dishonest listings on gunbroker

[gaseousclay]

do you ever encounter listings on gunbroker that look too good to be true? there seem to be a lot of guns floating around that aren't truthfully listed. Have you ever contacted the seller to point it out?

For example, i've come across a few pre-64 Winchester 94's that had work done. Nowhere in the listing did the seller specify that the rifle had been re-blued or that the stock had been refinished, but in some cases it was fairly obvious and it didn't look good. to me this takes away from the value of a gun and when a seller doesn't say a firearm has been modified in any way it's the same as lying. plus, i'd hate to be a buyer that gets a gun in the mail only to discover it wasn't what they purchased.

[PH/CIB]

I have bought probably twenty guns off GunBroker and have not been burned yet, knock on wood. If it looks too good to be true it probably is.

I also check the sellers reviews if they have nothing but good reviews or maybe scores of good reviews and only a few neutral or bad reviews which I read then I am more confident to buy from them,,,if they are new and have no reviews or if they have quite a few bad reviews, no matter how good the deal looks, I pass.

I also check on whether they are selling the gun as is with no returns or with a three day inspection period which I prefer,,,and I very carefully look over the pictures on GunBroker....

[Slamfire]

Use your own judgement.

There are some pretty unsophisticated sellers on Gunbroker, ask questions, don't committ to a major purchases without doing your home work.

[skeeter]

I bought several guns on Gunbroker and two were a problem. A brand new Socom 16 had a defective rear sight and the seller worked out an agreement where it was repaired locally by Smith Enterprise.
I also bought a Colt Python described as "flawless, new in box" and it would fire one round and then you could not pull the hammer back or fire double action. Both the seller and Gunbroker refused to be any help saying I fired the gun even though I would never know there was a problem if I did not fire it. It dry fired fine. It cost me about $300 to ship it to Colt and have it repaired and that did not address the grossly mis-matched grips. I only buy now with a credit card and look for slide plate screws that were worked on, want to see photosof the front/rear of cylinder, recoil shield photos ,etc. I had seen a lot of guns I would never buy but people still bid on them.

[Redhawk5.5+P+]

I would use or buy from only a creditable person with a long A rating from GB.

Only bought ammo from them with axtra good luck. $00.25 GDHP +P 9mm and $00.30 GDHP +P .38spl. in bulk to the door. Boy those were the good old days.

TBS, buying a gun is a gamble every time especially from a low count seller.

[checkmyswag]

Don't like when they list guns they don't have in stock.

[Master Blaster 2]

I have only bought over 60 firearms off Gun Broker. Never had a problem and have bought the neat guns at good prices that do not exist in my midwestern market. Gun stores in my area just do not have what I want.
Education: I have bought over 950 items off E-Bay over the year and had been burnt. I guess that how I have learned to research first..know what u are bidding on.
Nowdays all gun prices have gone up. I usually get out bid a lot lately. It is all in the numbers.

[Skans]

I've seen listing for WWI era 1911's that have obviously been refinished - no mention of that. But, if you just look at the gun and the price, that aught to tell you something. If it's too good to be true, you most likely won't find anyone bidding on it.

[RickB]

I often contact sellers who appear to innocently not know what they're selling. I generally ignore the people who are misrepresenting what they have, as they probably already know, but are trying to conceal it.

[Smilin Jack]

They're no more dishonest than my LGS. As allways you have to be very careful when parting with your hard earned cash. I've bought a dozen guns on gunbroker and all turned out OK. But I'll walk away from any deal that doesn't look right. I've been ripped off several times at local gun shops. They get your money then forget who you are....that's why my $$$$ goes to someone else now. Just don't fall in love with anything you see.

[gaseousclay]

I often contact sellers who appear to innocently not know what they're selling. I generally ignore the people who are misrepresenting what they have, as they probably already know, but are trying to conceal it.

i've tried contacting sellers on 3 or 4 separate occasions and never got responses. I mainly asked questions like, "what's the production year?' or 'what condition is the bore?' usually I ask questions that aren't answered in the listing itself, now why these particular sellers refuse to answer my question is a mystery but it really irks me to no end.

