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Resale?
I occasionally hear
of a Barnes rifle changing hands. To date, I've still never heard
of one selling for less than the original owner paid. Ask yourself
how that stacks up with your cars, boats, motorcycles, or any
other medium ticket item. I occasionally get asked about this.
Obviously, I can't "guarantee" such a thing. I've just
observed the fact.
It's up to the owners
to show their rifles, become familiar with their rifles, document
their pressure fills / slug results, compete with their rifles.
Send in targets and share their enjoyment of the rifles on the
site here. In this way, people become familiar with you, your
rifle, and you develop a community of folks who know you. If you
take the thing and squirrel it away in a safe - never shoot it
- never show it - forget the fill pressure - shoot oddball cheap
slugs - how's anybody supposed to know what it is or it's potential
when you want to sell it?
You recall, from about
1975 onward for 23 years, I worked full time as a custom bladesmith.
I completed and serial numbered approx. 1,300 individual collectable
knives in that time. Most were forged Damascus steel ornamental
folding knives. They are, quite literally, all over the world.
To this day, I get phone calls and e-mails from folks who have
no clue what they own. Very few were bothered to document what
they bought, how much they paid, what the handle material was,
etc. Many now hope I'll have an instant documentation of what
today's market value is (along with a list of immediate buyers).
Sadly, some older
collectors have passed on now. Their families have no clue if
a particular knife is worth $500 or $5,000. That's part of collecting.
It's the duty of the buyer to also be a Curator. I'm up to my
ears building and handling customer support. If you document
your purchases and publicly enjoy them afterwards, you'll go a
very long way towards being able to instantly turn over your purchases
if you ever wish to do so. Yes, I can search back through several
thousand e-mails, drawers full of folders, drawings, and shop
manuals to find the information. But, I'd really rather folks
simply write it down themselves and do the documentation. You
also cannot collect in a bubble, and expect to know people to
market your goods to when you later want to do so.
Alot of folks seem
to think that buyers want to hear that something has never been
shot. Not so ... that just means that we have no clue how to use
it, it has no personality from ever being in public, and every
potential buyer on the planet will call "me" to find
out everything and ask assurances that something I've not seen
in six years is still perfect.
I maintain my reputation
and the quality of my product. The aftermarket, is the realm of
the collector. To be a successful collector requires more than
writing the check. It requires documentation and promotion on
the part of the collector themselves. Fortunately; the Barnes
aftermarket has been so strong that, even some of the most horrible
resale techniques I've ever witnessed, still netted a profit for
the owner. That pleases me quite alot. Do your homework and you'll
do much better. The homework is pretty simple and enjoyable -
just use your Barnes and show it around.