ALERT: Proceed with caution ... .

[mick53]

I have been looking to buy a nice S&W 586 or a 27-2 and have really been hunting.

Armslist can be a great resource. But it pays to be careful. I found two 27-2s there. They are (ahem) virtually identical, accent on "identical."

One seller is from Delaware, the other from Iowa. The revolvers were listed a week apart. Maybe it's the same guy selling the same gun and he moved.

Yeah, that must be it.

What do you think? (Hint - check out the presentation cases and the indents and marks in the plush).

http://www.armslist.com/posts/2493948/iowa-handguns-for-sale--smith---wesson-27-2--

http://www.armslist.com/posts/2464527/delaware-handguns-for-sale--smith---wesson-27-2

I don't know of any rule here prohibiting posting links to another site, but if there is such a rule, may we suspend it temporarily so no THR revolver people get burned?

Thanks

 

[targetshooter22]

I don't know, it could be legit. Maybe the second one lifted the picture because the gun is the same model with the same box and everything? Not everyone is so good with the digital pics, and if your camera is your phone, options are not so good.

Maybe it's a scam, but I wouldn't bet on it. Usually I follow the "if it's sounds too good to be true" rule.

 

[mick53]

So you think it's okay to post a pic of a "similar" firearm your trying to sell and not tell prospective buyers,

"Oh, by the way, this isn't really the revolver I'm selling. I just lifted the picture from somewhere. But the one I'm selling is, uh, the same model and presentation case and everything and trust me, it's in great shape."

Nah, that ain't right.

 

[targetshooter22]

I see your point, but I think it's a more or less innocent explanation. I have seen gunbroker pics that are clearly from the manufacturer's website. Not preferred, but if any blemishes are accurately listed, is that all that bad? If you think so, then obviously there are other ways to buy it.

 

[mick53]

Yes, you're right. I guess I just have a suspicious mind.

Listen, I recently inherited a bridge in New York City but I don't want to move there to oversee it.

I'm looking to sell it to someone. And I'll let it go cheap.

All you have to do is make it a toll bridge and charge say $1 to cross it. Thousands upon thousands of cars cross it every day.

Interested?

 

[forindooruseonly]

I would be suspicious. I'd meet face to face, just to see for $700, but I wouldn't be mailing any money orders for sure. If the seller insisted on a mail transaction, I'd pull the plug and send out the scam warning.

 

[PRM]

Hum? Separate accounts were started 12/18/13 and 12/27/13... RED FLAG

Gun is too similar.

 

[VA27]

Wood grain on the grips is the same, gold paint in the roll markings...I call 'Shennanigans'!!

 

[mick53]

Hum? Separate accounts were started 12/18/13 and 12/27/13... RED FLAG

Gun is too similar.

I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation.

I bet that has something to do with that sudden move to from Idaho to Delaware.

 

[back40]

i say scam. i've come across several listings on armslist that had pics lifted from listed items on gunbroker. when you contact the seller, they always give very little or incorrect info about the item and are out of state.

 

[medalguy]

Run, don't walk, away from any consideration of buying this gun from either seller. It's a scam. It seems Armslist is becoming a haven for scammers lately. If you really are interested in this gun, ask each seller for a picture of the other side of the pistol.

 

[dreamer56]

Right, just ask for a picture of the pistol laying on today's newspaper - if it is too good to be true you will never see it. I never hesitate to ask for specific images - I am trying to make an important financial decision here!

However, once upon a time there was a pistol for sale at 1/2 the price it should have been (on Armslist) and nobody bought it for weeks and weeks thinking it was a scam - turned out to be an older gentleman who just wanted what he paid for it 20 years ago - so, proceed with caution and do your homework.

 

[Havok7416]

The descriptions are exactly the same. No way both of them are legit.

 

[guyfromohio]

Likely a scam if price is really good. However, I see these all the time especially when I click to see their other items for sale. Often it's someone from another state posting in multiple states wanting to ship the item to your FFL. Rare guns are often sold this way. I only do FTF so I pass on these.

 

[03fatboy]

Arms list has flagged both pistol's
Must of been a scam.

 

[Hometeached1]

That's why I just do FTF with used firearms.

 

[Elkins45]

How to tell if an Armslist transaction is a scam: does it involve a face to face transaction in a mutually agreed upon well lit and public place?

No? Then it's a scam. Even then, it could possibly be an armed robbery, since whomever you're meeting knows you will be bringing either a gun or a sizable amount of cash.

I've probably done a dozen transactions on Armslist over the last year both as a buyer and seller and I've had not one hint of trouble. But I've always done FTF transactions in a mutually agreed upon public place.

 

[rcmodel]

This message from Arms List, right now, from the first links you posted.

The community has spoken! This listing been flagged as a scam. For more information review our flagging policy.

rc

 

[Bush Pilot]

Why don't you send the money and find out if it was a scam. Let us know so we can avoid things like this ourselves.