Gun Auctions - What do you like or dislike about them?

[mlongley]

Hi Everyone, I am a new member to the forums here, but I have heard a lot about THR and I wanted to get your feedback. I am planning on starting a new gun auction site but before I do, I want to get a lot of feedback from gun owners online.

I am wondering what you like, dislike, or would like to see improved or added to an online gun auction. I would really appreciate any help as it is my goal to make the auction site a pleasant experience for both buyers and sellers.
Thanks in advance!
~Matt

 

[atblis]

Check out threads about, Gunbroker, Gunsamerica, and Auctionarms. There was a recent one about gunbroker that would tell you a lot of what you want to know.

 

[mlongley]

Thanks atblis... I will do that.

 

[CoRoMo]

Prevent shill bidding. Seriously, find a way to stop it.

 

[mlongley]

Hi CoRoMo, I have just researched how to stop shill bidding and will definitely include scripts to detect abuse. I am sure this can happen a little bit no matter what you do, but there are many signs of abuse that can be detected with some checks and balances in place. I really appreciate you mentioning that as I had not considered that form of abuse previously.

 

[svaz]

A more powerful search engine, or a more restrictive description database, would be peaches. When I do a search for a .308 Enfield, I have to run each of the following searches so I don't miss anything of interest:

Enfield .308
Enfield 308
Enfield .308
Enfield -303
Enfield -.303
Enfield 7.62
Enfield nato
Ishapore -303
Ishapore -.303
Ishapore 7.62
Ishapore nato
SMLE .308
SMLE 308
SMLE 7.62
SMLE nato​

sure would be easier if the vendor had to choose a standardized caliber, OR if the search engine coudl understand logical operators, like so:

(Enfield OR Ishapore OR SMLE) AND (308 OR .308 OR 7.62 OR nato OR -.303 OR -303)​

When the vendor free styles the description finding what you want can be hit or miss.

 

[mlongley]

Svaz, thanks for the info. That seems like something that would be logical but probably easily overlooked. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
~Matt

 

[84B20]

Be sure to add Gunpal as a payment option since PayPal will cancel your account if it is used to pay for a firearm.

 

[mlongley]

Hi 84B20, This site will be integrated with Gunpal. I requested access to their API and last week that was released. So we should have that integrated into our site before it launches. Thanks for mentioning it though, I think it will make things a whole lot easier for everyone. How about Escrow, do many of you like to use it, or is it to expensive?
~Matt

 

[USMC - Retired]

Make reserve auctions show what the reserve is or better yet eliminate reserve auctions all together and make the seller start the minimum bid at the 'reserve' price they want for the item.

 

[R.W.Dale]

(as a buyer and seller these are my biggest)


I never bid on or even click reserve items. DON'T ALLOW THEM!

Charge for relists or require a lower starting bid. I get tired of seeing the same overpriced $400 turk relisted for years by "myoldrifles"

allow a person to look at only USED items within a category if they wish

don't allow multiple listings of the same item (new) within a category per seller. Do you know how many pages of Blazer rifles are on gunbroker?

and for the love of GOD keep gunbrokers 15 minute rule

 

[orionengnr]

Charge a fee for the auction, whether or not the item sells (like eBay does). This discourages people from listing something at an outrageous price, and simply re-listing over and over and over again.

Maybe offset that by charging less on the actual sale.

 

[mlongley]

Thanks, USMC - Retired, krochus, and orionengnr. I can see what you are saying and appreciate your input. I have often wondered about the hidden reserve auctions on ebay, and wonder why they have them. I think it could be that it is just the way that it has always been, so that's they way it continues to be. I will research that more and figure out if there are good reasons for the reserve auctions. The only thing that I can think of is that it is more of a marketing tactic that keeps you wondering and motivated to bid on the auction in hopes that you can get a good deal.

It seems that from what you and others are saying about auctions sites is that there is a lot of frustration with having so much inventory that is overpriced and so many listings that it makes it difficult to find what you are looking for. On the other side of things, I believe the auction sites want lots of inventory in order to increase their visibility in the search engines.

