Airsoft guns have their lifespan and sooner or later they will break or some part will start to malfunction or you’ll get bored of them and decide to give them away.
It might be a sad moment because airsoft players sometimes get emotionally attached to their guns, but sometimes there is no other way than to let it go.
There are a few options when it comes to disposing of airsoft guns if fixing is not the option.
To dispose of an airsoft gun you can either donate it, recycle it, take the working parts out and sell or give them away on local fields, pawnshops, social media or keep them for parts once you may need them in the future.
So, let’s see what parts may be useful to keep, sell or donate and when to simply throw it in the trash and recycle it.
Best ways to dispose of an airsoft gun
1. Throw it in the trash and recycle it
One of the common ways people get rid of their airsoft guns is by simply throwing them in the trash, but there are almost always better solutions than this one.
Not to mention that you should not ever throw the body of the airsoft gun in neighbourhood waste containers or trash cans. It is not smart because someone may either misunderstand them for real guns or even worse take them and use them for evil purposes.
This is also the reason why it is better not to simply throw them away and rather sell them or donate them.
In case that you have decided to throw them in the trash, pay attention that batteries and cartridges should not go to the regular trash cans, so it is suggested to remove them from the gun first.
Airsoft guns can be recycled (especially the metal ones) so recycling is a better option for the parts that can not be fixed, sold, or re-used.
Visit the nearby recycle center or place where no one can pick them up from the trash or prior to placing them in regular trash simply destroy them to pieces (it’s lot of fun).
2. Donate your airsoft guns
I believe that it is best to share a few pictures of your airsoft gun on social media, spread the word among players that you are donating it, or contact the nearby airsoft field, they will certainly know someone who might use it.
3. Use it for reserve parts or sell
More than one thing got broken and there is no purpose in fixing the gun just as it is normal that things after years of service start to wear off.
No problems, I can guarantee that in 95% of cases there are still useful parts that can be taken off the airsoft gun and used on some other gun in your collection or sold for parts to other players.
Let’s see what is the best way to sell airsoft guns and how valuable the parts may be. There are people who make plenty of money by trading airsoft guns.
Hot airsoft gun parts that everybody wants
Gearbox, Cylinder heads, inner barrels…
All these parts can be disassembled and be kept or sold. The price can vary greatly depending on the brand and functionality, but the thing is that if you want to get rid of your airsoft gun by selling it to someone for cheap or just throwing it the trash, someone will disassemble and sell the parts separately and make cash, why won’t it be you?
Magazines
The more magazines you have, the more ammo you can bring. Okay, this is kind of a joke because you do not need 100 of them and sometimes the less is more, however, magazines are always in trend because everyone needs more than one in their arsenal and they broke from time to time.
Let’s say that the magazine spring is broken or it’s no longer sealed as it used to be due to years of unsustainable pressure, it is easier to get a new one than to repair it.
Adapters
Just as it is a case with mobile phone adapters, AEG batteries need to recharge and adapters break from time to time.
Do not throw in the trash, they are good to keep!
Grips and rails
If your gun has a detachable grip or a rail do not forget to save it. You can use it on other guns in the future or sell it.
The average price for a grip is $20, for a rail $30+ and rail covers can be sold for $10.
O-rings
These little things are cheap and usually do not cost more than a few bucks, yet they are useful if in good condition in case that you find that your actual gun has a problem with a worn O-ring that does not seal well.
Springs
Springs are important for FPS and I have heard people trying to reduce the FPS in their airsoft gun by cutting the spring in order to fit the FPS field limit. The problem is that once you cut it, you can’t bring that fps back without a new one.
It is good to have different springs if you plan to upgrade or degrade your airsoft guns in the future as they are among the best methods for adjusting FPS.
For this reason I would keep them, but they can be sold for $10 or so.
Gearset
Some gearset is better than others and it affects the sound of your gun and its rate of fire, so if you have some cool gear set in your airsoft gun that had a solid rate of fire, but the rest of the gun is broken, do not forget about it.
Gears may be on average sold for $15, but if it’s a high-quality gear set such as the Prometheus one it may be sold for over $80.
Hop-up set
If hop-up is decent it is good to keep it and although the quite cheap ($5-$10) rubbers seem not to be much sometimes they may be the only piece that is missing from completing the gun.
Place it on internet pawnshops
You would be surprised to find how many people are looking for a broken airsoft gun because they can get it cheap and later fix them, resale, or reuse them.
This way you can get some money, get rid of the airsoft gun and yet help someone.
Set up a realistic price for the condition of the airsoft gun, but bear in mind that just because something does not work well, the rest of the gun is probably still in a good shape!
Of course, people will need to spend time fixing it or spend money on someone who will fix it once they get it in poor shape, so reduce the price significantly.
How to sell airsoft gun and gear on internet pawnshops
Let me share some quick and short but useful tips.
1. Take good pictures
Do not take a single picture, instead take pictures from every angle. People like to have a full picture in their head about the products they are buying, especially if they worry what is the condition of the parts that are not visible in a single photo.
Use a mobile phone camera, but do not forget about the lighting, it must be bright enough for the eyes to see. Take photos during the day to display natural colors.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you how many products are not sold sorely because the color of the items was not properly displayed.
People are visual creatures and they want what they see.
2. Use simple background
White background for darker stuff, dark background for brighter stuff.
Make it simple and remove excessive items from the background, no one wants to see your flip flops.
3. Create a detailed description
Ask yourself what you wanted to know about the airsoft gun when you bought it the first time.
Also highlight the working parts of the gun and if you know the brand make it heard!
4. Mention your price expectations
You can accept the money, but you can also trade it for something else like headphones, a keyboard, a bicycle, you name it.
To come up with a realistic price, check what brand your replica is and what parts are inside that still work by checking popular airsoft online stores.
After that give some discount to make the deal better.
If you are unsure of what the price should be, you can set up the bidding system on most internet pawnshops and see what people offer before you accept it.
Contact nearby airsoft field
Almost every field will accept your airsoft gun for parts and if you know what you are doing you can negotiate decent money in return.
Owners of airsoft fields always know someone who might need something and it is easy for them to sell or reuse parts of any airsoft gun.
Spread the word among airsoft players in the fields or social media
Airsoft market is not present only on stores and pawnshops, but a lot of trading is done between players and almost everyone is on social media, so feel free to reach out to them.
Airsoft has a huge community that hosts players from different regions and many of them are keen on communicating with each other.
Sometimes stores and pawn shops take provision or complicate things because you do not know the people you are trading with, so how about spreading the word that you are selling airsoft stuff among players in your field?
A word travels faster than the speed of light (Einstein wouldn’t agree, but from my experience it’s true), so tell others what you got for a sale and someone will eventually find you.
Create a post on social media or send offers straight inbox.
Or you can fix it and keep it
I have seen people throwing everything from ovens with a single broken component to perfectly fine PC chairs that started to fade in color.
As you can imagine people like to get rid of almost perfectly fine airsoft guns that got the broken hop-up unit, scratched inner barrel or the motor malfunctioned.
In most cases, the airsoft gun is reparable, so there is no need to get rid o fit, and instead, you could sell it for parts and earn some money back or fix it and continue to use it.
I understand that airsoft guns are not always easily manageable if you have no experience or patience to learn how they work from within and what part has its purpose, but nevertheless, a couple of hours of research and patience may lead to a manually fixed airsoft gun that may last for a few more years.
There are also repair stores or people in your local field that may fix it for you for a small fee, so consider it before throwing it in the can.