Is this a scam....

[KosmicKrunch]

1. The auction sites DO NOT Guarantee the sales, there are so many hoops to jump through that getting your money back is next to impossible. If you give a cashiers check, BANK Money Order or personal check there is NO Way to claim fraud and actually get your money back. By using a Postal Money Order, you at least can make a claim to the USPS and a couple months later you can get your money as they do an ACH from their account. If they close the account, then the feds will pay the claim. Now, one issue with US Postal Money Orders is, there are so many fakes and forged ones that getting one at some point is a sure bet. USPS will not cover fake or forged MO. The money if you deposit it will come out of your bank account in about 150 days, just POOF and it is gone as the feds can ACH from your account if the MO is fake.

2. If someone does not get a written agreement prior to the sale, bid or BIN, then their should be NO exspectation for them to do a FTF. I have done many FTF, but each time it was arranged prior to the sale, to either come to my shop, or a shop somewhere in between. I have even done them at my local police department, zero problems.

3. IF you feel the deal is hinky, tell GB as an advanced notice so if the seller tries to one up you and cause a Neg feedback, at least GB can eliminate the neg feedback after the non paying bidder report and the claim for return of funds is made.

4. I hate to get calls at 11pm or 5am from a buyer wanting to know 3 days later after I get the money, where is his/her item. I have had very abusive calls and in the end, the buyer paid like 10 days later after the end of auction and blames me for no immediate shippment. If they call my shop during day time hours, I will accept the calls, if they abuse the calling, I never return the call.

I think in the end, pay per the listing and wait to rec your gun. Make sure you do get his local dealers name and addy and phone.

 

[youngda9]

you agreed to pay $30 for shipping when you purchased the item.

You did not make an agreement to do a FTF sale prior to purchasing the firearm so there is no obligation on the sellers part to accomodate you any further.

Edited to add:
I see that he did end up doing a FTF with you. In the future get an agreement beforehand if you are going to try and do something different than the action is set up for.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I commend the seller for working with me and am really glad that everything is ok now

If it all ends well,be sure to give him a very favorable rating at GB. He also will give you the rating he feels you deserve.

 

[7mmstalker]

The transaction sounds an awful lot like the script to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pointblank4445#p/u/3/klzZsv3D8Fg

That made me laugh 'till my gut hurt!
Maybe the online auction sites should require all users to watch that before buying/selling?
Seriously, though, good to hear that everybody in this deal was satisfied in the end.
I've done a bit of buying and selling,online and FTF. Fortunately never had a deal go bad. Both parties need to have a bit of trust or faith in their fellow man to do the right thing. Not always easy.

 

[CZguy]

If I were him I'd be afraid of you scamming me. Or setting me up for a crime. He has 48 positive transactions and you have none (zero).

You sound nervous, maybe cause this is your first time. Next time ask more questions before you bid. If you don't get a response from the seller, then just don't bid. When you agree to buy the gun you also agree to the shipping cost and the transfer fees.

I agree, good advice.

 

[dogtown tom]

KosmicKrunch:...If you give a cashiers check, BANK Money Order or personal check there is NO Way to claim fraud and actually get your money back.

Sure there is. Fraud is a crime and when you use the USPS to send payment it becomes mail fraud. The type of payment does not matter.

By using a Postal Money Order, you at least can make a claim to the USPS and a couple months later you can get your money as they do an ACH from their account....

Not true. USPS will replace lost, damaged or stolen money orders.......but only if the money order has not been cashed. It can take months to get a refund (I know). Where in the world did you hear that the USPS could do an ACH on someones bank account? That is simply not true.

....If they close the account, then the feds will pay the claim.

Sure they will.

...USPS will not cover fake or forged MO. The money if you deposit it will come out of your bank account in about 150 days, just POOF and it is gone as the feds can ACH from your account if the MO is fake.

Uh....USPS can't ACH $$$ from your account on a fake money order any more than on a real one. Your statement above contradicts itself.

 

[mptrimshop]

well the only think i can say about the MO thing is "i am not going to send someone a MO that can not speak on the phone due to losing there voice" I would wait a few days and let his voice heal. I have never once in my life had a friend or anyone tell me that they can not speak on phone phone cuz they lost there voice. In this case everything is turning out good. But if you are willing to send cash or a MO to someone that will only send you a e-mail...i feel it just a matter of time before something bad happens. If it was a registered FFL that had a store i would feel better about it.... if it was place that would accept credit cards i would feel better about anything that was a little more protected. You just can't have it both ways" send me non traceable/nonrefundable money and i will only communicate with you through e-mail." just not gonna happen if you just want to send a few e-mails and receive money for an item you better be ready to do it in a fashion that will protect the guy thats sending you 400+ dollars. And %100 with out a doubt don't list a phone # and then send e-mails saying you can not answer the phone or call back due to sickness..please send pay. Just covering my a$$ to. what would your guys response be if i posted "bought a gun on GB send MO never got gun" and then wrote that the guy wouldn't speak on the phone due to losing his voice...i have a feeling it would be .....you made a bad decision live with it

 

[Sav .250]

Buyer ....Beware.

