Mislabeled gunbroker auction

johnwilliamson062 · March 23, 2015, 12:17 PM

One of the firearms near the top of my list is on gunbroker for a good price, but there are some issues with the listing. In the official categorization this gun is listed as a rifle when it is not a rifle, and with a rifle caliber chambering when it is a 12ga. The manufacturer is also incorrect. Everything else; title, description, pictures, etc matches the firearm I want. The seller has 300+ reviews with A+ rating.
Honest mistake or a scam? I am thinking it could be a scam as the rifle it is listed as is not worth as much as the firearm described. They send me the rifle and say that is what the auction was for and I can't dispute. Like the ebay auctions for playstations and such where they put in the description that the auction is for the box only and someone pays big money for a box on release day. Maybe the dealer listed the other rifle first and copied and pasted some things into the new auction?

Yes, I could message the seller, but I assume the price on this firearm is running below market because it is incorrectly labeled in the search fields. I doubt I will be able to bid around the auction end times anyways.
I should probably message the seller.

Nlight1 · March 23, 2015, 12:54 PM

If someone can't accurately list an item for auction I'm not going to waste my time with it. It sounds shady or incompetent to me. I would leave it alone.

Gary L. Griffiths · March 23, 2015, 12:57 PM

I've discovered that some gun dealers, including supposedly professional FFL holders, are dumber than posts when describing their wares.

doofus47 · March 24, 2015, 11:20 AM

I once found myself the only bidder for a biathlon rifle that was posted as a "biathalon" rifle....
Spelling skills: they WILL save you money in the long run, I promise.

Doyle · March 24, 2015, 11:26 AM

I'm not understanding the exact problem. Gunbroker dealers frequently put their firearms in the wrong category. The real issue should be whether or not the description of the firearm matches the pictures and if they both match the title. If those all match, then ignore the category they put it in. If one of those 3 don't match, then the likelihood is that the seller has multiple items for sale and mixed up his stuff. In that case, an email to him is definitely called for if you are indeed interested in purchasing.

**Tom Servo** · March 24, 2015, 12:25 PM

Quote:

I should probably message the seller.

If he's got a good rep, it sounds like a simple mistake. He may have cut-and-pasted something incorrectly, or he might have an employee doing the listings who's internet savvy but confused about the gun.

He may appreciate being notified. It'll save him and potential buyers the confusion.

noelf2 · March 24, 2015, 02:35 PM

I saw one similar recently. Was a double barrel sxs muzzle loader 12 gauge, listed as a rifle. Description even said "smoothbore". Same one? Pretty sure it's a mistake. I'd still ask before bidding.

45_auto · March 24, 2015, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnwilliamson062

The seller has 300+ reviews with A+ rating......I am thinking it could be a scam

Building up over 300 reviews with an A+ rating seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through to scam somebody. The letters I get from the president and princes of Nigeria don't go to anywhere near that much trouble.

kilimanjaro · March 24, 2015, 10:24 PM

Just ask him, to err is human.

Scorch · March 25, 2015, 10:53 AM

Gunbroker auctions with misstatements are not unusual. Firearms being described as 90% when they visibly have large areas of bare metal, parts guns described as "rare variant" (in fact almost every gun is "rare" according to the sellers), guns being described as something they are not, etc. Too many issues to list. Many of the sellers know little or nothing about firearms and it is obvious in their descriptions. In spite of that, most are not trying to be dishonest, they are simply uninformed or misinformed.

AustinTX · March 26, 2015, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nlight1

If someone can't accurately list an item for auction I'm not going to waste my time with it. It sounds shady or incompetent to me. I would leave it alone.

I'm sure glad that's not my personal rule. I would have missed out on several great deals on some pretty rare guns by this point.

45_auto · March 26, 2015, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scorch

Firearms being described as 90% when they visibly have large areas of bare metal

It would appear that you do not understand the rating system.

Quote:

PERCENTAGE OF ORIGINAL FINISH SYSTEM - This system is widely used by collectors and dealers, and has been popularized by Fjestad's excellent price guide, Blue Book of Gun Values. It's important to note that this system usually refers to the PERCENTAGE OF ORIGINAL FINISH REMAINING ON THE METAL SURFACES.