Requiring listing fees for the auction may be a good solution to improve the quality. I believe the other gun auction sites dont charge listing fees and it might be hard to do at first as the auction grows, but after things get going I would imagine that is the way to go.
Thanks again for your input.
~Matt

 

[mlongley]

I think one solution for allowing gun sellers to list all of their items is by providing them a store. That way they can list all of their inventory there and it will help the auctions visibility but then charge listings for auctions in order to filter out all of the high priced and poor quality items.

Are there any sellers here that would have some input on what they would like to see improved?

~Matt

 

[R.W.Dale]

The only thing that I can think of is that it is more of a marketing tactic that keeps you wondering and motivated to bid on the auction in hopes that you can get a good deal.

You could turn this around and really make an excellent marketing point of being the "NO RESERVE" auction site. I would make a big deal of this in my advertising were I in your shoes

 

[USMC - Retired]

Do you have a url for your site yet? If not, please make a note to PM me with it when you do, I don't get to check THR as often as I would like to and may miss it in a thread but a PM will get me whenever I get a chance to look... Thanks.

 

[Lee Roder]

No "15 minute rule" - all auctions end at a previously stated time.

 

[mlongley]

Krochus, I noted that and will definitely consider that possibility. It definitely appears to me that auction sites are currently favoring the sellers because they are the ones paying the fees, but maybe an auction site focusing more on the buyers could gain some ground on the major sites.

USMC - Retired, I will PM you when the site is finished. Right now it is in development and I want to get a lot of feedback before I advertise. It will probably launch in January.

 

[R.W.Dale]

No "15 minute rule" - all auctions end at a previously stated time.

NO WAY! you must be a "sniper"

What other auction can you go to in real life where the auctioneer ends bidding with bids still coming in? The 15minute rule is gunbrokers ONE few redeeming factors. A gun auction site without a "15 minute rule" is a site I don't sell on PERIOD

 

[wishin]

I, and you of course realize that to attract sellers, there are some things you can't acquiese to in order for a new gun auction site to catch on.

Make searches item specific. If I'm looking for a .243 rifle, I want all .243 rifles, not magazines, stocks, bore brushes, etc.

I don't have a problem with reserve auctions, but make it so that the seller must reveal the reserve when asked. Not everybody finds it objectionable, especially if they're used to live auctions. That way you'll still get sellers that set reserves.

A feedback system is a must. Some sellers on GunBroker act like they don't care if a buyer is happy or not. Think of a creative method to make serious infractions count more against the seller.

From a buyer's viewpoint, I think the 15 minute rule favors the seller. Think about what's fairest for both. Personally, I don't like it.

Relisting of items that don't sell should require a change in terms, price or shipping cost to make the item more attractive to a potential buyer.

Do not permit exorbitant shipping charges. ( maybe this becomes one of the things that merit a negative feedback of greater weight).

Make featured listings stand out in a way where they're showcased within and among normal listings. GunBroker lists them separately at the beginning of a search page.

Might be hard to do these days, but it would be nice to know up-front if an item is made in China.

I like the idea of "stores".

Finally, too bad PayPal won't get on board. They're great.

 

[mlongley]

wishin, really great tips, thanks a lot. I was thinking that on the stores it would be nice to have a buy now price and a make offer option.

I guess if there was charge for reserves that would discourage to many people sellers from using reserves. Also, like wishin said, offer an option to reveal reserves.

thanks again, all your feedback is really important.
~Matt

 

[jnyork]

No "reserve" listings, I wont even look at one.

No "15 minute rule" , when the gavel falls, the gavel falls. Period.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

I like them when I win, and hate them when I lose.

 

[R.W.Dale]

No "reserve" listings, I wont even look at one.

No "15 minute rule" , when the gavel falls, the gavel falls. Period.

But the gavel isn't supposed to fall till bids quit rolling in. That's thr definition of an AUCTION


It's just not as much fun for snipers because they can't turn an auction into a last second luck of the draw GAMBLE

 

[searcher451]

If you stay patient, and cautious, you can get some good deals on the auction sites. But you have to set limits on what you would pay for any paraticular gun you decide to bid on, and you have to stick to your guns (so to speak) and not get caught up in the moment. Otherwise, you can get easily burned by paying too much for a gun that's essentially a crapshoot anyway, seeing as how you only have the owner's word and some photos. I've picked up two or three excellent deals on guns that have filled holes in my collection and ended up costing a lot less than I thought I would have to pay. In each case, slow and steady wins the race.