GunBroker.com question

[BigBoreJay]

I looked all over the GB site and found the rule requiring contact within five days of winning an auction, but I can't find any guidelines as to how long a seller has to ship an item. Does GB have any set amount of time to follow up on a deal?

Thanks,
Jay

 

[larryh1108]

You can initiate an investigation here:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Support/SupportIssueNew.aspx

How long has it been and did the seller give you a time table?

 

[Onward Allusion]

Keep in mind, that's 5 days for contact and not payment in hand. Unless paying credit card, payment is another 3 to 5 days. It would be reasonable to expect the seller to ship within 24 to a maximum of 72 business hours after receipt of your payment. Actual shipping takes up another few days.

Whenever I buy something via Gunbroker, I always initiate contact within 24 hours and have payment sent either the same day or the following business day. Even when everything goes smoothly, it is usually 7 to 10 business days until I get the item in hand. When minor issues take place, for example - seller on vacation, it's a holiday weekend, seller is incommunicado...etc...it can take a few weeks & up to a month to get your item. Thankfully, that is not the norm.

Bottom line, if you're planning on buying something via Gunbroker, give yourself 7 to 10 business days from the time the auction closes to the time you get your stuff - if you follow-up and pay quickly. For the sellers who accept CC and I happen to win on a Monday, I have received the goods before the weekend. If you need the goods yesterday, Gunbroker is not the place to be bidding/shopping.

 

[jp9mm]

If anything goes wrong and you ask GB support for help dont expect a response this month...or next month either..they are horrible

 

[smogmage]

I view gunbroker like craigslist with an ebay flair to it. From a buyers perspective, you're not obligated to do anything really. Once money changes hands obviously it must be returned or the item delivered. But gunbroker can't make either side do anything. They don't have the access to your bank accounts like ebay does through paypal.

 

[sansone]

OP-
if you pay by CC or money order most dealers will ship within 1-2 days..
if personal check it can take 3-4 days to clear the bank..

If it was a private individual (not dealer) you can check his feedback but gunbroker staff won't do anything, not even answer your email

 

[Vartarg]

As noted, there are no firm rules on how fast shipping will be....but if you're in urgent need of something, you can contact the seller before buying, and ask them how that'll be handled.

In my experience, the dual rating system keeps most folks on their toes....

I've bought and sold a lot on GB, and overall have been very satisfied with my transactions.

 

[Screamin'Eagle]

This is why I like to use a post office money orders for any online transactions. The seller is usually more confident because the money order is as good as cash and the buyer has a resource in the post master if the seller is fradulent.

 

[RCArms.com]

This is why I like to use a post office money orders for any online transactions. The seller is usually more confident because the money order is as good as cash and the buyer has a resource in the post master if the seller is fradulent.

Just a FYI for you. A USPS Money order has absolutely no recourse for reimbursement for fraud or delivery of less than advertised goods.

They are a bearer instrument and cashable at the post office with little effort. The postmaster will only investigate if value exceeds $75k or delivery address has a pattern of complaints.

Sellers like the USPS money orders because they are conveinent. Unfortunately, scammers like the too for exactly the same reasons.

Be careful, trust your instincts, and be wary of new low feedback sellers or a deal that is simply "too" good.

 

[returningfire]

RC, mind to provide a link to the source of your information for us?
Thanks

 

[medalguy]

I can relate MY experience with POMO: They are easy to cash. If you don't receive your goods, fuggidaboutit. They won't do squat was my experience. Fraud or "less than advertised" is a civil action and the inspectors will tell you this.

On the other hand, if you pay with a bank credit card, they must respond to the CC company on any inquiries about shipment, IIRC their merchant agreement says all goods must be shipped within 24 hours of charging your card and they must provide proof of shipment and/or delivery or you get your money back. I've had to use the CC company to get satisfaction several times, and I can absolutely tell you my credit card company (USAA) has always gotten me complete satisfaction.

 

[BigBoreJay]

Thanks for the replies. I won a $123 item ten days ago, sent a POMO eight days ago, haven't heard a word from the seller since I sent the payment. I emailed two days ago to politely ask if he received the payment and reaffirm my shipping info, with no reply. I'm not in a huge hurry for the item, but the lack of communication is disconcerting.