 

[Blackbeard]

Just FYI, you can do private FTF transfers between Illinois residents, but the three day wait for handguns still applies. You'd have to drive to his place and pay him, and then come back in three days to pick up your gun. I don't blame the seller one bit for insisting on doing an FFL transfer. It's also his prerrogative to allow in-person pick up or not. If he specified $30 shipping in his listing, then it's reasonable to expect to pay that.

 

[mptrimshop]

i don't think you guys are understanding what was upset about.....would have liked to do a FTF transfer but if he didn't want to that was fine i understood and was not going to give and problems to the man about that. I would have been upset if he would not have told me what FFL he planed to ship with. I really just wanted to contact his FFL and pay the transfer fee so i didn't have to pay for all the shipping and wait days for it to get shipped 30 min away. I would have just went to HIS FFL and payed the transfer fee and picked it up there.

 

[mptrimshop]

and i refuse to give a MO,cash or check to someone who will not talk to me about the deal....if you can't talk on the phone the deal just reaks of SCAM!!

 

[answerguy]

The transaction sounds an awful lot like the script to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pointbla.../3/klzZsv3D8Fg

I was thinking of this video while reading this thread too.

From the video " I wouldn't do a FTF with you if you lived next door"

 

[kingpin008]

and i refuse to give a MO, cash or check to someone who will not talk to me about the deal....if you can't talk on the phone the deal just reaks of SCAM!!

You and others have been repeating this, and I've held my tongue (so to speak) up until now. Lemme just say this - I have a severe stutter. At times it is so bad that I am all but incomprehensible.

Many times I choose to conduct my business over email. I don't explain my reason for doing so in most instances because honestly, it's none of the other individual's business. When I do communicate through non-verbal means, I provide the same exact info that I would have had I spoken with them in person or over the phone.

So please, can the crap about someone refusing to communicate over the phone "reeking of SCAM". It may be inconvenient at times, but if you really thought you were being scammed, you shouldn't have bid in the first place. You mentioned yourself that you didn't get a satisfactory answer initially and bid anyway. That's not the way someone who suspects a scam acts. If you have questions, make sure you get them answered - in person, or over email - or simply don't bid. Problem solved.

 

[KingMedicine]

Why would you buy a gun then want to change the terms? You made your bed, sleep in it. Hes in the right, but being stubborn. Your stuck with the deal.

 

[mptrimshop]

you are right i will not make that mistake again. I will from now on do my complaining with my wallet.... if a sell will not respond to me and refuses to make me the the buyer feel comfortable with where my $$ is going i will just not purchase anything from him...the seller post his listing to try and get the best money he can fro his item and the buyer is tring to get the best deal. Lets not forget this is a service industry %99 of all gun on GB are post by multiple sellers and i'm sure more often than not it would not be hard to find someone that want to give me the attention i want to take my hard earned $... i bet one of the big box stores would have no problem getting someone on the phone with me to help me feel comfortable with my transaction. This seller was not so bitter and worked with me to make us both happy...i'm very great full that he did that. In the end we are both happy. And i have learned that some people don't want to that extra effort into making there costumers happy and comfortable with where there $$ is going.... i guess thats why there are small gun shops that feel someone eles will eventually come along and buy the gun and there are place like Cabelas and big box stores that sell 100,000 guns a year and keep growing. Business is about making the customer happy not the person selling the item.....and from now before i bid on a gun i message the sell to be sure he will talk to me on the phone before i bid.....and the guys that won't well you just lost one more bidder that could bring the price of your item up higher.......i really don't see at as my loss

 

[dirtyjim]

You and others have been repeating this, and I've held my tongue (so to speak) up until now. Lemme just say this - I have a severe stutter. At times it is so bad that I am all but incomprehensible.

Many times I choose to conduct my business over email. I don't explain my reason for doing so in most instances because honestly, it's none of the other individual's business. When I do communicate through non-verbal means, I provide the same exact info that I would have had I spoken with them in person or over the phone.

So please, can the crap about someone refusing to communicate over the phone "reeking of SCAM". It may be inconvenient at times, but if you really thought you were being scammed, you shouldn't have bid in the first place. You mentioned yourself that you didn't get a satisfactory answer initially and bid anyway. That's not the way someone who suspects a scam acts. If you have questions, make sure you get them answered - in person, or over email - or simply don't bid. Problem solved

while my stutter isn't severe its much better for me to do my business through email so i won't have to repeat myself 10 times until who ever i'm talking to finally gets it.

BTW, mptrimshop
you have been blocked from bidding on my actions and i recommend anyone else who sells on GB to do the same

 

[mptrimshop]

And i didn't have a problem with his terms...i just wanted to know what FFL he was shipping with if he wanted the $30 to pay his FFL to ship the gun i could have very easily contacted the FFL and told him i wanted to do a transfer...i was willing to cover all the fees...FTF would have been nice...but i totally understand why he would not want to do that. I think it is just common sense that if the FFL that he planed to ship with is 30 min from my house it would be a good idea to save everyone the trouble of boxing it up sending it to the post office waiting days for it to do a big circle and come right back......nothing would change but the the fact that it would not get shipped ...FFL would do the transfer the guy would never have to meet me....and to everyone that will send $400 to some over and e-mail without know or speaking on the phone with the person i really hope you wise up before you get caught up in a scam.....this is just good sound advice.....

