Ordering Off GunBroker.com

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Don't.

Heavily biased towards sellers. If/when you get screwed by one, expect to be ignored by GB.
 
Check the feedback of the person you're buying from - bad or no feedback, I stay away. I've gotten lots of stuff there, no problems.
 
Ditto on the feedback.

Have an FFL lined up so if you do decide to purchase you won't have to scramble looking for a transfer dealer.

Also, do not pay by check. Use a postal money order or credit card.

Keep all correspondence between you and the seller.

Set a price that you are willing to pay and stick to it. If the firearm doesn't sell that you want then email the seller after the auction ends. See if they will take a lower price. I did that with a Kimber and got it for $550.

The majority of sellers are gunshops so you won't really save a whole lot on the sale. By the time you pay shipping and transfer fee's you might come close to what the local shop will sell the firearm for.
 
Tim3256 seems to have a bad experience. I have bought maybe 30 guns and numerous other items from GB with no real problem. One or two guns weren't quite as nice as the listing suggested but I never overpay so I wasn't too unhappy. One gun arrived damaged and the seller replaced it.

I agree with checking feedback, but we all started at zero so an unrated seller isn't necessarily a bad thing.

If buying a gun make sure you have a transfer dealer lined up. If the seller isn't an FFL and intends to ship the gun make sure your FFL will accept from a non-FFL. This is legal but some dealers won't as policy. Shop around for the best transfer fee. I use pawn shops as they don't sell guns as a main business and don't mind taking $15-$20 for a transfer whereas many gun dealers want to sell you one of their guns rather than "only" make $15 for transferring someone else's sale to you.

Make sure you know how much shipping will be before bidding and add it to the final cost when deciding how much to bid. If shipping is $30 and you bid $200 for a $200 item you overpaid, no?

Ask questions before bidding, not after. Decide your maximum price, include shipping in that total, and bid accordingly.
 
The measure of any vendor/broker is how the parties are treated when things go badly. GB ALWAYS sides with the seller, it's good for their pocketbook.
I give my opinion only because the question was asked. I don't want to see other folks get screwed. Do with my advice what you will, if you've done well with GB, by all means, continue. I just hope you never do have a problem...

Tim3256
 
I have made 10 or so purchases on GB. All, except one, went very well. The one that went poorly had some prior negative feedback, so I was stupid for not checking. I wouldn't hesitate to order again, but I would stick with sellers that have a lot of feedback, and I would read what others have said.

The one negative experience I had was resolved after 2 months of excuses, letters, and e-mails. GB was not helpful at all in resolving this dispute.
 
All positive results for me but once. I got a pistol that I was not happy with. I should have returned it, but didn't think of that until after I filled out the paperwork. Anyway, it worked out in the end as I traded it for something better. So if you buy a gun check it at the store BEFORE to fill out any transfers. IF you are not happy, refuse the gun and send it back.
 
I bought a few. And quite honestly, I am having problems with my Colt Delta Elite. Anytime that you're buying on-line, there's a risk. Personally, I like gunsamerica.com better.
 
First off, ya gotta figure that all online auction houses have their good and bad policies, and all of them have good and bad patrons. Having said that, GunBroker is very heavily biased towards sellers and the commission that they create. Iif a deal goes bad, expect GB to spank the buyer (often to the point where they'll cancel the buyer's account if the buyer insists on complaining). That's great if you're the seller, but no so great if you're the buyer.

I vastly prefer AuctionArms, and have completed at least thirty transactions there without a hitch. The sellers and buyers there seem to be much more mature and less, well, flighty than what you often find on eBay or GunBroker.
 
I started off selling on gunhouse. After gunbroker put gunhouse out of business I started there and have been pretty happy. I have tried selling on auction arms buy there is not as much traffic so it is too slow for me. Gunsamerica is to confusing to me as a seller so I do not mess with them anymore.

All public forum can have problems. But you could magnify problems from the gunboards times ten and they would still be less than Ebay. You should see some of the crap my Brother has to deal with selling on Ebay. :banghead:
 
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