First handgun purchase via GunBroker - great experience

behindyou

behindyou

Happy to be here
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Messages
656
Location
Charlotte
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Trolled GB for years, looking for anything interesting - that I can't get via LGS. Found a Glock 19X BNIB, with 3 mags and all the factory accessories, in FDE. Not a big Glock fan but I thought this would be a great addition to the group - and I got it at a great price.

IMHO, the process was seamless once I won the bid. I chose PointBlank Range in Matthews (less than 5 miles away) as my FFL - and the rest went seriously smoothly. Mike at PBR said he take care of everything. And he did. Contacted the seller, emailed me throughout the process. The firearm was delivered to their Mooresville location (I had selected Matthews). Mooresville assured me the firearm would be sent to Matthews, it was, and they called me when it arrived.

So, for me, this was a good introduction to online firearm purchasing. If I can't get what I want locally, I am much more comfortable buying the firearms I want on line.

Thank you to the team at PointBlank Range.
 
Good to hear everything went well. I have bought a few guns and some ammo over the years and always had a good outcome from gunbroker.
 
Last edited:
I've sold a few on Gunbroker but never bought anything. There are way to much shill bidding on it for me. I reported one seller who had about 30 guns online with penny starts. After looking at his prior sales and his active ones you could see the same two names bidding the guns up almost to retail, and then dropping out, never buying one gun. I sent about 25 listings numbers to GB showing them the same pattern. THEY DID NOTHING!! It's just about the money and they could care less about shill bidding. I'm glad it worked out for you.
 
Last edited:
I've bought maybe a dozen guns on GB with zero issues.

ETA- if my LGS has what I want, I'll buy it from them, but I'm into some offbeat stuff that they just don't get in.
 
Last edited:
I’ve done two or three purchase transactions through GB. All were very good deals for me. The FFL movement was painless—used Bulldozers Moose Guns in Mint Hill several times. They’ll even tell you to buy online and just them as an FFL instead of buying retail through them. The majority of their business appears to be FFL transfers.
 
You've done stuck your head in a rabbit hole you can't back out of.

I've bought several guns thru GB over the years.
Only one that I returned and I did get a full refund on it.
 
I've probably bought 30-40 on GB and had only one bad experience. One thing I can tell you from experience, don't expect much help from GB if you get ripped off like I did. Just got in a model 34 last week that we found out that it had been dry fired to death and would only fire on 2 of 6 cylinders. Contacted the seller whos rep said they would gladly return my money and sent me a pick up notice so I would not have to pay any return shipping. The owner called the next day with an apology which was nice. I think the vast majority or sellers on GB are good dealers. Sure there are crooks just as there are crooked dealers in shops and gun shows. The hard thing about GB and any auction is to not get caught up in the auction thinking "whats one more bid?" There are deals to be had on GB just like buying at the local gun and pawn shops. You just have to be patient and know what the current market is before pulling the trigger.
 
I pretty much only buy used on gunbroker. The majority of the time its been first rate. Once in a while you run into problems but I have always been able to work things out with the sellers.

Always check the feedback ratings... that can tell you a lot. I try to buy from FFL dealers as well. They typically know what they are doing. Sometimes new sellers with little to no feedback dont understand the process. Not usually an issue until it comes to shipping firearms.

When you run into shill bidding (which happens everywhere) you just stop bidding. I dont get into bidding wars.

It also helps when you establish a relationship and show some loyalty towards your prefered small shop dealer. Thats where the real experience is at. People that know your name when you walk in the door. My dealer takes my kids in the back to show him toys like laser engravers... paint booths etc. Good guy. His wife usually mpours me a cup of coffee and we talk about what the kids have been up to. Big shops and chain stores your just another body taking up space.
 
Last edited:
I have several GB buys, always BIN vs bids. One dealer. shipped a nib Sig but it was a show gun with firing pin removed. Seller sent the right gun and call tag for the wrong one. All good deals.
 
Gunbroker is probably the best selling / buying website you'll find. Thing is, the better deals on used guns can be found on Armslist, but the issue there is they have a bunch of scam artists you got to deal with. Gunbroker seems to do a great job in getting rid of the "rift raft" (added the sellers on Gunbroker generally have to pay a fee when their gun is sold).

One note, NEVER EVER use pay pal to buy or sell a firearm (added the fact that it is agasint pay pals policy).
 
I have bought more than I care to admit on gunbroker and have sold a couple there as well.An established seller cares about his reputation generally.The only two bad experiences I have had were twice I one an auction and then the seller emailed me that the gun hadn't been pulled off the shelf after a bid was placed and it sold in store before the auction ended.Happened to be on the same model of gun with two different sellers.One seller I truly believe it was a mistake by the way he handled himself with me.The second time I believe he was lying because the gun didn't sell anywhere near what they usually go for.Can't prove it and removed him from my favorite seller/daily email search list.
 
