Buyers Remorse, or, do you assess a new gun emotionally or rationally?

I have a three step process to gun purchases

I


Want


It


Later two step process


Not


Want

I have had buyer's remorse a couple of times. It was emotional for me so I rationally sold them...at a loss.
All except for one shotgun, which I bought at a live auction that was supposed to be NIB but found out that it was a gun that someone tried to "slick up". It was a SxS for Cowboy Action Shooting. I still have it and will one day either fix it or hang it on a wall. It is a pretty gun.

I have had seller's remorse but never in time to go and get my gun back.

I've bought 2 or 3 that turned out to be turds. Remorseful no. Disappointed, yes.

I tend to buy used at good prices. Seldom have I lost money on a gun. Usually come out ahead.

At one time, I was literally buying a gun a month. After a while, I figured out that I had way more than I would ever shoot. More than 1/2 went away.

Can only think of one I that was a real dog. Savage bolt .223 that wouldn't chamber a round until I did a deep cleaning. OK,a Davis derringer that wouldn't hit a five gallon bucket at 10'

I generally do thorough research on potential buys so the only "emotion" for me is the excitement of getting a new gun.

If it doesn't work out I get rid of it and don't lose a wink.

The only remorse would be a gun that I actually liked and ran great that I HAD to get rid of for whatever reason.

Its just an object, and its only business. If it doesn't live up to your expectations, sell it.

I've had buyer's remorse a time or two. Mostly from having talked myself into a deal or two.
You get home and you get a bit of "Why did I do this?" Now, entering the purchase into my spreadsheet has always seemed to 'cure' the problem (nothing like setting the deal down in black and white--gee, I just got this for less than the 50% liquidation value, cool!)

I've had some not-buyer's remorse, too. But only really the twice. A close-friend FFL offered me a sweet deal on a Swiss SIG 210, which I could have afforded--if by raiding savings. But I passed. On spending $300 out-the-door. SMH. The other was from the same FFL, who offered me a sweet deal on one of the then new Vector semi-auto Suomi's--turned that down becasue I did not want to have to start buying 7.62x25--at $350--SMH.

LoonWulf said:

I have a three step process to gun purchases

I


Want


It


Later two step process


Not


Want

Click to expand...

We seem to have adopted the same process.

I like to think I’m rational but in reality I’m fairly emotional, even after nearly 40 years of buying trading & selling.

That being said, after the first 10-15 years I’m rarely disappointed, however the TAVOR got me but I got out from under it quickly.
Like a couple others I also like to buy used which has saved me from “mistakes” ... however one gun I’d passed on for years was the CZ 75 ... I bought a CZ 75 TS recently which really impressed me & so I bought a CZ 75 SA ... I can’t figure out what kept me from buying one sooner except maybe it’s only been in recent years I considered a 9mm to be a serious round ... I was a 45 fanboy.

Since all of my buying these days is impulse, I have no remorse.

I have never had "buyer's remorse" after the purchase of a firearm, but with increasingly regularity I have been extremely disappointed with "seller's lies." For example, I bid on an item that is listed in "original condition," but upon arrival it is clear that many parts have been replaced, some with substitutes from the local hardware store and it isn't even the caliber that the seller stated in the description of the item. On another occasion, I bid on an item and within an hour over a dozen friends contacted me to explain that the item was not only a fake but that the seller was a notorious crook! This seller even had the nerve to give me bad feedback stating that I "must have had buyer's remorse." I explained in my feedback that the guy was a liar and a cheat but of course my comments were never posted by the auction site. This crook is still out there selling things and is listed as one of the top sellers on that auction site. In another auction now pending, the seller describes the item as having the "original finish" and then after I bid posted new pictures showing not only that the grips were very poor quality reproductions but the metal parts were largely covered with pitting and rust, meaning there was literally no original finish left! The most serious "remorse," however, occurs when the seller not only lies but also steals my money by never sending the item. That too is happing more regularly. In the last two month, I've had 3 sellers, all with several hundred positive feedbacks, simply not send the item. Fortunately, these case have been limited to small parts and accessories in the hundreds of dollars and not the thousands, but that isn't the point. It really really isn't buyer's remorse but I certainly do regret dealing with liars, cheats and thieves.

drk1 - I don't know where you shop but I've been buying on-line from different sites, stores and auctions since 1998 and have rarely been disappointed. I have heard of problems on the auction site you mentioned but I don't do business there.

Tirod said:

For whatever reason it's not what you expected. And you post about it. Which perspective do you use?

Click to expand...

