Has anyone ever had an issue with a seller of a firearm thru Gun Broker, i won a bid on a 1911 on Nov-17th, sent a money order to the seller withen 4 days, its now dec-10th, and sstill no gun, now i dont know if i'm jumping the gun or not, but this guy does not respon to my emails ,...just wandering if anyone else has ever had this happen to them?
Gun Broker?
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Country_boy_88
Member
ive done one purchase but never had a problem. Id find any phone number or anything to get ahold of him especially if he doesnt respond to email.
Yeah, you didn't mention if you had a local ffl fax his paperwork to the guy or not. Did you do that?
I've bought a number of guns on GB and haven't had any issues at all. Since my ffl only accepts transfers from other ffls, I don't have any problems. I did buy one who was nearby and we did a ftf transfer without issue.
I've bought a number of guns on GB and haven't had any issues at all. Since my ffl only accepts transfers from other ffls, I don't have any problems. I did buy one who was nearby and we did a ftf transfer without issue.
Ridgerunner665
Member
As already mentioned...the seller needs the FFL info before he can ship it.
Find phone number, call the seller and explain the situation...
Find phone number, call the seller and explain the situation...
I have had lots of little problems with GB over the years. Never been ripped off, but had a couple of items not quite in as good operating shape as described. A few shipping delays too, mostly related to FFL's. The worst one was when a seller refused to ship for a couple of weeks until my cashier's check cleared. That was a PITA and really PO'ed me.
Worst problem I ever had was when I did a 'Buy It Now' and the system malfunctioned and continued the aution instead of ending it like it should have. It kept the auction going at the higher 'Buy it Now' price. I got absolutely no help or response from the GB people. The seller was sympathetic but did not end the auction - maybe he couldn't at that point. It worked out as no one bid higher and I did eventually win it. It just so happened this all occurred when the the clocks changed for Daylight Savings time - maybe that had something to do with it.
Worst problem I ever had was when I did a 'Buy It Now' and the system malfunctioned and continued the aution instead of ending it like it should have. It kept the auction going at the higher 'Buy it Now' price. I got absolutely no help or response from the GB people. The seller was sympathetic but did not end the auction - maybe he couldn't at that point. It worked out as no one bid higher and I did eventually win it. It just so happened this all occurred when the the clocks changed for Daylight Savings time - maybe that had something to do with it.
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sorry guys , just getting back on, yes my ffl has already sent him all the info he requested, copy of ffl etc, i sent the seller 4 emails in the last week, still no reply, the last e-mail i got from him was 2weeks ago telling me he was shipping it of the monday after thxgvn, i never heard back again from him , i see he has alot of other little things listed on gun broker, he has to be responing to those bidders right?, weird, funny thing is this is the very thing i was afraid of in the first place, bevause it was my first time ever buying thru an online auction, but it will be the last, the not knowing is killing me, especially since it's $825.00 dollars worth...
jackstinson
Member
I've bought a number of guns and parts through gunbroker.
Only had one issue, but the gun was listed "as-is". Although the seller really should have mentioned the bulged barrel, it was "as-is". Ah well, made a good parts stash anyway.
Everything else I've gotten through there has been good and quickly shipped to my FFL.
Jack
Only had one issue, but the gun was listed "as-is". Although the seller really should have mentioned the bulged barrel, it was "as-is". Ah well, made a good parts stash anyway.
Everything else I've gotten through there has been good and quickly shipped to my FFL.
Jack
I had a similar situation recently. Some "old school" gun guys don't seem to use email much, I had a seller that did not reply to a single email -- but was responsive to phone calls! Call them.
My rifle shipped the same day as yours, and only arrived two days ago. I had to call the seller and get the tracking number at one point -- they should provide you with that if requested. When getting that, he said "this time of year" things get a bit crazy with shipping, and things can take longer than usual.
If the seller has a solid rating, you should be fine. I left a comment after that last one, that they were great people but did not reply to emai, so use the phone when dealing with them. I still gave them an "A+" rating, just left the note there for future customers reference.
It could be that the seller had a personal emergency, got sick, death in family, that sort of thing. That once happened to me but the seller did send me an email before he went offline. Yeah it sucked, but at least I knew why. It worked out in the end but it did suck. Just the risk of dealing with individuals.
There are a couple of things I do to help prevent this.
1. When possible, pay with a Postal Money Order. They are good about telling you the status and you can get a quick refund if it gets lost unlike most money orders.
2. Always mail payment and require a signature. If you get screwed, the seller now has a Federal beef - mail fraud, a major felony. You can report it to the Postal Inspectors, FBI, ATF, etc. It will be really painful for the seller.
3. Make sure you understand before bidding how the seller is going to ship. Make sure they follow the law (many don't, even FFL's) and it is properly insured and signed for. Make sure they agree to provide you tracking information. UPS has THE best tracking system. Make sure you get agreement for that to be supplied. If they are shipping thru and FFL, call them and ask the status.
