Sellers on Gunbroker

I have bought a few guns from Gunbroker. Most recent was a month ago. Most of the dealers I have dealt with aren't so great at communication. I decide my price, put in the bid, message about the shipping cost and then sit back and wait. If the conditions aren't met when the bids are closed I move on. Gunbroker takes a little patience.

Ive dealt with some people who basically had no actual communication involved. I could tell they have everything set up on an automated system of some kind. You get an email that sounds so obviously pre written telling you how many days you got to pay up after you win, you attempt to ask questions and get zero response, you pay and the GB checkout system keeps prompting you to check out then low and behold the weapon shows up a couple days later earlier than expected. Gotta watch it with shipping taxes and fees. My last purchase the total was $100 over what I bid thanks to the fact that I had to pay tax to uncle Sam, the state of Pennsylvania from which it shipped and my home state of NC

The last gun I purchased, which was rather expensive (for me anyway), took me over a week to get a reply from the seller confirming he was OK to ship to my FFL. This was after the gun was already paid for. It all worked out well. I am very happy with the gun and how the transaction worked out in the end. I only buy from Gunbroker with a credit card and pony up the extra 3% over a money order or check purchase. Cheap insurance in case there are any Gunbroker rascals out there.

I have over 30 transactions through Gunbroker. Most of my experience has been very good. You just need to know how to spot flaky people up front so you don’t waste your time.

Some tips:

1) If you’re buying new production guns, just stick to the bigger, wholesaler sellers with thousands of transactions, or the smaller sporting goods sellers with a few hundred or more. These guys know what they are doing, as they deal in volume. If you happen to get a lemon, they will pretty much always make it right with no questions asked. Just inspect the gun well before accepting the transfer so it keeps everything easy on everyone. Don’t risk dealing with unreviewed sellers or pawn shops for new guns.

2) When buying used guns, look for people who know how to take good pictures of things that the initiated would look for — such as close ups of forcing cones, breach faces, etc. Also look for detailed descriptions with good grammar. This usually signals that the seller knows what he’s doing, and is experienced in gun transactions. Good communication in the listing itself usually means good communication during and after the sale.

3) When you can’t get a read on a seller based on the description and pictures, send them a question to gauge their responsiveness before placing a bid. “I am interested in your X for sale. I was wondering if you could send me some additional pictures of the receiver. Also, do you know anything about the history of the gun? Thanks.” How they respond to this will help you get a feel for what kind of person you’d be dealing with.

Sometimes you’ll find sellers who really don’t know guns and are just helping their widowed mother sell their dads guns or something. They may not know what a receiver is. Sometimes you’ll get a twenty something man who is selling the Enfield he bought on a whim because he liked Call of Duty, but doesn’t really know what he’s got. Sometimes people won’t reply. Either way, now you know who you’re dealing with. There’s a lot of honest people out there, and a lot of flakes. Just stay away from the flakes — regardless of how much you might like the gun they posted.

4) Just stay away from questionable things. If it feels off, walk away. It isn’t worth the risk. Online buying is not the best way to buy certain guns. Sometimes you really need to be able to have a gun in your hands to look at before you commit to it, and online buying is inherently risky because the seller is going to have your money in hand before you get to touch the gun.

I have sold several of my Dad's Winchester 22 rifles on GB over the last couple of months. It is surprising how many buyers have made zero contact with me before, during and after. The buyers FFL are better at communicating . Only 1 feedback was left for me even though I always leave feedback. But I have been lucky with only 1 non paying bidder.

As a buyer over the years the sellers have been pretty good.

Just remember that many sellers on Gunbroker are dealers. They probably have a lot of other daily duties and answering Gunbroker emails eats up a lot of time, particularly when many of the questions are answered clearly in the auction text or photos. “How does it shoot?” “Does it work?” Sometimes they ask you to take the gun apart to check markings on internal parts… which would make sense on some collectible guns but not on a $300 Savage. So I can imagine many sellers probably don’t bother to check that email very often unfortunately.

I've used GunBroker over 20 years, both buying and selling.
I only buy from bigger companies now, so far no problems. I also usually buy from those that offer no credit card fees and use the immediate check out feature.
As far as selling, it's not cost effective to sell anymore with all their new fees and crap they have attaching to selling now. Never had a non-paying bidder, but some have taken a while to pay.

If it's not a huge wholesaler, ask for a phone number and call them. I've bought a few from GB from small sellers. I have called them up and asked about the gun and everything seems legit. Have been satisfied with what I've gotten.

100+ buys on GB. (For whatever reason my feedback numbers dropped and now show show 68 buys I think?)

