell another rifle and had a complete opposite experience. It took three weeks for them to acknowledge they received my rifle and another five weeks before the sent me their evaluation. I didn't agree with their appraisal and told them to return the rifle. They did, five weeks later.

I thought I was a pretty good customer. I have purchased four rifles and numerous shooting supplies from them over the years. I have no idea why they jerked me around last fall, but I do know.....that will be my last business with them.

[bob in the woods]

I have sold 7 guns through them over the last 2+  years without any trouble at all. This past Fall, it was not as pleasant. I will not get into any details, but I will say that the process was drawn out well beyond the 5 or so days they advertise for a response. After many weeks, I asked that my property be returned, which initiated an offer. In the end, we did settle, but I won't send anything else. It was convenient for a while, but there are other avenues .  I maybe incorrect, but I suspect that the owner's interest may be diverted to other things at the moment. Just my 2 cents.

[elk killer]

i sold a rifle through them about 20 yrs ago,,
they quoted me a price and i accepeted it,,
4 weeks later with out a word from them..
i called and they said the check is in the mail..
two weeks later i recieved half of the original quote,,
i sent the check back and asked to have the rifle returned to me..
long story short,,5 months later and a bill from my lawyer,,i recieved the rifle back..
havent and wont buy a thing from them since,,,
its never good policy to bash one company,,
but fact is fact

[FlintFan]

I've probably sold a couple of dozen guns though them over the years.  Had nothing but great experiences with them.  The key to successfully selling any gun whether through TOW or anywhere for that matter, is to have a REALISTIC idea of what the gun is worth.  I have heard some people claim that TOW may undervalue some guns, in my experience over the years I have seen far too many guns that were OVERVALUED by their owners.  I've been to TOW many times to sell my guns. They probably sell at least a 1,000 guns a year and have seen everything from beat up CVA cap locks to the highest end English doubles, and flint  locks by today's best maker' s (or at least that's the range I've seen when there).  If they think the gun will not sell in a reasonable time at a specific price, believe them, and be flexable.   It doesn't benefit them or the seller to have a gun languish on their website for many months, or years, because it is over priced. 

Give them a try, they will probably be able to present your gun to the largest market possible for muzzleloading guns. 

Good luck.

[flehto]

I've sold 4 LRs through TOW's consignment sales and have no complaints whatsoever., outside of their 33% markup, which you either accept or  not.  As was said....presenting them w/ your  realistic price and one that you're satisfied with  will expedite the sale. All my LRs sold w/in a few weeks and a check for the exact agreed upon amount was rec'd shortly after the sale. TOW is a gun dealer that's out to make money, so you have to have a pretty good idea of your gun's actual value....a few hundred dollars less to the seller makes a difference to him, but isn't for TOW's 33%. All in all, TOW has been on the up and up / me, but it's my "last resort" place to sell a gun.....Fred

[Hawken62_flint]

Have sent 3 guns to them over the years.  The first was a Cherry Corners Hawken in excellent shape.  I had been offered $650 for it locally, but felt it was worth a little more.  So I sent it to Track and they tore it to pieces and offered to sell it for me for (if my memory is correct) $300.  I told them to send it back, which they promptly did and I sold it locally.  Two years ago, I needed some extra cash to take my daughter to Chicago, so I sent them a very nice flint pistol, which they offered cash, trade value or to sell it and get me $1000.  I needed the money quick, so I took the cash offer and received my check the same week.  So far they had been "Johnny on the spot" with replies, ship backs, and their check.  About a month and a half ago, I sent them a rifle and I waited and waited (over 2 weeks) for them to make an offer and I did finally after emailing them get a reply that they were back in the shop and would get caught up.  I did get an offer and then 8 days later, I received their check.  So, I guess, other than waiting longer than expected this last time, I have gotten good service from them

[Tommy Bruce]

I've sent a couple of guns to them and had no major complaints other than not being able to get what I want out of it.  The think you have to remember is they are in business to make a profit.  On both guns I've sent, it was about a 35% mark up.  in other words if you have a gun worth 2000.00, either they mark it up and try to sell it for 2700 and you get your asking price when the gun sells or you take a 35% hit on your asking price so they can sell it for the 2 grand it's worth.  I think it would be worth it to buy a membership to the CLA and post it for sale there.  Quality guns seem to move fairly quick on that site.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

On the TOW website, there are a lot of guns that are made by folks like you and me, but who are willing to let them go for not much over the cost of the parts.  A lot of these are not well made rifles and guns - they have some good points, but some bad ones too.  So a buyer, if he sees a rifle that asks $7000 next to one that is up for $1300, to his untrained eye they look the same but for the price.  That's what you're competing with.  And TOW wants to move the inventory, so they'll price it as low as possible to move it.  Perhaps they are more realistic than the artisan, but they sure don't reflect the blood swear and tears of gun making.  I have seen some very good guns on their site that were asking more respectful prices too.  And they sell.  So if your rifle is worth $8000, you should ask for it.

[Ted Kramer]

I've sold maybe 30+ guns through TOW and have never had a bad experience. I tell them what I want out of it and they go from there. It helps that it's only 80 miles from my shop to their door, I take each gun there myself. A few have taken 3-4 months to sell but most were sold within 1-2 weeks. Maybe I price them too low, don't know.

