The websites and advertising platforms that allow you to sell guns, ammunition, or shooting accessories are limited in the UK. Guntrader and selling through gun dealers are your best options.
If you’re looking to sell your shotgun or firearms privately, it can be done, but there are risks to doing so without the help of a local registered firearms dealer (RFD) or advice from the firearms licensing authority. We have included tips and sales advice from our trusty associate Craig Hartley, Gunroom Manager at Barbury Shooting School.
The Process of a Sale
We recommend giving your gun a good clean before taking some high-quality images for the advertisement. When selling your gun through an RFD they will take the images.
Whether you’ve advertised on Guntrader (see below) or taken your gun into a gun shop for a dealer to sell for you, eventually you will have a potential buyer. If you have chosen to go down the RFD route they will be happy to deal with the process for you. This may be at an additional cost because of any transfer or shipping cost. Alternatively, you will have heard from a potential buyer and the costs will have been discussed.
Questions you might be asked:
- Why are you selling this gun?
- When was the last time it was serviced?
- How long have you had this gun?
- Have you had any repairs or alterations done on this gun?
- How much use has the gun seen?
- How has it been stored?
- Has it been cleaned regularly?
- What products have you used to clean this gun?
- Assuming I’m going to buy the gun and I’d like a little flexibility on the price, what would you do?
- Weight?
- Comb height?
- Age?
- Overall condition?
Once a sale price has been agreed upon, you (the seller) and the buyer will need to arrange a face-to-face meeting to exchange license details and the shotgun or firearms. If you have agreed to use RFDs for the sale process, you will need to contact them to discuss fees and hand over information about the buyer.
If you are meeting with the buyer you will need to consider the risks that come with this. It would be wise to meet somewhere public but also safe enough to carry out the exchange of a shotgun or firearms. You must exchange license details before the firearms is handed over as you will both need to update your constabularies and certificates.
This will be details such as their Name, DOB, home address and certificate number, constabulary, and finally the expiry date. Be mindful of the ID photo on their certificate as this will help determine if they are who they say they are along with their name of course. You will need to pass these details on to your constabularies so they know where the gun has gone and who to.
Once you have these details you will require payment and lastly the handover of the shotgun or firearms. We recommend using a payment method that is traceable.
If you choose to transfer from RFD to RFD this process will be similar.
You need to bring your license, the information for the buyer/their local gun dealer, and the firearms for them to transfer from their store to the next. Once your local gun dealer has processed the information and shipped the firearms off to the next RFD, the buyer will have a short period of time to wait before it has been received.
You as the seller should have a tracking number given to you by your RFD therefore, you can notify the buyer when it has been received by their RFD. If the information they have provided you is correct (i.e., their ID, license details, etc) and their RFD is happy with it payment will be taken and the exchange will be made.
This method is the safest method available to you.
After the RFDs have completed the exchange process for you both, it is on you and the buyer to notify your constabularies and edit your certificates accordingly. This must be done within 7 days of the sale.
A sale is complete at the point of purchase and the firearm has been exchanged. However, if your constabularies haven’t been informed the sale has been incorrectly sold and it is an offence.
How to sell a gun on Guntrader
The Guntrader website is best known as being the leading marketplace for the sale of shotguns, air rifles, and rifles as well as the sale of gun accessories and other items.
The Guntrader website allows you to sell your shotgun or firearms all within your control. This is a step-by-step guide to show you how to sell a gun using Guntrader.
How to sell a gun on Guntrader
The Guntrader website is best known as being the leading marketplace for the sale of shotguns, air rifles, and rifles as well as the sale of gun accessories and other items.
The Guntrader website allows you to sell your shotgun or firearms all within your control. This is a step-by-step guide to show you how to sell a gun using Guntrader.
How to sell your gun
First and foremost, you will need to register an account if you haven’t already done so.
Visit the link below to register an account with us.
Register to list and sell your New and Used Guns | Guntrader
Once you’ve registered an account and logged in, you will be taken to what is called your ‘Account Overview’. On this page you will see a button that reads ‘New Gun Advert’, please select this button to create your advert. This will take you to an ‘Advert Details’ page. On this page, you will have a series of dropdown options to choose from. Please select from each of the dropdown menus criteria that match your shotgun or firearms.
