How to Sell a Gun in Iowa

Sell My Gun - Key Points:

• You can sell guns in Iowa without getting a federal license, with limitations.
• Iowa doesn’t mandate background checks on buyers in private gun sales.
• You can’t sell guns to certain people in Iowa, including convicted felons and drug addicts.
• The minimum age to buy guns is 18 for long guns and 21 for handguns in Iowa.
• You can quickly sell your gun and get a quote right now with Cash for Arms.

Step 1: Understand the Iowa Gun Laws

Like every other state, Iowa has its share of gun laws. The only ones we’ll cover are the ones that touch on you as a gun seller. We’ve simplified them into clear points below.

• Private Gun Sales: LEGAL - People without FFLs (Federal Firearms Licenses) can sell guns in Iowa. As long as you don’t turn it into a business, you’re fine.
• Buyer Background Checks: ONLY FOR FFLS - Background checks on gun buyers are only required for FFL dealers in Iowa. Private gun sellers don’t need them.
• Gun Sale Record-Keeping: OPTIONAL - Private sellers don’t need to keep records of gun sales in the state. You can keep your own (like bills of sale) if you like, though.
• Waiting Period for Gun Sales: NONE - Private sellers don’t need to wait before closing gun sales here.
• Registration for Guns Sold: OPTIONAL - Iowa doesn’t require gun registration, whether for sellers or buyers.
• Gun Purchase Permits: UNNECESSARY - People can buy long guns and handguns without permits. 2021 repeal of Iowa’s handgun permit requirement ensures that.
• Gun Law Preemption: APPLICABLE - Local authorities can’t impose stricter regulations than the state. In other words, you as a seller will usually consider state or federal laws instead of municipal ones.

Step 2: Find the Market Value of Your Gun

Before you start offering your gun to buyers, you need to know its value. This gives you an idea of what you should get for it in a fair transaction. Here’s how to do that.

Prepare the Gun for Appraisal

Whether you opt to sell to a business or a private party, you have to do this. All buyers will want to see what they’re paying for at some point.

So, make sure what they see is attractive. Unload the gun, make it presentable, and get it ready for safe handling by others.

Get the Gun Appraised or Do Price Research

There are two paths you can take here. The first one is to have pros appraise your gun for its value.

This usually means taking it to gun experts for a personal assessment. They’ll provide a value for it after close inspection of its condition.

If you want an easy (and free!) alternative to that, have us do it instead. Submit details and media of the gun on our website. Our experts often finish appraisals in an hour.

Otherwise, you can do price research yourself.

You can also go to websites like GunBroker and find sold listings for guns like yours. Get the average of the prices they sold at for an idea of your gun’s value.

Step 3: Pick Where to Sell the Gun

You can sell a gun at several places in Iowa. In this section we’ll show you the options and how to sell to buyers at each one.

Option 1: Sell the Gun to Cash for Arms

In a nutshell: High market prices from an FFL buyer and an easy sale you can do from home, but you have to wait for the gun package to reach us before your payment.

Selling to us is one of the easiest ways to dispose of an unwanted gun in Iowa. We’re licensed to buy guns nationally too, so you know your gun ends up somewhere safe.

To sell a gun to Cash for Arms, submit it on our website. Wait for about an hour for our offer.

If you like the offer, let us know. We’ll send prepaid shipping labels. Ship the gun to us from there. We’ll pay you the same day we get the package, typically. You can even pick how you want us to pay you!

Cash for Arms even offers liquidation services in Iowa for those looking to sell a large gun collection.

Option 2: Sell the Gun at an Iowa Gun Store or Pawn Shop

In a nutshell: A face-to-face transaction with an FFL buyer and up-front payment, but at the lowest sale prices.

Gun stores and pawn shops buy used guns for resale. They consider their resale profit when making offers for guns like yours, so expect low sale prices.

To sell to these buyers, start by finding the legal ones in your area. Go to the ATF’s official page of FFLs by state, select Iowa and the current year/month. You’ll get a list of FFLs.

Filter the list for your local stores. From there, you just need to call them up and ask if they’d consider buying your gun. If so, take it to them (unloaded!) and get their offers.

Remember to get as many offers as you can before selling. Note too that pawn shops usually offer less than gun stores. Some will even offer just 30% of your gun’s value.

Option 3: Sell the Gun Online or In-Person to a Private Party in Iowa

In a nutshell: The possibility of getting the best sale prices and on your terms, but you have to put in more work and get the added onus of screening buyers yourself.

Private parties are usually more willing to pay higher prices than dealers. That’s because they’re not buying guns for resale. They also don’t calculate profit margins when haggling.

Reaching the right private party to buy your gun can be a challenge, however. Try advertising your gun locally. You can even advertise it online (try Iowa hunting and shooting forums).

Some people even use word-of-mouth. Gun enthusiast clubs, ranges, shooter’s associations, and even gun shows are good places to find possible buyers.

Don’t forget to screen your buyer! Iowa doesn’t allow these people to have guns, so you can’t legally sell to them:

• Felony convicts
• Adjudicated delinquents who would be felony convicts if they were adults
• Those subjected to a domestic violence protective order
• Convicts of misdemeanor domestic violence offenses
• Illegal users of controlled substances
• Addicts to controlled substances
• Those who’ve been committed to involuntary mental illness treatment
• Those dishonorably discharged from the country’s Armed Forces
• Those who’ve renounced US citizenship
• Fugitives from justice
• Illegal aliens
• People under 18 for rifles and shotguns (with some exceptions)
• People under 21 for handguns (with some exceptions)

Conclusion

Now you’re aware of how to sell guns in Iowa. It’s an easy enough task, for the most part. However, if you want it to take as little effort as possible, consider selling to Cash for Arms.

We offer the security of selling to a federally licensed dealer without having to leave your home. And with our expert team always ready to guide you, you’re supported at every step. This makes selling guns from Iowa easier than ever.