How legit are places like gunbroker.com

[RPRNY]

I[/I] actually want the item and he doesn't .

TCB

now, now. A free market is indeed a free market...

 

[medalguy]

I've bought a lot and sold a few on GB. Never had a problem with any of the transactions, but I always check feedback and I'm sure of what I'm bidding on-- good clear pictures and I understand exactly what I'm bidding on.

CatManDo, if you're buying a pistol for your wife, and you buy it with your money and gift it to her, that's fine. If she gives you her money and asks you to buy a specific gun for her, that's not legal. BTW a straw purchase applies only to a transfer from a FFL, not a FTF sale.

 

[toivo]

I've probably got about a dozen GB transactions under my belt with no problems at all.

As others have said, it all depends on the seller. Look for somebody with a lot of transactions and little or no negative feedback. If somebody has 10 transactions, I don't want to see any negative feedback. If somebody has 4,000 transactions, 5 negative feedbacks aren't going to bother me: a number like that just indicates the percentage of a******s in the general public.

Just don't get sucked into bidding wars. Set a reasonable limit and stick to it. If you don't get one, there'll be another coming up soon -- unless you're looking at something really rare, but that's another ballgame altogether.

 

[pj777]

Sweet, this is the exact kind of feedback I needed. I know about transfer issues and straw purchases. If She goes this method it's her that'll actually be buying it, filling out the forms and everything, I'm just scouting for deals since she doesn't really know what to look for.

 

[CatManDo]

http://www.vizardsgunsandammo.com/product-p/10-0213810.htm

 

[clance]

I am a current buyer/seller on GB, this is primarily due to the fact that GB is the biggest auction site, with the most selection on the net. But I did at one time had another account which I closed due to a conflict that I had with the organization customer service policies.

A year ago I purchased a Fox Sterlingworth 20ga from a seller that goes by buck39 that advertise the Fox on his auction as "Super Nice!" I had also emailed him several questions concerning the condition of the firearm (any dents, pitting or barrel wobble) which I was mislead (told couple dents, counted 10/ no pitting, had to have the barrels honed due to extent of pitting and told no wobble, that is as long as you keep the forearm on) and on one important issue uninformed (bulges down 11-12" in both barrels) .

I refuse to send the firearm back to buck39 until I received "ALL" my money back. I contacted GB forwarding all the evidence (copy of the auction, emails, & photos) concerning the fraudulent claims by buck39, yet GB refuse to move on my claims.

Instead they hid behind their policies, and supported buck39 as the seller cause I refused to send the firearm back for his inspection per their policies. As I explained to GB, buck39 lied to me twice concerning the condition of the firearm (violation of 2 of their precious policies). How do you expect me to send the gun back and believe that he wouldn't claim that the firearm was anything but as described in his auction and email?

If it wasn't for the fact that GB is the largest thus the place to go to find that hard to get firearm, I wouldn't do business with them.

 

[dogtown tom]

I woudn't give you a refund either...........

clance.......I refuse to send the firearm back to buck39 until I received "ALL" my money back. I contacted GB forwarding all the evidence (copy of the auction, emails, & photos) concerning the fraudulent claims by buck39, yet GB refuse to move on my claims.

As they should.
Want a refund? Return the gun.

Instead they hid behind their policies, and supported buck39 as the seller cause I refused to send the firearm back for his inspection per their policies.

Bravo to GB for abiding by their written policies!
It isn't "hiding"........it's there in black and white. Just because you failed to read GB's policies before you bid its a bit unfair to whine about them "hiding" afterward..

As I explained to GB, buck39 lied to me twice concerning the condition of the firearm (violation of 2 of their precious policies). How do you expect me to send the gun back and believe that he wouldn't claim that the firearm was anything but as described in his auction and email?

How do you know until you send it back?
How does the seller know that YOU aren't scamming him?

 

[HammsBeer]

Bought 4 guns off gunbroker, all transactions went smoothly.

My biggest advice, bid on auctions that have lots of good clear pictures with close detail of important markings. If you have any doubts, ask them questions. One old milsurp rifle I got was in good condition as described, but I didn't realize it had been refinished which would have been hard to tell by the grainy pictures. The price was right though so I kept it.

