Gun Shops: What to Expect and What is Expected

This list is good for the first time buyer as well as the seasoned collector. If you think of something that needs to be added, please leave it in a comment.

What to Expect from Your Sales Person:

1. Your sales person, like any other, should be willing to provide good customer service. You are paying his salary.
2. A good sales person won't come at you with preconceived ideas. Human nature forms an opinion right away in the mind, but your sales person should be able to push that aside. Regardless of gender, race, etc., your sales person should come to you like it would not be shocking at all if you shoulder fired a 50 BMG while standing unsupported, and maybe that 50 BMG was in gold tiger stripe. You should expect your sales person to listen and not just escort you to the 22 pistols because you are female. 
3. Your sales person should not voice an opinion on "the perfect gun for a female" or "the perfect gun for a first time shooter." But your sales person should send out feelers to figure out what might fit you correctly. Try to answer his questions the best you can... all he's doing is trying to figure out what you may be looking for and what he needs to pull out for you.
4. Your sales person should offer you a selection. A lot of gun people are drawn to a specific type of gun, but your sales person should be aware there are other options out there and his favorite may not be what you are looking for. 
5. Your sales person should not know everything. I'm not saying your sales person should be an idiot and not be able to answer any of your questions. But he should admit when he doesn't know the answer to something. And he should try to get an answer. Be skeptical of any sales person who seems to have an answer for everything. We're learning from you, too. We pick up a lot of info along the line. But I still admit when I just don't know the answer or if I simply forgot the answer. It doesn't do either of us any good if I make something up.
6. Your sales person doesn't know the prices for everything off the top of his head. In stock items or not. He has to look, too. But ask him to look. He should be willing to at least try.
7. Don't expect to call and get confirmation that an item is in stock and then get mad when you show up at the store a week later and it is out of stock. Your sales person didn't lie to you, he probably sold it.
8. Don't call the sales person rude if you answer your cell phone in front of him and he moves on to the next customer. 
9. Don't expect that your sales person is a part time worker. Or that he's making commission.
10. Your sales person should have nothing to say about your personal weapon. I don't care what it is. We may complement an especially nice piece. But a sales person has no right to comment on your property. I won't put down anyone's gun, even if it's a $75 Saturday Night Special. You own what you can afford, and I believe something is better than nothing. Sure, I have an opinion... but it really doesn't matter. That's "a walking offense" in my book. Meaning: if you have a Hi-Point, for example, and the sales person starts making fun of it... walk. Right out the door.

