I had one real stinker of a seller hose me on GB and another 30 or so good to great deals.
YMMV.
YMMV.
Gun Broker not for me....Just sharing
- Thread starter 44 special Dave
- Start date
snowman
Member
I've bought all my guns on GB, simply because they are not to be found in any stores within reasonable driving distance. If I want to find what interests me, online is the only alternative. All my experiences there have been positive.
Andy
Andy
I have bought several guns off of GB. I like the fact I see guns that I can't find locally. For example, I just bid and won a BRNO model 2 22 rimfire bolt action rifle. There are not many of these in the US so I bid on it and won. This rifle had no magazine and only stock pictures were used. I had no way of knowing what the condition of the gun was. It did not matter to me because I wanted one anyways. I already had a magazine for it also so that did not bother me. In any event the rifle came in and I ended up with a very nice rifle. I am very happy.
Huskerguy
Member
If you are a seller and you do not answer my email questions, no matter how stupid they are to you, I am done. Humor me when I ask a question that you addressed in your ad only to find it is not answered the same way when I email you. If I ask five questions I expect five answers not a pat - avoid the questions rant.
And thank you for pointing out to me that "these are selling for thousands more on GB." A quick glance finds a whole list of certain models with very high asking prices and none are sold. conclusion - asking price is not selling price. Please note I am not buying it for thousands more and have no intentions of it.
Don't put "make me an offer" in your ad and when I do, even if it is really close to what you are asking, don't make fun of me. I once offered $25 less than a guys asking price and was turned down. I followed it down and ended up getting it for $50 less.
A million people and a million stories, some good, some not.
And thank you for pointing out to me that "these are selling for thousands more on GB." A quick glance finds a whole list of certain models with very high asking prices and none are sold. conclusion - asking price is not selling price. Please note I am not buying it for thousands more and have no intentions of it.
Don't put "make me an offer" in your ad and when I do, even if it is really close to what you are asking, don't make fun of me. I once offered $25 less than a guys asking price and was turned down. I followed it down and ended up getting it for $50 less.
A million people and a million stories, some good, some not.
05CarbonDRZ
Member
Please explain.Maybe You can get a good Buy it now or mis listed item every once in awhile.Any desireable Gun that is well listed will sell for top Dollar.I don't get a case of the "want it nows",It will only cost You Money.I am very patient and would rather deal One on One with a network of Collectors.Too much ego goes into GB bidding,I don't Care who thinks what about me.I have amassed a pretty nice collection and have Only bought a half a dozen on GB.Plus the whole 15 Minute deal is a joke.It is only in place to drive bid prices higher Therfore creating more final value fees for GB to collect.I set what I am willing to pay as soon as I see a Gun I like on GB.95% of the Time that amout is bid before the last Day and I don't even bid.I refuse to get into a pissing match with someone,There will be more Guns to buy.Then You have shill bidding which is fairly common on GB.Some Dealers have other People they know bid their Auctions up to top Dollar.
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SLT223
Member
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I have lifted some nice old Smiths in mint condition for a song because they weren't listed as well as they should have been. On two occasions I received guns in, what I would call, considerably less condition than advertised. In both cases the guns were returned, and my money refunded. I'm a very happy gun broker.
Simple, I don't buy from people that don't answer my E mails, I don't buy from jerks. I'm very suspect of guns for sale "as is" and will not go over what I decide my maximum is. I collect Mausers and have come up with a few rare ones that I could not believe I got for what I paid. 
If I stick to my rules I don't have a problem with GB.
If I stick to my rules I don't have a problem with GB.
I have purchased a reasonable number of older / vintage S&W's as well as a number of the military trainers I have collected as of late, off of GB. I am reasonably informed about those items I chose to bid on and always use the advanced search to look at closed auctions.
I'm not looking to find every gun at a steal it now price. I am looking to acquire what I want at a fair price. There are deals to be had and deals to avoid at all costs. As long as the item fairly described in the auction, the buyer can only blame himself for over paying. He / she is the one bidding.
