GunBroker.com

[KAS1981]

I've never used an online auction site, not even Ebay. Ever.

I read through the "how to buy" tutorial, but I still don't know if I have it straight.

I'm watching a couple items right now. There is no reserve price, and the starting bid is $.01. Each item only has a couple bids so far. Is the seller is obligated to sell the item to the highest bidder, no matter what the bid?

Has anybody here purchased anything from this site? Had any kind of luck?

 

[slowr1der]

I've purchased a couple of things, but never a gun. I purchased a forearm and and a magazine. Yes, they are obligated to sell to the highest bidder. Some of them will create fake accounts or have their friends bid on their stuff if it doesn't go as high as they would like, others follow the rules and don't do this.

It's gone well for me, but like I said, I've never bought a gun.

eBay has also gone well for me. The key is to just look closely at the feedback of the seller and never buy from someone who doesn't have an extremely high percentage of positive feedback. If someone has say 80% feedback, you probably don't want to buy from them. On eBay I don't buy from them unless they have at least 97.5% feedback or better in most cases.

 

[SleazyRider]

When the bidding doesn't go as high as the seller expects, I have seen sellers:

1. Cancel their auctions for various reasons;
2. Out and out renege on the deal without penalty from the auction site;
3. Use a shill bidder or buyer.

Hopefully this won't happen to you.

Other, more "honest," ploys include inordinately high or hidden shipping/handling/credit card charges, and "reserve" auctions that start at a penny or two to attract activity (the reserve, of course, is oftentimes retail or more.)

Be careful, and know your prices before bidding!

 

[El Mariachi]

I've purchased eight guns from G/B in just the last 6 months (out of my quiver of eleven) and have never had a problem. Three of those guns I bought 'after' the auction ended (don't ask) at very good prices. Three others I bought immediately when they came up, using the Buy It Now button ('cuz they were smokin' deals). And the last two I won 'fair & square'. All of them have been exactly how they were described by the seller----or better. Hell, at the moment I even have a Hi Standard that I paid for a month ago, have not seen, but is floating around 2000 miles from my house somewhere----'cuz I haven't yet decided where to have it shipped to. Doesn't worry me at all---cuz when I'm ready for it, I'll tell him where to send it. In the meantime though, he and and his son have my permission to shoot the crap out of it.

As far as the auctions themselves go, the ones you are looking at right now (no reserve, started at one cent) are usually good ones. Just put it on your Watch List, know what your max price you'll pay is, and keep an eye on how it goes til the end. And yes, they do have to give it to you at the winning price. On the other hand, the auctions that say No Reserve, yet have both a starting price AND a Buy It Now price that are either fifty bucks apart, or waaaaaay out of line? Those I ignore like the plague, 'mostly because these type of sellers are just waiting to hit the lottery. Unfortunately for them, I'm not their winning ticket, so they're gonna actually have to go out and get a real job soon.

So to sum up, yes, G/B is a great tool---but you really need to do your research first, know exactly what you want, count your pennies, get ready to jump at a moments notice-----and be very, very patient....

 

[SleazyRider]

The key is to just look closely at the feedback of the seller and never buy from someone who doesn't have an extremely high percentage of positive feedback.

True enough, but be aware that sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers, who are more often than not, equally at fault. The result is a lopsided system where feedback is often negotiated.

 

[medalguy]

Also keep in mind that you can't snipe these auctions by entering a bid at the last second. If a bid is placed within less than 15 minutes of the auction ending time, the closing time is extended by fifteen minutes. This can go on for quite a while in the case of an active auction. I've seen one go over two hours beyond the original end time.

I've bought a number of guns on GB and haven't had any serious problems. Of course grading is always subjective and one person's 98% finish may not be what I would call 98% but that's how it works.

 

[Whacked]

I've looked at a few guns there. saw a couple I wanted but what really chaffed my hide was "will not sell to CA" or something of the sort.

OK, I'm stuck here in the Socialist State of California, I know there are a lot of guns that are banned, but I see that for perfectly CA legal firearms. I have to wonder if the seller is just CYA (on questionable firearms) or a asshat and wont sell on "principle".

 

[KAS1981]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty skeptical & wary of "good deals" to begin with, so I'm going to try and be careful and pay close attention to feedback or anything that doesn't seem right.

 

[Bubbles]

I've looked at a few guns there. saw a couple I wanted but what really chaffed my hide was "will not sell to CA" or something of the sort.

OK, I'm stuck here in the Socialist State of California, I know there are a lot of guns that are banned, but I see that for perfectly CA legal firearms. I have to wonder if the seller is just CYA (on questionable firearms) or a asshat and wont sell on "principle".

This is very likely a dealer who doesn't want to deal with the CA DoJ's CFLC.

Fortunately there are several dealers who will be a "middleman" dealer for buyers in CA and NY where the sellers don't want to deal with the strict laws in those states. Our transer fee is $5, and most handguns ship USPS flat-rate w/ insurance and adult signature for around $25.

So you would order the gun and have it shipped to us, we would log it in and out, and ship it to your FFL. Drop me a PM if interested.

 

[SaxonPig]

My suggestions for GB bidding:

1. Figure the total cost of shipping and transfer and include that in your bid.

2. Bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay (figuring in shipping and FFL transfer).

3. Don't get anxious unless the item truly is one of kind and you'll never find another. In most cases if you miss one gun another soon comes along.


