Frustrated With Gunbroker Purchase

[SSN Vet]

I find it amusing that the OP went to the forums to gripe about this b4 even attempting to contact the seller. Now after contacting the seller, he seems very accommodating. Yet the entire Gun Broker venue has been impuned by the dog pile.

Buying second hand guns is not for the faint of heart. No different than buying a second hand car. When buying from a private seller there is no warranty implied.... and when was the last time anyone one ever swiped a credit card in their garage as payment for a used car?

I've bought a dozen guns off of GB and never had a bad experience. All of my purchases have been a good deal for less than even Bud's was asking. In fact, for all the times I went to Bud's to buy a gun, I have always found it for less on GB.

IMO, buy from dealers (with a license to worry about maintaining) and you can't go wrong.

Buy from used from private sellers only if the deal is great enought to justify rolling the dice.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

^^^^

In all fairness, the OP didn't post to gripe. He posted an experience and asked if there was anything he could do about it.

He got quite a bit of good advice, which he chose to follow. In turn, he had a very positive response from the GB seller.

He sounded somewhat inexperienced with the whole auction business, so I can understand a bit of confusion and concern on how to handle his problem.

I'd say this was a very productive thread!

 

[carbine85]

We pay less than 2% for CC transactions. We figure it's worth it since we don't have to deal with checks or cash, both of which require more handling.
If we manually process a CC transaction it goes up to 3%.

 

[smovlov]

I hope I did not come off as griping about the seller. I was confused at what had happen and was asking if anyone else had been in the situation. I feel as though as I've gotten some good information from others experiences and know what to look for in the future on Gunbroker.

 

[carbine85]

I hope I did not come off as griping about the seller. I was confused at what had happen and was asking if anyone else had been in the situation. I feel as though as I've gotten some good information from others experiences and know what to look for in the future on Gunbroker

Not at all. Lots of people have issues with gunbroker.

 

[0to60]

Business is done in money orders.

You pay your electric bill with a money order? You buy things on Amazon with money orders? I think not. And in the future it will only be more credit card oriented. Things like Apple pay will slowly take over.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just saying that when you put a money order in the mail and send it to a merchant, you're giving him ALL the power. That isn't good enough for me, and most other buyers (outside of the gun world).

 

[DHJenkins]

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just saying that when you put a money order in the mail and send it to a merchant, you're giving him ALL the power. That isn't good enough for me, and most other buyers (outside of the gun world).

You're not trying to be realistic, either. Sellers can't accept credit cards unless they're a business with a merchant account and firearm purchases are not covered by paypal's protection policy because they violate the TOS.

So basically, the only things that are "good enough" for you are retail sales from licensed dealers.

 

[evan price]

Oto6o: actually, my electric bill, the other utilities and periodic bills are direct transferred from my bank account.
Other occaisional bills are paid by money order.
My bank gives me free money orders. Why pay for checks?
If you want to pay 3% more use your card. I look for sellers who dont charge cc fees and charge reasonable shipping ($20 or less for a handgun). I do fine.

 

[slumlord44]

Buy a lot of guns on gunbroker. Never buy anything without a return policy or without checking the sellers feedback. I have only returned a couple of guns and had no problem. I have had issues with a few but have been able to work them out with the sellers by getting a partial refund. Communication is the key.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Glad to hear the seller is working with you. Is returning it a possibility?

 

[Aragon]

No joke. The gatekeeper of any transaction is the seller; his needs trump all others --sorry, that's capitalism. In the case of gun sales conducted (mostly) blindly over the internet, a seller would be naïve to accept anything other than guaranteed payment. Some provision for returns is the best a buyer could possibly deserve.

TCB

Not really, no. It all depends on what the two parties negotiate. I recently bought a black powder pistol from someone that didn't know much about guns. The price was great but I couldn't tell if the gun had light surface rust or being a BP piece, if it was really corroded? I asked for additional pictures but still couldn't tell so I passed.

He asked why I passed and I told him. He agreed to send me the pistol without payment. I had 3 days to clean and inspect it or return it on my dime. When it arrived I cleaned it and immediately went and posted a check to the seller.

 

[Sniper66]

I've been lucky I guess. I've purchased several guns on GB with nary a problem. Had one rifle arrive with one small missing part. I contacted the seller immediately and he found it, apologized and sent it out express mail. Have also been successful in haggling the cost of shipping. Often the seller agrees to cover shipping...it never hurts to ask.

 

[smovlov]

Sheepdog, I did not ask about a return.

 

[OcelotZ3]

I've done a lot of transactions on GB, with just one that was problematic. The guy sold a gun that was "inspected" by a gunsmith and found "fully functional". It didn't function at all. I had to send it out to a specific gunsmith (specialty gun) and the seller only split the cost vs. paying for it. He said "well, this is a collector item and you really shouldn't shoot it". Just a little bit different than "fully functional and good to go".