Per the definition, a 90% firearm has 10% bare metal (90% original finish remaining).

A rifle like a Winchester 1894 has over 60 square inches of finish on the barrel and magazine tube alone, not even counting the receiver. Figure the receiver is more than 3" x 4" on each side and that means that the gun easily has over 85 square inches of finish on it. An 1894 with a patch of bare metal 2" x 4" (almost the whole side of the receiver) would rate well above 90%, yet would visibly have almost one entire side of the receiver bare metal.

The Verminator · March 26, 2015, 09:37 AM

Even if you managed to get it at the wrong price, they'd figure it out and cancel the transaction.

jasmith85 · March 26, 2015, 10:08 AM

If you have a good seller you have nothing to worry about. A few months ago I won a no reserve auction on gunbroker for a FNX 45. I noticed in the info they said it was a 9mm, but the title, SKU, etc. all matched up as an FNX 45 so I went ahead and bid on it since it didn't have too much time left. After I won it I contacted the shop and they said that it had been entered in wrong and that it was an FNX 9. I explained that the auction was too close to ending for me to have contacted them to verify the caliber and they let me out of the auction and said they would pay the seller fees for it. They even offered me free shipping on my next purchase through them for the inconvenience. I doubt my experience is anywhere near typical on issues like this though.

Jim Watson · March 26, 2015, 10:25 AM

A friend says he has a list of common misspellings of his favorite gun to search on and gets bargains on guns auctioned by illiterates and ignored by most buyers.

RickB · March 26, 2015, 04:08 PM

If you are interested in any sort of commemorative, be sure to search "commerative", too.

johnwilliamson062 · March 27, 2015, 03:50 PM

Sold while I was at work.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=474949286
The lower price might also reflect the fact that the extra stock inserts are not included.

Doyle · March 27, 2015, 04:27 PM

John, I don't see anything on that listing that appears misleading. Maybe you saw something that I didn't notice but it looked OK to me.

johnwilliamson062 · March 28, 2015, 03:00 AM

Actually, you are right. That is probably why it sold. Was on 24 hour auctions for $675 expiring with no bids. The 24 hours expired while I was at work each day this week, so this was my first chance to bid since I posted.
The "Characteristics for item" section was wrong. It was listed as a 308 Ruger rifle previously. As such, if you searched "benelli m2" then sorted for 12ga or semi-auto shotgun to clear out the junk it disappeared.
I found one more my style though.

FITASC · March 30, 2015, 09:44 AM

What was wrong? It was listed in the semi shotgun section, which the gun is. What am I missing?

johnwilliamson062 · March 31, 2015, 12:17 AM

The last auction was correctly labeled. The previous auctions that expired without bids were mislabeled.

March 23, 2015, 12:17 PM	#1
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Mislabeled gunbroker auction One of the firearms near the top of my list is on gunbroker for a good price, but there are some issues with the listing. In the official categorization this gun is listed as a rifle when it is not a rifle, and with a rifle caliber chambering when it is a 12ga. The manufacturer is also incorrect. Everything else; title, description, pictures, etc matches the firearm I want. The seller has 300+ reviews with A+ rating. Honest mistake or a scam? I am thinking it could be a scam as the rifle it is listed as is not worth as much as the firearm described. They send me the rifle and say that is what the auction was for and I can't dispute. Like the ebay auctions for playstations and such where they put in the description that the auction is for the box only and someone pays big money for a box on release day. Maybe the dealer listed the other rifle first and copied and pasted some things into the new auction? Yes, I could message the seller, but I assume the price on this firearm is running below market because it is incorrectly labeled in the search fields. I doubt I will be able to bid around the auction end times anyways. I should probably message the seller.

March 23, 2015, 12:57 PM	#3
Gary L. Griffiths Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: AZ, WA Posts: 1,466	I've discovered that some gun dealers, including supposedly professional FFL holders, are dumber than posts when describing their wares. __________________ Violence is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and valorous feeling which believes that nothing is worth violence is much worse. Those who have nothing for which they are willing to fight; nothing they care about more than their own craven apathy; are miserable creatures who have no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the valor of those better than themselves. Gary L. Griffiths (Paraphrasing John Stuart Mill)

March 24, 2015, 11:20 AM	#4
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	I once found myself the only bidder for a biathlon rifle that was posted as a "biathalon" rifle.... Spelling skills: they WILL save you money in the long run, I promise. __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

March 24, 2015, 02:35 PM	#7
noelf2 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2008 Location: Stuart, VA Posts: 2,473	I saw one similar recently. Was a double barrel sxs muzzle loader 12 gauge, listed as a rifle. Description even said "smoothbore". Same one? Pretty sure it's a mistake. I'd still ask before bidding. __________________ Liberty and freedom often offends those who understand neither.

