So what's up with Armslist?

I just sold one through there about 2 weeks ago. Local sale, guy lived about 8 miles down the road. I haven't been back there since. It's worked out good for me locally, and early on I swapped rifles with a fellow in CA. That was at least 5 years ago I'd say. All legal through our own FFLS. But I won't make a move without a direct phone call. You can feel a guy out pretty good talking to them.

Guess it was bound to happen. I'll check it out.
 
Just checked and I can't even edit or remove a listing I have there without paying. ***? Would have been nice to know a little bit ahead of time. Now my listing will be there forever - or until they go under, if they head down this road.
 
rogerwilco1 said:
Just checked and I can't even edit or remove a listing I have there without paying. ***? Would have been nice to know a little bit ahead of time. Now my listing will be there forever - or until they go under, if they head down this road.
Click to expand...
Locking us all out suddenly and without any warning was a sleazy move. Thank God that I wasn't selling anything at that point, but I'm still miffed about losing my 8 or 9 "favorite" guns that I was tracking and potentially interested in acquiring as funds allowed. :mad:

Most of them were from private parties, so unless those sellers pay and then add their contact information to the ads, it's Fuhgeddaboudit! :mad:
 
While I think moving over to a "pay to play" option without notice was a poor decision, I honestly dont mind it.

its $6.99 a month and you can list up to 5 guns. So if we assume you arent just selling Jimenez and Hi-points....youll come out on the winning end of the money deal.

Second, most scammers arent going to pay to scam people, they will move to other forums, also it may deter people who cant legally possess guns as they wont want a credit card trail back to them.

In the end I dont think its the biggest deal, especially when you consider taking the gun to a LGS or pawn shop will get you a lot lower value than private sales.
 
This is the first I've heard of it. I've successfully bought and sold many guns on Armslist and never paid. I'll have to take another look.
 
TTSH said:
Locking us all out suddenly and without any warning was a sleazy move. Thank God that I wasn't selling anything at that point, but I'm still miffed about losing my 8 or 9 "favorite" guns that I was tracking and potentially interested in acquiring as funds allowed. :mad:

Most of them were from private parties, so unless those sellers pay and then add their contact information to the ads, it's Fuhgeddaboudit! :mad:
Click to expand...

I think you might be my soul mate....
Or maybe a doppelgänger

I have the same list. I enjoyed tracking things I was interested in. Would've been better if you could somehow know the actual sale price. It was useful for getting a rough idea on what you could sell something for.
 
Ive used Armslist for many years. Not one issue. Now..locked out unless I pay. I can understand asking someone to pay per listing but not a monthly subscription just to have a basic account where you can save items and edit already placed ads. I wont be using it if it stays monthly subscription only.
 
This is news to be. I went away for a week so I took the 3 I had listed down. I have bought and sold with this format for feee for years.
When I sell I only sell to current CCL holders and I always make them come to within 2 -3 miles of my house. It narrows the odds of scammers IMO and I am selling to a legitimate buyer. Most scammers don't reply when they see that CCL requirement. So I got about a 95% serious buyer rate. I actually sell /buy from a lot of the same people.
Having to pay small fee to list is not really a big deal. But if you have to pay to look [emoji102] ... I think it will fail.
 
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petepeterson said:
I think you might be my soul mate....
Or maybe a doppelgänger
Click to expand...
LOL!!! :D God help you if that's the case! ;)

petepeterson said:
I have the same list. I enjoyed tracking things I was interested in. Would've been better if you could somehow know the actual sale price. It was useful for getting a rough idea on what you could sell something for.
Click to expand...
The sleazily "locked-us-out-without-warning" thing aside, maybe Armslist should consider going to more of a Gunbroker or GunsAmerica format wherein the seller pays to list and the potential buyers can still search, scan and save for free. :confused:

But those systems (and others) already exist. Is there really a need for another pay-to-play system? :confused:

Let me also add that dealers near me who have been using Armslist and (paying for the privilege) aren't at all happy about the sudden change even though the effect on them should not be that dramatic. It's really just another advertising venue for them. But if private party listings nosedive and potential buyers go away rather than pay-to-play, what's the point? :confused:
 
I always considered Armslist the wild,wild West for arms purchasing, though I did find two great guns there and had smooth transactions with the sellers. I'm sure you've seen ads on there that were lifted directly from Gunbroker, with different and "private" sellers associated with them. But if you did your research before sending any money, you could do all right.

No, I won't be paying for the privilege of searching there. And any guns I ever list for sale are either going to be on this Forum or on Gunbroker. None of the others appeal to me.
 
I always considered Armslist the wild,wild West for arms purchasing, though I did find two great guns there and had smooth transactions with the sellers. I'm sure you've seen ads on there that were lifted directly from Gunbroker, with different and "unregistered" sellers associated with them. But if you did your research before sending any money, you could do all right.

No, I won't be paying for the privilege of searching there. And any guns I ever list for sale are either going to be on this Forum or on Gunbroker. None of the others appeal to me.
 
Our local page has new ads on it today, not many but it seems to have slowed down in the last couple weeks anyway.
It allowed me to make changes to my current ad through the email. I added my Gmail address.
Armslist worked well, like Craigslist, giving you the chance to get something you want to sell or trade to a bigger audience and at a price you set. I assume most private sellers will add contact info now or they won't get many responses from potential buyers.
 
I bookmarked two searches on Armslist that still work. But to contact a seller requires paying the fee. I assume the same goes for creating a listing.

Glad I recently sold an unwanted revolver there before the new fees. I'll likely never make a sale or purchase on Armslist again.
 
I list many things on Armslist for the pawn shop where I work, usually higher end or unusual things that are unlikely to sell in the store. We pay 300.00 annually for unlimited listings
 
I've sold a few things on Armslist, but mostly I've always been a buyer. For a city the size of Memphis, there's surprisingly little in the way of good gun shops. Especially for used guns. Armslist has been my go to spot for a long time. Over the years I've made some great deals on guns, ammo or accessories. I only deal FTF and local. For me, checking Armslist is a daily routine. Don't know what's gonna happen now.
Just yesterday I saw something of interest and tried to ask the seller a question. Nope, gotta pay to even ask a question. That sucks. :mad:
I suppose if I find something I really want, I'll pay the $3.99 for one month just to make the deal. But then I'd quit once the deal was done if that's possible. I certainly don't need or want any kind of on-going subscription service.
I really think Armslist has just committed suicide. :(
 
Oh well, I checked the site out last night and yeah, pay the piper.

I have only bought one revolver off that list about 3 years ago.
Since then, other inquiries proved to be scams in the making.

If I am willing to pay $2 to enter the local 'pick n pull' car junk place each time for a browse, I figure I can dish out $4 for inquiring something of interest.
But probably will not find anything of interest.
I am stacked up !

Thanks OP for the heads up.
 
The answer is simple. Only respond to ads that have a phone number, e-mail addy or other alternate means of contacting the seller. Just by-pass Armslist system.
The real question is will sellers catch on to this and still pay a fee to list? Or will the site just wither and die due to lack of participation?
 
rogerwilco1 said:
Apparently, you now need a paid account to contact sellers, edit your previous listings, and create new listings. In other words, to do anything. Or was it just me?

They say it's because of legal costs but few people are going to pay for the privilege of even being able to search. If they stick with that business model they won't be making any profits at all.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

No. unfortunately you are right
 
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