A reminder about online sales and the risk involved

[gobsauce]

I don't think I would buy something from a member here unless I interacted with them a long time or other people told me who they were and knew they had been a contributing member a long time. Anyone else would be too much risk. I think GunsInternational is the best way to go but you generally don't get good deals and then you are paying quite a bit for shipping and FFL fees. I did get lucky on a M1903A3. These things are going from 1500-2500 these days and the guy was selling it for 900 for whatever reason and included shipping, so another 50 to pick it up from my FFL. I have purchases items on Gunbroker but not firearms, so I don't know what they do do hold sellers accountable. GI verifies sellers by calling them directly and you pay 18 to post a listing for 3 months.

I've sold a few things here, I do my best to communicate effectively because school gets in the way of things. I generally try to pay the shipping, but that literally has never worked, the members here are far too kind for that. Hell, I sold two CZ-52 mags to a member, but because he paid the shipping , he sent me a bunch of .358 projectiles FOR FREE.

I think I've bought once and that was rad. The dude works at Snap-on, and I got really confused because the box said it came from Snap-on. We had an excellent conversation about his job and how it compares to what I do.

THR and it's members are just awesome.

 

[Chief TC]

Really good to know you have had great experiences here gobsauce.

 

[hemiram]

I'm very surprised to hear this. GB being an auction, and auctions are designed to bring the highest price possible. Typically, the more bidders at an auction, the higher the bidding. (This is stuff we all know-nothing new here.) But, with GB essentially being a nationwide auction, with a lot of bidders, I'm surprised to hear that anything sells cheap.

I also don't do any business at ebay, and for the same reasons that I don't do business at GB. Anytime I try to sell something, people want to pay pennies on the dollar, but when I try to buy something, it always goes for 80-90% of new prices. (I see the same phenomenon at yard sales, pawn shops, Facebook Marketplace, etc.-anything in the secondary market really.) Add into that the high probability of being ripped off, and online auctions just aren't of any value for me. (And, due to the prevalence and ease of online auctions, live auctions are a thing of the past.)

Just about the only value I see in GB, ebay, etc., is the ability to easily find long out of production, collector status items. Even with that, you have to take into account all of the problems and risks previously stated.

I've had way more problems with stuff bought on Ebay than on GB. When I have sold guns on GB, sometimes I don't get the price I was expecting, but sometimes I got more. In some cases WAY more, pretty much so much more than I expected, I had to giggle when I saw the final prices. The only problems I've ever had on GB related not to the item's quality, but were due to the sellers mixing up the pics and auctions. One was a listing a Sig 226 frame as a 229. He made it right by giving me a couple of new factory Sig mags. I was happy with that, and I ended up selling the frankengun I put together, at a loss, but not a huge one. The other was simply he, at 90 years old, mixed up the auctions and I used a "Buy it now" on it and I got something other than what I expected. My bad for not really looking at the pics closely. The other mess up was the seller of a gun sent it to the wrong FFL. When I told him it never got to my FFL, he was shocked, and it took a little while to figure out he had sent my FFL a Glock, when he was supposed to be sending a Beretta 92FS. Other than those instances, I've never had a single problem with a gun I bought on GB, with over 50 purchases since 2006. If it's a new gun, and I can get it close to what I can get it on GB/Bud's, etc, I go local, but it doesn't happen all that often. If it's used, GB is pretty much going to be my only option, barring a "jackpot" visit to one of the local stores. Most of the time, it's not going to be a "jackpot", it's going to be an anger inducing trip that is pointless due to the crazy prices the guns I want seem to get locally. I don't see how it's just me being "lucky" with as many guns I've bought through GB. 17 years of buys without any actual problems with any of the guns is more than luck. Now Ebay, I have been scammed a couple of times, but Ebay/Paypal has given me my money back, so I have nothing to cry about.

 

[kmw1954]

HHhhmmmm I was just getting ready to post a For-Sale here on the forum for a Boyds rifle stock I purchased but never used. Now I my reconsider.

 

[rust collector]

There are opportunities out there, but the message is intended to make people aware so they can manage the risk. If it is something you would like out of the way and some of your investment back, risk is vastly less than for selling a Winchester super grade as new in box 220 swift from first year of production.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I've had way more problems with stuff bought on Ebay than on GB...17 years of buys without any actual problems with any of the guns is more than luck.

That's a very good testimonial. Very encouraging.

it took a little while to figure out he had sent my FFL a Glock, when he was supposed to be sending a Beretta 92FS.

Well, at least you have some common sense and good taste in firearms.