Gunbroker Unscrupulous Sellers

[Sparkitoff]

I found a smoothbore that said "seems to work but has not been fired and we are not gunsmiths". I asked some questions and did get a response. I bought it. The right lock worked but the left lock did not half-cock or full-cock. I find it hard to believe the Seller didn't know that. How can you resist cocking the hammers to hear the clicks and see that it works. It took quite a bit to fix that lock but I have it working. The barrels were described as "new, never fired". The left one is rough as a concrete pad. I suppose it could be new but it was never lapped or any attempt to smooth it out. I worked on it some and got it useable. In hindsight, I'm glad I bought it without knowing these things. I probably would have passed if I knew these in advance. However, now that it works, it is a real pleasure to hunt with. You just never know, have to be willing to take some chance and have to be comfortable with the price.

 

[waarp8nt]

I was deceived once on gunbroker, I got my money back, so I won't say I was ripped off.

I purchased a Renegade, the pictures showed a near mint .54 caliber Renegade with nice wood. I recieved a rust bucket Renegade with a stock that appeared to be chewed by a beaver is was dented so bad. I called the seller, he said he used generic pictures because he sold so many and nobody had been disappointed before me. He offered to send me another Renegade upon the return of the one I purchased. I reminded him that I wasn't the dishonest one, that I would return the gun once I received the money.

I had paid by electronic means so I got the money back right away and in turn shipped the muzzleloader the next day.

 

[Urban Coyote]

The Green Mountain Hawken Seller

I went into this sellers feed back and in every case I looked at where the seller received a less than favorable review he blocked the buyer.

I should note this seller has mostly positive feedback but if you challenge him....

" NO SOUP FOR YOU!"

This seller is, The Gun Nazi, kind of like Seinfeld's Soup Nazi.

 

[Ben Lilley]

They're not unscrupulous....they're trolling for that one dumb bastard.


If yahoo's out there will pay $1200 dollars for $1.89 worth of molded plastic with a yeti sticker on it, why not see if you can't get some of that dumb bastard money.

Now that's funny right there...

True, but funny

 

[Jedidiah]

I've used Gunbroker with reasonable success but I must admit I've been burned a time or two also. I look over ads closely and ask questions. Sometimes I get a response other times none, in which case I don't bid.

Currently there is a decent looking T/C Hawken, caplock model, being advertised as having an aftermarket .54 Green Mountain barrel. It seems Green Mountain aftermarket barrels bring a premium which to many might make this gun more attractive and likely sell for more than a gun with a factory barrel. The problem with this particular gun is the barrel left Green Mountain as a .50 but has been rebored to .54. It's fairly obvious since the zero in the .50 marked on the barrel has been over stamped with a 4 and the crowning on the barrel is not correct. So, I asked the question and was told the seller doesn't know history on the gun. I had bought a very nice early T/C Hawken from this guy a few years back but he didn't photograph the butt plate or disclose it was badly corroded. I suggested to him he update the description to let potential bidders know it was a rebore. His response, I'm permanently blocked from his auctions. Like I really care. Believe me, this guy knows what he's selling.

I ran across another seller I'd never done business with over a month ago advertising a Lyman Trade Rifle assembled from a kit by a gunsmith with a starting bid of $2,500. I asked if the starting bid was a mistake and might really be $250. His response, "your blocked", that was it, the only words in his response. He's since reduced his starting bid to $1,900 and the gun is still for sale. Good luck selling that piece.

Full disclosure, I was a little rough on the guy trying to pass off the rebored Green Mountain barrel having been burned by him before.

I watch Gunbroker pretty much daily but I rarely buy anymore. It's pretty interesting to see some of the guns that are misrepresented as to condition. The one that really gets me is "unfired" or "unfired condition" when it obvious from the photographs its untrue. I guess it's just a buyer beware situation.

Use extreme caution when shopping on Gunbroker. You're likely way safer buying here.

I have bought and sold on GB. No more. Too many wannabes, losers and basic scammers selling product that does not meet the hyped up descriptions. Buyer beware!!

 

[rp77469]

My only experience on GB was buying a NIB Pedersoli Bess about six years ago. The seller ran an auto parts store and used his credit card reward points at Cabellas. He sold several guns this way at 2/3 retail. I followed GB for a year or so, and never saw anything else of interest at an affordable price, but plenty sky high. I shop here now and the Tennessee Kentucky Longrifle and CLA shows when I can get to them.

 

[Coot]

I have had good luck buying several modern (centerfire) guns and a couple 2nd gen Colts off of GB.

 

[azmntman]

Only one I bought was a dbl 20GA Italian BP shotgun for $249.00 IIRC. I was and am still happy. Most are full of berries.

