Whether you want to sell antique long guns or plan to make a full-time living selling firearms, selling your guns, ammunition, and accessories online is a great way to quickly make more sales.
But there are a lot of federal and local laws for gun sales. Instead of trying to navigate all of the applicable laws solo, sell your firearms through Gunbroker.
Founded in 1999, Gunbroker is the world’s largest online gun auction site. Like eBay, it’s an online marketplace, but it specializes in products like:
- Firearms
- Ammo
- Hunting gear
- Gun accessories like holsters and grips
- Spare parts
- Reloading supplies
If you play your cards right, you can quickly sell firearms for more money on Gunbroker. Of course, like any online marketplace, it’s best to understand how Gunbroker works before you jump onto the platform.
In this definitive guide, we’ll explain how Gunbroker works, share the perks of selling on the platform, show you how to start selling and share a few tips for boosting your Gunbroker sales.
How Does Gunbroker Work?
Gunbroker works a lot like eBay. It’s an online marketplace where third-party sellers create accounts and sell firearms to interested buyers. At a minimum, you must be 18 to purchase firearms or sell them on the platform. The only exception is pistol ammunition, which is only available to people 21 and older.
True to its name, Gunbroker doesn’t sell firearms; it simply acts as a broker that connects sellers with buyers. The platform makes its money by charging a fee on every successful transaction.
More sellers are flocking to Gunbroker because the platform makes it easy to follow the complex federal and state laws that come with gun sales. For example, you must provide a copy of your ID and pass a background check to buy or sell on Gunbroker.
Selling on Gunbroker
Third-party sellers sign up for Gunbroker and list their items either in an auction format where they accept bids or through Gunbroker’s BuyNow! or Fixed Price options. Gunbroker will then review the listing and post it on the site for interested buyers.
When a shopper buys an item, they pay the seller (you) directly. You ship the item directly to the buyer if a Federal Firearms License (FFL) isn’t required.
Plenty of items on Gunbroker don’t require an FFL. It depends on the individual item, but you're legally allowed to sell these items without shipping to an FFL holder:
- Scopes
- Holsters
- Air guns
- Ammunition
- Knives
These products might require an age verification, which Gunbroker conducts for you by checking a copy of the buyer’s driver’s license.
But if an FFL is legally required, the buyer needs to select a local FFL holder to accept the item on their behalf. Fortunately, the buyer is in charge of choosing an FFL. To speed up the process, Gunbroker provides a comprehensive list of FFLs nationwide.
To sell a gun, all you need to do is get the FFL’s information from the buyer and ship it to the transfer agent, who will take things from there. The FFL will perform a National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) before giving the buyer the gun.
How To Sell on Gunbroker in 7 Steps
Ready to sell on Gunbroker? Whether you want to make a one-time sale or make a full-time living on the platform, you’ll need to follow these seven steps to sell a gun on Gunbroker.
1. Register for an Account
To get started, register for an account.
For legal reasons, Gunbroker will need to verify your identity to approve the account. It will charge you a $2 nonrefundable security fee and ask you to upload a copy of your driver’s license.
You'll need to link your bank account and indicate which payment method you will accept. You can receive payment via:
- Money orders
- Credit card payments
- Personal check
If you don’t pass the security check or fail to comply with Gunbroker’s requests, it will deny your right to sell on the platform.
2. Create a Listing
Once you’ve created an account, click “Sell” in the top corner of your dashboard. Add these details to start fleshing out your listing:
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Product category
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Title and optional subtitle
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A plain text description of the product, including its caliber, dimensions, and manufacturer
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Payment terms, shipping costs, and sales tax
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The type of listing (auction or BuyNow!)
3. Select a Format and Determine Pricing
If you’re doing an auction listing, you need to pick a duration from one to 14 days. You can also decide if you want to do the auction immediately or schedule it to go live at a later date. Set the starting bid and add details like shipping cost, minimum price, etc.
Fixed-price listings can run for 30, 60, or 90 days.
At this stage, you can pay a few bucks more for Gunbroker’s Optional Services to get more eyes on your listing. We’ll go into more detail on these perks later in the guide.
4. Upload Good Photos
You can upload as many photos as you want, but Gunbroker has a limit of ten pictures per upload. If you have more than ten photos, just upload them separately after the first ten photos load.
Be sure to use clear photos of the product. Try to take a mix of photos from different angles so buyers get an idea of its features and dimensions.
5. Preview the Listing
After adding all of the details, it’s time to review your listing. Take time to carefully review your listing for accuracy. You can’t make changes after a buyer bids on your item, so double-check that everything is correct.
6. Agree to the Fee Schedule
Basic listings are always free on Gunbroker until an item sells. There are no fees to create a listing and no membership fees—and if the product doesn’t sell, you can relist it free of charge.
When you sell an item on Gunbroker, it assesses a Final Value Fee, which is a percentage of the item’s final selling price. The Final Value Fee is 6% for items priced at $1 to $325. For items over $325, Gunbroker charges 6% on the first $325 (or $19.50) and then 4% on the remaining value over $325.
Unless you signed up for Gunbroker’s Optional Services, this is the only fee you'll pay.
If you’re curious about Gunbroker’s fees, use the handy Final Value Fee Calculator to see what fees you'll pay before listing an item.
If everything looks correct, agree to the fees and click “Submit New Listing.”
