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Highlights:
- Wisconsin doesn’t require background checks on gun buyers when the seller isn’t a licensed dealer.
- Wisconsin doesn’t allow the sale of guns to those under 18 (with a few exceptions).
- Gun sellers who aren’t licensed dealers don’t need to retain gun sale records.
- There’s no waiting period for gun sales in Wisconsin.
- Cash for Arms is one of the top solutions for private sellers looking to unload guns for decent prices in Wisconsin.
Step 1: Go over Wisconsin’s Gun Sale Rules
Private Gun Sales’ Legality in Wisconsin
Private gun sales are legal in Wisconsin. This means you can sell guns in the state even if you’re not a licensed dealer.
However, this is void if you sell sufficient guns for it to look like a business. That means a large volume of guns being sold for profit and regularly.
Federal law requires you to become an FFL or Federal Firearms Licensee then. If you’re only selling a couple of guns or so sporadically, though, you don’t have to worry.
Background Checks for Wisconsin Gun Sales
There are no background checks for Wisconsin gun sales from private sellers. They’re only mandated for FFLs.
Put simply, only federally licensed dealers have to do background checks on their gun buyers here. As a private or unlicensed seller, you’re not required to.
Licenses, Permits, and Registration for Gun Sales in Wisconsin
Private sellers in Wisconsin don’t need to do any of these things for gun sales:
- Ask buyers for licenses to carry guns.
- Ask buyers for permits to purchase guns.
- Register guns they’re offering for sale.
- Keep records of gun sales.
Wisconsin Waiting Periods for Gun Sales
Wisconsin has no waiting periods for gun sales now. It used to have a 48-hour one, but that was repealed in 2015.
Wisconsin’s Minimum Age for Gun Buyers
For private sellers, the minimum age for a gun buyer in Wisconsin is 18.
It’s different for FFLs. For them, the minimum age for a long gun buyer is 18 while it becomes 21 for handgun buyers.
Wisconsin Prohibitions on Who Can Own or Buy Guns
Wisconsin prohibits firearms to some people. You need to know these if you plan to sell the gun to a private party as opposed to a business (e.g. Cash for Arms or a gun store).
Here are the people you can’t sell guns to in Wisconsin:
- People convicted of felonies in the state
- People convicted of crimes in other states that would be felonies in Wisconsin
- People found not guilty of felonies in the state due to a mental condition
- People found not guilty of crimes elsewhere that would be felonies in Wisconsin due to a mental condition
- People ordered not to possess firearms by a court
- People who’ve been committed to treatment facilities for mental illness
- People who’ve been committed to treatment facilities for drug dependence
- People who’ve been committed to treatment facilities for alcohol dependence
- People who have a substantial probability of harming themselves or the public
- People who have child abuse or domestic abuse restraining orders and injunctions against them
- People convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence
- People who have certain tribal injunctions against them
- People dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces
- People who’ve renounced US citizenship
- Fugitives from justice
- Illegal aliens
Wisconsin Rules on Sales at Gun Shows
Wisconsin has no specific laws regulating sales at gun shows. In them, private sellers should just observe all the known laws on Wisconsin gun sales.
Wisconsin Preemption Laws
Wisconsin has preemption statutes, so local governments have very limited ability to regulate guns. Most of the laws that matter to a private seller are the ones at the state and federal level.
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Ready to Sell Your Gun?
Are you looking to sell your gun in Wisconsin? Cash for Arms buys guns in all 5 states. Click ‘Get my Cash Offer’ now for a fair, no-obligation cash offer and enjoy the benefit of quick payment.
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Step 2: Find Out What Your Gun’s Worth
We always recommend doing this before seeking buyers. That way, you’ll be able to do these things:
- Price the gun appropriately when selling it at an auction or listing.
- Tell if someone is low-balling you in their offer for the gun.
- Decide if you should hold your sale for another time (e.g. when trends make your gun more popular and valuable).
But how do you find your gun’s worth? Here are some options:
- Check historical (sold) listings on the GunBroker website for guns of the same make and model.
