Stories of unusual gun auctions. Got any?

[blackdeuce]

I buy most of my S&Ws on Gunbroker. There just aren't any good shops around here. I've bought some from forum members and one from Cabela's (I had to have it shipped from another store because our local prices are high).

Anyway, most auctions have gone without a hitch. One of my most recent purchases was a 6" nickel 27-2 transition (recessed, but not pinned). Excellent condition with the box. I had been searching for a 27-2 and wasn't having much luck. Prices were really high. I had seen this gun and had it on my watch list. The opening bid was $750 with $35 shipping. Not too bad, so I decided I would contact the seller. I went to my watch list and it was gone! I was bummed. I kept searching new listings with BUY IT NOW prices while my son and I lounged around watching TV on the weekend. I updated my search and POW, there it was. $700 BUY IT NOW with $25 shipping. I immediately hit the BUY button.

Turns out, the seller had agreed to a lower price and relisted it. Apparently, I beat the other guy to the punch. I had told my son that I thought that might be what had happened, but I wasn't sure until I communicated with the seller. The deal went through and the gun turned out to be quite nice.

You guys got any stories?

 

[Brian41]

I once saw a Colt auto in .22 short that caught my eye as it was listed by a local gun shop. It was going cheap and I got into a minor bidding war but won as I was figuring I wasn't going to have to add for shipping or transfer fees either.
Got the gun cheap enough and picked it up at the dealers. Never did feed very well and wound up trading it off at a pretty good deal too.

 

[arjay]

Ive had good luck on gunbroker with guns that aren't cleaned up,have so-so photos and poor descriptions.My best was a 4 screw pre 29 with poor photos and an ffl that described it as a model 29 with an opening bid that was $50 too high for a nice -2

 

[Stevie]

I once won an online auction for a Brno rifle...Cool huh?...Yes it was cool...the fellow's marriage must've started falling apart the same day I won the auction...I mailed payment to his soon to be ex-wife...

 

[blackdeuce]

I once won an online auction for a Brno rifle...Cool huh?...Yes it was cool...the fellow's marriage must've started falling apart the same day I won the auction...I mailed payment to his soon to be ex-wife...

Did you get the gun? Brno's are cool.

 

[Stevie]

Yes I got it...a fellow has to be patient when things go to pieces...however when you think your just a few days from a cool Brno rifle...and it turns into a couple months...sort-of knocks the cherry off the top

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Lately I have been bidding on knives on eBay. I want a Moore Maker 6106. That's a lock back folder actually made by Queen. I swear that this one seller keeps selling the same knife over and over! I always seem to get outbid by a $1 or $2 every time. Like I got a car that goes 156MPH. Here comes Jay Leno, his car goes 157. I hate it when that happens!

 

[Grayfox]

Maybe 10 years ago when I was still pretty new to the auction sites, I came across a very nice Model 52-1 with the box and a couple of extra mags.
The limiting factor wasn't what the gun was worth, but what I could afford at the time. I sat down and carefully figured up my finances and decided what the absolute maximum I could dare spend was. I entered that amount with a couple of days before the auction closed and waited.
With only minutes to go, I was not only winning but was a fair amount below my max bid. Then some guy started bidding. Apparently unaware of the 15 minute rule. He would bid $5 at a time and over the next hour and a half he must have put in about 8-10 bids. Each time extending the auction for another 15 minutes. He finally gave up and I won the pistol.
What he didn't know was that I only won by $3. If he had bid just once more, the gun would have been his.

Another time I spotted a LNIB Model 17-6 which had just been listed. The opening bid was quite reasonable, probably a little on the low side really. I didn't need the gun. Heck, wasn't even sure if I really wanted it. But just on a whim I entered the minimum bid fully expecting to be beaten at any time.
Ten days later the auction ended with no other bidders. OOPS! Looks like I just bought a new gun.
On the bright side, its a great revolver and I still have it.

 

[Smith357]

I went to an auction recently, nothing to interesting unless the price was right. Unfortunately there was an agent from a local gun shop bidding everything up so nobody got a bargain.

 

[Bluecoat76]

I recently won a 19-5 in great shape. Paid a little too much but will make it up.
Gun arrived at my LGS and when he ran it for the sale it came back STOLEN!. The gunbroker seller had known the seller for many years who'd owned it since 1980 and the gun had passed his state check.
The state police immediately came in the door and took the gun.
two months later and after many calls to State Police and BATF the police returned the gun to my lgs saying that the 'stolen' status in 1984 no longer pertained to the gun. It also had been a issue with the stamping of one number on the serial #. Mistrike. Go figure.

Gun is back home and is in good hands. I thought I was out money and gun. I'm happy

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I went to an auction recently, nothing to interesting unless the price was right. Unfortunately there was an agent from a local gun shop bidding everything up so nobody got a bargain.

Shill buyers are pretty common. Especially in local auctions which are one time only.

 

[BC38]

Not a gun auction, but I accidentally bought my old F250 diesel on an eBay auction...

 

[LVSteve]

Auction war stories? How many do you want?

1) At an auction here in town I was bidding on a Browning Challenger .22 semi auto pistol and it got up to $200 and stalled. Just as the auctioneer was about to knock it down to me a couple of guys at the back of the room started a bidding war on it and it sold for $375 IIRC. Neither bid until it was about to go to me, and I know they were both yakking to their buddies then suddenly realised that item was up.

2) Online/live auction that I was bidding on from home. Up came a wartime MAS 36 that I wanted for my WWII representative set. The bidding got to $190 on my coin and stalled. The auctioneer was obviously grumpy about selling a rifle for under $200 and spent the next 2-3 minutes on my bid until he squeezed more money out of the room. More bids took it to $225 or $230 and I was so ticked I let it go.

Now the punchline.

The very next item was a FN-49 with me as the leading online pre-bidder at about half what they sell for. He knocked it down to me at that price in 20 seconds or less. You couldn't make this stuff up.

 

[hd28cw]

Picked up a 610, 6" 5 years ago on GB...it was a no reserve auction and I got it for $605.00, opening bid was $600.00... Only 2 bids the first guy and me beating him out with $5........ And it was a local FFL here in TN to boot...... only 2 bids on a 7 day auction... The gun is fabulous no problems at all, every now and then you can get good deals..... take that back, you used to be able to get good deals.....