Etruett said:
There are deals to be had on GB just like buying at the local gun and pawn shops. You just have to be patient and know what the current market is before pulling the trigger.
Click to expand...
Eddie and I know one thing for Sure...you never make a dime when selling. You make money when you buy. If you buy wrong, you can never come out.
 
I've purchases through GB twice and both times had a smooth and transparent experience from start to finish.
 
Im out almost 2k on a GB deal gone bad and all they told me was to contact the ATF. They have since added a buyer protection program. The guy was an FFL too.
R
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
Eddie and I know one thing for Sure...you never make a dime when selling. You make money when you buy. If you buy wrong, you can never come out.
Click to expand...
One of the eye-talian furniture manufacturers I worked for was actually educated in economics. He was a lying thief but did say something that’s stuck with me through the years...

“You make money when you buy, not when you sell”.

I learned he was right but, that wasn’t the only way. As a consultant, I made a good bit charging clients for that piece of advice. :cool:
 
I don't understand how some a'you can defame Gunbroker for permitting shill bidders. I've checked these bids carefully and everything seems on the up-and-up for a gun MAYBE worth $750-800ish in today's market. o_O

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/875739860
 
I am not buying it. I dont care how many covid checks people are getting. Its a con.

2 Grand can get you a pretty nice built 1911. Say its a newbie gun buyer who is ignorant...are they really going to drop $2,000 on a first gun.

Could be money laundering. Goes on in the Art world all the time. Doesnt seem like it would be worth it for the amount of money involved but who knows these days.

Maybe someones autistic kid is playing around on gunbroker Ha Ha! Numbers!!! Numbers!!! Dad comes home and looks at his account and has a heart attack.
 
Last edited:
Gunbroker is great. I have bought used and new there more times than I would admit in public because maybe the wife stalks the forum LOL. In all seriousness GB has access to more guns than any local market ever could. The trick as others have pointed out is to know what the right price is for a particular item. The problem with GB is that you can get almost anything you want but some will pay almost any price to get it. If you are disciplined and know the market and are patient you can get a lot of good deals on GB. The key it to never get into a bidding war. Know the max that the gun is really worth and never bid over that.

My most recent GB purchase was a P239 in 9mm. I paid $506 + $30 shipping. I bid on 3 or 4 others that sold for more. I ended up with a LNIB gun with 2 mags, original bx manual etc... That was the lowest price paid for a P239 with 2 mags in the last 90 days. I lost a lot of auction once the bidding go beyond what I wanted to pay. If you can walk away when it goes over the right price GB is great.

Jeppo said:
I don't understand how some a'you can defame Gunbroker for permitting shill bidders. I've checked these bids carefully and everything seems on the up-and-up for a gun MAYBE worth $750-800ish in today's market. o_O

https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/875739860
Click to expand...

Yeah there are a lot of shaddy things happening on GB. I think auctions like that are the result of 2 things. One is incorrectly programmed bot bidders where the buy price is wrong or the item they are bidding on has been misidentified or it is people who want what they want and the difference between $1000 and $2000 does not move the needle. Time and want are primary not $$$$. I do not play in that world but I know that it exists.
 
I think we can eliminate the “they want what they want” explanation. FG&G has been selling the same gun on GB for $800. The only difference is the button vs paddle mag release and a couple fewer magazines. $600 each for magazines seems excessive, even for H&K. ;)
 
Jeppo said:
I think we can eliminate the “they want what they want” explanation. FG&G has been selling the same gun on GB for $800. The only difference is the button vs paddle mag release and a couple fewer magazines. $600 each for magazines seems excessive, even for H&K. ;)
Click to expand...

I have a VP70z. Sweet gun for what it is. Great 9mm for down and dirty outdoors pistol.
 
Jeppo said:
I think we can eliminate the “they want what they want” explanation. FG&G has been selling the same gun on GB for $800. The only difference is the button vs paddle mag release and a couple fewer magazines. $600 each for magazines seems excessive, even for H&K. ;)
Click to expand...

Bot then.
 
I quit gb after drunk bidding on about 30 things one night. Woke up the next morning scared outta my mind. Fortunately somebody beat me outta all of it and i took it as a lesson. Only real problems ive had with them was dealing with the ffl. All the guns ive bought have been sent with no problem...The ffl receiving and letting me know...or being willing to check if they had received it already, thats another story. Had a ffl change his transfer price after he received my gun one time... I pointed out how much business he was going to lose over an extra 10$... He didnt care. I didnt return. Life goes on.
 
I used to buy C&R long guns on GB but gave up when I had three in a row with problems like a major crack in the stock or pits in the bore that weren't disclosed in the ad. I was on the hook for the return postage on each so I gave up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom