Gunbroker ????'s

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rondog

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Although I joined Gunbroker long ago, I've rarely visited. Just started poking around there, looking for things, and I've noticed that the majority of listings I look at don't have any bids on them, even the close-to-expire ones.

Am I missing something? Is it just not a busy place, or do most folks wait to the last minute to bid?

Just curious, thanks!
 
Many of the prices......

are insanely high. If you do find a firearm being auctioned at a reasonable beginning price, people will generally get into a bidding war and again, the ending price will be ridiculously high.

Make sure you do plenty of research first to figure out what a reasonable price would be for the firearm you want to buy.

The only way I have ever purchased anything on GunBroker at what I thought was a reasonable price is to go through the "Buy it Now" listings. Most of these are a joke too, but every once in a while you'll find a "Buy it Now" price that's only a little higher than the original listing. Those are the ones to look for. You can buy those without getting into a bidding war.
 
Guess I should mention that I'm not looking at guns, just accessories and ammo. Specifically, I have a line on an M1 Carbine in the near future (waiting for photos), and I'm looking at magazines, pouches, ammo, bayonets, stuff like that. I have a LOT of things in my watch list, and only a couple of them have a bid on them.
 
Yea the thing that i have bought of the site had been "Buy Now". but yea do your research on prices because I have a dealer in town and he usually will beat prices to get business.
 
I had bad luck on gun broker. Won two separate auctions for magazines.

1: Paid by Visa. Magazine was a counterfeit. Jammed in gun. Would not feed. Had to disassemble the gun to get it back out. Filed a fraud complaint with Visa and got my money back. LOTS of documentation and attempted communication with the seller goes a long way in getting your money back.

2: Paid by money order. Magazine never arrived. Completely ripped off. I won't be making that mistake again. Pay with VISA!

I ended up ordering a genuine Ruger magazine from Cheaper Than Dirt. No problems, they only had a Stainless Steel one so it was expensive. You get what you pay for and I am happy with it!

-Jim
 
That's my complaint with Gunbroker too. Most have no bids because of a too high opening price....OR.....they start at a reasonable price, but have a RESERVE that is way up there, and nobody gets to it, even though there is a fair amount of bidding.
Then there is the "auction" that the starting bid is, let's say $29.99, but you can "Buy it Now" for $30.99! How that qualifies for an auction beats me.:what:

That being said, I did actually win a bid for some 223 brass in the last month, and got it for a fair price. You just have to keep looking and know what things go for.:)
 
I think a lot of the high prices on Gunbroker right now are people hoping to still get a Obama election craze price. Others may have to pay bills and sell it for the crazy price they paid for it. I think there are still good deals out their but it's on you to research to make sure.

I have always had great luck on Gunbroker ; I always buy from a seller with a high rating and a lot of transactions. I also do a lot of research before making any bids.

As Fryerpower posted, always keep records of your communication attempts and paying by credit card is a good idea. It will cost you a 3% additional charge but if a seller can't run a credit card you may take that as an indication they are to small to have a vested interest in keeping a happy customer.
 
I once bought a Winchester 94 .357 mag for $325 (circa 2006), from gunbroker........... it was great .
Unfortunateley I cant remember the name of the guy.

Thing to know with gunbroker is that many posters are professional/semi-professional , they will just re-post if they dont get the going price;

Better luck next time.
 
Well it ain't like Craigslist looking for furniture where you'll get a $2000 bedroom set for $500 because they need to sell.Although sometimes you can get a whopping deal if you are lucky enough to not have everybody else scope out the sale also.

It depends what you are looking for,older guns,collectables or milsurps it is a good place.Overall prices aren't any different than a gun show but you can find things on a auction/for sale site you would never find otherwise.

You got to weed through the listings and get familiar with the sellers and find out who are the more reasonable ones.The fact that listings are free makes them less likely to lower prices if a item doesn't sell.
 
After winning dozens of GB auctions, in my own experience...

...We live in one of the most active times in history for buying/selling guns and accessories. Just about anything will sell immediately for a reasonable price, and sometimes for a lot more.

But Gunbroker is the home for the most unreasonable prices you ever saw. 95% of the items get no bids, because only 5% of the items are offered reasonably.