 

[PT92]

At least five GB purchases for me in the past five years and I have not had a single problem (100% positive).

 

[Zaydok Allen]

GB is just as legit as ebay. Just pay attention to the seller's feedback and you should be ok. Communication is important. I'm actually waiting on an old pinfire revolver I bought. Should be here Friday.

 

[silicosys4]

GB is just as legit as ebay. Just pay attention to the seller's feedback and you should be ok. Communication is important. I'm actually waiting on an old pinfire revolver I bought. Should be here Friday.

Waaaay less protection than eBay, as paypal...anti gun as they are....offers buyer protection above and beyond any gun auction site.
eBay will actually go to bat for you in their buyer protection. GB doesn't care two whits about you or if you are being scammed as a buyer, because they don't make money off of buyers. They will, however, erase negative feedback left by unhappy buyers, in order to protect their cash cows, the seller. Ask me how I know.

The best thing is to just be careful, and try not to be in that situation.

 

[Redlg155]

I never buy used and always ask questions. Dealers are usually the safest, but read the ship times in the small print! Many dealers don't have the gun in stock at the time of ordering and have to get it from "their" warehouse before shipping to you. There are also those who advertise, but state you need to call first because they are also selling it locally.

 

[osteodoc08]

I've purchased on gunbroker tons of times. I make sure they have 1000+ sales with A+ ratings and take a credit card for payment. That takes 'most' of the risk out of it. I dont purchase from a non FFL or someone that is 'new' to gunbroker or if there is anythign that makes the hair on my neck stand up. Feel free to call them and talk to them too, if they dont call or return calls shortly, just let it go and move on to the next one.

While the days of "awesome finds" are diminished due to the internet, it is possible to get anythign you want for a 'reasonable and realistic' price. Sometimes you just have to wait. Patience is a virtue.

 

[On An Island]

I've had no problems on Gunbroker. But, so far I'm only getting ammo there.

 

[OcelotZ3]

Been buying stuff since 2007 and never had an issue (man items). Just made my first sale the other day too, again no issue.

 

[7.62 Nato]

I've done some GB purchases, and one sale without a problem. However I would suggest you do internet searches for the gun first. The seller can ship to your local FFL where your buddys wife can purchase it. The auction route can get expensive. I would suggest that after you locate the item that she communicates with the seller and FFL whether it's on GB or not.

 

[mr.trooper]

gunbroker.com is a brokerage service, and is 100% legit. Some of the sellers using this service may be sluggards, but the service itself is professional, reliable, and legitimate. They have facilitated several purchases for me.

 

[anothernewb]

Like any sales place, caveat emptor is the first and foremost rule. Do your homework and you'll always have the best chance of coming out fine.

GB is like any other ebay or internet site. you have to see what you can trust from the seller, look for how knowledgeable the post about the item is. Look for credentials, bot-type spelling problems, "stock" photos" that kind of stuff. if you're unsure, initiate some contact. I have not personally bought things from there, but I've had success here, with facebook and other enthusiast forums.

 

[FROGO207]

I have had over 100 purchases/sales on GB with NO problems. Read the feedback and when in doubt ask questions or ask for more photos. If they do as asked and you are satisfied with the answers go for it.

 

[KTXdm9]

Multiple gunbroker purchases, zero issues. Just pay attention to feedback, product descriptions, etc. I have seen a few things listed that I decided not to bid on after investigating further.

 

[clance]

As they should.
Want a refund? Return the gun.

You do realize that GB is owned by a gun shop don't you? While I didn't mention it I did ask that they act as a non-partial 3rd party and hold the shotgun until issue resolved. Needless to say they never respond to this request.

Bravo to GB for abiding by their written policies!
It isn't "hiding"........it's there in black and white. Just because you failed to read GB's policies before you bid its a bit unfair to whine about them "hiding" afterward..

