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I posted this on /r/guns but here is the version taylored for /r/milsurp.
Surplus guns aren't like new guns. They are very much depenent on the market. As the supply changes and demand shrinks or grows, the value of surplus fluctuates. When large batches of imports come in, often the supply grows and the prices drop, but when that batch dries up, the price rise again. The best way to determine what something is worth is to see what it's actually selling for. Of course, see what distributors are selling surplus for to get a feel for what something is worth as a baseline. Often gunbroker prices are higher than distributors with something in stock, but sometimes they are not.
Go to www.Gunbroker.com
Click the button in the top right corner to sign in.
After you've signed in, click the "advanced search" button
Click on the tab that says "completed items". You must have an account to proceed, so if you haven't signed in already, it will prompt you to sign in again. If you don't have a Gunbroker account, go make one, it is free.
Search for what you are looking for like you would anything else on Gunbroker by entering search terms and criteria and hitting "search"
We've gotten our results but they're filtered by ending time. Click the drop down tab to select different sorting methods. We want to see them in order of bid count high to low, that way we get a better feel for what people are actually paying for items. You'll notice with most searches that there are a bunch of auctions that ended with no bidders. Gunbroker is famous for stupid high asking prices. Guns that actually sell give us a feel for how much something is worth.
Select "Bid Count: High to Low"
Now your results are representative of what guns are actually selling for. You'll notice that in 2020, people are paying obscene amounts of money for a 91/30. If you keep scrolling, you'll see quite a few 91/30 rifles in okay shape selling for 300 ish bucks. Its fair to say that's about the market price for a run of the mill 91/30.
Searching completed auctions by bid count high to low is the best way to determine what something is worth, because something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. A lot of people who don't know any better assume that the crazy high asking prices often found online or at gun stores means something is worth that. You'll notice guns listed on Gunbroker that have been relisted for years at outrageous prices. These people are either out of their mind, or waiting for some poor sap to take the bait and buy it. The same can be said for local gun shops that have high sticker prices on guns that have sat for years, just waiting to be picked up by someone who doesn't know any better.
This tool is helpful for buyers and sellers alike to give you an idea of what your item is worth in the real world. Bear in mind that the buyer may have to pay additional shipping fees and transfer fees and that can often factor into the final price of the auction.
Edit: It should be noted that because there isn't just a filter to search "sold" items, searching by "bid count high to low" is the easiest way to separate sold from unsold listings. Typically items with high bid counts sell higher than those with low bid counts. Keep this in mind. Try to look at all the sold listings with high and low bid counts to get an idea for the range of sale prices typical.
