Buying Handgun online experience

In the last 5 years I have purchased 26 from Buds Guns and 150+ from GunBroker. Buds is by far the easiest for new guns. GB one has to hassle with USPS MO's and snail mail.
As was stated earlier one must have patience because week ends and holidays slow shipment down. My FFL only charges me $10 for transfer and in my state there is no Tax as the purchases are out of state.
In my area of the country the few gun shops don't carry much. The gun shows are few and overpriced.
Waiting on a Bronze KelTec KSG I won off gun broker for $695 + $40 ship+ $10 Tran.due in Friday.
In a 100 mile radius where I live not one FFL has a KSG. Doubt if you can find any at that price from a LGS. Got to know how to bid.
 
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Peggysue raises a HUGE point...some of those wonderful dealers will only take a USPS money order, not just any money order. So, I can deal with the snail mail okay and deal with buying a money order at the local grocery store. I can't deal with the USPS though, which for me is more painful than dealing with the LGS. So, if it's a commodity new item, it'll have to be a dealer that takes a cashier's check or money order. I agree, this IS a pain point in dealing gb.
 
What so hard about getting a USPS money order? Are you far away from a Post Office?

The sellers specify USPS money orders as a CYA move. There's a very small chance of anyone faking one or voiding it.
 
Any visit to my post office is seldom less that a 20 minute ordeal--they are incredibly slow and just a general pain. I don't go there unless I have to pick something up.
 
Bongo Boy said it all. I hate going to the post office. Ours has 4 service stations but one postal employee snob working at a snails pace. The long lines are like this pictures of Soviet bread lines...

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I have had nothing but good experiences so far buying online. I am now up around 20 guns purchased on gunbroker and I've also bought a couple from Kygunco and Palmetto State Armory. I usually try to stick with sellers with a lot of positive feedback on gunbroker, but I do sometimes buy from other sellers if the price is right.
 
Any visit to my post office is seldom less that a 20 minute ordeal--they are incredibly slow and just a general pain. I don't go there unless I have to pick something up.
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I have not been to a post office in more than a decade, nor do I intend to anytime soon, for just this reason.

Plus you can't CHL there. I make it a practice not to provide custom to people who don't permit CHLs if there is an alternative.
 
The point I was making is that a USPS money order gives the seller peace of mind and greatly reduces the possibility of him getting screwed after the sale.

It's the seller's auction, he calls the shots, and if you don't like it buy from someone else.
 
The point I was making is that a USPS money order gives the seller peace of mind and greatly reduces the possibility of him getting screwed after the sale.

It's the seller's auction, he calls the shots, and if you don't like it buy from someone else.
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It is the seller's market. He just needs to understand that a substantial number of potential customers are us old hardheads that have the money and desire for their product but refuse to stand in line to please the seller.
 
Most of my online firearms purchases are completed with my sending a copy of the FFL and a postal MO, my town has a most accomodating post office they call me to pick up packages so the carrier does not need to lug them around all day. When they do deliver a package it is left in my mud room, out of sight. I factor in a couple of weeks delivery time sending payment and receiving the firearm
 
I bought three of my CZs online, from two dealers, two new and one milsurp, and was happy with all transactions. With a commodity gun local gun shops will likely have then in stock; if so, I'd buy locally after handling the particular gun. But, if you want something that's not stocked in your area, you'll likely have to buy online.
 
I Buy Online 'Cause I Have Few Choices

After moving to a very rural area I find almost no choices for local purchase, so I started searching for online options.

My first purchase was through Buds - it was mostly OK. I did get the gun, but the plastic factory case had a broken latch (could not have happened in shipping). It wasn't a big deal, but in my opinion it showed inherent dishonesty for them to not have disclosed that. There was also another minor issue with condition. I accepted the gun and filled out a mostly positive review of my purchase on Buds web site - I did not bad-mouth them in any way - didn't even say "dishonest" like I do now, just a passing mention of the two minor issues that I felt should have been disclosed before the purchase. And the dishonest creeps at Buds chose to EDIT my review to remove those factual comments and leave the rest! At that point I decided they could never be trusted with my business again.

I have since made two more purchases through Grabagun. I find their prices great and their honesty impeccable.
 
I bought two guns through Gunbroker, using a local FFL who does a small business out of his home, rather than a gun shop. No problems at all with the transactions or the guns.

I have bought two through Gungenie, which I picked up at local gun shops. No problems there either.
 
I have bought a few guns online . My experience has been , if you use your credit card & pay the extra 3% , you get gun within a week . If you pay with a check , it takes twice as long .

I ordered a gun from buds on 05-22-15 & it arrived at my FFL on 06-04-15 , but I can't pick it up until 06-08-15 , because my FFL dealer is at a gun show . It's ok because I am not in a hurry .
 
buy on line

I bought my Ruger GP 100 4.2 inch 357 mag from Buds. It was a very good experience, clean and uncomplicated. I tried to buy the same plus a new Ruger
LCR 357 with two of my local gun shops and it was like dealing with a Pawn Brokers.
Sleazy and BS. I went back to Buds and got a very fair exchange for my trade ins vs. purchasing a revolver that they have. The price was $110 less and they actually allowed me at my local CS, and what I thought was fair price for my trade ins.
I wanted to do business with a small company that was local because it's a healthy economic transaction for a local vendor and for everyone it's a win win situation. Well, they actually offered me half of what I already had negotiated
with Buds. My advice is to research the dickens out of what you want to purchase. Don't be afraid to question their Quote".
regards,
Doc
 
My first purchase was through Buds - it was mostly OK. I did get the gun, but the plastic factory case had a broken latch.
And the dishonest creeps at Buds chose to EDIT my review to remove those factual comments and leave the rest!
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That's the kind of stuff that made me start this thread Mauser69.

Most people have no issues with Bud's and that is great, but editing reviews to keep your record spotless is just wrong.
If you are a good retailer you don't edit reviews,you let them stand as written and respond to the issue.
That way customers and future customers know you care.
 
@Maverick36,

If you know what you truly want online can be good and save some money.
However having said that I got weird vibes about Buds. Came within minutes myself but am happy I never inserted my credit card information and pulled out.

Bought from an even older and well known place in North Carolina. A few bucks more but no regrets except the FFL transfer stuck it to me good by making me wait a week and only later finding out because he had never done business with me and not cause the Feds put hold on it. Had to drive another 50 + miles a week later to pick it up. And still got his transfer fee out of me. Suffice to say it won't happen again. I also have bought from local big box, that sucked but it was convenient.

Next place I buy online will be from Davidson's Gun Gallery. (which I should have been using all along live and learn as they say) And they'll ship it right to the range I use. Which is over 80 miles round trip, but no b.s. from them and me thinks I get a free day at the range. :)

Good luck and I hope you get what you pay for. If you are going by hickok45 YouTube channel understand he is now sponsored by Buds as well as quite a few others. Point is when you get free stuff sometimes credibility goes out the window.
 
Just traded some old Taurus and Rossi's for a LCR 357 mag with CT grips from Buds online. They gave me double what any of the dealers here would. The staff was courteous, honest and accommodating. My second buy in 4 months.
IMHO, I will not buy anything from a local dealer, new, ever.
Don't trust them. It's worse than Pawn.
Hope your experience goes like mine. My first post was during the negotiating phase. This post refers to the post purchase.
Respectfully,
Doc et al.
 
I just received a Colt 1911 that I bought online . I saved $262 from buying local . It does have a stain on the hammer . No big deal , I think I can polish it off , if I would have seen it @ my LGS , I would have asked to see another one . I didn't want to send it back just for the stain and then have to wait again so I accepted it .
 
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