Gunbroker...the good, the bad and the...

[bear71]

I haven't seen much ugliness and a lot of good. Made my first purchase of a CZ a few weeks ago, real smooth transaction.

It kills me to search the closed auctions and find the exact pistol I've been looking for that someone bought for a huge steal and $10.00 shipping! Anyone else feel this way?

Is $35 too much to ask by sellers for shipping and handling on a pistol, gouging? My eyes start to light up when I see $15.00.

One other observation, listings much be real cheap because sometimes I see the same used firearm that's been listed more than 30 times with no bids! Anyone know how much it costs the seller to list a firearm for auction on GB?

 

[8830]

I like gunbroker and use it alot. I don't think $35 is too much to ship a pistol and it doesn't cost alot when shipping across country. It doesn't cost to list they only charge you when you sell. It's not ebay thank goodness.

 

[RyanM]

Not everyone can have a pistol shipped cheaply. There's only one FFL I know of in my area willing to ship USPS, the others only do UPS or Fedex. Which I could do just as easily myself. UPS/Fedex costs around $40 to ship a pistol.

 

[bear71]

Thanks for the answers fellas, makes sense to me.

 

[hotpig]

I list for free on gunbroker but still pay the final value fee and for any of the extras.

Handgun shipping amounts vary. A FFL like myself can ship USPS for half of what an individule would pay using UPS or Fed Ex.

Some of the best deals can be found when individules list guns. It costs money every time they list.They often may be more motivated than us FFL's to lower their price.

 

[McCall911]

Overpriced! Well, in some cases maybe.

But my actual buying experience has generally been good.

 

[Cliff47]

Of the three 'auction' sites that I have bookmarked, GunBroker is the Rolls-Royce of the three, AuctionArms is a close second, and the latest GunsAmerica has shown to be a sorry third place with a VERY high 'CLUNK' factor.

 

[AndyC]

Gunbroker is the only one I use - I just can't handle the horrid, clunky design of those other sites.

 

[MrDig]

I have yet to buy anything at gunbroker, that is more to do with Price than anything. Most times the buy now option is way overpriced. In the last year I purchased Ishapore .308' at Auction Arms. the price was right and I found what I was looking for.
In the end many times a local Gun Shop will have what I am looking for at the right price when you consider S/H and Transfer fee. Plus it Keeps a Local guy in busuness and keeps the money local.

 

[PaladinX13]

Using Gunbroker for non-firearm purchases has been a breeze... for firearm purchases, because of the state I live in, I use Gunbroker to contact venders and deal with them directly outside of GB. So far, no worries, everyone I've dealt with has been good people.

 

[hotpig]

Maybe it is just my region in Illinois.

I could spend the day driving to the three or four closest shops to my house.
I would never see the variety of guns that are listed on GB.

I would finds lots of shotguns, some .22 rifles, a few SKS rifles, a bunch of revolvers, and a hand full of semi auto handgun and rifles. The semi auto guns would be priced accordingly. In other words it would require taking out a bank loan to buy a new one.

The closest shop to me had a sale on some Bushy AR's last month. He got ten of them from Davidson's and I ordered two from Davidson's since they had them marked down.

I sold mine online for about 780.00 each. He sold his ten for 999.00 each(discounted from 1100.00)and ordered five more.

 

[Buck Nekkid]

Depending on what you're lookin' for, GB is the best. I just scored two CZ RAMI mags, MSRP is $38 each, for $30 + shipping for both of 'em!!

 

[hotpig]

It all depends on how much time you spend watching prices on items that you want. Many people buy the fist item that they come across.

Because of this it is often worth paying 2.95 to have the Featured Items option. You can sale the item at a higher price and sell it faster than if you put it in as a regular listing.

 

[Super Trucker]

Most of the FFL's are steep on their prices. Here in MI. we face a 20.00 to 35.00 transfer fee plus shipping of lets just say 20.00 So that is 40.00 on top of a gun that most put at or above full retail. Where is the savings? It is cheaper in the long run, to pay the 40.00 or 50.00 in sales tax and keep the local guy in business, isn't it. I think there are some good deals from non FFL's as already stated, but lets keep this realistic.

 

[Danus ex]

It depends on what you're looking for. For the most part, used Colt Revolvers are overpriced on Gunbroker. GB isn't without its steals (I picked up a NIB Colt Police Positive Mk. 5 for $325 last year--it was mislabeled on GB), but it's not a great place for used Colts. However, Gunbroker is excellent for products that are currently in production.

I rank the big three gun sale sites:

1. (the old) GunsAmerica
2. AuctionArms
3. Gunbroker

As a buyer, I prefer the first-come, first-serve/haggle format of GA best.

 

[45crittergitter]

I have been completely satisfied with numerous purchases on GB (I haven't sold anything). However, let me warn you that although the website clearly states that a seller MUST sell the listed item to the successful bidder at the bid price (unless the sale would be illegal), GB DOES NOT enforce this rule. Sellers are allowed to refuse to sell if they wish to not sell at the winning price.

 

[hotpig]

Thats what feedback is for.

 

[saltpeter51]

I've sold on all three sites, and I do the most business on Gunsamerica. They recently released a new version of the site with a cleaner design

However, as a mid-to-large volume seller on Gunsamerica, I've been VERY frustrated over the last few days. The site was running VERY slow and my listings were not coming up consistantly. I'm really concerned about taking a big hit in my sales- I have tuitions to pay for!

The site seems to be doing better today though- faster loading, and the search tool is bringing up better results. Hope it lasts...the New Today gave me 90 items a few minutes ago. Maybe it's just new-release issues?

Hope they resolve everything and get their act back together soon...It'd be a damn shame to lose one of the really good, useful sites.

Peter Sorokanich
Scranton, PA

 

[SSN Vet]

I've bought through.....

both GA and Gun Broker......and think both are good.

Personally, I prefer the "for sale at this price" method of GA. Go to GA with a a question "how much" and get a straight answer "$X.XX".

I find the buy it now prices at Gunbroker are always higher than the listed prices on GA.

Like e-bayt, it's possible to get a deal on an auction, but with shill bidding and all the other nefarious practices, I find it to be to much of a pita.