And of course, internet auctions are absolutely ripe for rip off. You cannot see the article except in a photo on your screen, you cannot see the seller or even his real name. You submit a bid on blind faith in an institutionalized system where the doctrine of Caveat Emptor, 'let the buyer beware', is the rule of the day.

So, you pays your money and you takes your chances. I've made excellent buys, and I've been ripped off. You just gotta understand yourself and the risks you are willing to take.
 
I have seen good deals on Gunbroker. I have also sold guns on Gunbroker.

Take a look at this one S&W M&P 15. $789 buy it now price NIB

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=137791411

Or M&P 15 (AR15) Buy it now $800

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=137840903

So if you have an idea what a good price is you can find some deals. It's like anything there are good deals and not so good deals. By the way Buds gun shop similar rifle to above $989

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_763/products_id/53496
 
rondog

Also check out the Completed Auctions listings to check the prices on what sold, and what items have been relisted countless times. That will probably give you a better idea of the current market price versus the Opening Bid or the Buy it Now price.
 
GB is like any marketplace. Some good deals and some not so good. Have to look hard. Some of my good GB deals include a S&W 38 Special Combat Masterpiece from 1952 for $135. A 14-3 K38 for $100 (yes, $100). A Turk Mauser with bayonet for $81. Just yesterday I won auctions for some USGI Carbine mags. Got 2 15s and 2 30s at $10 each. With shipping they ran $12.50 each. Not too bad.

Only once in about 90 purchases have I been unhappy and the seller sent a replcement without delay. It's certainly possible to get burned but I think it's not the norm.

Bidding strategies vary. Some folks like to wait until the last minute. I do it the easy way. I bid early, bid once (max I am willing to pay), and sit back to see what happens. Either I get it at my price or I keep looking. Simple.
 
I sold two guns and purchased one all in the last month with GB. If you use common sense its no problem. Also, use the advance search feature to check on recently closed auctions. You can find sold items similar to what you are thinking about buying/selling so you can see what the "real" market is. That is how I set my asking prices and so far I have been very happy with every sold item.

I did buy a gun that I wasn't happy with, so I used it as trade fodder.
 
I was recently at a local pawn shop where I have purchased a few guns. I was trying to negotiate a price, and the guy kept looking at his computer saying, this is what the gun is going for. I asked if I could see... he was on GB and I pointed out that NO ONE was bidding on the guns.

I have bid on guns at GB and won the bid, and I have bid on them and lost the bid. Never a bad experience with GB, just some sellers are still hanging on to the craze....
 
Simple economics

They match buyers and sellers. A great American idea.

Think of it like the stock market. Most of the prices are too high. But there are occasional gems out there. Your job is to find them.
 
I've bought a couple things from Gunbroker but, just like eBay, it can be a mess to find a deal and work it out.

The only firearms I've bought have been off of Armslist. It's like craiglist for guns. Only a few area (like KS) have any real activity but I've found some good deals on there. All right around the corner too.
 
Agree the #1 reason for few or no bids is a too-high opening price. The #2 reason (or at least in the top 5) I believe is poor photo quality. Some of it is probably just poor picture taking or crappy camera equipment etc. But I think sometimes it's deliberate. The auctions wherein the photo is blurry, is taken from a distance so as not to show detail, or only shows odd angles don't seem to attract as many bids. How many times on GB or the other online auctions have you seen a photo(s) of, e.g., only one side of a pistol and asked yourself what's on the other side that the seller didn't want you to see? The worst are the "respresentative" photos where the gun shown is of the same type but not the actual gun being auctioned.
 
Prices are out of line, many sellers use "ghost bidders" that automatically pace a higher bid over yours to get you to bid higher. I prefer GunsInternational.com - NOT an auction site, just a great site of stuff for sae
 
what ive always noticed is that the sellers put a rediculous reserve price on the items that explains why most dont get bids

the ones that arent limited are usualy an odd piece that has little interest revolving around it

people get a little crazy about "collecting" things and thats another good reason prices get jacked to the sky but at the same time people should be a bit more realistic in selling a used item

on the plus side i have seen a few deals here and there but nothing spectacular

99% of the time after transfer fees etc i can order whatever i wanted new from a local shop and save about 100 bux unless its a really odd piece or pleantiful surplus piece i avoid GB
 
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