Here are a couple of the 50+ guns I have purchased from GB over the past 10 years. (By the way, of that number 2 were in worse condition than expected. On one the seller sent a replacement and I was happy. On the other the problem was hidden rust and I decided to live with it.)

S&W M14-3 c. 1969 for $100 (5 years ago)




22 & 38 Combat Masterpieces for $265 and $135 respectively about 6 years ago.




Walther P39 for $199 about 5 years ago.




$165 about 6 years ago.




$345 this year and the stocks are worth $250.

 

[bluetopper]

I bought this 15-4 with a wide target hammer and trigger not two months ago for $220. As a matter of fact, most of the guns I own I have aquired on gunbroker. I mostly buy out of production guns and am usually looking for something in particular and if a waited for whatever it may be, to appear at my local gunstore I would become an old man first. There are some sellers who start their guns off at $1 with no reserve. If a seller has great feedback I wouldn't worry. I have never been burned or took advantage of.

I also have sold a few guns on there and I don't have an FFL.

 

[mgkdrgn]

True enough, but be aware that sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers, who are more often than not, equally at fault. The result is a lopsided system where feedback is often negotiated.

Komplete krap.

There are plenty of sellers with negative feedback, some of -that- being undeserved. The reason there are not more is the the scammers get rooted out pretty quickly and their ability to sell goes straight into the toilet.

 

[mgkdrgn]

I've looked at a few guns there. saw a couple I wanted but what really chaffed my hide was "will not sell to CA" or something of the sort.

OK, I'm stuck here in the Socialist State of California, I know there are a lot of guns that are banned, but I see that for perfectly CA legal firearms. I have to wonder if the seller is just CYA (on questionable firearms) or a asshat and wont sell on "principle".

For every one that won't, there are 10 more that will. Don't get your panties all in a wad.

The Calif stuff is a pain in the a$$ to deal with, and some just don't want to be bothered. Hey, their business, they get to run it as they see fit. Vote with your feet and take your money elsewhere.

I (Columbia Arms) am quite happy to ship to Calif, and do so all the time.

Oh, and "CYA" ain't all that bad a thing, when your business, your livelihood for you and your family, and your staying out of jail is on the line. Don't blame the dealers ... blame California for frankly, scaring them away.

 

[El Mariachi]

And fwiw, two of the firearms I bought on G/B came from sellers who stated QUITE LOUDLY in their ads that they would not ship to Kali. But since I'm a really slick guy who could sell ice cube trays to Eskimos, I eventually persuaded both of them to send my guns over here, and right through the Tofu Curtain.......

 

[SleazyRider]

Komplete krap.

Nicely put.

It was Ebay's policy to which I was referring. The seller cannot leave negative feedback for a buyer. And that's just how it is.

 

[dirtyjim]

i've bought somewhere between 40 & 50 rifles off gunbroker & sold a couple there too.
i've only had a couple problems.
every auction that i won dirt cheap the seller honored & there were a couple that i would have let the seller back out on.
won a nice 1903 project rifle this morning & a couple weeks ago a got 220 rounds of 9x57 for $75 shipped.

 

[Fatelvis]

I've bought and sold guns and other stuff from Gunbroker over the years guns on Gunbroker over the years (67 transactions) and only had one bad incident out of all of them. I've gotten some really good deals on nice guns there. Also it's a great place to see what guns are REALLY going for, not what the Blue book says their worth.

 

[BCCL]

I've had an account with GB for a few years, but just this week bought my first gun there. Went great, auction ended on Monday, had the gun in my hands on Friday.

 

[bluetopper]

True Fatelvis, gun Bluebooks are written by people who sell books for a living, not by people who sell guns.

 

[kimberkid]

I've bought and sold hundreds of items (including guns) since 1999 and only had 2 problems.

The first one I was in the very early days, the buyer wasnt getting my email through GB's email system and I finally called him ... it got resolved but this was before GB would let you edit feedback after it was posted.

The last one, several years ago I was the seller and a buyer tried to pull a switch and return an rusted up collapsable stock when the one he bought from me was like new.

 

[FROGO207]

I use GB a lot I have over 100 transactions IIRC. I have mostly purchased firearms through them. You do have to do your homework first and bid wisely but there are a bunch of deals to be had. I highly recommend them. All my transactions were good except one seller that dragged their heels for 2 months till I posted poor feedback for lack of product delivery after payment, then they blamed me for not having a valid delivery address. Lots of grief for a $10 holster.:banghead: Same address I have had for 24 years and am still at BTW!

 

[hemiram]

I've bought about 30 guns, a few new ones, most of them used, on GB, and I have never had any real issues. Slow shipping is my only real complaint, and that wasn't really the seller's fault. All of them have been as good as described and a couple were much better than they looked in the pics!

 

[WardenWolf]

I've bought lots of items on Gunbroker. Never a problem. There's also AuctionArms.com. I've only ever bought 1 item on there, though. It's worth checking both sites if you're looking for something in particular.

 

[OARNGESI]

i probally got 20 guns from them my cheapest was $26 and it actually came in better than advertised i actually got 2 guns i won last night a colt cobra and a s&w 38 after shipping and ffl fees im right at $450 deals like that just dont pop up locally

 

[gunpartsearch]

I bought and sold alot of gun parts on Ebay,Gunbroker,Auction arms and Spokanegunauction.com I only have had about 10 Deadbeat bidders.I never had a Bad check or money order sent to me.