Where to Sell Paintball Guns

Paintballing is a great expensive hobby, so when you’re done playing you need to know where to sell paintball guns (and attachments and gear and…). Just like buying your first paintball gun, selling paintball guns can be a bit tricky if you’ve never done it before, because you can absolutely get cheated (boo!) and leave money on the table.

Here’s that quick list of the best places to sell paintball guns:

1. Classified ads
2. Craigslist
3. eBay
4. Facebook
5. Garage sale
6. Paintball fields and facilities
7. Paintball forums and message boards
8. Paintball stores
9. Pawn shops
10. Friends

But WAIT! This post not only covers “where can I sell my paintball gun”, but also how to sell paintball guns and get top dollar…so keep reading, quitter. 😛

1. Classified Ads

These are typically ads bought and placed in your local newspaper, and most now offer an online version as well.

Additionally, there may be weekly circulars explicitly targeting a specific geographic area or demographic.

These may charge a fee, but it may be a good option depending on your target buyer.

2. Craigslist

Craiglist is available pretty much everywhere and is a straightforward option for selling locally, particularly if you don’t want to deal with shipping.

You can do it on a computer or use the app. It’s easy to post, but you will likely have to negotiate on price and work with people to determine a time and place for them to look at your paintball gun. 

To help in some of this from the get-go, make sure you accurately and thoroughly describe it. Take quality photos showing all aspects of your paintball gun. 

Make sure you include a way for them to contact you. The downfall of Craigslist is the number of spammers, so a good way to do this is to have the contact information be the automatic email that doesn’t show your actual email until you start replying. 

3. eBay

eBay may or may not be a good option as there are some downfalls to going this route.

First, you must follow very specific guidelines. While you’ll have an international audience, you’ll also have to deal with their return policy and whatever payment option is chosen by your buyer.

You must be able to accurately describe your paintball gun and provide photos. Depending on what your paintball gun is worth, it may be less hassle to pursue other options.

4. Facebook

Like Craigslist, Facebook is a good option for locally selling your paintball gun, and it now has a shipping option. You’ll want to include good photos and a thorough description to avoid a barrage of questions.

If you cross-post, be prepared to respond to people from multiple pages, and keeping track of who was first to inquire can be a hassle. However, there may be less room for them to negotiate if there is a lot of interest.

5. Garage Sale

Depending on the value of your paintball gun, this may or may not be a good option. If your paintball gun has higher-end or custom features, you may not be able to get what you want for it at a garage sale.

However, if you’re selling something common or inexpensive, you never know who might decide to buy a paintball gun on a whim. But on that note, if you haven’t tried selling your more expensive gun elsewhere yet, put a price tag on it, throw it on the table, and see what happens!

6. Paintball Fields and Facilities

If you’re a regular to the paintball field, you likely know the owner, employees, and other players.

Spread the word that you are trying to sell your paintball gun. Word-of-mouth can be an excellent sales technique. If there is a bulletin board for putting up flyers, create one that lists your gun’s specifics, any upgrades, your contact information, and include a great photo. 

7. Paintball Forums and Message Boards

You will reach a much larger audience by listing here, and it’s where you’ll find the paintball gun experts. If you have a custom gun or one with some high-end modifications, this is where people will appreciate its value.

You will likely need to register to the forum and look specifically for its classified section. Fill in the information about your gun, any modifications, list price, and contact information. Be prepared to negotiate shipping and payment options, although some may have a built-in capacity for both. 

8. Paintball Stores

There are obviously online stores that sell paintball guns, but if there is a paintball gun specialty store in your area, this is also an excellent place to consider.

They will likely take paintball guns on consignment, trade, or even buy them outright. To consign, the seller tells the store what sale price they want to put on the paintball gun. The gun is then left in the store for customers to look at (often along with other consignment guns), and if it sells, the store gets a predetermined percentage of the sale.

There may be some additional fees, but that should be disclosed by the store when you enter into a consignment agreement. Additionally, paintball stores are likely to take trades, so you could get credit towards a new gun by trading in your old one. 

9. Pawn Shop

Pawnshops work two ways:

You can either sell your paintball gun outright or “pawn” it, meaning the pawnshop loans you a portion of the item’s value temporarily. To get it back, you repay the loan and interest fees.

Keep in mind you will not get what your gun is worth, either as a pawn or selling outright, so this option is best for when you’re desperate for cash and have run out of other options.

10. To a Friend

Perfect the art of selling paintball guns on your friends!

Try inviting a friend along to play paintball and get them hooked. Loan them a spare or have them rent one.

Once they decide they want to invest in the game, offer to sell them your old one! It’s easy to sell used paintball guns to friends because they know that you’ve taken good care of it.