- Find the gun’s MSRP and subtract 25% to 30% off it for a rough baseline estimate of its used value.
- Have us appraise it for free!
Step 3: Pick a Buyer to Sell Your Gun in Wisconsin
Option 1: Sell Your Gun to Cash for Arms
Selling the gun to Cash for Arms means getting a fast and easy sale at great prices. It also means selling to an FFL, so you don’t need to do any buyer screening.
To sell to us, tell us about your gun on our website. You can attach media and send us detailed descriptions. Be as explicit as possible so we can price it properly.
We’ll get an offer to you in an hour, usually. If you accept it, we’ll also send you prepaid shipping labels to mail the gun to us. Once it arrives, we pay you within 24 hours of receipt!
Our advice: We can also take your gun on consignment to try and get you even better offers. It’ll take more time, but it’s an alternative if you can wait to sell your gun.
Option 2: Sell Your Gun to a Wisconsin Gun Store
Selling a gun to a local gun store is an option for those who want fast cash. Gun stores will do appraisals and payments on the spot. If they’re legitimate, they’ll also be FFLs, so you won’t need to screen buyers with this choice too.
To sell a gun to a Wisconsin gun store, start by finding the ones that buy used ones. You can usually send them a message on their website contact forms or call them for that.
After that, it’s just a matter of bringing your gun to each store. Let them do their appraisals, then get their offers.
Remember that Wisconsin gun stores won’t pay a lot, by the way. Some will even offer less than 50% of your gun’s value. That’s why it’s smart to get as many offers as you can before selling.
Our advice: Unload and clean your gun before taking it to stores for appraisal. As much as possible, avoid handling it yourself once you’re at a store. We’d even recommend letting the store clerks take it out of its case or container themselves. It’s just less likely to make people wary.
Option 3: Sell Your Gun to a Pawn Shop
Selling guns to pawn shops is actually almost exactly the same as selling it to a gun store. Where they differ is the pricing: pawn shops pay even less than gun shops!
So, just follow the same steps we gave for selling to local gun shops. Don’t skip the step of contacting shops beforehand to ask if they’re interested in buying the gun.
Not all pawn shops buy guns in the state, after all. Calling ahead to check will save you a drive.
Our advice: If you can, try to sell to a gun shop first if you really want to sell to a local business in a face-to-face deal. You’ll probably get a slightly better deal than you will with a pawn shop.
Option 4: Sell Your Gun to a Private Individual
Selling guns to private individuals could be the best option if you can wait a while to sell the gun and don’t mind working for the sale. It can net you super-high prices in exchange for the slog.
To start, find yourself some buyers! Here are some ways to do it:
- Post on local hunting or gun forums, e.g. the Wisconsin section of Firearms Talk.
- Put up a flyer at local gun and hunting clubs (ask management first!).
- Attend a local gun show and mingle until you find takers for your gun.
- Ask fellow gun owners in your area to spread word of your gun for sale.
Since private sales are all about finding the buyer with the best offer, we’d recommend trying as many of these as you can. In fact, to better your chances, try them all!
Once you have several offers you like, start screening. You can use our notes earlier about prohibited buyers and the minimum age for buyers.
From there, just negotiate until you get a buyer to agree to a sale price and terms you like. Then, complete the sale in a public location for safety.
Our advice: This is optional, but if you want to be doubly careful, ask your buyer to provide both a Wisconsin-issued ID and fill out a bill of sale you’ve prepared. A fair number of people who wouldn’t pass a background check will hesitate to do both. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a quick and easy litmus test to see if your buyer is actually safe.
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Get the best price for your gun!
Your guns could be worth more than you think. Click ‘Get my Cash Offer’ now for a fair, no-obligation cash offer and enjoy the benefit of quick payment.
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Conclusion
If you follow the tips we gave above, you should sell your gun with no problems in Wisconsin. Just want an extremely easy way to do it? Think about selling the gun to us, then.
You won’t have to do a lot of driving, advertising, or even haggling. We’re straightforward, easy to deal with, and have a reputation for doing all we can to make gun sellers happy. Check out our Google Reviews to see what we mean