Online Firearm Auctions

IronSkillet

IronSkillet

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Note: My gig-line was off earlier today because the auction was active, it is now ended. The topic of this thread is for positive discussion and will hopefully stay within forum rules.

So waiting for the perfect deal on a 3" S&W 13/65 it is apparent I waited to long with soaring prices. Following these items closely @ GB one of the auctions that sold in August was re-listed and closes (auction has ended). Same serial # same seller, looking back at the original winning bidder there are no negative feedbacks for a non-paying bidder as a matter of fact they are showing the same history number today that they had in August. So I throw a couple of questions to the seller concerning this revolver and they state different gun and a different auction, I respond with then why is the serial # the same for both the current listed auction and the the auction from August? note; they advertise that the item in the auction photos is of the one you get. So am i just spending to much time on gb to realize an item is being circulated again, a lot of sellers will mention relisted items because of non-paying winner, but this probably isn't mandatory. What if the winning bidder received the item and retuned it for whatever reason. No marks on anybody then and the item is listed again. I realize not every seller on gb has the same business integrity but does the A+ rating always tell the truth. Have any of you had similar questionable situations dealing with online auctions?
 
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I have not had any negative issues with GB auctions. But I often wonder on “no reserve auctions” if in some cases, the seller buys his gun because he is not happy with the top bid.
 
GB is only as honest as the people using it.

About 10 years ago, I bought a pistol that was advertised as being in near-new, possibly unfired condition. The photos were okay, and appeared to support the description.

When it arrived, it was immediately apparent that it was well-used: Dirty, with handling marks and a ding on the slide, and magazines with dented baseplates.

I emailed the seller that I wanted to return it for a refund. No response. After repeated contact attempts, and a little internet sleuthing, I found out that the "seller" had passed away months before I made my purchase; his children were selling off his gun collection on GB using his account.

When I contacted GB, they reminded me that they are only a conduit between buyers and sellers, and don't have any authority to take action in a case such as mine.

In fairness, that is the only negative experience I've ever had with that site, but it did point up the need to remember that transactions there are only as honest as the participants.
 
The amount and kind of feedback a seller has will tell the story. I have bought many a gun through Gunbroker and never been disappointed. Years ago I just wanted to get a cheap "beater/shooter" K frame M&P. Found one on GB going cheap (really lousy pictures) . I got it for $140. I thought it was a 4" blued gun. What showed up was a factory nickel 5" bbl M10-5 in 98% condition. Sometimes the surprise is a good one. I still have the gun. The pic. is with a pair of home made grips.
 

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bigmtnman said:
The amount and kind of feedback a seller has will tell the story. I have bought many a gun through Gunbroker and never been disappointed. Years ago I just wanted to get a cheap "beater/shooter" K frame M&P. Found one on GB going cheap (really lousy pictures) . I got it for $140. I thought it was a 4" blued gun. What showed up was a factory nickel 5" bbl M10-5 in 98% condition. Sometimes the surprise is a good one. I still have the gun. The pic. is with a pair of home made grips.
Click to expand...

Great story bigmtmman. thanks for sharing.

was that the beginning of your grip creations or just different from the stags. which by the way i am really proud of.

my 27-2 with bigmtnman stags. kenny :)
 

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The best protection against being disappointed is not to buy via online auction.

Next best protection is to only make large purchases from an FFL with a good number of positive feedbacks, who takes credit cards and allows returns for any reason.
 
I have been the winning bidder on Gunbroker auctions twice, both within the last three months. Expensive rifles worth just north of three figures. The vendors/sellers were FFL's with fixed base retail stores. I remember one of them having multiple tables at Florida gun show I attended a year or two ago on vacation. Each had multiple positive feedbacks, and I made a point to read the negative ones, especially the recent ones, before I bid. I actually passed bidding on the same rifle(s) from a third seller based on low numbers of feedback and he/she appeared to be a private party.

Both rifles arrived as described and pictured, the communication was excellent, and from winning bid to filling out the 4473 at my LGS, each transaction took about a week. I know I'm one of the lucky ones, but I like to think that my caution and research paid off . . .
 
I have purchased several pistols/revolvers from the sellers on GB. As a rule when shopping look for the seller's with great feed back AND the three day inspection, no shoot/no disassembly listing. In short, never remove the firearm from your receiver's place of business if you are not pleased with it, just notify the seller that you are returning the firearm and the reason for doing so. In my searches on GB I have four seller's that I follow, all of them present excellent photos and their service is outstanding.
 
