Gunbroker lunacy

C

chaz12

New member
I have found some great deals on gunbroker, but at times you have to wonder what people are thinking when they bid.

I didn't expect to win this auction anyway but I put in a bid on a used auto ordnance M1 carbine after looking at them at the NRA show. I put in a low bid of 550 because there were lots of other carbines at various price points and because there was a chip out of the stock right behind the recoil plate, which might be the beginning of a problem. The winning bid was $785. That to me is a little pricey for what the AO Carbine is, especially used. But consider the fact that there are 25 new in box carbines currently listed with a Buy Now price of $670, and it makes you wonder. Now the $785 carbine did come with a magazine pouch on the stock and a web sling, but those are a couple of pricey accessories.

Chaz
 
Shill bidding...

Can't someone just get together with a seller and submit phoney bids just to get the price to go up on an online auction? Unless you're exceptionally stupid or lazy, it is very difficult to prove shill bidding. Even if you managed to prove it, a seller could always come back under another online identity and/or auction site.
 
This is very common on auction sites; people get caught up bidding on something they really like an go more than they should. If I were to put an item up on an auction site (not that I would ever sell a gun); what's to stop me from telling all my friends what my reserve is, and having them bid it up? Pretty much impossible to prove and it helps the seller get what they're looking for.
 
I've been a member on Gunbroker for some time now and have never seen anything I was interested for that good of a price. Most things I've been looking for are priced higher used on there than I can buy them for new. I understand that guns tend to hold value well, but why would I buy a used gun when I can buy the same model for the same or less new. I've heard people hype up the site quite a bit so maybe I'm just unlucky.
 
I've only come across one good deal, a Mosberg 715t 22lr I use for plinking. Didn't have a "buy now" price, and I walked away with it (with shipping) for about $170. My FFL was only $10, so for $180, I saved about $50 or so.

One thing I HATE about GB (and all auction sites, really), is that they say No Reserve, but then they have a Buy Now price, which is the same thing.
 
veamon:
No Reserve, but then they have a Buy Now price, which is the same thing
Click to expand...
No, it's not.

I've never gotten a screaming deal on GB, but I have thrown out some ridiculously low lowball bids and occasionally won, so it happens. It seems to happen more often when the buyer can't correctly spell the name of the item he/she is selling, so the usual market can't find the item. I guess that studying your elementary spelling does pay off.

I've seen other people get screaming deals, like multiple SIG mags for 30 or so.

I understand the suspicion concerning shill bidders. When I have curiosity piqued (and time), I do sometimes catalog the bidders for some items to see if the same bidders are bidding/not winning on a particular seller's items that have seemingly-inflated prices. So far, no smoking guns turned up in my completely random surveys.

The best advice that I ever received about online bidding was "there will be more." If you don't like the price, just keep trolling. The stars will line up eventually.

Good luck with your M1 hunt.
 
If they have a Buy Now price, that's the lowest they're going to take. Which is "basically" the same thing as having a reserve. If they don't get that price, they're not selling.
 
No, a "Buy Now" price is basically saying "Well, if you want to skip all the waiting and fuss of an auction, give me this much and we can both go home happy" price. A reserve price is a "I won't take less than this" number, as you said.

Some sellers set these two numbers to be the same, but generally that seems to turn people off (as reserves do, in general) - people like to know what they're expected to pay, not mess around playing will-he-won't-he and guessing at secret numbers.
 
If they have a Buy Now price, that's the lowest they're going to take. Which is "basically" the same thing as having a reserve. If they don't get that price, they're not selling.
Click to expand...

A Buy Now price allows a buyer to end the auction by meeting it. It sets the effective maximum price, since buyers will meet it rather than bid over it.

However, if there is no reserve the result of the auction is still binding even if it does not meet the Buy Now price.

A Reserve sets the minimum price that must be met before the seller is obligated to sell the item.

The two are definitely different.
 
Firestorm Mini

I bought my Firestorm Mini 40 on gunbroker for $325. This was a great deal at the time. Apparently there was a Pawn Shop network in a state that had 4 stores, but was closing one of them. They put up a lot of stuff with no reserve. They were blowing out inventory. At the time the Genitron listing for used value was $400. It is now the $325 that I paid. Sometimes you do get deals. The current model Bersa Model Thunder 40 UC Pro is listed there new for $510 and used for $360. I would check Genitron to see where your target ought to be. It is a great tool.

http://www.genitron.com/
 
I've been a member of Gunbroker for many years, and have purchased a great many firearms from it's auction side.

