Buy Used Guns Online without Inspection Period ?

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Pointshoot

New member
Hi everyone - - - I'm posting this because I am amazed at the number of sellers who sell used guns without allowing a 3 day non-shooting inspection period - defined as having 3 days from the time the gun arrives at the FFL to reject or accept it. The 3 days gives you a little leeway incase something comes up when the gun arrives, or it comes very late in the day when the FFL shop is about to close. The FFL I use is 50 miles away. (I was interested in a couple revolvers.) This can only happen if there are enough people who would buy guns under such conditions. To me, this seems extremely foolish - - - like buying a used car sight unseen. While most of the gun purchases I've done from a distance have been great, I was glad to have the 3 day inspection when a shotgun I bought turned out to be misrepresented by the seller. It was also found to be unsafe to shoot by a gunsmith who is expert on side by side shotguns.

I dont think a sellers 'rating' is adequate protection. Often that only tells you what happens when things go right. I want to be reassured in those rare instances when things go wrong.

What do you guys say on this matter ? Do you roll the dice and commit sight unseen with no recourse ? Thanks

BTW - - one dealer seller of a used revolver who doesnt allow inspection period - - when asked (twice) how much end shake and rotational movement the gun has replied that it was 'average'. He would not give a number or more exact estimate than that. . . . . . HMmmmmmmmm
I see this more as a buyer problem . . . not a seller problem. If buyers insisted, sellers would have to provide this kind of protection to the buyers.
 
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I have always bought face to face for that reason -

There is one dealer in my area that I will buy from anymore - he offers a 7 day no questions asked return for any reason whatsoever (including "I just don't like it"). Shot, un-shot, doesn't matter - as long as it's not obviously abused he will take it back and credit you the full amount you paid towards something else.

I recommend him to anyone I know that is looking to buy

when asked (twice) how much end shake and rotational movement the gun has replied that it was 'average'. He would not give a number or more exact estimate than that.
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Might be that he just doesn't know? Example: I have absolutely no idea what either of those terms means:o
 
What do you guys say on this matter ? Do you roll the dice and commit sight unseen with no recourse ?
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Yeah but I generally buy guns online that are advertised as like-new or very low round count... and that include decent pics.

It IS a bit of a gamble but I accept the "getting bit" possibility if its a gun I really want. I've been generally happy with guns I've bought through gunbroker.com... but there are no guarantees. It's your call.

I can tell a lot about a seller through the communications I have with them before sending my money... plus the rating system.
 
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Buying online ....is way too big a risk / with or without an inspection period...unless it is from a legitimate dealer with a real brick and mortar operation ! If the guy is a legitimate dealer ...has folks you can talk to ...and he's just using the internet to broaden his advertising...that's different - especially in hard to find guns.

There is way too much potential fraud on-line in gun sales...in my view to risk it ! It can be bad enough at local gun-show sales ...unless you really know a lot about the gun you're buying... Buying a used gun online ...that you can't physically check ..is just a crapshoot in my opinion...

A number of guys I've talked to - paid for guns - they never got and the websites don't hold funds in escrow or anything.../ so whatever guarantee there is , is between you and the seller.....

Some guys bought guns they thought were in decent shape - and they had all kinds of issues - no recourse, as is...seller refused to take them back....claimed the buyers evaluation was not accurate / or implied they must have done something to the gun after it arrived.../ it wasn't like that when they shipped it....
 
Ive purchased quite a few online. Only had that one bad experience with the sidexside shotgun that I mentioned earlier. But even if its not a matter of dishonesty, there can be things about a gun that a seller may not know - they don't usually do detail checks of every gun in their store, and may not know as much about some models as some people. (For example, I bet there are guys here that know much more about older S&Ws than many gunshop people.)

I don't even mind paying the return shipping. That's a risk I'm willing to take. But with the (shocking) rise in the cost of some guns, I can't see risking $500, $1000, $1500 + . . . without having this basic protection.
 