 

[Tony Rothrock]

I have had pretty good luck on Gun Broker. I knew exactly what I was looking for and/or I asked pertinent questions and got satisfactory answers before I bid though. Some folks are "Pickers" and the like - they go to Estate sales and grab a bunch of stuff and when it comes these sorts of weapons, they have no clue what they have. Others know exactly what they have but are hoping YOU don't. So, "Caveat Emptor". One thing I have noticed are these so called "Kits" - pile of parts with a stock blank, often just a flat square cornered chunk of wood, at exorbitant prices - One could go to Pecatonica and get those parts and a CARVED stock at 2/3 the cost.

 

[tjiann]

There's unscrupulous sellers everywhere on auction sites and every forum. Doesn't mean there's not a ton of good, honest, solid sellers there too. Weve got to stop generalizing. Do your homework, ask questions, ask for more pics, get on the phone and talk, etc. Don't buy if your not totally comfortable with the deal, terms, or seller response, unless you think the risk is worth it. Every deal I've done on GB has been good because I won't buy unless I've done what I need to do to get comfortable with it. Just my two cents.

 

[wiscoaster]

... Weve got to stop generalizing. ...

Amen to that.

I've not had any problems with purchases on GB, but then I think I'm pretty good at screening out the sketchy auctions. Gullible buyers can be taken by sketchy sellers on any platform, and if there haven't ever been any such here, then the operators of the forum wouldn't be taking steps to try to keep them off.

 

[Ditt44]

I have purchased a couple guns from GB over the years. Only once was I mislead when I bought a .50 Renegade that looked used but in really good condition. Once I got it, and I kid you not, I went thru more than 1,000 cleaning patches and every option you imagine to clean that bore. It looked like and pushing a patch down the bore felt like driving down a cobble stone street in a steel wheeled wagon. "Good" condition was far from it. I commented on the condition to the seller and was blown off.

After a lot of cleanup that thing would actually shoot a round ball really well with a .018 patch. I found good deals on a flint lock and barrel separately, so I converted it to a .54 flintlock and sold the .50 barrel to a guy who wanted a .56 smoothbore. I believe he sent it to Mr. Hoyt for the work. Got $85 back on it at least.

The other MLs I have bought there have been what they were said to be and I have no complaints. I have actually had some good conversations with a couple sellers.

 

[Frontstuffer070]

I have only bought a few things on GB. I do more window shopping than anything. I recently (2/16) snapped up a Made in USA CVA Mountain for what I think is a steal. I bought and paid for it right away. I have sent the seller an email and not a peep and it hasn't marked as being shipped. He did remark in the listing that he was a Police Officer full time and an FFL part time. So I can understand that. How long should I wait before I call him? My thoughts are if you list something and a buyer pays you promptly, then you should correspond and ship promptly. Heck I would have the thing boxed up already and all I would have to do when it sold was print a lablel and drop it off or have it picked up.

 

[wiscoaster]

.... How long should I wait before I call him? ....

If I recall correctly, the seller has five days to ship. The caveat is if they buy shipping online and they get a tracking number they can status the sale as "shipped". I had one seller mark my purchase as "shipped" but it was three days before it was actually picked up by the shipper. If yours was paid on Feb 16 and not shipped yet, you should call NOW.

 

[Frontstuffer070]

Thank you Wiscoaster, I'll call him

 

[AZ Muzzleloaders]

I sell many more guns on GB than I do here (simply a much larger audience). Same user name. Customers can always contact me here. I back up everything I sell. Yes, I've been burned by a couple of sellers there. One was a police chief with an FFL! Operation Two Alpha LLC. Daniel White.
Dave

 

[Frontstuffer070]

Of course there's no answer. I got a bad feeling or maybe I'm just impatient.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I have had good luck on GB. Like others have said, ask the specific questions and review the answers carefully. If they still haven't answered or are vague, that is a big red flag. "Everything is in the description" is another. Look at their feedback and proceed at your discretion.

 

[wiscoaster]

Of course there's no answer. I got a bad feeling or maybe I'm just impatient.

Here's a suggestion: you also have a name and an address. You know he's a cop. Call the local PD. See if you can get ahold of him that way. You want a "shipping status update". No accusations, just a reasonable question.

The auction closed on Friday, right? Weekend days don't count. Monday was a holiday. If it was me, I'd probably give another day before I got too worried.

 

[vintovka]

During the liquidation of my late BILs estate we learned some hard lessons about bad Buyers. Some bid for fun and never pay. They use excuse after excuse and even send repetitive emails asking if the check they never sent has arrived. Then there's the parts swappers who send item back after exchanging their broken parts back for your good ones. The worst are the false damage claimers. Some ask for 50% refunds without providing pics or anything -- When that fails they threaten to leave bad feedback. Lastly those who do not honor the terms of sale insisting on PPFF, Venmo or personal checks when offer states these are not accepted. Most all wind up on the blocked bidder list and having accts disabled.