4. Ask a lot of questions. Get a lot of clear pictures. If anything raises the hair on the back of your neck, immediately run away and don't bid. Be very cautious if the seller has a few auctions feedback. Be cautious if the seller takes too long to answer questions.
5. Get the seller's phone number too. Try to get a real land line phone number if you can. You can then verify if the number matches the street address if it is listed. Talk to them. If they seem like a scum bag, don't bid. When mailing payment, tell them you won't accept a PO box because you are going to FEDEX it and they need to deliver to a real street address. Verify the address thru Google. Make sure it is not a Mail Boxes, etc or similiar 'front'. But like I said above, mail payment - don't send payment thru Fedex or UPS.
There are a couple of things I do to help prevent this.
1. When possible, pay with a Postal Money Order. They are good about telling you the status and you can get a quick refund if it gets lost unlike most money orders.
2. Always mail payment and require a signature. If you get screwed, the seller now has a Federal beef - mail fraud, a major felony. You can report it to the Postal Inspectors, FBI, ATF, etc. It will be really painful for the seller.
3. Make sure you understand before bidding how the seller is going to ship. Make sure they follow the law (many don't, even FFL's) and it is properly insured and signed for. Make sure they agree to provide you tracking information. UPS has THE best tracking system. Make sure you get agreement for that to be supplied. If they are shipping thru and FFL, call them and ask the status.
4. Ask a lot of questions. Get a lot of clear pictures. If anything raises the hair on the back of your neck, immediately run away and don't bid. Be very cautious if the seller has a few auctions feedback. Be cautious if the seller takes too long to answer questions.
5. Get the seller's phone number too. Try to get a real land line phone number if you can. You can then verify if the number matches the street address if it is listed. Talk to them. If they seem like a scum bag, don't bid. When mailing payment, tell them you won't accept a PO box because you are going to FEDEX it and they need to deliver to a real street address. Verify the address thru Google. Make sure it is not a Mail Boxes, etc or similiar 'front'. But like I said above, mail payment - don't send payment thru Fedex or UPS.
my road, i hope this guy is like yours and just does'nt like e-mails, uhm....the only problem with calling is the only phone number on his profile is out of service, ..the wierd thing about it though, is this guy has an a+ rating over 187ratings, go figure? maybe i'm panicking but thats alot of money, for very little info this seller has provided...
Definitely contact GunBroker's customer service about this -- buyers and sellers are *required* to have up-to-date contact information. I've never tried to (never had to) contact GB themselves, I'd be curious to know how that goes.
Just in the last few months I've made a few purchases there, as things have been more difficult to find locally. In two occasions, I've contacted the sellers and purchased things from them directly, and not through an auction (in both cases they had online stores). I think I've purchased four items through auctions, all were delivered as advertised, no problems. The whole thing is a PITA and I'd much prefer to just buy locally, but sometimes it seems like its the only way to go.
On the one hand I think that is a good indication you are eventually going to straighten this out. On the other:
That is not good.
I would be patient. Continue to try to contact the seller. Be polite but firm. Don't fly off the handle. It would be embarrassing if it was a death or something.
In the mean while, do some free research. See if you can match up the seller's address and it is a real residence or place of business. Use free services like Google. See if you can find a good phone number too. Lots of people don't pay for unlisted numbers. See if you are able to track them down.
See if you can track down if your payment was cashed. Some times that cost $.
After a week or two, I would then send them a polite note that you are going to report this. Send a registered letter and email. Again, if you mailed payment, you can report to the Postal Inspectors. But I would only do so after a few weeks.
you know and thats the omly reason why i chose to do it, if i buy from an indididual , mostly ftf transactions, but this was a rare springfield 1911 in o/d green, i had wanted for a long time and i just could not find it anywhere, ....
hemiram
Member
I've had a couple of deals on GB and AA that worked out fine, but the sellers were a little slow to ship, and seemed to be afraid to use email. This is always odd to me, since you are selling guns ONLINE. I have to say though, my deals on the auction sites, both new and used, have been better than the FTF deals I have made, both in convenience, and in quality of what I bought.
lionking
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quotefunny thing is this is the very thing i was afraid of in the first place, bevause it was my first time ever buying thru an online auction, but it will be the last"
I'm sorry you are having a first time bad experience.But I have been buying left and right and never had a issue,all though there have been a couple times where either the conditition was not as great as I thought and a Swedish M38 I bought doesn't fire,but I will fix it and I got it for a decent price.
Overall all though I have scored real gems or great priced items.You must use some guarded common sense though.If the seller is a newbie,I stay away from buying high dollar items from them.If they won't provide clear photos and good descriptions I stay away from them and most of all....if them have numerous bad feedbacks I avoid them.