What the Sales Person Expects of You

1. A good sales person will answer your questions as best he can. Do your best to believe his answers.
2. Don't ask your sales person to defy physics. He can't show you a light weight 45 ACP that holds 20 rounds, conceals easily in the pocket of dress pants, and has no recoil. It doesn't exist.
3. Your sales person expects you to talk. He doesn't want your life story, but he needs certain information from you to do his job the best he can. Have you had some kind of surgery or have a medical condition? Don't give your medical history, but if you are asking for a good home defense weapon, let him know about issues with shoulders, backs, elbows, and wrists. Example: If you've had open heart surgery, your sales person knows your rib cage was cracked open for the surgery and a 12 ga. shotgun isn't the best option for home defense for you. We want you happy and unhurt.  Are you on a strict budget? Tell your sales person if your budget doesn't allow for you to go over $500, for example. This way he doesn't waste your time showing you $900 HK pistols. Ladies, are you pregnant? This is good info especially if you are about to go out to test fire guns. We're not going to ask, even if it is obvious. We don't want to risk offending anyone. But you cannot go out to shoot if you are pregnant. Do you really hate a certain type of gun? Tell us. We'd like to know if you really hate Glocks (and still tell us even if we're personally carrying the gun you hate, it won't hurt our feelings). And tell us why. If you hate the grip on the Glock, we can use that information to eliminate other firearms, too. Don't like striker fired weapons? Again, this info helps us remove some other guns from consideration, too. What are you using it for? "I'd like a gun" doesn't help us. "I'd like a gun for bench rest shooting at 300 yards" does help us. "I want an AR" doesn't help us. "I want an AR for home defense" "I want an AR for varmint hunting" those do help us. Do you have trouble working parts of the gun? If you have an issue working the slide on a 1911, tell us. If you can't reach the magazine release on a Beretta, tell us. We may try to rectify the problem, or we'll direct you to different styles and eliminate other guns that may have the same issue. 
4. Learn the civilian names of the guns. They are not always the same gun. The M9 pistol in a civilian shop is a Beretta 92FS. It is actually a little different. Not much, but some. And there is a civilian Beretta called an M9, still different. The M4 in a civilian shop is an AR15. Civilian M4s have longer barrels and don't do bursts. However, I do point this out because some sales people do not, in fact, know the civilian equivalent of what you carried in the military. They know their products and they know their guns, but they may not know the varied names. I have run into this.
5. Do not ask the sales people about doing illegal modifications to your guns. You'll notice they right away treat you differently. And even if they know how to do it, they can't legally tell you how. Most of us aren't trying to shirk laws, want to over throw the government, etc. We're not the gun shop people on TV and in movies. We're doing a job and we need the money. We're not going to do anything to risk our boss's license.
6. If you need glasses to read, bring them with you. If you purchase a firearm, you'll need to read the paperwork.
7. Do not take the guns apart without asking the sales person. No matter how many of them you own, the guns in the display cases are not your guns. And in many cases, when you do this, the sales person gets written up for "letting" you take the gun apart. Enough write ups and they're out of a job.
8. Don't ask to handle the sales person's gun. It's loaded. Trust me. It's also not for sale.
9. The sales person is NOT working for commission. Trust me. He's paid by the hour. A good rule of thumb to remember... if the most expensive item in the case is $2000 or less, he's not getting a cut of it. He's also not getting the money you pay to have him clean your guns or install sights/scopes.
10. Your sales person is probably not a certified gunsmith. He's also probably not shooting matches. He may be former military or law enforcement (or security) but this isn't a requirement. And he probably has a college degree. There's a good chance, also, that he didn't "grow up" with guns.
11. Most shops have a varied group of sales people with a mix of interests. They aren't going to get insulted if you switch sales people on your next visit or if you ask one of his co-workers their opinion in front of him. They're friends, they aren't competing for commission, and they probably have drinks together on the weekends or hit the range together. They may even ask their co-workers to help them out of you happen to tap someone's specialty. And you'd be amazed by some people's "specialties." I used to work in a fairly large shop and worked with guys who collected HK everything, specialized in cowboy style guns, shot tactical style matches, etc. Everyone had their brand, and everyone went to each other for obscure facts. We had Glock people, Beretta people, HK people, Ruger people, etc. I was usually the one grabbed when it came to WWI and WWII firearms, Glocks, Sigs, Swiss firearms, and revolvers. I was also the one approached about standard magnifying scopes and gun care on a budget. I wasn't the one to ask about holographic sights, lasers, cowboy guns, black powder, etc. So we expect to be used by the customer for what we know. We expect you to ask the other guys, too. 
12. You expect us to be kind and polite... we expect the same of you. We do, in fact, like to make friends with our customers. I've made lasting friendships from what started as a business relationship. Heck, we set out chairs and stools in the shops because we want you to get comfy and hang out a while. Guess what you get out of that? Everything! We'll hold hard to find merchandise, even if we were told not to. We'll slip you the free swag gun companies give us sometimes (and sometimes it is cool stuff like magazines and holsters). If we see rust on your gun, we'll pull out our best rust remover and protectant and will give you a mini-cleaning without even thinking of charging you for it (if we're not busy). I've even stood shoulder to shoulder with customers at gun shows to make sure another sales person didn't screw them on a sale or purchase of anything from a backpack to a holster to ammo all the way up to gun purchases. We'll give you a heads up on upcoming sales or tell you if that used gun you are checking out was ill cared for by the previous owner. You'll get the kind of honesty most don't get. Being nice gets you everything.
13. Believe it or not, they shop in other gun shops, too. They know damn well what the other shops are charging for the same item. Don't lie to a sales person about the prices in hopes of getting them to chop the price. 
14. Your sales person would love to give you a discount. But if they say they can't, let it go. Some shops don't allow the sales people to haggle with the customers, so no amount of threatening, begging, nagging, or walking off will change things. Others don't mark up very high. Shops don't make their money on the guns, they make it on the accessories and ammo. And the prices will reflect the overhead of the shop. If the owner of the shop owns the building, his mark up won't be as high as the guy down the road who is renting his space. The sales person expects you to ask for a discount. He can't always do it, so he also expects you to take no for an answer. He's ready for you to leave empty handed, but he can't do anything about it. 
15. Please don't ask the sales person "what's a good gun for a woman?" Seriously, don't ask it. Especially if the sales person is a woman. There are a billion different guns on the market for a reason. Everyone is different. You go by certain standards... why would your wife or girlfriend be any different?
16. No matter what, you aren’t wasting our time. We love customers that take their time selecting guns. We want you to leave happy and we want you to find a gun that fits you the best. So a good sales person isn’t expecting you to just grab something and go. He expects you to ask to see several guns, ask a ton of questions (and no, your questions aren’t stupid, trust me), and maybe come back a few times. He loves a customer, also, that has done their research and knows exactly what they want. They feel good about sending you out with a deadly weapon in both cases. Snap decisions don’t usually equal satisfaction and good fit. I recently sold a young man his first rifle – a Mosin Nagant – and he’d done so much research before buying it that he told me some things I didn’t know about them. But he still had a ton of questions for me that I was happy to answer.

