Is it okay to consign and bid on your own gun

[bushmaster1313]

Let's say you have a nice gun that you think is worth a good chunk of change in a fair market. Let's say $3,000 to $4,000. A certain online auction house takes guns on consignment, and seems to realize very nice prices with no reserve auctions starting at a penny. Is it okay to consign your gun to the auction house for a no reserve auction at a penny start, but to bid on your own gun if the price is way below what you think the gun should bring. Should you win, you would have pay the auction house to get your gun back, you would get your money back less commission, and a percentage of the price would go to the online service.

Is this okay?

 

[Rammer Jammer]

Sounds like a bad idea all around.

If you don't like the idea of a penny start don't consign your property to a penny auction.

 

[JH1951]

You will likely get differing answers on this question because it deals with ethics. Ethical behavior is a moving target. I think you may already know how some people feel simply because you ask the question.

 

[Simson-Suhl]

No it is not OK to bid on your own listing. If you are concerned about a selling price being lower than you believe your firearm to be worth, start it the least price that you will accept.

Also,suppose you became the high bidder and won your own firearm. You would be required to send the winning funds to the seller + the shipping charge, and the seller would subtract his fees from the funds he is sending to you.

And not for certain, however, I do not believe most auction sites will allow you to do so. That would be called "Shilling!" (Spelling?

 

[pawngal]

One word, NO
That is shill bidding, good way to get banned from an auction site

 

[Onomea]

Hmm. I think it an interesting question and am curious to see what other forum members think. I am kinda on the fence on the issue raised.

(While it seems a bit underhanded, on the surface, to potential buyers, as long as the auction house and the online service receive their due, I don’t think I see any harm in it...)

 

[Rudi]

Why?? Sounds like a bad plan.

 

[Doug627]

I don't have a problem with it so long everyone knows you are bidding on your own firearm. If you won't do that, then I believe you know it is wrong.

 

[rwsmith]

Surely any.....

Surely any auction house would have a reserve price, usually where bidding starts.

 

[bushmaster1313]

Hmm. I think it an interesting question and am curious to see what other forum members think. I am kinda on the fence on the issue raised.

(While it seems a bit underhanded, on the surface, to potential buyers, as long as the auction house and the online service receive their due, I don’t think I see any harm in it...)

The underhanded part is that the buyers think they are bidding against other independant potential buyers.

I wonder if the auction house would allow the description to say that the seller reserves the right to bid on their own gun

 

[Czechvar]

It would have the potential to artificially inflate the level of bidding on a firearm. What if you bid $4000 for this example, but another bidder really wants it and bids up to $4500. If your $4000 bid hadn’t occurred he might have been able to get it for less...say, $3000. Assuming this is a No Reserve Auction. I personally see it as unethical...As others have said, the Seller should set a Reserve. Penny Auctions with No Reserve are risky.

 

[Muss Muggins]

No. Next question . . .

Let's say you have a nice gun that you think is worth a good chunk of change in a fair market. Let's say $3,000 to $4,000. A certain online auction house takes guns on consignment, and seems to realize very nice prices with no reserve auctions starting at a penny. Is it okay to consign your gun to the auction house for a no reserve auction at a penny start, but to bid on your own gun if the price is way below what you think the gun should bring. Should you win, you would have pay the auction house to get your gun back, you would get your money back less commission, and a percentage of the price would go to the online service.

Is this okay?

 

[Rule3]

Good Grief!


From the big online auction site of Gun Broken.


3. Bid Manipulation. Bid manipulation of any kind is expressly forbidden. A seller may not place bids or arrange to have bids placed on his behalf. Shill bidding is not allowed and may be a violation of law. Shill bidding means placing a bid, or asking a third party to place a bid, in order to create an artificial bidding war. Buyers may not communicate with each other in order to manipulate the final purchase price of an item.

 

[gman51]

I have never seen an auction that the original seller was shown as bidding. I do believe it is not allowed. I am willing to bet that what is done to get around that is having someone else bumping the bid for you. I guarantee it is done on Ebay. I learned that the hard way my first time bidding on Ebay. I got an expensive education how not to beat myself.
What you need do is put a reserve price on it so it will not be sold below what you will accept. Reserve auctions usually cost the seller more and so what the seller does is start the bidding at his lowest selling price so he doesn't need a reserve price.
With all the scams on gun auctions I only deal with a seller that is an FFL with a phone number I can call about the gun before I send payment. My FFL will not do a transfer without the seller using an FFL for the transfer. With all the scams a person can't be to careful.

 

[lkabug]

To paraphrase Simon and Garfunkel......where have all the values gone.......?

 

[Ματθιας]

It's wrong.

I wouldn't do it to someone else.

I wouldn't want it to happen to me.

What ethical auction would allow something like this?

 

[doublesharp]

Not the same but similar. When my parents personal property was auctioned online by Everything but the House I was the executor. I also bid and bought items from the sale, as did other family members. The auctioneer received the usual commission and the items were paid for in full at auction's close. This kept things clean among family and I don't consider it unethical but it is kind of apple to oranges comparing to bidding up one's own merchandise.

 

[alwslate]

The underhanded part is that the buyers think they are bidding against other independant potential buyers.

I wonder if the auction house would allow the description to say that the seller reserves the right to bid on their own gun

Has it ever occurred to you to simply check the rules of the
auction house in question?

 

[shouldazagged]

Unethical as hell. I guess I'm old fashioned, but I prefer being able to live with myself.

 

[LVSteve]

That's shill bidding as far as I am concerned. Just set a starting bid above at $500 or something and let it go.