March 25, 2015, 10:53 AM	#10
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Gunbroker auctions with misstatements are not unusual. Firearms being described as 90% when they visibly have large areas of bare metal, parts guns described as "rare variant" (in fact almost every gun is "rare" according to the sellers), guns being described as something they are not, etc. Too many issues to list. Many of the sellers know little or nothing about firearms and it is obvious in their descriptions. In spite of that, most are not trying to be dishonest, they are simply uninformed or misinformed. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

March 23, 2015, 12:54 PM	#2
Nlight1 Member Join Date: June 19, 2013 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 89	If someone can't accurately list an item for auction I'm not going to waste my time with it. It sounds shady or incompetent to me. I would leave it alone.

March 24, 2015, 11:26 AM	#5
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	I'm not understanding the exact problem. Gunbroker dealers frequently put their firearms in the wrong category. The real issue should be whether or not the description of the firearm matches the pictures and if they both match the title. If those all match, then ignore the category they put it in. If one of those 3 don't match, then the likelihood is that the seller has multiple items for sale and mixed up his stuff. In that case, an email to him is definitely called for if you are indeed interested in purchasing.

March 24, 2015, 10:24 PM	#9
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	Just ask him, to err is human.

March 26, 2015, 09:37 AM	#13
The Verminator Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 2013 Location: Minnesota Posts: 268	Even if you managed to get it at the wrong price, they'd figure it out and cancel the transaction.

March 26, 2015, 10:08 AM	#14
jasmith85 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 631	If you have a good seller you have nothing to worry about. A few months ago I won a no reserve auction on gunbroker for a FNX 45. I noticed in the info they said it was a 9mm, but the title, SKU, etc. all matched up as an FNX 45 so I went ahead and bid on it since it didn't have too much time left. After I won it I contacted the shop and they said that it had been entered in wrong and that it was an FNX 9. I explained that the auction was too close to ending for me to have contacted them to verify the caliber and they let me out of the auction and said they would pay the seller fees for it. They even offered me free shipping on my next purchase through them for the inconvenience. I doubt my experience is anywhere near typical on issues like this though.

March 26, 2015, 10:25 AM	#15
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	A friend says he has a list of common misspellings of his favorite gun to search on and gets bargains on guns auctioned by illiterates and ignored by most buyers.

March 26, 2015, 04:08 PM	#16
RickB Senior Member Join Date: March 1, 2000 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 8,518	If you are interested in any sort of commemorative, be sure to search "commerative", too. __________________ Runs off at the mouth about anything 1911 related on this site and half the time is flat out wrong.

March 27, 2015, 03:50 PM	#17
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Sold while I was at work. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=474949286 The lower price might also reflect the fact that the extra stock inserts are not included.

March 27, 2015, 04:27 PM	#18
Doyle Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2007 Location: Rainbow City, Alabama Posts: 7,167	John, I don't see anything on that listing that appears misleading. Maybe you saw something that I didn't notice but it looked OK to me.

March 28, 2015, 03:00 AM	#19
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Actually, you are right. That is probably why it sold. Was on 24 hour auctions for $675 expiring with no bids. The 24 hours expired while I was at work each day this week, so this was my first chance to bid since I posted. The "Characteristics for item" section was wrong. It was listed as a 308 Ruger rifle previously. As such, if you searched "benelli m2" then sorted for 12ga or semi-auto shotgun to clear out the junk it disappeared. I found one more my style though.

March 30, 2015, 09:44 AM	#20
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	What was wrong? It was listed in the semi shotgun section, which the gun is. What am I missing? __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

March 31, 2015, 12:17 AM	#21
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	The last auction was correctly labeled. The previous auctions that expired without bids were mislabeled.