Be Careful of Getting Ripped On Gunbroker!!!

[mc5aw]

If anyone is interested, I have a RARE 686 Registered Magnum for sale and will listen to offers above $2,000. This is a GENUINE 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM ... It's chambered in .357 MAGNUM, and I had to REGISTER it with the state when I purchased it. It is the only 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM in my gun safe, thus it is extremely RARE, and I have NEVER seen another one like it in my gun safe ... EVER. I don't want to put it on GB yet, because there are too many RARE items on there already, and I'm avoiding the competition. The only thing more RARE than this GENUINE 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM is the steak I'm grilling tonight. Act fast, before some desperate uninformed newbie collector grabs this RARE gem with "I'll take it!" and a follow-up PM.

PS: I also have a RARE 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM, which is similarly chambered in .357 MAGNUM, and was REGISTERED with the state when I originally purchased it. It is the only 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM in my gun safe, and like the above described 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM, is RARE. It is also MINTY, but that's a description for another day. If you have a bag of money, make me a reasonable offer for this RARE 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM treasure.

 

[finecognac]

I have had good luck on gunbroker. I always make a point of finding something about the gun/description to ask the seller to gauge his response. If he didn't respond. I don't bid no matter how much I want it. For someone with no or limited feedback, I ask for more pictures. If he has the gun, he can take pictures.

 

[keithherrington]

I recently was selling a Freedom Arms 83 on Gunbroker when I got an email for some guy asking why my gun was selling on another site for hundreds less. I told him it wasn't, but he insisted I was wrong. I went to the site and to my shock there were the pictures of my gun in an ad. The writeup was mine as well, edited to make it fit the new seller. The guy selling it had a bunch of other guns for sale as well. All he did is copy the pictures and write up and placed his own ad. I complained to the owner of the website who immediately cancelled this guy's ads...all of them. But in a couple of days my gun was for sale again. I complained again but was told while they'd remove it again, there was nothing they could really do to prevent this sort of activity.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Lots of great comments here on this thread, this is why only do a FTF in my area, less chance of an expensive, rare , never seen one like this before , to good to be true disaster happening, it works for me anyway.

 

[nachogrande]

GUN BROKER/ONLINE PURCHASES

I prefer ftf myself but have done online,newspaper,etc. crooks and scammers abound on all and some are well meaning nice guys/gals that just don't have a clue about what they are selling.

 

[Cruiser RN]

You can tell the legit "I didn't know from the dishonest rather easily. If you politely point out the error to them and they change the listing to reflect the correction of the mistake they are the honest. If you get a polite reply and no change then they are crooks.The buyer is the one who has to sift thru the garbage so Caviat emptor.

 

[M3Stuart]

My story: I was in my favorite LGS a week ago and he has a stainless 5.5" Ruger Single Six. It had black laminate grips. No box, papers, OR mag cylinder. He wanted the colossal sum of $315 for it. Being a revolver guy, liking stainless and not giving a darn about the mag cyl, I bought it on a lark thinking it would probably be more accurate than my 4" 34-1.

I shot it this weekend. Lock up, timing, etc was all fine. HOWEVER, it was only AS accurate as my 34-1 at 50'!

The horror. The horror.

The point is: Did he SAY it would be more accurate than a 4", or did I just think that? I obviously just thought it. (of course it's probably more accurate at 75'). When I read the ads on GB - I always make sure I'm reading what they wrote and THEN think to myself "does that make sense?".

And since we don't have any pics yet...

 

[handejector]

" Rare " is Gun-english for "see next ad" .

When I sold this'un on GB, I used the word RARE in the description.

I guess 276 guns would be a LOT if you had to tote 'em all at one time. So, maybe I should have said "Scarce".
But Uncle Ed said he'd never seen a Target version, an' Uncle Ed's seen everything, so maybe sayin' rare wasn't a bad thing.

 

[rwsmith]

Unless the seller.....

Unless the seller has a LOT of excellent ratings, I wouldn't consider buying anything unseen. Also, I plain don't want anything advertised as 'rare' because I'm not collecting and won't pay extra just because it has the word 'rare' in the description. I can't afford to take chances.

 

[Fishinfool]

If anyone is interested, I have a RARE 686 Registered Magnum for sale and will listen to offers above $2,000. This is a GENUINE 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM ... It's chambered in .357 MAGNUM, and I had to REGISTER it with the state when I purchased it. It is the only 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM in my gun safe, thus it is extremely RARE, and I have NEVER seen another one like it in my gun safe ... EVER. I don't want to put it on GB yet, because there are too many RARE items on there already, and I'm avoiding the competition. The only thing more RARE than this GENUINE 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM is the steak I'm grilling tonight. Act fast, before some desperate uninformed newbie collector grabs this RARE gem with "I'll take it!" and a follow-up PM.

PS: I also have a RARE 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM, which is similarly chambered in .357 MAGNUM, and was REGISTERED with the state when I originally purchased it. It is the only 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM in my gun safe, and like the above described 686 REGISTERED MAGNUM, is RARE. It is also MINTY, but that's a description for another day. If you have a bag of money, make me a reasonable offer for this RARE 640-1 REGISTERED MAGNUM treasure.

Greetings to you sir in the grate country of PA. I will purchase both of these from you. I know you are trustworthy man by the big hat. Please to send me the total bill for these. Payment will be provided by a money order from the national bank of Nigeria. Items are to be sent to my brother in laws home in Nigeria. He is a prince, and not having to follow normal mail authority rules.

Much thank yous and awaiting your response sir

 

[SW_shooter]

I recently bought a M63 off GB and the ad had said "Mint" in the description. Now I ain't no dummy but I bid a little higher than I wanted but I was fighting off another bidder and the gun was supposedly "Mint". Won the bid, received the gun..................it isn't "Mint", its good but not mint. I paid too much but got the gun I've been wanting for a while.