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Thanks GP100man for answering my PM question about Ruger.

As I've mentioned, I've contacted internet sellers about used guns and having a non-shooting inspection period and some of them have replied "no, but don't worry, Ruger will fix it for free if there's a problem'.

If I reply "Given that its so easy, if there's a problem I'll return it before we do the FFL paperwork and you can send it back to Ruger to do the free repairs. I'll even pay the return shipping." They don't email back.

Of course, people are free to set whatever buying & selling conditions they want.
 
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I personally have never had an issue with a gun bought online, but I've had a couple of friends who have been burned. The pics in the auctions were taken to hide the flaws that would have been obvious if the sellers hadn't been playing games. Neither of the guns were unsafe, just ugly, and in the case of the rifle, rusted. In the rifle's case, he refunded about 1/3 the cost (Not a lot to start with) of it, the guy who sold the handgun, an old Colt, never responded to any attempts at communication. He disappeared from the auction site too.

More than a couple of times, I've wondered, "What the hell am I missing?" when I have bid on a gun and nobody else seems to want it. Every single time, so far, the answer has been..nothing. They've all been great, unlike many new guns I've bought in the past that were total duds.
 
Yeah . . . in the past, (and not just with guns), the times I kick myself is when something bad happened and I just knew at the time "I shoulda done . . . " :o
I either really wanted something or didnt want to take the time & put out the effort or was tied up with other things that had my attention.

Most of my internet buys have worked out great - but I don't forget the times they didnt, but at least I had a way to get my money back.

BTW - - I just bought a new Ruger online from outta state. Dealer agrees to inspection period and to refund if any problem. Neither of us expect any issues. I'm looking forward to getting the new revolver.
 
Pointshoot said:
What do you guys say on this matter ? Do you roll the dice and commit sight unseen with no recourse ? Thanks
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My grandfather used to say that a workman knows the value of his work.

As far as I'm concerned, a 3-day return inspection period is "industry standard." IMHO any seller who isn't willing to let me at least fondle a gun in person before finally committing to a deal probably knows there's something wrong with the gun and he doesn't want to ever see it again.

No inspection period ==> I click through to the next candidate.
 
I've bought plenty of guns online. I can't remember anything over $500 unless it was new.

I've been burned a couple of times from people out of state- just flaws that were not described in the ad. But I've been burned by the local brick and mortar gun stores, or in private sales, too. Like I said, nothing really serious- for example, a ring in the barrel of a shotgun that wasn't described, or a semi-auto pistol that would lock open on every other shot. I had a private sale on a lever action in which the seller took my cash and as he walked away told me, "Oh, by the way, it doesn't feed hollow points very well." Yeah...It didn't feed hollow points at all, or anything else for that matter.\

So, if the deal's low enough to justify the risk, I continue to roll the dice. Mostly, I win.
 
I agree. To me, 3 day no shooting is reasonable and customary. Same with extra detail pictures.

Without one, the gun is worth -$100. Without both...-$500!

I did do a deal where the seller was trying to be sneaky. Using his username and a couple of details, I found his FFL, business from home, cel number and all kinds of stuff. Moral...just be a stand up guy! I bought the gun after calling his FFL. It was fine!

Bud's seems to have a 30 day shoot n c on used guns. I bought one without an issue!
 
Nope, never buy a gun that does not allow for an inspection period. Period, punto final! If you do you will eventually regret it.

One of my hard and fast rules for buying on line is that you have the right to return the gun and get your money back. Unless of course you are buying it just for parts.

You would not buy a pair of shoes online that you could not return, don't buy a gun that way either.

tipoc
 
I have stated this before, in numerous forums, so please let me state it again.
I will purchase NOTHING unless I can get my grubby paws on it before paying for it. I was stung once, ONCE, on the internet, and I will never let it happen again. I don't care what it is, if I can't check it out before money changes hands, I don't want it.
 
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