I think there ought to be a gunbroker regulation that stipulates you list items for sale as honestly as possible, meaning, if you know a gun has been rehabbed or has a crooked barrel, or is prone to jamming, then it should be stated in the listing.

[KBP75]

Skeeter! It is really sad and strange that Colt would charge you $300.00 to repair a NIB firearm that was defective! Most gun companies will fix a firearm for free if its defective! As far as paying for something from a stranger( or Ebay) with a credit card, its the smart thing to do. I once bought a pair of high end binoculars on ebay and when they arrived, they did not work! They were out of alignment and needed to be nitrogen purged. I went through the maze of smoke and mirrors exactly according to Ebays "BUYER PROTECTION PLAN" and at the end, they did NOTHING. They said they couldn't determine if I broke them or they were sent defective! Since then my credit card has protected me from two other fraud attempts.

[laytonj1]

It is really sad and strange that Colt would charge you $300.00 to repair a NIB firearm that was defective!
Colt discontinued prodution of the Python over a decade ago. So, unless he purchased that gun over a decade ago, I doubt it was really a brand new gun but rather a used gun described as looking "NIB" by the seller.
There is no telling what happened to it in the hands of the original owners.

Jim

[johnbt]

Speaking of dishonest listings, with the flood of reproduction Python boxes, manuals, tags and whatnot available on ebay, unless you are a true expert there's no telling if a Python is really NIB. Even dealers get fooled because the package looks so good.

Someone suggested on another forum that many of the guns for sale should be listed as INB - in new box.

[Patriot86]

This is why I demand very detailed pictures of a firearm before a GB Buy and would only go there for something I cannot find locally (out of production firearms, etc) or harder to find ammo.

I cannot tell you how many P226's I have seen listed as "W. German" that are really just current/semi current german productions.


My one and probably only ammo purchase was meh, the ammo in the pictures looked brand new, etc. When I got it some of the cases were discolored from age and the boxes looked about 4-8 years old. So far (Knock on wood) all if it has gone bang.


So far I have not had to go to GB baseed on price OR availability for any firearm that is in current production though.
Even here in Illinois I have a couple of places that will come pretty close to even the cheapest GB prices on most guns. That being said...there is a guy in MO who I buy my SIGs from now, he is not only very cheap but also has an insane selection but I found him through a friend, not GB.

[RickB]

Someone suggested on another forum that many of the guns for sale should be listed as INB - in new box.

Now THAT's funny! :)

[Skans]

Speaking of dishonest listings, with the flood of reproduction Python boxes, manuals, tags and whatnot available on ebay, unless you are a true expert there's no telling if a Python is really NIB. Even dealers get fooled because the package looks so good.

If people are foolish enough to pay hundreds of dollars more for a gun, just because it comes with a $.70 paper box, someone is going to be enterprising enough to manufacture cheap boxes and sell them for big money.

There are gun collectors, and then there are box collectors. Paper boxes amuse me about as much as Pokeymon cards.:D

[doofus47]

If you don't do your homework, you will pay.


I have contacted a few sellers to point out a few issues with their descriptions. If they noted my comments in their sale or corrected the original description, I assume they made an honest mistake. If not, I make a mental note to avoid the seller.

[gaseousclay]

came across a listing for a pre-64 Winchester 94 that was at around $400 high bid the other day. today it shot up to $1200. seems rather dubious for a pre-64, in very good condition mind you, to go from $400 to $1200 in the span of a day. A NIB pre-64 might command $1200 but not this particular gun. I smell a shill

[5.56RifleGuy]

If you can find someone that will take a credit card you are in a lot better shape. If they try to screw you, you can call the credit card company and they will help you out.

[Madcap_Magician]

I bought a Ruger Service Six for a decent price. The seller admitted there was some speckling on the finish.

Which turned out to be at least five largish patches of the start of rust pitting. >.<