7. Monitor Your Listing
Once your listing goes live, you can view all selling activity in your Gunbroker account dashboard. If nobody’s biting on your listing, you can choose to relist it, change your listing details, or buy Optional Services to generate more interest.
8. Automate Nearly Everything With Spark Shipping
It’s pretty easy to sell on Gunbroker, but what happens if you need to list and manage dozens of products at a time? For professional gun sellers, this takes way too much time and manual effort.
The good news is that Spark Shipping can automate steps two through seven for you. All you need to do is register for a Gunbroker account and connect Spark Shipping, and we do everything else for you, including:
Get a quick Spark Shipping demo to see these features in action!
The Perks of Selling on Gunbroker
As a firearms seller, you might wonder if listing your products on Gunbroker is worth it. While you’re free to sell via Craigslist or a gun show, there are several perks to listing your items on Gunbroker.
Wide Reach
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Gunbroker gets millions of visitors monthly. Selling on this platform gives you a much wider reach than selling locally. This exposure helps you find many more buyers and shorten the selling process.
Potentially Sell at a Higher Price
If you list your items in an auction, there’s a potential to make more money than you would in a fixed-price sale. You can also use auction information to determine the current market value of your item based on real-time demand, which could potentially boost the value of your sale.
Security and Privacy
There’s no need to display your personal information for a Gunbroker transaction. Selling through Gunbroker creates a boundary between you and the buyer to protect your identity, although you need to verify your identity with Gunbroker.
The platform isn’t infallible, but Gunbroker has a lot of measures in place to prevent scams. It uses several approved payment gateways to securely process transactions. When you sell on this platform, you can rest assured that your messages and financial transactions are safe.
Rating System
Want to see if a buyer is legitimate? Check their user rating. Gunbroker makes it possible to provide feedback ratings ranging from A+ to F.
It’s just like school, so the better someone’s letter grade, the more reputable they are. This is yet another feature Gunbroker has in place to help you find safe, trustworthy buyers.
Flexibility
Gunbroker started as an auction site, but it’s actually a very flexible platform for gun sales. It offers a variety of listing formats, like auctions or BuyNow!, so you can choose the best option for your transaction.
3 Tips for Selling on Gunbroker
You went through the hard work of listing your products on Gunbroker. But even then, this online marketplace has plenty of items for sale, and it can take a lot of work to make your products stand out. Follow these tips to generate more sales on Gunbroker.
1. Check Gunbroker’s Selling Advice
Gunbroker only receives payment when you get paid, so it has a vested interest in your success as a seller. That's why the platform provides a free knowledge base just for sellers.
Consult Gunbroker’s advice portal for information on:
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Listing items
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After listing items
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Pricing and tax
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Checkout and payment methods
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Shipping costs and invoices
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Tips on improving your listings
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How to resolve common problems
Some of the information might seem basic, but if you’ve never used Gunbroker before, it’s best to read these helpful articles for best practices and selling tips.
2. Sign Up for Gunbroker’s Optional Services
Gunbroker is an auction site, which means you’re competing against hundreds of other listings on the platform. It can be tough to get traffic to your listing even if you do everything right, which is why Gunbroker offers Optional Services.
Optional Services are buy-ups to market your listings. Sure, you’ll pay a modest fee for the extra help, but these features could help you get more bids and sales. Gunbroker currently offers several upgraded services.
Showcase Listings
For $4.95, Gunbroker will display your listing on the Home Page.
Featured Listings
For $2.95, Gunbroker will give your listing more visibility in search results.
Highlights
For $2, Gunbroker highlights your listing in yellow to make it stand out.
Boldface Title
For $1, get your item title bolded on the search results page.
Colored Title
Choose from red, green, or blue for $1. Gunbroker encourages combining this with Boldface Title for more visibility.
The downside to these fees is that you still have to pay them even if your item doesn’t sell.
However, if you’re an experienced seller on Gunbroker, the platform offers discounted fees in exchange for your loyalty.
3. Use Firearm-Friendly Data Integrations
Are you a company selling guns online? You know how overwhelming it can be to manage all of your data and listings. You want to focus on growing your business and providing fantastic service, but the paperwork often gets in the way.
Instead of doing everything manually, opt for a firearms-friendly data integration and automation solution. Spark Shipping automates software integrations to streamline your business, keep you compliant, and give your shoppers a world-class experience.
Spark Shipping automatically splits firearms in an order to send to an FFL holder of your customer’s choice, which makes it easy to comply with federal law while streamlining your business.
Simplify Selling Firearms With Spark Shipping
Gunbroker is one of the best online platforms for selling firearms and gun accessories. Instead of trying to find a local buyer, you simply list your products on Gunbroker and connect with hundreds of potential buyers nationwide.
Manually listing on Gunbroker is fine if you’re selling a few items, but what if you make a living selling firearms? If that’s the case, you need more firepower for managing your listings, inventory, and customer communications.
That’s where Spark Shipping comes in. We help gun sellers streamline everything from sourcing to data management to tracking. Firearms sellers rely on our automation platform to:
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Fully integrate with their suppliers’ data feeds
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Automatically upload products
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Sync inventory data with vendors
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Automate ordering, fulfillment, and tracking between your store and all suppliers
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Send tracking information to customers
But that’s just the beginning. Spark Shipping can even handle dynamic pricing and inventory management. See the power for yourself: Get a Spark Shipping demo now.