Maybe you should reread the: GunBroker.com® User Agreement/I. Registration and Posting/6. Accuracy(http://www.gunbroker.com/User/UserAgreement.aspx)

"You represent and warrant that all information given to us (including your name, address and other information associated with your account (“User Information”)), and all information communicated to other users of the Site, whether in a Listing or a Posting(email?), is true, accurate, up-to-date and not misleading."

II. Transactions on the Site/5. Buyers and Sellers/b. Seller Undertakings
"(ii) You represent to us that (A) you have the legal right to sell the Items you list, and (B) the sale of your Items on the Site will not (1) be fraudulent or involve the sale of counterfeit or stolen items, (2) shall not infringe any parties’ copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy, or (3) violate any Legal Requirement (including without limitation those Legal Requirements governing export or import control, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising).


Or: GunBroker.com Site Rules /Sellers’ Rules/2. Listing Content/Paragraph 5
http://www.gunbroker.com/User/SiteRules.aspx

"Your description of the Item must be accurate and truthful. Adding additional unrelated keywords to your Listing to make it appear through our search facilities is prohibited. Item titles may not be in ALL CAPS. We do not allow the posting of multiple Listings for the same item; excessive duplicate Listings may be removed at our sole discretion without notice."


Now it might just be me, but it seems to me that if someone claims that a firearm is "Super Nice" and when question concerning specific concerns tells me it only a couple dent when the barrels have a total of 10, no pitting, when both barrels had to be honed and don't divulge that both barrels have bulges in them. To me and the sections that I copy and paste above would seem that the seller was the one that violated the rules/policies and lose all protection of any rules/policy of GB.

Oh by the way not only do I have pictures of the mess that was sold me. But I have the gunsmith that acted as the transfer agent that would support my claims, plus due to the fact I was stuck with the gun (THANK YOU GB!), a well known metal smith in the shotgun world that did his best to fix the barrels can vouch to the condition of the gun.

Maybe you should review the above Users Agreement and Site Rules...

How do you know until you send it back?
How does the seller know that YOU aren't scamming him?

Really! I have the proof (copy of the auction page, email, pictures, and 2 eye witnesses)that the man lies to me twice and you expect me to give him a third time to screw me? As it is obvious you're a dealer from your signature I can understand where your coming from.

 

[orpington]

I know, with the 'ease' of finding things on the internet, the allure of Gunbroker is certainly there. Having said that, I would NEVER purchase a firearm over the internet, sight unseen, from a site like Gunbroker. I think that the quality of photographs and one's perception of a firearm vs. the seller's can be quite a bit different. Maybe if it was of nominal value ($200 or under), I might take a gamble, but, so far, I have not. Believe me, when I first got into firearms as a teenager, I thought that some of this stuff was one of a kind, but, the longer I am in it, I see a lot of stuff I never thought existed in conditions that one would not expect (I am mostly into pre-1899 stuff). The price on some of this stuff, however, is another matter! If you are looking for something unique (one-of-a-kind), then maybe it is worth the drive (or flight, depending what it is). If you are looking for something more common, it is worth attending Gun Shows. If you find something more run of the mill on the internet, and the seller is within a reasonable distance, it is worth checking it out first, before dishing out lots of cash. Just my opinion here...

 

[fourspeed2]

Gunbroker.com

I personally have had at least 88 transaction on gunbroker and I have yet to have a bad situation. I have purchased anything from used brass to AR-15's on this sight and never had a problem of any sorts. Most of the people there are just like us involved in firearms to some degree. I have even done a straight up swap that involved my firearm for his. He drew up a contract and we both signed with both of our FFLs to agree to receive and transfer our firearms . It all worked out great and we are both very happy with our trade. There is also a number that is applied to buyers and sellers grading them on their transactions. I am 88+.It seems most people in the community of firearms are pretty righteous people,(at least my experience). If you see a seller with 2643+ next to his name, you can be pretty certain you are dealing with a trustworthy human. And you can even read that sellers buyers comments on rating the buyer. It's really a great way to buy things. OH did I mention no state tax providing they (the seller) are from a different state )I give gunbroker a A+A+A+ RATING.

 

[DammitBoy]

I've made plenty of purchases over $1000 through gunbroker and I've always been 100% satisfied with the firearms I bought.