Buying/Selling On The Forum

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zerbertz

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Out of curiosity, how does one ensure they are dealing with a reputable party on this forum? I myself have done a few deals, parts mostly, but I`ve bought a few guns(traded actually) and attempted to sell a couple as well. I find my character being questioned, and I understand that most of these transactions take place across a distance of several, if not hundreds or even thousands of miles, and that it`s not easy to trust someone you`ve never met. Does anyone have a set of guidelines to be used when trying to alleviate someones questions about your character when buying or selling on the forum? I have only had the best of experiences with the members of this forum and hope others feel the same as I do.

Tim
 
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zerbertz said:
Out of curiosity, how does one ensure they are dealing with a reputable party on this forum? I myself have done a few deals, parts mostly, but I`ve bought a few guns(traded actually) and attempted to sell a couple as well. I find my character being questioned, and I understand that most of these transactions take place across a distance of several, if not hundreds or even thousands of miles, and that it`s not easy to trust someone you`ve never met. Does anyone have a set of guidelines to be used when trying to alleviate someones questions about your character when buying or selling on the forum? I have only had the best of experiences with the members of this forum and hope others feel the same as I do.

Tim
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Tim if I am selling you a gun and you want it I will have no problem getting my money. You just send me a Postal Money Order and I send you the gun. Your problem is am I trust worthy? I have over 5000 post so that is a good sign. You might want to call me and ask about the gun. Get my address and look it up on Google Maps. Google my name and see if there are any red flags. Tell me you want a tracking number and make sure it's coming from where I live. Make sure it's understood that when I get the MO I will ship the gun the next day. If something happens and I can't ship it I need to let you know that day. If I get huffy puffy about you asking questions just call off the deal. Always use common sense and if it's to good to be true it probably is. I am sure I have left something out but I hope this helps some. Don
 
My guidelines

1. Check the feedback forum to see if they they have previous transactions. Was it positive or negative?

2. How long have they been here? I wouldn't buy from someone with 1 or 2 posts, and just joined recently.
 
I have had many transactions on this place, both with firearms and accessories. All have been satisfactory, each person has been trustworth. That being said, we have had scammers post in the For Sale section. Contact a moderator if you think something is fishy, they have "ways" to check out the poster. Looking for someone with a lot of posts is a good key, but you could miss out on a good deal if that is all you look for.
 
If truly worried you could use a gun shop for an "in between". There gun shop ships when they get the money. Most gun shops seem to be willing to handle anything as long as they are getting something for it.
 
If someone's looking for something and I have it, I'll let them know. They'll send me cash, check or whatever and I'll send the item to them.
I do leatherwork as a hobby and if I have an idea about something like a holster, I'll make one to fit one of my guns, if someone's looking for a holster that's like one of the ones I made for myself, I'll offer to sell it to them and if they buy it I'll just make another one for myself. Or if they're looking for something custom, I'll offer to make it. Since I'm not trying to do leatherwork for a living I can sell stuff at a lower price, I just have to cover materials, shipping and a little extra for beer money.
 
Poodle Soup said:
If truly worried you could use a gun shop for an "in between". There gun shop ships when they get the money. Most gun shops seem to be willing to handle anything as long as they are getting something for it.
Click to expand...

Don't you have to ship to an ffl anyway? If they do the transfer that should be enough for a fee....
 
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I've completed easily over 100 transactions on this forum with absolutely no problems. I have sent small items AND,on occasion, guns before receiving payment if I feel like I "know" the buyer. Others,I usually tell them that a personal check is fine. I don't recall ever waiting for a check to "clear" before shipping. Some buyers still send a m.o. I have yet to be stung. I figure if it wouldn't cause a hardship to me if I didn't get paid,why not show a little trust?
f.t.
 
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Xfuzz is a very modest guy and a prince of a guy to boot -- he sent me a great pair of grips BEFORE I even had a chance to get the check to him -- I have been involved in probably 15-18 gun purchases from forum members (I have been the buyer each time) -- I have never had a problem and the guns have been as advertised. I have been very impressed with the honesty/trustworthiness of the folks I have dealt with. The folks who have a good history on this forum are usually the ones you can depend on to be part of a fair deal.
 
I agree with the above information. However I did buy a model 631 from a member that had one post. In this case Sal was a big cowboy action shooter and he provide his Local gun shop information and I made a phone call. It turns out Sal is a steady customer of the store and after that I felt comfortable sending the money out to purchase it and the deal went smoothly.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Sal only owned ONE S&W, and I bought it!!
 
I joined the forum this year and have sold and bought several items already. Have never had an issue and everyone I've dealt with here has been great. Believe it or not I've had more problems on Gunbroker with sellers who've had feedback in the thousands. Recently got grips in which the seller forgot to send the screw and also bought a holster there that was accidently shipped to a different buyer.
 
Even before I joined here, I saw comments about
the trust here, that was almost always rewarded. My personal
experience, from first to now, has been a reinforcement of that trust.
It comes of dealing with adults.
TACC1
 
I look at how many posts the person has, if they have only a couple posts I might pass. If they have a few hundred I trust them. I have never been burned by any forum member. If they don't have very many posts I may ask for a reference, then I might PM the reference. In most cases, I will mail a USPS MO and quite often the person has mailed my purchase well before they have received my money. I feel comfortable and safe with Forum members.
 
You might want to inquire about the sellers experience. I sold a model 42 a few years back that I thought was nearly perfect, maybe NIB. The buyer said the pin for the grip safety was not original and later described it on the forum as very clean. I've been hesitant to sell anything since then for fear I might over rate it. It was due to my lack of experience.

Ron
 
I've bought several guns and assorted boxes, grips, holsters, etc and have never been burned. I did have one guy describe a one piece 686 box as excellent but when I received it the inner cardboard partition was missing and all I got was the shell. The guy said it was my fault because he said I could have asked for more pictures. :rolleyes:
 
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