There is a button that you can click that shows sellers info I would get a phone number.Yes there is a chance of being screwed on a auction,but with guarded judgement you can score hard to find items or great priced items.
Worse come to worse,if it seems you aren't going to get your item and your gut feeling tells you are being ripped off and you have tried all atempts to resolve it you can get the cops involved.
I'm sorry you are having a first time bad experience.But I have been buying left and right and never had a issue,all though there have been a couple times where either the conditition was not as great as I thought and a Swedish M38 I bought doesn't fire,but I will fix it and I got it for a decent price.
Overall all though I have scored real gems or great priced items.You must use some guarded common sense though.If the seller is a newbie,I stay away from buying high dollar items from them.If they won't provide clear photos and good descriptions I stay away from them and most of all....if them have numerous bad feedbacks I avoid them.
There is a button that you can click that shows sellers info I would get a phone number.Yes there is a chance of being screwed on a auction,but with guarded judgement you can score hard to find items or great priced items.
Worse come to worse,if it seems you aren't going to get your item and your gut feeling tells you are being ripped off and you have tried all atempts to resolve it you can get the cops involved.
statelineblues
Member
I've only bought two guns online - one from a THR member on the "Buy, Sell, Trade" section (scored a beautiful S & W Model 40), and one from Gunbroker (a mint S & W model 36). I did not have a problem with either deal - both happened to be gun dealers, tho. I try to stay away from the private sellers.
But I know what it's like when the "That's exactly what I've been looking for!" feeling hits; but you still need to take a few precautions.
But I know what it's like when the "That's exactly what I've been looking for!" feeling hits; but you still need to take a few precautions.
lionking
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To what I just said up top though about the condition not being what I thought and my Swede having a firing issue,it really is my fault though.The one that had a few dings when I got it didn't show that part of the rifle in the photo and my Swede the seller made no mention of having tested it.So the lesson learned is ask,ask ask questions if you have any doubt.
Some sellers will say "never fired the gun,have a gunsmith review it before firing" is a disclaimer they use sometimes.It is up to you to make them tell more.
Some sellers will say "never fired the gun,have a gunsmith review it before firing" is a disclaimer they use sometimes.It is up to you to make them tell more.
nwilliams
Member
I've only sold three guns on gunbroker and never had any issues.
I suppose gunbroker is like Ebay there's bound to be a few loosers on it who try to rip people off but I think the majority of them are good people.
I suppose gunbroker is like Ebay there's bound to be a few loosers on it who try to rip people off but I think the majority of them are good people.
blacksmithsc
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I've probably bought and sold around 50 firearms on gunbroker. The only issue I had was an old model Browning T-bolt. I'd asked the seller before I bid on it if it was a saltwood gun (a problem Browning had around the time the gun was manufactured) and the buyer said no. I bid on it and won. The gun was shipped to my FFL holder who is also my gunsmith. When I went to pick it up, the first thing out of my gunsmith's mouth, even before he said hello was "did you know this was a saltwood gun?". Any metal part that touched wood was more than a little rusted. I contacted the seller and he pretty much said "shove it". I contacted gunbroker and they said to send all the documentation, which I did, including a letter from my gunsmith stating it was a saltwood gun. gunbroker responded that there wasn't a problem, and me being unhappy with the gun was my problem. I guess their arbitration favors the seller, not the buyer.
That said, I've bought and sold many guns since then (just received one yesterday) and try to be a bit more conscious of the sellers and their ratings.
There are three (real) gunshops in the area I live. Their prices have always been high, rarely do you ever see a deal. As an example, about a year ago I got interested in buying a Walther P22. I looked locally first. The only shop that carried them wanted $499 cash (3% more with credit card). I found I could buy new ones all day long on gunbroker for slightly less than $300.
That said, I've bought and sold many guns since then (just received one yesterday) and try to be a bit more conscious of the sellers and their ratings.
There are three (real) gunshops in the area I live. Their prices have always been high, rarely do you ever see a deal. As an example, about a year ago I got interested in buying a Walther P22. I looked locally first. The only shop that carried them wanted $499 cash (3% more with credit card). I found I could buy new ones all day long on gunbroker for slightly less than $300.
Buying things on an auction site or from forums is a gamble no matter what. I have only bought one thing on line and I will probably never do it again. Turned out the guy who posted it for sell was doing so for a friend, he bowed out of it at that point and turned me over to his friend. It went ok but I never did get the right mag for it that was promised.
Live and learn, I prefer dealers or face to face.
I hope everything works out for you but I would definitely not wait about informing gunbroker about that out of service phone number.
Live and learn, I prefer dealers or face to face.
I hope everything works out for you but I would definitely not wait about informing gunbroker about that out of service phone number.
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