Читать книгу Standard Catalog of Military Firearms. The Collector's Price and Reference Guide онлайн

19 страница из 162

In recent years, internet sales of collectible firearms has become a major factor in this market. Auction sites such as www.AuctionArms.com or www.GunBroker.com have nearly overtaken storefront or gun show purchases for many collectors. In my own business, I find that the auction sites bring me more buyers with more money than I ever had from traditional venues. I usually set up at gun shows to buy merchandise then sell it on line so as to reach more buyers. The better-quality military arms I find rarely ever get displayed on my gun show table; they sell online first – frequently for more than they will bring locally. The downside of this for those not participating in the internet revolution is that they are missing out on a lot of interesting historical firearms that will never be offered through any other venue. This internet selling has leveled out the market. Any pricing found online is going to reflect a nationwide trend. In the “old days” one could find seasonal and regional differences in the prices of collectibles. A small gun or pawn shop in the middle of farm country might have had a matching Luger priced at $450 sit on the shelf for years. The local buyers weren’t interested because they purchased their firearms for hunting, not collecting. Now these local dealers need only offer these slow-selling guns on the internet and they suddenly have the entire country as potential customers.