Gunbroker.com: Anything I should know before I register?

[j-framer]

Hi friends,

Yup, I searched. Surprisingly, I turned up little in the way of general discussion about Gunbroker.com. Mostly passing mention in threads about what was bought, etc. So I'm hoping you can give some opinions.

I've resisted online gun auctions for a long time, and now I see an item that I really want. I think I might summon my courage and register at Gunbroker.com.

I'm old school, I guess, and giving out my name, address and home phone to these guys during the registration process, and having them "verify my identity" through their "automated systems", as they put it on the site, just doesn't make me feel too warm and fuzzy. But I'll probably come around and do it.

But I figured I'd ask you all first: How many of you use Gunbroker? Any problems at all? (by problems, I don't meant with individual sellers or buyers, but problems with the site itself and the way they run it, their use of personal info, etc.) Anything I should know before I register that they don't tell you on the site? I read all the fine print they have and it seems pretty straightforward.

Please weigh in and reassure me, if you can, about their privacy policies. Although they swear that they don't share the info with 3rd parties, can any of you offer any indications to the contrary from your experience?

Thanks guys!

 

[Keltyke]

Don't mistake problems with the people with problems with the site. You'll find scammers on every auction site on the Net. I've dealt with Gunbroker and the sellers on there a few times, always with satisfactory results. As soon as I post this, someone will post a horror story.

I don't mind giving them my info, if something goes wrong, they can track down the BS easier cause they got his info, too.

As ALWAYS, it's: caveat emptor (buyer beware), and "if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is."

 

[schmellba99]

I've never had an issue with gunbroker, or any of the items I've bought off of the site for that matter.

Granted, I've only bought a few things, but all transactions have gone smooth and were relatively painless, and I've never even been contacted directly by gunbroker. I think it's safe to say that you should not have problems with them - it would be a first for me to hear if you do.

 

[tplumeri]

I have bought about half of my guns thru gunbroker. the site itself is very secure, no worries there.
but like anything else, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
buyers and sellers have ratings, just like on ebay. read what others have to say about the seller. obviously, not a guarantee but....
gunbroker is a good place to find those hard to find items at a reasonable price. that goes for guns as well as "accessories". but they also have NIB current models.
nearest gunstore for me is over an hour away and its very limited selection.

tom

 

[PSP]

The auction side is no problem. The forum side occationally has a spammer or porn monger show up and irritate everyone. The two sides are seperate so you can avoid the forum trash if you just want to buy or sell.

 

[nutty ned]

The auction side is no problem.

 

[Rmart30]

ive bought a few off there.... either called the seller and gave CC# or sent a USPS money order.... had no problems at all.

 

[deanadell]

Anything I should know before I register?

Yeah....there's a lot you should know before you register.....

It's the internet equivalent of "crack" for a gun-junkie. Hide your credit cards from yourself.

Say good bye to your GPA. You'll be scanning the thousands of gun auctions when you should be studying and writing papers.

The dreaded gunbroker addition can lead to other maladies, such as the "I bet I can fix that" delusion......your closet corners will begin to fill with "gun smith specials" that you just couldn;t pass up for the money, KNOWING you can eventually find that rare missing magazine on a junk table at the next gun show.

You will eventually decline to the point where you apply for a C&R license

Have fun

 

[Cliff47]

One of my pet peeves is the seller that has a pistol up for auction with one magazine (when the same pistol in my local firearm emporium has two mags in the hard case), and the minimum bid is starting more than local pricing. It doesn't take long to figure out who the characters are, and to put them on your ignore list.

The only time I have had a problem is when the local letter carrier did not pick up the outgoing envelope from the drop box. Local substation got a call from me on that one (think the carrier is a grad of the jam-and-stuff school of mail delivery).

Be selective on who you deal with, and pay with USPO money orders for the added security.

 

[tplumeri]

It's the internet equivalent of "crack" for a gun-junkie.

yeah, forgot to warn you about that!

 

[Logs]

I have sold about 5 firearms on Gunbroker with no issues. I find it the easiest site to search for guns. I wish more people used pictures in ads, but that isn't gunbrokers fault. The only thing that I would watch out for is the old bait and switch. I have talked to two different dealers here in KY that won't take transfers in from a NON-FFL. The issue they had was that a gun would come in from the average joe and it wasn't as described. Since it came from an individual the FFL that received the item was then unable to send it back. The seller would not give an FFL to take the return. So just like anything buyer beware....

 

[the swede]

I haven't used GunBroker, however, I have used GunsAmerica with no problem. I like GunsAmerica because it's easier to find people willing to do a FTF transaction in my area rather than dealing with an auction. Maybe you can do this on GunBroker too, I'm not sure.

 

[j-framer]

Thanks to all of you for your responses and advice. I appreciate it .

Since I'm in MA, it's extremely frustrating to browse the auctions on Gunbroker too much, since 90% of the guns for sale are not MA compliant. But there are still deals to be found on some of the ones that I can buy, so I'll try to look on the bright side.

Once again, thanks.

 

[Kraziken]

I'm a bit old school, and a bit paranoid about giving sites my personal information as well.

But gunbroker is great for tracking out of production firearms that you want. I've used them successfully for two transactions.

 

[tbtrout]

I am the oddball. I have had 3 transactions on there and problems with all 3.The 1st I never recieved the item. 2nd and 3rd took about 5-6 weeks and many e mails to finally get what I paid for quickly. None of these were firearms though, all accessories. I do not think there will be a 4th.

 

[jhgreasemonkey]

I've been registered with gunbroker for a couple years now and havent had any kind of problem. I only occasionaly buy there but its been fine.