The last 5 yrs. or so, firearm prices have become somewhat crazy. But, that's not to say that you still can't find a good deal there, if you know what you're looking for and are educated on what it's true value is.

I've also sold a good many firearms on it, and always got what I wanted as far as price goes.

It all boils down to knowing what is or isn't a good deal. ;)
 
For you, it was not a good deal, for the guy who bought it, he thought it was a good deal. It was his money, so he decided how much he was willing to pay.

I attend a lot of auctions and I see a lot of, what I would call, dumb bids on items that do not appear to be worth what they sold for.

I have a book sitting on my desk right now, The First Battle by W.J. Bryan, that I paid $25.00 for. The condition it is in makes it a $10.00 - $15.00 book. But I wanted it and I bought it. Maybe it was a dumb bid, maybe I just got caught up in the bidding, but either way, I am enjoying my purchase and may or may not sell it when I am finished with it.

You can never tell what people are thinking when they buy something.
 
I just purchased a pistol and got a decent price off Gunbroker for it. There was no reserve. It had a starting price and then a buy it now price for $120.00 above the starting price. Seven days later I won it for the starting price and for less than any other sell of the same pistol on Gunbroker in recent history.

The thing I think helped me is there were two other of the same pistol going off hours later with starting bids well below the starting bid on the one I bought. I won mine and hours later the other two pistols price shot way up by last minute bidding. It is best to know the approximate value and strike when the iron is hot.
 
I have purchased two new guns and one used guns on gunbroker and countless cases of ammo. I know what the item is selling for and i know in my mind what it is worth to me. My max bid will never be more than what I can purchase it for in the store. I try to find items with free shipping so worse case scenario is I buy something on auction for what I can buy it for here and my savings is the sales tax, which at 6.5% can add up.
 
Gunbroker prices are crazy. I have easily found better prices on new guns using gun watcher than what used ones are selling for on gunbroker. There used to be good prices on there sometimes; but even then the auction mentality drives the price through the roof!
 
Auctions have a life of their own, and it's often a strange one.
I like them, but mostly the real, live ones.
Very enjoyable entertainment.
People often consider winning an item as a competition, and the price is secondary to the winning.
Unlike the online version, live, in person auctions have plenty of bargains.
Lots of things get sold when folks are tired and not paying attention, decide to get something to eat, go to the john, 'etc.
There are quite a few live ones for guns, too, as well as estate auctions that include gun stuff.
Try a live one, and see.
 
I used to do a lot on E Bay. When I would list something on there it would always sell for more than you would expect. Not sure why it would , but always did. Maybe who ever is bidding can get it cheaper from there than they can in their own region?. As for GB, I am with most here. I have looked a few times and , Yes most times you can buy It cheaper or the same new. Recently looked at a 500 box of 243/6mm 107 gn Serrias. The guy on GB wanted $210.00 plus shipping:eek:. I would have to be very hard up to pay that price, but in reality-- I bet someone bid on them:rolleyes:
 
I find the prices allover the map. I bought a police return Glock 21 for like $420 on there which I thought was a good deal. Saved me about $50 or so over local.

I also bought a Mossy 930 NIB for about $50 savings as a Buy It Now.

On the other hand, I see guns listed high, high reserves and high buy it now pricing as the norm on Gunbroker. I blame it on the fact that it is a national gun selling auction and frankly guns cost a lot more in the antigun zones.
 
We picked up my wife's Sig P238 Scorpion for $505 on Gunbroker when the gun stores were selling it for over $650 in our area. Some of the Scorpions on Gunbroker even went for a little less than I paid.

Just to be correct, the lack of a reserve in no way means there is no minimum at all. I've seen LOTS of auctions on there advertising "no reserve", only to get a message that I had not bid the minimum asking price. I honestly don't know why they even bother using the term "reserve" on that site at all if they fully plan on ignoring it as a statement of whether or not there is a minimum. Usually the Buy Now price is also the minimum they'll take, by the way.
 
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