He in NW NJ there isn't a gun shop on every corner or even in every town. I have a favorite FFL that is local to me and I check his GB listing most every day. When he has something I think I can't live without, I will put my bid in and hope for the best.
I don't have a huge collection, but I still own every gun I have ever purchased in the past 50 years of adulthood. I purchase them to enjoy. Some get shot frequently, some occasionally and some just hang on the wall of my office / library for me to look at and enjoy. If I start to run out of retirement funds in another 25 years maybe then I worry about the profit and loss involved in our collecting hobby.
LTC
I'm not looking to find every gun at a steal it now price. I am looking to acquire what I want at a fair price. There are deals to be had and deals to avoid at all costs. As long as the item fairly described in the auction, the buyer can only blame himself for over paying. He / she is the one bidding.
He in NW NJ there isn't a gun shop on every corner or even in every town. I have a favorite FFL that is local to me and I check his GB listing most every day. When he has something I think I can't live without, I will put my bid in and hope for the best.
I don't have a huge collection, but I still own every gun I have ever purchased in the past 50 years of adulthood. I purchase them to enjoy. Some get shot frequently, some occasionally and some just hang on the wall of my office / library for me to look at and enjoy. If I start to run out of retirement funds in another 25 years maybe then I worry about the profit and loss involved in our collecting hobby.
LTC
JJEH
Member
Your second comment made more sense to me than your fist one. If GB would be sellers paradise I would be rich by now. But no, I offer products to a fair price and so do others. Yes, many items are overpriced but that's too easy, just don't place a bid.
Looking for good deals on GB is a lot of work. What helps me to keep track is to put the items on my watch list. It takes time and if someone is impatient it's probably not the right website to hang out.
Seeing this thread just reminded me to leave feedback for the great Model 57 I purchased a couple of weeks ago on GB. The only thing I don't like about GB is the 15 min extension on bidding. I understand the reasons for it but I just don't like it. Online buying & selling just isn't for some people, for me I'd have a hard time surviving without it. 14 year eBay seller & buyer with over 10,000 feedback.
The 2 main problems, Sellers don't describe completely & correctly
Buyers don't read and ask questions if necessary.
If both do their part online commerce is great.
The 2 main problems, Sellers don't describe completely & correctly
Buyers don't read and ask questions if necessary.
If both do their part online commerce is great.
There are many, myself, included that still have a hard time sending our hard earned cash to a nameless faceless person, who resides somewhere out there in the Internet. And there have been any number of scams, both ways, on G.B. and other auction venues.
I've made two firearm purchases on G.B. One was excellent, thanks Lee, and the other was only so-so. I will use G.B. again, but as always I will do my due diligence before I bid on any item. I see no need to barrage any seller with questions just to see if and how they respond.
I've made two firearm purchases on G.B. One was excellent, thanks Lee, and the other was only so-so. I will use G.B. again, but as always I will do my due diligence before I bid on any item. I see no need to barrage any seller with questions just to see if and how they respond.
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bushmaster1313
Member
Be careful of bad photos plus "no returns accepted"
Otherwise, there are lots of great guns to be had at market prices.
Otherwise, there are lots of great guns to be had at market prices.
I have never purchased a gun from an auction. I would think it odd that the seller would email the bidders prior to the end of the auction. If the winner does not pay don't you just go to the second highest bidder? I have never sold anything on an auction so I don't know how it works.
American1776
Member
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I buy a lot of guns from GB. I've had mixed experience. A few of the guns were great, one exceeded my expectations.
I did get hosed on one transaction.
Currently I bought a pistol using a 'buy it now' button. It's been two days now, and I sent two messages to the seller, and I still haven't heard a peep from the seller. I'm wondering if the seller is having 'seller's remorse'. I must admit, the buy it now price was a good deal.
