We generally don’t provide value estimates ahead of an actual consignment commitment — proper research takes real time, and we reserve that effort for sellers who are ready to move forward. If your situation is a bit different, reach out and we can discuss it.

Often, yes. A private buyer typically expects a discount off retail since there’s no dealer, marketing, or paperwork involved on their end. A pawn shop or another dealer buying it outright will offer wholesale, since they need margin to resell it themselves. Consignment gets your item full retail exposure across multiple channels, so even with our commission taken out, sellers frequently net more than they would from either of those routes — though the exact outcome always depends on the specific firearm and market demand.

Federal law defines a “dealer” as anyone engaged in the business of buying and selling firearms with the intent to profit through repeated transactions — and ATF’s current rules make clear that this can apply to someone who doesn’t think of themselves as a dealer at all, simply based on how often they sell. Consigning through us sidesteps the question entirely, since K3 Armory, a licensed FFL, is the one legally making the sale. This is general information, not a legal opinion about your specific situation — if you’re offloading a large collection or sell somewhat regularly, it’s worth understanding ATF’s guidance for yourself.

It’s your own private, secure link where you can see everything about your consigned item in one place: our pricing research, every marketplace it’s listed on, and its current status — whether it’s being prepped, actively listed, sold, or paid out. No need to call or email to check in; it’s updated as things change.

15% of the selling price for newer/standard firearms, or 20% for vintage, collectible, or high-value items that need extra research to price accurately. Any marketplace or credit card processing fees from a specific sale channel are passed through in addition to the commission.

It depends on the item, condition, and price point — we’ll give you our honest read on how quickly a given piece is likely to move when we appraise it.

Yes — consigned items stay with us for a minimum of 120 days so we have a fair chance to find a buyer after the time we invest in researching, photographing, and listing it. After that initial period, the agreement continues until either of us ends it; if you’d like your item back before then, we just ask for 30 days’ notice.

Yes, with two things to plan for. First, since your firearm is in our FFL bound book while it’s consigned, Virginia and federal law require you to pass a background check to take it back — the same as if you were buying it new. We charge a reduced $10 transfer fee for this (normally $40). Second, there’s a return fee of up to $25 per item to cover the appraisal, photography, and listing work already done, plus any marketplace fees we’ve already paid to advertise it.

You’d have 180 days to resolve the issue. If it’s not resolved in that window, the firearm is considered abandoned and becomes K3 Armory’s property.

By business check (pickup or mail) or store credit, once the sale is final. If a buyer pays by debit or credit card, our payment processor’s fraud protection terms may require us to hold funds for up to 120 days before we can release your payment — this is standard practice to guard against chargebacks, not something specific to your sale.

Basic wipe-down cleaning and a functional check are included. Anything beyond that — detailed cleaning, repairs, or gunsmithing — is available for an additional agreed-upon fee, not part of the standard consignment service. We function check all firearms but we do NOT test fire any firearms. 

No — we don’t charge buyers our standard transfer fee on consignment purchases.

The firearm itself, plus any accessories, magazines, holsters, the original box, and manual you’d like included in the sale — items sell better as a complete package.

Yes — we’ve had great success selling larger collections for repeat customers and are happy to talk through the details for a multi-item consignment.