Hey guys. I want to thin the stable a bit. How much depreiation on mostly longbows that were in the six hundred range when new  . There all in good shape. Thanks.

It all depends on what it is, specs, how old and flaws etc.  can be anywhere from 40-70% of new based on those kinda factors.

Some of my bows are now worth more!  
eg, Shakespeare Super Necedah, New $35 now $??? (definetely more than 35!)

They are probably valued NOW, what you told your wife THEN.  LOL

If the bow is fairly new, has a good reputation, and no significant dings, 50% is a good rule of thumb.  Could be more or less, of course, depending on individual circumstances.

A bow that is in like new condition, but extremely high/low poundage, will likely be valued less that a bow that is of moderate draw.
I see 65# plus bows have a hard time selling.

I agree with McDave, around 50%.

Draw weight like Hermon said, is a big factor.

See it at the many shoots, on line auctions, etc.

Also how long the "wait" for that bowyer...

Lots of variables, but you have some good ball park values to get started...

Good one Mike!
Harry

QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Vines:
They are probably valued NOW at what you told your wife THEN.  LOL

You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool a wife very darned long. You nailed it Mke.

Depends on if you are the buyer or seller.

Only sure way to find out is to get em listed in the classifieds.  

Reviewing the classifieds often will give you a good idea of what the bows are worth. Plus it's just plain fun!

Thanks guys.  Now I have to get over  which ones get to leave the family.

I'd guess 350-450 range

What really makes a bow depreciate so much? I believe that if you have a bow that is in the "lime light" at the moment and someone needs it, you have a good chance of a reasonable sale.

 New bow prices depending on who you buy from can probably start at around $600, maybe less, it depends. Some are very much higher. It depends on how "pretty" a picture you want to have.

Money isn't exactly gushing out all over at the moment, especially with the Christmas season here. There has not been a lot of "I'll take   it" on the Classifieds and that will probably not loosen up until the new year.

  I personally can't afford to sell bows at half price( and were talking what I have in them) If I get a deal, I offer a deal. But if I spend a grand and that bow is like new, I can't afford to sell it for 1/2 of that.

  Good luck Dan, I have seen a few of your bows and they should not have any problem selling, but likewise, don't shed to many tears yet as they may be hanging around for a while.

                                  Good Shooting,
                                                   Craig

My experience seem to be about....50%-60% of original value on a good condition bow...Those Holcombs of ours were about $625.00-$650 00 new....I'd feel great getting 400 $ these days..NO....I'm not selling those....   just approximating for Dan...

There are a number of reasons other than just being used that a used bow will sell at a substantial discount from a new bow.

If you buy a new bow from a recognized bowyer, he will make good on any defects that turn up within a reasonable amount of time after you buy the bow.  Even if it isn't actually a defect, but just that the bow didn't perform as expected, my experience is that a bowyer will try to make a buyer happy.  Even if a problem is admittedly caused by the buyer, a bowyer will do what he can to help ease the pain. For example, a number of years ago I had a bow dry fire because the arrow nock was too loose and the arrow fell off the string at full draw.  The shock caused the bow to fly out of my bow hand and the riser cracked when it hit the concrete patio I was standing on.   I called the bowyer and he sold me another riser he happened to have laying around for $100.

Very few people sell bows that they really like.  If it's a quality bow, maybe the buyer will like it better than the seller did, or maybe the seller got old and couldn't pull the bow anymore, or just bought a bow that was too heavy to start with, or maybe he fell into hard times and just needed the money.  But the fact is there are bows out there that have been sold and resold a number of times and are probably just dogs.  When a bowyer makes something out of wood, no matter what his reputation, he can't guarantee that it will always turn out like he wanted it to.

Buyers and sellers of used bows often disagree on what is a cosmetic blemish and what is a structural defect.  Most sellers of used bows here on Tradgang would be willing to take a bow back if the buyer doesn't like it and returns it right away.  However, that is still a hassle and there is the question of return shipping charges.

All that said, I have been very happy with my experience buying and selling bows here on TradGang. It has given me the chance to try a number of bows I wouldn't be able to try otherwise at a very low cost, as once the big new/used discount has been taken, you really shouldn't lose much money on buying a used bow if you know what you're doing.

In the end, it comes down to supply and demand, like everything else.  A bow may be "worth" $1,000 to a seller, but if nobody else is willing to pay that, then he's not going to be able to sell that bow for $1,000.

Yep, limelight....supply and demand, kind of the same thing just different wording.

If I drop a $1000+ for let us say a "tricked out " Widow, and the bow is like new and a good #, and for some unseen reason I would have to suddenly sell it. I would really expect to do better than 50%.

I agree with the warranty issue. I actually had a bowyer get online here when he saw I was selling one of his bows and he"continued" the warranty to the next owner. Now there is a guy you want to deal with, and I do!

 Each to there own, and maybe that is one of the reasons I do not buy a lot of  new bows. You have to be selling what someone "wants".

                                                Good Shooting,
                                                                  Craig

Mike vines......excellent answer and probably dead on!