Do you like gunbroker . com ??

[Peter J.]

I have bought and sold guns on GunBroker, and like it very much. Have bought more nice guns (mostly colt and S&W) on Broker in the past 3-4 years than I have going to gun shows. If price on a particular gun starts to get too crazy, walk away. Another one you will want and more easily afford will show up sooner or later. Also keep an eye out for guns that close in the morning or afternoon. Lots of bidders are at work or have lost track of time. I have gotten a few "bargains" that way.

I will say that I only got burned on one gun on GB. A third series early 1970's (shroud) Colt Detective. Seller said it was at 85% finish. When I got it through my dealer it was in unfired condition, but had a good amount of thick surface rust here and there. It was very obvious to the naked eye, but the conviently slightly blurry pics didn't show that. The word "rust" never appeared in the discription. Pretty much only good for a carry gun, or I would have to pay atleast $100-$150 for a good refinish job. It wasn't going to be worth it money wise to return it as I got it cheap enough, but I did give the guy horrible feed-back. My resolution is to stay away from sellers from Puerto Rico. They don't seem to know how to take care of their guns down there.

 

[Leonard]

>>>>>>>>>Edited<<<<<<<<<
Sorry, Len, but I am not going to provide the posting board for every deal that ever went badly.
Lee J

 

[NCTexan]

For fun, I've been following a GB auction on a Python that has a lot of bids. It's a ten day auction that ends on 3/3... Started at a penny with no reserve.

I have a question about the auction tactics that I see here. The same bidders continue to raise their own bids, which seems to make little sense to me...especially at this point in the auction.

Here are some of the last bids (with the bidder names disguised) to illustrate what I'm talking about. The current bid is $3100.

Can somebody help me understand the strategy?

2/23/2010 3:10:08 PM EST * JB
2/23/2010 4:02:09 PM EST * wa
2/23/2010 3:06:02 PM EST * wa
2/22/2010 7:34:48 AM EST * JB
2/23/2010 3:05:29 PM EST * wa
2/22/2010 7:12:11 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 8:09:30 PM EST * JB
2/22/2010 7:11:42 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 8:46:51 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 7:11:54 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 7:08:22 PM EST * JE
2/21/2010 7:09:25 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 7:07:28 PM EST * Ma
2/21/2010 6:44:51 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 7:03:43 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 7:06:54 PM EST * Ma
2/21/2010 6:59:05 PM EST * Ma
2/21/2010 6:39:29 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 6:54:51 PM EST * Ma
2/21/2010 6:41:09 PM EST * Ma
2/21/2010 6:28:34 PM EST * wa
2/21/2010 6:35:53 PM EST * wa

 

[novalty]

I have a love/hate relationship with GB. I love the access to such a wide variety of firearms and accessories, but hate that so many use it--makes it hard to get deals

NCTexan, unless it is a reserve auction, I would say that is a clear example of shill bidding. Otherwise I would say that for example "wa" was slowly working the bid up, trying to keep the auction as low as possible to just meet the reserve. So say the reserve was $600, and the auction as at $500, he might bid $505, get a notice the reserve wasn't met, then bid $510, and so on.

 

[reddogge]

I recently tried to sell a very nice old Remington Model 1900 shotgun that dates to 1910 on GB. I took great pictures, the gun is in much better shape than 95% of the ones I see on there, the starting bid was lower, the case colors are 90%, the gun is tight. The one flaw is it had a recoil pad on it. One bid in two tries that didn't meet the low reserve price.

How can you sell something without feedback and how can you get feedback without selling something? Catch 22.

Perhaps the mod on the gun is the problem. Who knows. I'll try a big collector show here and then it goes to a dealer who has a lot of good feedback.

 

[diamondgrip]

Watch the feedback there is some very nice hard to find guns on gunbroker.

 

[Leonard]

[Can somebody help me understand the strategy?[/QUOTE]

I think what you are seeing is that "wa" bid x and GB only applies enough to beat the current bid and as its bid up by others "wa's" bid is automatically increased until it hits his max.

 

[handejector]

Can somebody help me understand the strategy?

Sure.
I do NOT know the seller or the bidders, but my take is-

You neglected to tell us the gun is ser# 903.
in the box.
all the goodies.
described as 95%, probably actually 98-99% judging the pics.
the HOTTEST modern Colt out there in the market.

You can easily do a little research on bidders by clicking their FB number OR do a search "by seller" using their ID, and looking thru their deals.......
One bidder has a track record of paying high for nice stuff, and seems to be a good seller, so he would be wise to the concept of a shill. He paid $130 for a plastic Python box with extra Colt literature. I think he wants the gun- period.
The new guy payed very high for a desirable shotgun, the only auction that is still researchable.

They are simply trying to scare each other off and establish dominance.

I really don't believe either is a shill, but I could be wrong.
I just get sick of everyone always assuming/acting/saying the worst thing possible on the net.

I have set some records on ebay and GunBroker as noconeetrader. I know for a fact no shill bidding was involved because I knew, or came to know everyone involved in the top half of the bids. Even still, I have seen it implied that there was a shill involved.

Words are easy to throw around.
Factual statements are scarcer.

 

[NCTexan]

Sure.
I do NOT know the seller or the bidders, but my take is-

You neglected to tell us the gun is ser# 903.
in the box.
all the goodies.
described as 95%, probably actually 98-99% judging the pics.
the HOTTEST modern Colt out there in the market.

You can easily do a little research on bidders by clicking their FB number OR do a search "by seller" using their ID, and looking thru their deals.......
One bidder has a track record of paying high for nice stuff, and seems to be a good seller, so he would be wise to the concept of a shill. He paid $130 for a plastic Python box with extra Colt literature. I think he wants the gun- period.
The new guy payed very high for a desirable shotgun, the only auction that is still researchable.

They are simply trying to scare each other off and establish dominance.

I really don't believe either is a shill, but I could be wrong.
I just get sick of everyone always assuming/acting/saying the worst thing possible on the net.

I have set some records on ebay and GunBroker as noconeetrader. I know for a fact no shill bidding was involved because I knew, or came to know everyone involved in the top half of the bids. Even still, I have seen it implied that there was a shill involved.

Words are easy to throw around.
Factual statements are scarcer.

Thanks HandEjector... that was very helpful in understanding the possible tactics going on there.

That Python is quite a specimen... Hot, hot, hot!

This appears to be a kind of a cyber kabuki dance.... or like a couple prairie grouses showing dominance.

 

[handejector]

This appears to be a kind of a cyber kabuki dance.... or like a couple prairie grouses showing dominance.

Precisely.
I almost used the analogy of bantam game roosters myself.
Observing a chicken yard with the same flock of chickens for a long time will teach one much about human nature.

 

[NCTexan]

Precisely.
I almost used the analogy of bantam game roosters myself.
Observing a chicken yard with the same flock of chickens for a long time will teach one much about human nature.

Yup... I think that I worked with the guy on this video. You gotta watch how it ends for him though.

YouTube - Prairie Chicken Dance