Hello
I searched this topic but did not find much.
I am looking at a few firearms on line that I would like to purchase. The problem is on one of them, the seller has no transactions, the other has 2.
My question is - do I have any recourse if I pay and do not receive the item? One is on Gun Broker, the other is on Auction Arms.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.

They advertise all of the smoke and mirrors things they will do for you, but in my opinion the worst thing that will be done to a fraudulent seller is maybe ban them from the site. I think the only thing you can go by the Seller Ratings and they tell you trend but still, are no guarantee. Then you'll be doing they same thing you would do with a seller you called via the Yellow Pages. Calling the police in that area, calling the Post Office etc. JMO, but if they do not have at least double digit feedback, you are rolling the dice.

The other thing I would ask, does the seller take credit cards? Do you have one that guarantees against fraud? You could call the card company and ask if you buy a gun, I would be specific so you know there's no prohibition against firearms, is it covered under the fraud protection guarantee? Barring that, I think I would pass.

Again, JMO.

That is very good advice. I will check that out.
Thank you

My humble advice cobra is if you buy on line, use sellers you know can be trusted. Bud's, CDNN Sports, Cabellas, these I have used without any issues what so ever.

An old saying comes to mind here, if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Stick with known sellers and company's, and have piece of mind. A few dollars perceived to be saved is never worth the hassle, best of luck, 26.

I've bought nearly all my guns on those two auction sites and have had no problems. One thing that I've done that helps me enormously is to CALL the sellers in advance with questions about the gun. Generally one can tell a lot about a seller by the way he/she responds in a situation like that. If the seller is curt, unpleasant, etc., tries to deflect your questions, gives vague answers, acts like you're bothering him/her, or is otherwise uncooperative, you probably don't want to bid. If he/she gives the definite impression of being honest, forthright, helpful, etc. then maybe you'll want to take the risk.

Of course there are no guarantees even with the above approach. Con artists can be convincing if you happen to encounter one. But most folks aren't able to hide their true colors that well.

Best wishes with your decision.

Andy

I have purchased a good many guns online. Some from gun auction sites, and some from private individuals. I feel that I have been lucky. Most, not all, but most of the guns I have purchased have been better than decribed by the sellers. One was not as described, not even close, but that was from an individual not an auction site. Got burnt on that one. But it has not scared me away from buying online. When you buy online, there is a risk. Pictures, not matter how many, will not tell you everything that you would see if it were a FTF sale. Do your due diligence, get all questions answered, get pictures to verify your questions, and if it is what you want, go for it. But, no way to get around it, there is a risk.

I dont buy too many guns online but i have had no problems when i did. Calling them helps, lots of feedback helps but if the seller is new he cant be expected to have any. In this economy some guys are selling of their collections to make ends meet or for a little extra income.

Try to get an overall feel of the seller

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I've probably bought about 10 guns online at GB.
I ran into one problem, but the seller made it right.
I bought one gun for $800 from a seller with zero feedback after calling him and talking for about 10 minutes.
I was a bit nervous about this purchase, but it worked out well.
Trust your gut feelings, and if you get a bad vibe from seller for any reason, walk away.

Good information. Now to make the decision. On both of these items, the price is just normal on them, but they are kind of hard to find.
I really want one and got outbid on one just a few days ago. These two have not ended as of yet. I am going to call the sellers tomorrow and ask them some questions.
Thanks for all the information.

I've probably purchased over 50 guns on line in the past 10 years now. At first I was VERY hesitant - usually I like to see, feel, check out and operate a gun prior to purchase, but these days because of the internet there is a whole new buying venue available to us.

In all that time I have only had one issue that was a gun mis-represented by the owner and NOT because he was trying to scam, but because he was a Rookie Cop and just was naive. When I called him he paid all the expenses and had the gun returned to him. (it was a DAO and he thought all snubby's were like that).

Almost all of the guns I've purchased on line have actually been better than they were rated. I guess when someone sells a gun they don't want a problem. The other issue is they don't want to get a bad reputation. For someone that sells on-line regularly that could destroy their business.

I have also been able to scour the entire Country to find exactly what I want instead of simply settling on what guns the LGS happens to have in stock at the time. Since I am into older Smith, Colt's and Browning's, I have little use for the latest Glocks, HK's, AR's etc.

Just exercise the usual caution and ask plenty of questions. Make sure there is a 3 day return policy as well; - you never know.

Chief38

put your wanted guns in "wanted to buy" here on the forum.