Do you ever worry about buying used online?

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Psychedelic Bang

New member
Howdy boys and girls,

I was wondering if you have ever bought a handgun online, either here at this forum, another forum, or even gunbroker, gunamerica, or some other big gun auction site.

Do you ever worry that what you are buying is not exactly what is represented in the add? Have you bought something that turned out to be totally broken?

Sometimes I consider buying a used gun, and then I think to myself, "well the money being saved here, is not so much so, that it makes sense." Seriously, I'm seeing a lot of used guns, priced exactly like the new gun.

What is going on here, can a gun really hold its value that well? Sure, it makes obvious sense that some fully automatic weapons are ten, twenty, and thirty grand. It also makes sense that an original Peacemaker could be my retirement fund. But, as far as everything else is concerned, wouldn't you say that a Springfield XDM, should instantly loose 30% of its value, once it is shot by the private owner?

Do I have this all wrong here?
 
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EVERY gun/item I have bought on-line has, so far, been exactly or better than advertised. I DO check for the sellers past history and have lots of clear communication before the sale and that has served me quite well so far.

As to value loss at point of sale... it varies but yes, a brand new gun WILL loose value the instant it is sold. How much is variable depending on the gun/Manufacture/demand. It IS possible to buy a gun New In Box (NIB) and turn around and sell it and break even or even make a profit depending on how much YOU paid for it and its demand in the marketplace. In short, there IS no hard and fast answer on initial sale value loss.

If you receive an item that is NOT as described/broken, immediately contact the seller and work something out. If you pay with a credit card, the charge can be reversed if need be. If you payed with some other method, then it is a bit more difficult to get your money back should the seller balk or be dishonest. That is a gamble you take and why a bit of research and a lot of communication before the sale is key. ASK before you make the deal "what if {whatever}?" and cover that sort of thing up front. If the seller simply says "you buy it and its yours and thats the end of it.", walk away.
 
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Yes I am leary about used items. I would rather see the item in person. On the other hand , if I find something I have been looking for, something that I really want badly I would most likely buy it. Hasn't happened yet but who knows.
Dallas Jack
 
If I can't personally lay mitts on it, I ain't buyin' it.

This goes extra-triple-ditto with something as critical as a gun.
 
buying

I have had two experiences buying online where the firearm was NOT what was advertised or not in the condition it was advertised. Neither was a pistol. While inconvenient, there was no problem returning the guns, I called the sellers, both were apologetic. I shipped the guns back.
Pete
 
The only thing that makes me a bit leery about gunbroker is the need for you to register using a credit card. Don't like that one bit. Auctions always want payment before they ship the item in question, so what's with the card? How do I know there won't be some odd charge on it at some later time? And Gunbroker is notorious for terrible customer service. The site itself, I mean, not the sellers. So I don't use gunbroker. Personally, if I want a gun, I'll just go to Reillys. They always have a great selection, and I can get it that day. Plus, no surprises!
 
I got more important things to worry about

I've bought or traded for numerous used guns on-line, starting in 1996 (Glock M20).

All went perfectly; all guns were as stated; no woes.
I'd do it again.....
 
I was wondering if you have ever bought a handgun online, either here at this forum, another forum, or even gunbroker, gunamerica, or some other big gun auction site.

Do you ever worry that what you are buying is not exactly what is represented in the add? Have you bought something that turned out to be totally broken?
Click to expand...

Yes, yes, and no.

You gotta know what you're buying and how much it's REALLY worth. Inspect the provided pictures carefully. Listen for red flags in the description. If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. Try to get a return policy. Don't be afraid to dicker on price or walk away if you feel hinky. I've bought from a pawn shop in Plano, TX, and several private individuals through Gunbroker and other online middlemen. Never been stung yet, knock on wood.
 
I've bought several guns from GB and have no problems yet.

I'm really perplexed by the "no fire" return policy, however. I suppose I can understand it from a seller's point of view, but really, you buy a gun and it won't fire and you can't return it because it it's been fired? Now that I think about it it's kind of a reverse Catch-22. You should actually be able to return it because you haven't actually fired it because it wouldn't fire.

Anyway, I try to steer clear of the used guns that are shown in 2 pics from a camera phone with the gun laying on the floor 6' away, described as "great shape". There's a huge variation in the way folks describe their guns, fair, OK, generally perfect, sorta fine, almost excellent, flawless except this, this and this, NIB with only 200 rds through it. You get the idea.

To some folks, anything that is no longer made is higly collectable. I suppose so, to somebody somewhere.

My final pet peeve is the listings that contain one sentence about the gun and 25 paragraphs about how they strive to give the best service but won't do this, that, this, definitely not this and you have to do everything exactly their way or don't ever even look at their listings again. I know, CYA.
 
Yeah, you have to be careful, and yeah, I worry about it every time I bid. And there have been mucho items that I was truly interested in but something didn't sound QUITE right and I passed on them. When I buy firearms, sure I'm looking for a pretty good deal. But it's not so that I can turn around and resell them at a profit. I figure if I get a really good deal and then find out I don't really like it as much as I had hoped, then I want to be able to resell it for about what I paid. If I go through enough guns and keep only the ones I truly like, then eventually my collection will be only the really good ones (for my tastes anyway).

One thing to keep in mind as far as buying/selling used guns is that if you buy from Gun Broker, you will have to pay $20-30 for shipping typically and then another $20-30 typically to have it transferred from the seller to your FFL and then to you. This adds maybe $50 or so to the sales total. Some of that, or maybe all of it will be offset by the fact that you don't pay sales tax on it, but still keep those costs in mind.
 
I bid on a CZ75 Compact (that's what was advertised), and with the poor pics, I couldn't tell if it was a Compact or a SemiCompact(which is what it was). The price was right for a Compact, but I like the feel of the SemiCompact(and the 16-round mags) even better. Sometimes a pleasant surprise. Now I watch the pictures real close.
 
I've had real good luck buying and selling online. I take real good photos and be as descriptive as possible and always point out even the most minor defect and generally look for the same from a seller.
 
I won't do it (not yet anyway)
I'd rather see it in person. This gives me a good reason to go to the GUNSTORE
I like seeing them in person, comparing them to a new one :D
 
I've purchased two used guns on-line (GB) and a new gun from an on-line retailer. I've had no problems with my purchases. Before buying on GB I researched each item carefully, compared prices with similar items, and carefully read the buyer feedback on the individual seller. In each case I was delighted with what I received. My purchase of a new gun was from an on-line retailer who has received rave reviews on this and other forums. Their price was well below the average asking price for the gun.
 
I shop around online for pricing info and to eat up the long hours in front of the computer fantasizing about my next purchase... but in reality the several gun stores in my town have sufficient stock, used and new, to sate my appetites. I especially like to look around, visit everybody on a slow weekday and see what's in used this week. I've also got a guy 3 towns over who'll special order anything I want from Davidson's, so Bud's and Able's are out of the loop too. My most recent used local find was a pristine mid 70s Dan Wesson 14-2 for $399 at Cabela's... I had been looking for about 3 months for a nice 4" American-made .357 to replace my locked up security-six, and I think I scored with this one.

+1 to no fondle, no pay!
 
Bought Plenty and Love 'em

I've purchased at least 6 used guns online in the past year alone. All have been better than I expected when I received them.

Put it this way, if you gave me my purchase price, shipping cost, FFL fees and a $50 kicker, I wouldn't sell any of them today.
 
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