 

[dlbx2]

A few years ago, I saw an add online at Cabela's Gun Library, and called the Nevada store to inquire about the gun in question. The saleman informed me that he had a 4 inch nickel 27-2, in the original box, and e-mailed me pictures to see if I wanted it. I bought it. About 6 months later I decided to sell it to buy another S&W n frame. I put it on GB, listed 3 rounds, 21 days, reserve was $850, never got that high. I put it on the forum, and sold it in 2 or 3 hours to a gentleman in Las Vegas (back to Nevada) A couple of weeks later, I see the same gun on GB again, easily distinguishable due to a unique set of S&W smooth stocks. His photos were really nice, and the gun that I couldn't get $850 for sold for over $1,600. Two bidders got into one of those matches that you hear about. About a month later, I see the gun back on GB, with a nice chip out of the top rear of the right stock panel. He was listing the gun with a starting bid of $1,250, which he never got. His description listed it as a one owner, with him being the original buyer, and factory fired only. MAG NUM and I are friends, and I showed him every step of this. Now let's see; 1. Someone traded it to Cabela's. 2. I bought it from Cabela's. 3. I sold it to a forum member. 4. Forum member sold it on GB. 5. GB buyer is listing it again on GB. That make at least 5 owners, and who knows before it was traded to Cabela's. Had he changed the stocks, I would have never noticed. They say what comes around goes around, or do I have that backward? You guys are 100% correct. If you are going to buy and sell online, you need to deal with people you are familiar with if possible, and if not, have a set of rules to go by for your protection, and be commited to those rules as a gift to your own piece of mind. I have bought and sold guns on this forum, and have never been treated unfairly. I even sold a Colt MKIV 1911 to a member, and he sent $25 too much as payment. I contacted him about it and he said to give it to my son for graduation. I had listed it for sale, as I had given it to my son for graduation from VA TECH, and he just isn't into guns. Now where in the world would you have that happen but right here! DLB

 

[mc5aw]

One of my rules about buying firearms online is that I will not deal with anyone showing less than two dozen positive feedbacks, individual or FFL. That's my minimal comfort zone. When I sold a few firearms on GB, I had single digit feedback, but over 200+ (100%) on ebay, and a track record on this forum, which I clearly indicated in my ad. My transactions went flawlessly, and it is certainly a potential buyer's right to pass by my offerings due to my own low GB feedback #.

I also adhere to low/no feedback rule with respect to buying on the S&W Forum. There's been a recent increase in new members joining then immediately hitting the sales section. Sorry if I offend anyone, but I will not patronize a seller who's first post is a "WTS" advert, as there is no history of contribution or any sense of familiarity with whom I'd be dealing with. Realistically, there is no firearm that I am so desperate to own that I would risk getting hosed by an unknown selling entity online.

 

[jeffrey]

Out of maybe ten purchases on GB, I was hosed once. A guy who represented himself as an LEO said that he bought this model 66-4, used it once to qualify and then put it away and never shot it again. He said that he never carried it and that it was LNIB. I got most of this information in emails back and forth before I bid on the gun.

This gun was scratched up like I've never seen before, had buggered screws and an action so light that I can't imagine that it would pop any primer. I refused to take it from my FFL, who sent it back to the seller for me. The only really shocking thing about this transaction is that the seller actually refunded my purchase price! I was out the shipping both ways, but boy, was I happy!

This brings me to my current practice. I never bid on a gun unless I have a three day (non-firing) inspection period. I did not have one with that 66-4 and I got lucky. Never again. The one gun that I bought from a forum member did not have an inspection period and, while I was not hosed, the gun was not quite as described. The seller did not inform me that he had sanded off the bead blasting on the top strap. Maybe he had just forgotten that he had done it. Never again will I buy a gun sight unseen that I do not have the right to return.

 

[BJoe]

One other 'watch out' is shipping charges. If the sellers says they will advise you after the sale you could be in for a real hosing. Guy on ----- Talk went through it and seller said since he worked so much the gun would have to be sent to his FFL by Courier Service $35, FFL charged $40, and shipping USPS was $35. Total shipping $110.

If it doesn't have a shipping price listed RUN FOREST RUN.

 

[Tom K]

One other 'watch out' is shipping charges. If the sellers says they will advise you after the sale you could be in for a real hosing. Guy on ----- Talk went through it and seller said since he worked so much the gun would have to be sent to his FFL by Courier Service $35, FFL charged $40, and shipping USPS was $35. Total shipping $110.

If it doesn't have a shipping price listed RUN FOREST RUN.

You don't necessarily have to ignore ads that say "actual shipping". On GB if I see that and am interested, I use the feature to contact the seller and ask "how much is shipping for this gun to ZIP xxxxx?" Nine times out of ten it's about $25, sometimes more, sometimes less. (Of course the one time I didn't ask it was $50.) Honestly though I don't understand why they can't put that in the original ad. Nobody ever comes back and says, "Actual shipping is $24.53."

 

[colt_saa]

You don't necessarily have to ignore ads that say "actual shipping". On GB if I see that and am interested, I use the feature to contact the seller and ask "how much is shipping for this gun to ZIP xxxxx?" Nine times out of ten it's about $25, sometimes more, sometimes less. (Of course the one time I didn't ask it was $50.) Honestly though I don't understand why they can't put that in the original ad. Nobody ever comes back and says, "Actual shipping is $24.53."

I do

Whatever the UPS computer tells me is exactly what I pass on to the buyer. I NEVER round it up and the buyer can always go to UPS.Com and create a duplicate shipping quote.