Most were guns, some brass, magazines, parts, etc. Currently bidding on 2 guns, watching one.

Most sellers are great. The only crappy experience i have had was with a 100,000 item seller that listed stuff (.32 H&R brass) that they didn’t have in inventory. Weeks went by with no delivery. I demanded a refund, gave an F rating and bought from Starline for less.

I like using GB, its a resourse I don’t have when I am trying to buy locally.

Stay safe.

Less than an A or A (+) rating? I noticed that the OP's prospective seller has a C rating (and have never seen a C) on GB).

I would never consider such any seller with Less than an A. And I've never had an issue with any of the 10 or so gun deals accomplished/acquired via Gunbroker. They all had A+ ratings.

The only guns I've sold , approx. twelve, were personal deals via Armslist in west TN.
First, I'm not very high-tech. Second, I never wanted the potential trouble trying to sell via Gunbroker, mostly because of..,,how some people are. Life is too short for their B.S. attitudes or deadbeat lack of character.

It depends...........of course. I've mostly had very good luck with buying. One exception, I tried to buy a gun with the 'Take a Shot' option. I kept bidding higher and higher and each bid was rejected, so I gave up. But, just this past week I bid $575 on a scope with a buy it now price of $699. It was accepted and delivered 3 days later. It sits on my rifle already. You just cannot predict, but over the years I have had almost no problems. I routinely check the selling record of any seller, which is just common sense. I've had good conversations with buyers and sellers over the years and likely made some new friends.

If I ask a question to a seller it's about an item I'm bidding on and my continued interest depends on the answer I get(or don't). If I get no seller response I move on. If I see more than a few negative feedbacks I don't even bid. I've bought several revolvers on GB and had most of my questions responded to and transactions went smoothly. The closest I had to a negative experience was a revolver that was listed for over a year that was about $100 overpriced(IMO) so I contacted seller and told him I'd buy if he shipped free. He agreed and wrapped the revolver in nothing but bubble wrap and shipped it from Oklahoma to Connecticut. Just a few wraps around and stuck a label on. The gun arrived undamaged but it was obvious to everyone along the route that it was a gun. I guess the seller was sending me a message loud and clear.

It’s an auction, not a “call me and make an offer” site. Shipping costs and terms should be made clear in the description.

br549arkie said:

. He just seems flaky. Only 8 feedbacks and one of them was a C rating. If bought it I'd be damned nervous about sending him $575 bucks or so. By the time I get up into the $625 range I'm about up to what I can buy the same rifle for new.

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Pay the $625 at a local shop. When all the fees etc are added you might save $50 on GB. Not worth the hassle. Joe

The thing that really bugs me about those sites is that nobody actually knows what "or best offer" means.

You said he seems flaky, and you’d be damned nervous about sending him (seller) your money.

What’s to talk about? Take a pass , move on.

br549arkie said:

I've bought several guns on Gunbroker through the years and I'm watching a rifle now. Some folks on there I just don't get. This guy has a used rifle listed with a buy now of $500 and open to offers I've went up to $470 and not heard a peep out of him.

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Several years ago, I bought a gun on GunBroker, the only time I have ever bought a firearm online. Now, it took me about 2 years before I was able to win an auction for this firearm but the seller in CO was not only responsive to emails, he also allowed me to pay with a personal check instead of plastic or PayPal. We agreed that he could hold the rifle for about 7-10 days to allow the check to clear but there were no problems.

Yes, you are using a computer and the internet but in reality you are dealing with a person. That can always be a problem. It’s a bit scary at first but after a while you get better at it.

Most of the folks I've tried to communicate with on GB won't reply. Fine with me because then I know to move on.

My 2 LGS gets my business now days, both buying and selling. On the selling end I don't have to deal with tire kickers and non paying bidders to make a few extra bucks. Time is money in my eyes. Yeah I have to pay a percentage but I just price it accordingly to get what I want to cover the fee. On the buying end GB use to be a plus before they started collecting taxes and charging crazy shipping. Peoples shipments are disappearing now days as well. My two LGS can order most anything I need and have good selections of used firearms. I can inspect what I buy and not have to worry about sending it back. Not everyone has an LGS close by and I get it. I used to be a GB fan but times have changed...

br549arkie said:

I've messaged him twice with a couple of questions and got no reply

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I found, when selling guns to the public, as many as 10 conversations per gun are had. Many with an offer of a lower price. Very much a pain in the #;@&.

Gunbroker helps eliminate useless conversations. Buy it or dont. Sorry.


See post #16.
Example of my waste of time. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/wanted-pre-wwii-25-and-32-acp-pistols-ne.907687/ The fix "Offer withdrawn."