I've bought numerous times on both Gun Broker and Guns International, and can remember only one minor problem. Like posted above, the auction sights have the mechanism for the buyer to use to aid in making a choice whether or not to bid. :)
 
Appreciate reading the stories being shared, what a score bigmtnman won, and the grips you made are outstanding. Personally I do-not have any negative experiences with online auctions. Somewhat staying with the information stated thus far is the guide line used before bidding on a auction. Going back to my initial 65-3" scenario communication back and forth with the seller. This particular seller is also brick & mortar and my intention is not to imply questionable activity but to shed light on the fact how it appears from a perspective customers point of view. There are many valid-legit reasons for a transaction not to be completed. On the flip side of the coin we are all familiar with "shill bidding". Both auctions for this revolver had some of the same bidders and again there was no change with their purchase #'s or ratings between to 2 auction time frames. Taking this information into consideration and the communication with the seller i decided NOT to bid. When the auction closed this time the revolver sold for approximately $300. less than the previous auction. Hopefully both the buyer and seller will close this transaction and a happy ending will be had by all.
 
In the early days of internet gun buying/selling there was an implied 3-day non-firing inspection period that was honored by most all sellers. As the internet became more refined, more forums, more websites, and the advent of the online auctions, those "gentleman's agreement" types of sales have gone somewhat by the wayside. I always check the "Terms of Sale" delineated by the seller on any of the online auctions, to include brick and mortar auction houses offering online proxy bidding. If you understand the terms before bidding there is little chance of confusion if there is an issue. Technology has made the addition of clear and concise pictures, so a listing with no pictures, fuzzy or omitting important details becomes immediately suspect. As with any purchase, "Caveat Emptor".

Follow my advice and you will never go wrong - Bid Early and Bid Often!

Oh wait, that is my voting philosophy - Vote Early and Vote Often! Especially important this election year.

Good luck!
 
I've had no problems with any seller on Gunbroker. I remember one transaction in particular where I remember the seller bent over backward to provide information to prove the authenticity of the gun. I kept all the correspondence so that when my estate has a sale there will be the provenance to support the gun.
 
Shill bidding certainly must exist on Gunbroker and it can annoy any/all of us to no end for sure. But realistically, shill bidding is LIMITED in how much it can affect you.

If you see the item and you have put all your thought in to what you are willing to spend to get it, the rest is all noise and you might think that shill bidding has changed the outcome but you truly don’t know and at no point did any nefarious activity change what you decided you would spend for the gun.

I’ve had some gunbroker gun buys that have given me a problem here or there, but some are the kind of issues that I might or might not have caught at a gun show either. I know that if my passion is guns that are 10 to 70 years old, I’m going to be finding little issues and solving them, that’s just part of the game.

Gunbroker most definitely isn’t for everyone. And for some guns at some prices, even when I really, really like ‘em, I look at it and say “I’d pay that amount face to face but it ain’t low enough for all the extra hassle and such associated with buying over the internet.”

When I hear folks on forums that dump all over Gunbroker (I’m not saying we are doing that in this discussion), my first thought is always “sweet, one less guy upping my bid on something!” :D
 
Maybe it's just me but I will not buy any gun at any price other that face to face. Even new. The potential for one kind of problem or another is just to great for me to tolerate. And a gun purchase is something I have a low threshold for problems. I need to hold it. inspect it thoroughly and have a little Q & A with the seller. Probably let some good deals go by but I've never had a problem with a gun purchase so I'm stickin' with my plan.
 
It's really seller dependent. Some notable sellers like David Carroll, Jim Brewster and George Dye are meticulous and you'll really get what's described. Of course, you'll often pay a premium for that peace of mind.

I've had good luck on the 'broker, no real dogs and some underpriced gems. I do ask a lot of questions though , and if they're not answered, I don't bid.
 
kenjen said:
when bidding on a certain GB salers site that theres always a new bidder with zero feedback jacking up the price, wonder if he works for the shop?
Click to expand...

I've found a top seller with just this type of nonsense going on a few years ago. All his auctions had the same two shill bidders push the prices up and never buy one gun. I gave GB a list of around 20 auctions from this seller with the screen names of the shill bidders. Since he was one of their top sellers nothing happened. It's all about the money for GB so your on your own bidding. So just be careful.
 
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