I just -LOVE- Gunbroker!

I'm glad so many people don't like reserve auctions. While they are not my favorite auctions to bid on, I'm ok with reserve auctions - I don't completely ignore them.

If I find someone selling a unique used gun that I really want, but they have a reserve on it, I will bid my top price. I've actually had an occasion where someone lowered the reserve and I got the gun. My price is fair, and because I know most people ignore reserve auctions, my lonely bid may start to look pretty good to the seller, even if I don't meet the reserve.
 
I agree 100000% percent.

If I want to buy a gun that has a reserve, I'll contact the seller and basically say this, "I hate reserves. Tell me the reserve price and I'll choose whether or not to bid. I'm not going to waste my time bidding against nobody."

Most often the seller will respond and indicate the reserve price so I can make an informed decision.
 
Has GB changed? I thought it wouldn't accept a bid lower than the reserve. Maybe I thought it wouldn't so I didn't even try.

Edit, my mistake. I was thinking of placing a bid that was lower than a bid already made. I think I get an email saying my bid too low or something like that. Don't know if it recorded in the bid history.
 
Last edited:
I also love gunbroker and loathe hidden reserves. Reserves are fine and dandy. No real reason to hide it and waste my time as I bid to what my maximum for the gun is only to find out they have the reserve for more than a high priced brick and mortar store.


My usual tactic is to look online and find the lowest including shipping, then hit gunbroker for the same thing. Then I call my local gun store to see if they can get me out the door for within 50 bucks or so if it's a gun for less than 600 and within 150 if it's less than 1500(anything over that and it usually has more to do with who actually has it than price lol). If they can't then I pull the trigger on the online deal.
 
It is not a "cause of concern." I'm not worried about nefarious activity.
It's a simple waste of time. It truly is no more complicated than that.
Click to expand...
The amount of time "wasted" is not more than a minute or so that it takes to place a bid of what you consider to be a fair price...however, it is a waste of time if you are expecting to get the item for what you consider less than a fair price. Like I posted, if your bid results in the notice, "Reserve Not Met", then you have only wasted that minute and you know that the reserve is higher than you want to pay...nothing at all to cry about.

Gunbroker has a lot of dealers selling stuff...they want to make money. If you look at the finished auctions, they usually have either high starting bids or reserves for the first few times they post the item. Typically if it does not sell at that price a few times, the item will be posted again at a lower price. That gives both the sellers and the buyers an idea of what the current market price of the item is. If one cannot handle those default practices, one does not need to participate. Stop expecting to get something for less than what it is worth.
 
I've purchased a few (OK more than a few) guns on GB, plus some hard to find brass and ammo. Recently made my first sale. Although reserves are unpopular with bidders, some sellers must like them, not sure why. The GB "Advice to sellers" notes that hidden reserves are unpopular and suggests simply starting the bidding at your lowest acceptable price. That's what I did, but when it comes to auctions, everyone has their secret strategy. I notice some sellers set a "buy now" price that is always $100 more than their reserve - not much of a secret.

Overall, it's a useful resource. Yeah, sometimes it's hard to filter a search. But it's a good way to check the market. And better than channel surfing on a rainy afternoon.
 
Stop expecting to get something for less than what it is worth.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on, I'm never going to stop expecting to get something for less than its worth. My last few purchases on gunbroker got me things for less than they were worth. I bought a Derringer Pen Gun below market and a CZ75B in the rare glossy blued finish for less than market.

I look at the closed auctions as well as auctions which have active bidders over time for specific items, gun show prices and other sources, so I'm really pretty good at knowing about what "market price" is on things which interest me.
 
stuckinthe60s said:
its done for sellers to get a free appraisal on their wares without the fear of selling too low.
Click to expand...

That could be why some do it, but I've always felt it's a strategy that uses the nature of an auction to their advantage - people tend to get more emotionally committed after they've started bidding.

If you set a start bid, at say $100, you might not get any bids. If you set a $0 starting bid and a $100 reserve, bidding momentum can easily take the sale price beyond $100. This assumes, of course, the reserve isn't unrealistically high; if it is unrealistically high, it won't likely sell no matter the strategy.


dahermit said:
Just set your bid at the maximum you are willing to pay for that item.
Click to expand...

jackstrawIII said:
If I want to buy a gun that has a reserve, I'll contact the seller and basically say this, "I hate reserves. Tell me the reserve price and I'll choose whether or not to bid.
Click to expand...

I've done both of these on auction sites.
 
I'd rather buy locally than bid anything on G/B. Never like G/B change in bidding policy which {as I see it} only benefits the firearm seller and the site owners.
 
jackstrawiii said:
If I want to buy a gun that has a reserve, I'll contact the seller and basically say this, "I hate reserves. Tell me the reserve price and I'll choose whether or not to bid. I'm not going to waste my time bidding against nobody."
Click to expand...

Seems to me that it is a lot quicker just to place your bid and see if it meets the reserve rather would waste time contacting the seller and waiting for his reply in hopes that he will tell you his reserve before placing your bid.
 
GunBroker has the potential to be great. It is not great because of the reserve auctions.

There is minimal product moving on GunBroker for all the hosting they do! Seriously, for every hundred listings, it seems like 3 sales.

The value of something is dictated by the highest price somebody is willing to pay at that moment in time. That is called a nonreserve auction....so, actually the sellers artificially inflating prices, not me low balling. My bids are what I will pay.


The problem is that a s&w 29 44 mag that appears drug behind a truck and like the snot was shot out of it, is not a $1500 gun. A local guy puts these on GunBroker like this. I ask him how often he has an actual sale. He says often, but the guns never leave his store....huh?? Well, I guess I'll buy the one I want at his close of business auction!
 
"Stop expecting to get something for less than what it is worth." You mean like trying to cut a deal outside of the auction? What the heck do you think auctions are all about?
 
Why don't you just buy a different one?
Click to expand...


Do some research....it is hard to find non-reserve or moderately reserve price guns.

Glock 23 has 461 hit under firearm category......28 priced under what I paid nib without a reserve....
 
Last edited:
"Stop expecting to get something for less than what it is worth." You mean like trying to cut a deal outside of the auction? What the heck do you think auctions are all about?
Click to expand...
What auctions are "all about" is completely different if you are the seller as opposed to the buyer.
 
I have been both on numerous occasions. An auction is an auction. It is pretty much a crap shoot for both sides. I have never met anybody that went to an auction hoping that they pay above going price for something. I can't say as I knew anybody other than someone in a divorce proceeding that wished they were going to take a beating at an auction.
 
I've saved a LOT of money on purchases through GB over the years and found some great deals. I agree that the reserve thing is annoying. Would prefer they do away with it and just have people list their opening min bid for the min they are willing to accept. Would make it much, much easier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top