[kilogulf59]

Greetings,

Does anyone have experience with gunbroker.com?

I see what appear to be some very good deals there but am concerned with buying sight unseen.

------------------
Take care,
KG59 out!

"There ain't no freekin' Indians around here..."

G.A. Custer 1876

 

[CFPython]

Have bought several guns off that site. Never been screwed. Check the seller's feedback, and if they are an FFL Dealer, request their info so you can check their FFL status on line with ATF. I get guns a lot cheaper on the auction sites than the shops down here in FLA will sell them to me at.

 

[kilogulf59]

Good morning,

Thank you for the advice as it is greatly appreciated. I am sure others will benefit from it as well.

Have a nice, safe 4th of July all.


------------------
Take care,
KG59 out!

"There ain't no freekin' Indians around here..."

G.A. Custer 1876

 

[kotonk]

i've had several transaction on gunbroker go well. the guns that i bought were from FFLs, not individuals. haven't been shafted, yet.

 

[goColt]

One good transaction one not so good. Got my Defender there about 3 years ago GOOD!! Tried to get a Romanian SKS but after I contacted the seller AND sent the postal money order he suddenly didn't have the rifle anymore. Luckily no problem getting the money order back so no harm done.

He said one of the other gunstore employees sold it between when I won the auction and mailed the money order. Right. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Tusker10MM]

Been lucky enough to have had a couple nice deals there. Honest sellers, but a lot of trouble logging on to the forum. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif-- I check it about every hour /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[manderson]

Most importantly, ask lots of questions up front before you bid. Ask for more pictures if necessary, but remember, computer .jpg pictures can be somewhat deceptive. So I go back to "Ask lots of questions" until you are positive of what you are going to purchase.

I am not a big fan of auctions. It has nothing to do with the merchandise. I just don't like the idea of "reserves" and not knowing what someone really wants for an item. I hardly ever look at auctions with undisclosed "reserves". If it's something I really want, I usually wait to see if someone meets the reserve so I know what the seller is asking, but by that time it's usually more than I am willing to spend. Be careful because alot of these are very inflated prices.

I watch "no reserve" auctions all the time. They sell like hotcakes!

 

[Thiokol]

I buy and sell on Gunbroker, as well as on the S&W Forum, Glocktalk, the SASS Wire, & the Frontier Spot. Other than a couple of non-paying bidders, I have not had any problems. Having said that, beware of one day auctions, prices that are too good to be true, and negative feedback for the seller. There are also a couple of larger sellers on Gunbroker that use shill bidders just to raise the price close to the reserve price. Finally, reserves really mean nothing to me as a buyer. I simply bid what I am willing to pay. If someone outbids me, good for them. I just keep looking ro find the piece at the price that I'm willing to pay. I do use reserves as a seller but if an item doesn't meet the reserve, I can always lower it.

 

[Addicted]

I've purchased many guns on AA, GB & GA and have never had a bad deal. If the seller will not produce pictures or if the picture lacks a good visual I will back away every time.
It's important to ask the seller what his inspection/return policy is. If your not completely satisfied, you can send the gun back. I make the determination before I sign the papers.

Use the "completed" auctions as your condition/price guide.

I've only sold on GA and each sell transaction has gone very well.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

AuctionArms has a mandatory inspection return policy, but Gunbroker does not, so that arrangement must be made with the seller, when dealing through Gunbroker. As already stated, ask lots of questions, and expect complete answers. If questions are ignored, or answers vague, repeat the questions. Anyone refusing to give complete answers, or claims to be too busy, should send up a big red flag...move on!
Look closely at feedback. You can usually see a trend in how the guy operates, and avoid him if you see a pattern of misconduct. The sites claim to toss the offenders, but it takes several bad reports over a given time period, and they are slow to act, so there are some real crooks still operating.
Watch for outrageous shipping and handling fees. If the amount is not posted, ask!
I've racked up nearly 300 transactions across Gunbroker, Auctionarms, and flea-bay, and the only time I've been taken to the cleaners, was my own fault. I broke my own rules and didn't ask the questions on a set of Sig 210 grips that turned out to be junk. As always...Caveat emptor.

 

[RgrLee]

i use Gunbroker.com and have had 2 good transactions.

1) You gotta know what your looking for.
2) Have a set amount your willing to go before you "let it go"
3) I ONLY buy guns in TX so I can drive out and look at them before we "do the deal"

In both my deals, I could have turned right back around and MADE MONEY!

I don't sale however, I am ONLY a buyer.....

Take your time and figure the site out first.......have a good idea of whats going on and what things are going for.

The real bidding goes on in the last 5-10 minutes.....anything before that wastes time and sometimes gets others too interested in what your looking at. Stay low, and watch your "guns" till the last minute, see if you can't "swipe them".


Best of luck!


Lee

 

[kilogulf59]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner...been out of town.

I will be so for awhile, moving out and all.

Thanks for all the advise folks, it's been a big help.

 

[mray]

I'm 3 for 3 buying on GB. Like others have already said, check feedback.

...and remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[Babalooie]

I've bought a few guns from sellers on Gun Broker. There were two transactions, out of many, that had problems. They appeared to be honest mistakes made in the description. When I contacted the seller, we were able to come to an agreeable compromise.

Definitely check feedback and the shipping price, if posted. I saw a gun with an attractive selling price that had a price of $55.00 for shipping. That seemed a bit high to me.

Be careful to check the photos closely and don't buy a gun without pictures posted. The more pictures the better.

Also, get a copy of Blue Book and compare prices of similar guns on GB and other sites. Like they used to say in the Coin Collecting business, "Buy the book first." Do your homework. Read up on the guns that interest you and learn as much as you can.

Don't waste your time with reserve price auctions, unless there's a buy it now price. I've found these postings to be generally over priced by my standards.

Finally, unless you have a C&R or Dealer license, remember you'll have to pay a dealer to transfer the gun to you. In my area, this can add $25 to $50 to the selling price.

Hope this helps.

 

[22WRF]

I have more than 20 transactions on GB a several on AA.
I have a few rules
I only buy from FFL's and aways ask if they will tranfer to a C&R holder.
Never buy from a seller that doesn't have A+ feedback.
Never bid on anything with no shipping info.
Never pay high shipping/handling charges ($12-$15 is about right for a handgun) USPS.
Some times these auctions are a license to steal.
Got Police Postive Target today for less than $200
Last month got a Smith (can I Say S&W here?) /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
K 22 Outdoorsman ( 1934 DOM) for the same