I did get hosed on one transaction.
Currently I bought a pistol using a 'buy it now' button. It's been two days now, and I sent two messages to the seller, and I still haven't heard a peep from the seller. I'm wondering if the seller is having 'seller's remorse'. I must admit, the buy it now price was a good deal.
My GB experiences have been good.
If I'm looking for a particular firearm and it is available in one of the three shops in the local area I'm comfortable dealing with, I'll buy it there.
If however it's something they don't have, I'll certainly start watching Gun Broker and Guns America to find it.
I am picky about sellers and methods of payment however. If the only method of payment they accept is a money order, I won't bother bidding. Money orders protect the seller, but the post office won't even begin to investigate for at least 6 weeks, then all they will do is confirm whether the seller got the payment o which you already know if you sent it registered mail with a receipt requested.
I am however more than happy to pay 3.5% to cover a credit card fee as it gives me 60 days of protection in the event the firearm never arrives, or is not anywhere close to being as described by the seller.
I do think from time to time some bidders don't think the total costs through in terms of transfer fee, shipping, and in some cases sales tax when they set their maximum bid and if they don't do that, they run the risk pf paying too much.
My biggest annoyance with GB are the sellers who keep listing a firearm with an excessively high buy it now price or an excessively high reserve price - over and over again. They just plug up the search engine and make it harder to find sellers serious about selling. If I see a firearm with a reserve, a completed auction search will normally identify whether it's one of "those" listings.
If I'm looking for a particular firearm and it is available in one of the three shops in the local area I'm comfortable dealing with, I'll buy it there.
If however it's something they don't have, I'll certainly start watching Gun Broker and Guns America to find it.
I am picky about sellers and methods of payment however. If the only method of payment they accept is a money order, I won't bother bidding. Money orders protect the seller, but the post office won't even begin to investigate for at least 6 weeks, then all they will do is confirm whether the seller got the payment o which you already know if you sent it registered mail with a receipt requested.
I am however more than happy to pay 3.5% to cover a credit card fee as it gives me 60 days of protection in the event the firearm never arrives, or is not anywhere close to being as described by the seller.
I do think from time to time some bidders don't think the total costs through in terms of transfer fee, shipping, and in some cases sales tax when they set their maximum bid and if they don't do that, they run the risk pf paying too much.
My biggest annoyance with GB are the sellers who keep listing a firearm with an excessively high buy it now price or an excessively high reserve price - over and over again. They just plug up the search engine and make it harder to find sellers serious about selling. If I see a firearm with a reserve, a completed auction search will normally identify whether it's one of "those" listings.
Almost every time someone tells me they would never buy anything from ebay or GB, they usually explain that they have heard horror stories about how people have been scammed. When I ask them if they know how the sites work it is always "Uh, well kinda, maybe, not really, but I know a lot of people really get screwed". They are afraid of what they don't understand. I used to encourage them to learn more about how to use the sites and give them a try. Not any more. That's one less potential bidder I might have to compete against. Most of them simply don't want to put out the effort or do the homework to learn how to get the most out of these sites, and that is fine with me. You do have to study and be knowledgeable.
It's just so......
It's just so darned easy to push that button.
It's just so darned easy to push that button.
98% of my dealing on GB has been good to great.
Same with Ebay.
Same with Ebay.
finesse_r
Member
With rare exception, both gun broker and auction arms have been berry, berry good to me, both buying and selling. Worst are the new folks with little or no experience. Some of them can be a pain in the rear end as often they are really frightened of the procedures, and not certain how to behave.
That is why many sellers will not deal with someone with less than 5 positive transactions. Some require only 3 or so and some deal with anyone. Just read the full add before bidding, not just look at the picture and read the first line.
That is why many sellers will not deal with someone with less than 5 positive transactions. Some require only 3 or so and some deal with anyone. Just read the full add before bidding, not just look at the picture and read the first line.