What the Guy Buying Your Gun Expects:

1. I have been appraising and buying guns off of customers for years. What you don't know... it hurts me to low ball you on a gun. I don't enjoy telling you your gun isn't worth much. But we use the Blue Book of Gun Values to gauge it. The gun may be worth a lot more to you than to the shop or another buyer.
2. There's a good chance I want the gun you are trying to sell the shop. No... I want it for myself. LOL! There's also a good chance the gun you just sold the shop is going to end up in the collection of the guy who appraised it. I have two guns like that in my collection right now. I didn't buy it off the shop for what they bought it off of you for. They still made money off of me. 
3. The Blue Book of Gun Values shows you the retail price to sell it in the condition it is in. It's not what we're going to give you for it... it's what we're going to sell it for. 
4. While the guy is inspecting the gun, close your mouth. We're not listening to a word you say. I know your round count is off. I know the odds this gun was owned and carried by a Special Forces member are extremely low. I know the more bizarre the story gets along the way the harder I need to inspect. Nothing you tell the sales person raises the value... unless it is documented in writing. If you have a data book, hand it over. If you got a certified history from the historian at Smith & Wesson, hand it over. But unless that history has something really special in it, it means very little. Otherwise, stop talking. You’re actually hurting the chances of selling your gun. A seller who doesn’t have a story to tell with the gun isn’t hiding anything.
5. If there's a problem with your gun, I'm going to find it. I get a lot of people who bring guns in trying to sell and they grin real big when they see "the girl" is doing the appraisal. I have news for you... it doesn't matter what gender, race, sexual preference, etc. the appraiser is. If they are doing the appraisal, the shop owner gave the OK for them to do it... and they gave the OK because they are proven. "The girl" knows what she's looking at. And I'll probably tell you things about your own gun you don't know. I've handed more guns back with a "not interested" than I actually bought. 
6. If the appraiser turns you down, ask why. We'll explain. And they should be nice about it. That gun means something to you. I'm going to do my best to put it down without insulting you. But don't ask if you don't want the answer.
7. Ask to see the Blue Book. Better yet, check it out before you go in. Don't expect that price, but know what they're going to sell it for. And have a minimum you are willing to take. The buyer may ask “what do you want for it?” Be realistic, be prepared to give a little, but be firm. This let’s the buyer know that you are aware of what you have, good or bad.
8. Don't ask for your gun to be appraised if it isn't in hand. We won't even guess unless we see the gun. Value depends a lot on condition, and I don't care what your condition estimate of the firearm is. 
9. Modifications don't raise the value of the gun. We're going to appraise based on the original weapon. If you modify, do so with the intent of keeping the gun. Mods turn off 90% of my customers who might want to buy it. Just because you think the mods are cool or useful doesn't mean most of my customers agree.
10. If you have other guns and are selling one... remove the optics, flashlights, and lasers. Use them on one of your other guns. We won't take it into consideration when appraising because 95% of my customers are going to want it all removed anyway. 
11. Don't expect what you paid for the gun new if you are selling it. Even if you just bought the gun yesterday, it's used. The value dropped. Just like the value of your car dropped substantially when you pulled out of the lot. 
12. Was your gun a safe queen? Don't tell me that. "Safe queen" reads to us as "I forgot I owned it and probably haven't put any oil on it in 15 years." 
13. Gun worth a good amount of money? Done a lot of modification to it? Consider putting the gun on consignment or maybe using GunBroker.com. You get to name the price, the shop will take a percent only if it actually sells, and you can get a lot closer to the value that way. You just need to be patient. 
14. Reconsider trying to sell your gun to the newest shop in the area or the smallest. They don't have a lot of money to offer you for it. You'll either get low balled or turned away completely. 
15. Don't try to sell your single action 45 Long Colt revolver to a shop that sells mostly tactical weapons. Their clientele doesn't want your gun. They can't sell it.
16. If you didn't pay much for the gun new, don't expect much for it used.
17. Many appraisers will tell you outright if the gun isn't worth selling. Don't get mad at them. If the gun is valued less than $150, he doesn't want to insult you by offering you $75 – or less - for it. Believe it or not… the appraiser really doesn’t want to hurt your feelings or insult you. Heck, he may even really like the gun in question, and may be shocked himself at the Blue Book value!
18. Don't get mad when the appraiser tells you what condition percent your gun is. It's a lot nicer to you than to him. He's an outside, unattached third party with no memories of this gun. 
19. If you have an antique, military surplus, or just plain old gun... take it to someone who knows what they're doing. They need a special kind of appraisal that not everyone can do. The 21 year old at the shop down the street can appraise your AR15 or Glock, but won't know what to look for on a musket (you'll either get ripped off or butt hurt). But ask him where you can take it... he probably knows someone. I appraise these guns myself. But I will admit when it's out of my knowledge point and I'll send you on to a better source (I do WWI and WWII rifles... anything older I send to a shop in NC that only handles those guns). 
20. I've seen thousands of your guns. I probably don't find your gun as cool as everyone else does. That doesn't mean it isn't cool... it just means I've seen a lot of guns in my day.
21. Clean your gun before you try to sell it. It allows the buyer to see the gun is in good shape… and that you cared for it.