I've known Dave and the crew there for a good many years and have found them to be honest and quick on payment. Like any business, they have to make a profit to stay afloat and I surely don't begrudge them that.

Ted K

[msmith]

I don't know about TOW, they may be the most wonderful people who ever walked the face of the earth, ..I have never used their services so I can't comment.But in my opinion why let someone else broker your gun, unless it is for some  privacy issue...I would post the gun on this "For sale Forum" or Gunbroker, Auction Arms, or maybe even the new "Gallery" Have not tried it yet so I can't comment.....Several years ago when Winchesters was my main interest, I decided to start selling off some of my collection, I used a antique gun dealer, you would send him the gun and he would sell it for you and get his commision out of the payment...It went fairly well for a few guns then I got ripped off big time..So Idecided to go to gunbroker and sell them myself, yes you pay them a small fee ,but you are in control, not the middleman, who has his own interest at heart not yours...My two cents for what it is worth....

[whitebear]

I have had about the same experience that others have stated.  I sent them an original Austrian  C.W. Musket and every little thing was wrong with it, I too needed the money so I went ahead and took what at the time I considered a very low ball offer ,and still do,.  When the gun was listed on there sight it suddenly became very valuable and all "defects" became "advantages".  It took me about 5 weeks to ever get the check from them.  This was and is my last sale to TOTW.

Thank God the other person that I was dealing with was patient.  I kept him informed as things progressed and he could look at tracks sight and verify what I told him.

[44-henry]

I have traded with them in the past and their offers have always been very reasonable. They are a nice shop to visit when you go through the area and always have been polite and easy to deal with in my experience. I can't imagine it is a very easy business to keep running and it is one of the few in my region so I give them all the business I can afford to.

[Ed Wenger]

I think a good analogy when dealing with Track is to think of the transaction like buying a new car, with a trade-in.  Will you get more money for the car you want to trade-in by selling it yourself?  Of course.  But you have to deal with all that goes with it.  Taking pictures, listing the car, talking to folks on the phone, email exchange, dealing with the tire kickers, etc.  If you trade in the car, you won't get as much, but you also don't have to deal with all the things I just listed, and more.

I've always taken the approach to REALISTICALLY determine what the guns worth, subtract the 33%, and use that as my base for an asking price.  Do I get less for the piece by using Track?  Yep.  But, all I have to do is ship it to them.  I think they do a nice job with the writeup, take decent pictures, etc., and I've never had an issue with them, ever.  So the analogy goes, if I want to sell a piece rather easily, I sometimes use Tracks services, realizing that like a car trade-in, I won't get the "full" value. 

There's other sites / services available to be sure, and I've used them with good experience.  I've also sold my fair share of guns on my own.  For me, it just comes down to ease.  I don't sell a lot of guns through Track anymore, but I've found it to be a a fairly simple process.

        Ed

[WB Selb]

I have sold many rifles to TOW over the years including seven this past year. In my experience they have been a first rate company to do business with. Now, with that being said, if you have a $2200 gun, they are going to pay you $1400  if it has first rate parts, barrel, wood, etc. and great workmanship and is unfired. It is very difficult to put $800 worth of parts into a gun plus a couple-three weeks of work and sell it for $1400! The only way I was able to justify the finances involved was I was turning a lot of old, expensive, inventory into cash. If quick cash is what one needs, TOW has been a very good option for me, if top dollar is the goal than there are better options available; but those options come at a cost in time, advertising, dealing with the public, etc. Best of luck. This is my newest option:   www.Hawkenrifles.com

Brant

[Ted Kramer]

I like your web site Brant, beautiful rifles too.
TK

[wetzel]

Thanks for the input.  I understand now that TOTW needs to make a profit and that I will not get top dollar for a rifle, but at this point I am interested in selling a gun so I can get a new project to work on.  It sounds like some of you had great experiences and some of you not so great, so I am not sure what I will do.  I posted one of my rifles here and will see.  If nothing happens I will try gunbroker.  My rifles have their weak points due to my lack of experience, but are fairly nice and always functional.  Getting better everyday right?  Thanks again guys!

[WB Selb]

TK

Thanks, my son did all the hard work, I only built the guns!

Brant

[FRJ]

Seems to me what we are seeing is the free market in action. You don't have to accept their offer they dont have to accept your estimate of value. They are in business to make money and if 33% is what they choose to charge for selling the item thats their business and you have the right to decline.If you are in the business of making guns for profit I would think you would be better off selling them your self and saving the commission. Your choice and that is the sum of the arguement it is YOUR CHOICE!!!! As for late pay that is bad in any business. Frank

[JDK]

I don't think 33% is that bad for what they do when you consider allot of the store front modern gun dealers I have dealt with over the years get 20-25% for selling guns on consignment.  With those guys they just stick them in the rack or if you are lucky they will drag them to a gunshow for you.  TOW markets the guns well.  They take great photos from several angles.  They describe them well.  You don't have to deal with the customer and you would be hard pressed to get better exposure, in my opinion.  Just my two cents, J.D.K.