I guess that is the answer then, that it is more of a hand pick than anything else. It would be an application process in that case. But I'll tell you what the problem is. Sorry I'm not known for brevity lol.
The problem is that the web is full of bull***t. No matter what I do, I have to compete with a noise floor of offers and promotion that are either simply not true, or have a catch, or just aren't what they claim to be.
I gave away 5 guns at the NRA show last year and we emailed our database of probably half a million active shooters to enter it (you had to be an NRA member to enter). Only about 1500 people entered.
So I went back and asked people why they didn't enter. They said that they don't bother with those things because they never give the guns away, or the drawing is in two years, or you have to buy something to really register or what not. So I went out and looked around, and sure enough, everyone says they are giving away guns, but go back and try to find the winners afterwords. Granted, some of my guys didn't get their guns for six months because they were Beretta subcompacts and there were none available, but they got their guns and are still in touch with us today.
There are only a dozen or so relevant boards so we aren't talking about a thousand people. But if I advertise that active gun bboard members sell free on GA, nobody is going to believe it, and if I create hoops for them to jump through, omg forget it. They are just going to say that this is bull***t and not bother. It is really frustrating.
To answer Danbrew (I have only successfully quoted another message on this once), I am glad GA has higher prices than what you find at the undercutter sites. I don't feel that people who undercut real gun dealers should be on our website. Eventually the real gun dealers are going to wake up and see that they are cutting their own throats taking transfers from guys selling on a 5% margin and they will cut them off. One brave dealer on this board already has. I believe in my gun freedom and the only people who as invested in the future of gun freedom as I am are brick and mortar stocking gun dealers and gun manufacturers. I would rather fail than sell my freedom short of 100% commitment, and putting my money where my mouth is. For now, enjoy the 5% margins online. It isn't going to last through this administration's run. I'll even bet you a big mac if you like.