Before you demonstrate or exhibit any remorse, take the gun to the range, put 100 - 200 rounds through it. Carry it, shoot it, then decide if it was worth it. Once you get used to it, make it yours or, put a for sale sign on it. You might lose a hundred bucks or so but, at least it won't be something that gathers dust or you don't trust when it's do or die time.

I can only remember one purchase that was an emotional buy and 14 years later I still own and shoot it.

I’m not a researcher but what I do is define the needs so when I find a gun that fits my preferences and is in my price range I buy.

Mn Fats said:

Never had buyers remorse. Only sellers remorse.

Click to expand...

I consider carefully before buying. Wish I had thought a few out better, before selling, though.

Tirod said:

For whatever reason it's not what you expected. And you post about it. Which perspective do you use?

Click to expand...

I try to be rational, but it doesn’t always work.

Case in point my Glock 43. The first time I had it to the range I hated it. Now I’m thinking about buying a second. I guess I need at least a thousand rounds to decide.
It’s still not a fun gun to shoot. But it’s getting there. Or I’m getting used to it. And it does put holes in stuff.

As far as getting screwed. That hasn’t happened since I stopped buying used Colt 1911’s.

The cure for buyer’s remorse is Gunbroker. Let someone else have it.

re·morse
rəˈmôrs/
noun
noun: remorse

1. deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed.

Click to expand...

No. Life is too short to hang emotions on gun purchases. If I decide I don’t want it any longer, sell it or give it to someone who does or just lock it up in a safe somewhere so I don’t have to buy another some day.

Buyers remorse. Who invented it? I never heard of it when I was young. I suspect it was invented by a smart business man that wanted to sell you something else so you would get over your mythical remorse.

Or perhaps folks these days just don't want to take responsibility for poor decisions and blame it on a mythical emotional state.

Buyers remorse. Who invented it? I never heard of it when I was young. I suspect it was invented by a smart business man that wanted to sell you something else so you would get over your mythical remorse.

Click to expand...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyer's_remorse

It's an interesting read. Always fun to look at how we think. How our minds work. In a very real way an important decision like buying something is just like walking paths in an unknown forest. Each decision opens some directions, and abandons forever some options.

But any time we buy something and then decide we've wasted our money, or been cheated, or should have chosen something else -- that's buyer's remorse.

Tirod wrote:
And you post about it. Which perspective do you use?

Click to expand...

Hopefully, both. If the gun disappointed me because I liked it but it didn't work very well, I hopefully would post both of those sentiments. Similarly, if the gun worked fine but I just didn't like it, then hopefully I would get that message across so that others could know what my problems were and thereby make a more informed decision when it came time for them to buy.

Like some others, it depends.
If it's a carry gun, I don't have to like it subjectively. It must point naturally and fire reliably, controllably, and accurately. If it can't do that, it leaves. If it will, I like it objectively.
If it's not a carry gun, it has exactly one criteria: it has to be fun.

chicharrones said:

I have buyer's remorse when I buy a factory new gun and it has some hidden issue or problem. So far, I have fixed it on my dime every time as I'm loathe to send something back I can fix myself.

My first reaction to most any problem is a negative one. That's due to my nature and since I'm a tech/repairman, everything in my life becomes a repair job. Even on my days off. Like yesterday (a day off), trying to adapt a poorly made new motor mount for my stepson's car. A 1 hour job that turned into 3.

On an internet forum, I usually withhold my negative findings until I have overcome the problem. Then I'm a bit more middle of the road in my public postings.

Click to expand...

chincharrones, Now that's what I call a classic post! Still laughing and smiling - with you, not at you - as I read it.
And I'm right there with you on it.

Buyer's remorse for me with a gun that did not live up to expectations?

A shop owner said to me years ago as I was deciding on one;
'Why hesitate? You've got the rest of your life to regret it!

JT

I don't get buyer's remorse. I have bought a few in the past that didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, so I just sell them and put the money in the gun fund for the next one.
I have plenty of seller's remorse though. The one's sold because money got tight and I had a family to feed.
A 1970's Marlin 1894 44mag
A 1970's Remington 581 22lr
A 1970's Ruger single six convertible 22/22 mag
A 1970's T/C Seneca 45
A 1970's S&W Chiefs Special
A 1980's S&W 686
A 1990's Macorov 380
A 1990's Savage Tactical rifle 223
Yes, I remember each and everyone of them.

The closest that I come to buyer's remorse is when I put something on lay-away that I haven't thoroughly researched. Then I feel that I owe money on something that won't be satisfying.
I was kind of feeling that way about the Remington M1903 that I put on lay-away yesterday, but a bit of research made me feel much better.