*Please note the fields that have a * above them are mandatory specifications that require completion.
After you have completed the specifications, you will have a description, condition, and price box to complete. We recommend keeping the description short but factual. If there are any nicks or scratches on the gun please describe them here, if it comes with a case, pellets, etc this is where you would state this.
The condition box is a dropdown option between ‘New’ or ‘S/H’, please complete this too. And finally, the ‘Price’. If you are unsure what price to sell your shotgun or firearms, we recommend looking at similar if not the same gun on our website for an estimation.
If you choose to enter £0 your advert will be listed on the website as POA. To increase the performance of your advert, we recommend entering a price that you are happy with.
The website will calculate a fee for each of your advertisements based on the price of your shotgun or firearms. For example, if your gun is listed on Guntrader at £150 the advert will cost you £5.14 for a month’s worth of advertising.
To add images to your advert please select ‘Save & Continue’.
For more tips and details on maximising your adverts potential or seller queries please visit:
Optimise your product listings – community (guntrader.uk)
Adding Photos
The next page will read ‘Add Photos’. You will also have a ‘Back’ ‘Upload’ and ‘Save & Continue’ option on this page. In this case, please select ‘Upload’. If you are on a PC or laptop this will take you to document folders within your device where you should already have images of your gun saved. If you are uploading from an iPad or mobile device this button will take you to your camera roll where you can select the image you would like.
*Please note to select multiple images you must select ‘Upload’ for each image you would like to add to your advert.
You can have up to 12 images in your advert.
After selecting each image, you will have what is called an editor mode screen. This allows you to crop, resize, rotate, or delete the image you have selected. If you are happy with the image with or without having edited it, please select the green tick. The green tick will suggest you are happy with the image and add this to your advertisement. However, if you are unhappy with the image after selecting the green tick you do have the option to ‘Replace’ or ‘Delete’ the image.
If you are happy with your chosen images please click ‘Save & Continue’.
Advert Preview and Fees
You will be presented with a preview of your advertisement, as well as 3 different options. This is your final preview before payment and the activation of your advert so please check you are happy with your advert here before paying.
If you are unhappy with your advert select “Edit This Advert” and this will take you back to the details section where you will be able to add, alter or delete information.
If you wish to add another advert please select ‘Add Another Advert’, this will take you back to a create advert page in order for you to create a new advertisement. You will be presented with the same steps until you are on the current page again.
If you are happy with your advert, select “Pay For This Advert” and this will take you to a secure payment page where you can pay for your advertisement. If you’ve added your second or third advert, you can go back to your Account page by clicking the “Account” button on the top right-hand corner of the page. From the Account page, you can select multiple adverts to pay for. You can do this by ticking the “Select” button and ticking each box to the left-hand side of your adverts descriptions. Next, click the “Pay For Selected Adverts” button and this will also take you to the payment pages.
Once your advert(s) have been paid, the advert will be placed live on the website for 1 calendar month. When your advert expires you will receive an automated email from the Guntrader asking if you’d like to relist your advert for yet another month, and if
Tips On Selling
What Images Should I Take?
We recommend giving the buyer multiple images in your advert. This could be images that suggest the wear and tear of the shotgun or firearms. For example, the images on our gun reviews include all aspects of the gun but mainly the most important parts of the gun. For example, the rib and the bead on the barrel image, the top lever position, etc.
To see examples, visit the link below:
Gun Reviews – community (guntrader.uk)
Additionally, you could include the following:
- High-quality images throughout all of your adverts
- A short but useful description
- Correctly placed on the website (categories)
- Clean the camera lens before taking images as sometimes it may be blurry but not appear it.
- Make sure to have a clear background.
- Keep the title brief.
- Use keywords that potential buyers are likely to search for to find your item.
- Sell the item at a reasonable price (we recommend looking at similar if not the same items on Guntrader to help with this)
- Telephone number as well as an email address on your account (as this is what users on the site will contact you with)
- Complete all specifications.
- Recommendations for contact, for example, how to contact them, what times, and how long it will usually take for a response.
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