 

[Walkalong]

but the lack of communication is disconcerting.

It's mind boggling to me how many legit sellers are bad at communicating. Good luck.

 

[KTXdm9]

This may be a dumb question Jay, but do you have confirmation payment was delivered via tracking number?

 

[Bubbles]

If the auction was for a firearm, does the seller have a copy of your transfer dealer's license? Some buyers pay quickly but we can't ship a firearm without a copy of the transfer dealer's license.

 

[larryh1108]

As the winner of the auction, you have access to his info like name, address and phone number. Call the number on the auction and if it's bogus you can start to worry. How may feedbacks does he have? If it's a lot then chances are he's ok. If he's new or 1 or 2 and the phone# is bad then you may have a problem.

 

[sage5907]

BigBoreJay, go to Gunbroker and read his feadback. I always read the sellers feedback before I bid or pay. I haven't had any problems with Gunbroker but when you receive the item you can give him feedback by saying he has poor communication skills. Others won't buy if they see a potential problem.

 

[silicosys4]

Hate to say it, but don't waste your time with gunbroker customer support. If you should decide to pursue a refund, pursuing it through gunbroker is a dead end. Try a more proactive approach like having the money order voided if you can, or having a chargeback issued on your CC, however you paid. If you feel there is a problem, take care of it now rather than later. GB actively delayed my "case" until it was too late to have my CC company issue a chargeback. Use better auction sites such as gunauction.com and gunsamerica.com. Both those sites actually work to protect their customers as well as their sellers. GB doesn't care what happens to its buyers, as long as sellers keep sending in auction fee's.

 

[dirtykid]

I'll agree, GB-support is non-existent

A lot of people selling stuff on there right now, many cannot seem to find the time to respond to all the E-mails they receive, because they have 85-auctions running all at once, many of them repeats for the same item
If you sent a POMO, it was obviously made out to a persons name, I have went as far as to google or Bing the guys name, address or phone number,, even used google maps to find a guys house, then find a business across the street from it, then hunted down the phone number for them, called them and asked the guy that answered to walk across the street and ask for the guy I was sending the money order to.
He called me back 15-minutes later and said the occupants of the address said that guy was the previous tenant, and his mail was being forwarded at the Post Office, but they were not sure where to.
When I E-mailed the guy to ask him why Im sending money to an address he no longer resides at, he got hostile and said it was nun-ya biz, So I told him to forget about the sale then, a couple days later he was "no longer a registered user" on GB,,, Go figure !

Hope everything turns out OK, but for future transactions, I would stick with someone that has had at LEAST 20 transactions, and voice verify the transaction

 

[BigBoreJay]

Update - I called his listed phone number today and he answered. Said the item either shipped Monday (no email or tracking info), or would ship today. Checked my mail on my way to work tonight and there was my item! Timely shipping, well packed, but poor communication. In the end, I'm happy!

<Edited to fix smartphone-induced typos.>

 

[Onward Allusion]

The majority of the sellers on Gunbroker are totally legit. I've had over a hundred transactions and have never been burned completely (knock-on-wood). Of course there have been times where the gun or goods wasn't up to snuff, crappy packaging was crappy, or complete lack of communication, but no outright fraud.

You know what the worst thing about Gunbroker is? Being a Seller. OMG, there are so many newbies out there who have no clue on how to complete a firearm purchase and they don't bother to read the FAQ's.

 

[Walkalong]

I have had several transactions that, except for the communication, went very, very smoothly.

Communication, communication, communication! *sigh* It makes a big difference.

 

[Loc n Load]

Gun Broker

Just rec'vd a Hgn that I purchased via GB .....have another enroute to my dealer....purchased the item.....notified the seller - exchanged pertinent information.....went to credit union obtained a "corporate check" that is made out to seller, also have memo area that I had included the item, model# and SN# of the gun.....sent it by certified mail with return recpt. ....seller rec'vd it Friday...shipped gun SAturday by Fed X overnight....recv'd gun Monday.....this way there is a document trail either electronically, or paper throughout the entire process.