 

[mptrimshop]

if you would like to block me that is fine my $$ is green and accepted all over the place... i would not do business with some that would not make me feel comfortable about where my $$ is going and to who....i believe that is why GB requires you have phone # that the seller is provide with upon winning the auction. Just one less costumer

 

[dirtyjim]

i blocked you because on your trying to crawfish out of your very first buy when you should have already sent the guy his money.
you assumed that he would do a FTF and now that he wont your stuck with the price stated in the auction. the price at buds has nothing to do with this, you made the bid either man up and give the guy his money or at the very least cover his fees and his time.

you money may be green and accepted all over the place but its not worth the effort in my book.

gunbroker isn't like ebay, gb can & will cancel your account for two F's in a row and it sounds like your well on your way to your first one.

 

[mptrimshop]

i don't know if you read the whole thread ...but the deal is going through just fine. The seller has agreed to meet me and all is well....i am not going to receive negative feed back and everything is fine. I might be crazy but definitely feel the $ involved in a gun buy is worth the effort of a simple phone call. I have learned my lesson about bidding on guns that the sell will not respond to my questions. In the business i conduct i ask people for lots of $$ sometime...and some times i spend more time working worth the costumer to make sure they feel comfortable about what they are spend there hard earned money on than i should....but i have yet to have a costumer tell me they were unhappy with my services. I have had guys that i have talked with for 3 hours about a job that took 2 hours(and made very little $ on) recommend and get me a job i have made many thousands of dollars on the next week. I guess the car and boat upholstery business is different than the gun business... i was not asking the guy for his 1st born child...all i wanted was a phone call.... i would def recommend the seller to anyone of my friends knowing that in the end he communicated with me and all were happy with the deal.

 

[kingpin008]

I might be crazy but definitely feel the $ involved in a gun buy is worth the effort of a simple phone call.

I don't mean to be a broken record, I'm simply and honestly curious - why the insistence on a phone call?

If someone is out to scam you, they aren't going to have a problem with lying to you on the phone any more than they are over email.

On the other hand, there are many reasons that an honest individual might not be able to (or comfortable with) conversing on the phone when the deal can be conducted just as easily through email.

If it's just a personal thing, I guess I can dig it, but it seems like you're under the impression that a phone call from the other party will somehow magically assure that they're on the level, and that's not the case at all...

 

[CZguy]

I read this thread with interest and have come to some conclusions.

I think that kingpin008 has brought up a valid point. The seller may have a good reason for conducting business via email. If the buyer feels differently then he can easily ask questions (before bidding) and they can be solved to everyone's satisfaction, by either agreeing or not biding.

Remember you are going by the feedback count on gunbroker. This seller had forty one good sales, so he is an honorable guy to me.

Now as to the aspect of this that really concerns me. Why was this thread started at all, before the sale was completed? It seems that now everything has been worked out, so why do people feel the need to sit down at the computer, and make accusations that later turn out to be unfounded. Why not wait, and if there is a valid problem it could be reported then.

 

[OldMac]

Most con men are fine with speaking with you on the phone. They might screw you out of something else. There are a lot of weird freaks out there in internet land. I don't mind shipping something to them if their money is the same currency as mine. However, that doesn't mean I want to talk to them or meet them. Even if the ratio is 1 million normal people to every one Hannibal Lecter, that doesn't make me feel any better when he is eating my brains. The time to research a seller and their terms is before you agree to purchase. If it smells bad, stay away. If it seems too good to pass up, then pass it up. If you desire a FTF, develop a great relationship with local dealer or gunsmith that might find some good deals for you. Yes they might charge you a few dollars but that is a small investment to keep local dealers in business so they can help you later. Internet and auction purchases have risks and rules.

"I have had guys that i have talked with for 3 hours about a job that took 2 hours..."
This is a good example of why someone may not want to talk to or meet every transaction they make. Since he wasn't an FFL, he likely has a job, family, friends, and likes to sleep a little too.

 

[DavePuzz]

i have perchanced a gp100 on gun broker. The person who owns the gun lives about 45 min from me and is not willing to do a private party transfer. I have e-mailed and called the seller and all i have received is an E-mail from him telling me that he lost his voice and can not speak on the phone.This makes me kind of leery......at the end of the e-mail he seems like he just wants to send him the $ with my FFL info and thats the last contact we should have. Well by the time i send him the shipping fee and i pay the FFL fees i am rather close to the purchase of a new gun from Buds. I have offered to meet him at his FFl and do the transfer there....i have not heard back from him on that. He has a 46 rating on GB... i just find it hard to think he would want to waste his rating on a scam....what do you guys think?

were you born yesterday?

 

[DavePuzz]

go for Bud's.. i shop there all the time.. good people good stock of firearms..