The Seven Stages of Gunbroker Auctions

I

Independent George

New member
1. No reserve! Maybe I'll get a great deal on this!
2. Ok, it's no longer a steal, but it's still a great deal
3. Ok, it's still a good deal
4. Ok, it's still cheaper than retail
5. Crap, why did I set my reserve price so high?
6. Do I really want to pay for this?
7. You sniping sonofagun! Why didn't you just bid that amount in the first place instead of waiting until the last minute?
 
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Not sure what to make of this, but I do find people on GB to be quite proud of their stuff. Watch carefully and you can still get at least a fair price on some stuff. Rarely a steal though. All I use it for is used stuff and I can always do as well or better through my LGS's on new stuff. Used too for that matter.
 
I-George, that's funny!! I've ridden the GB emotional rollercoaster too! Let me add another, alternate to the last item:

--"why did I bid that high? I don't need another gun! Please, oh, please let somebody outbid me before this closes!"

Never look at firearm auctions late at night when your thinking is impaired!
 
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cc-hangfire said:
I-George, that's funny!! I've ridden the GB emotional rollercoaster too! Let me add another, alternate to the last item:

--"why did I bid that high? I don't need another gun! Please, oh, please let somebody outbid me before this closes!"

Never look at firearm auctions late at night when your thinking is impaired!
Click to expand...

Shoot, I like yours way better than mine (I think it belongs as #6). I'm changing it as soon as I can work out the strikethrough code.

And yes, last night somebody fortunately outbid me at the last minute. I spent the next 30 minutes alternating between being relieved and angry.
 
I admit it. I'm a Gunbroker addict. I don't buy an awful lot but I do watch it. I'm actually waiting on two ammo purchases to arrive right now. One was a good deal - basically 3 boxes shipped for just under the retail price of 2. The other is one of those "mild regrets" - ammo that has a different weight bullet than I thought I was bidding on. Not a total waste but a purchase that I wouldn't have made if I had been more careful.
 
"Rarely a steal though."

I don't know about that...

$100...

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$325...

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$177...

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$135 (38) & $265 (22)...

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$185...

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I only ever bought one thing on GB. $325 for a Mini Firestorm .40 was a good deal.... not a great deal, but definitely a good one.

I am satisfied. Got to #3, but I was afraid it would get sniped... three of us bid it up, and I had to raise my reserve once.

I do look, and have thought about a few others.

The only reason I will buy a gun that I can't touch 1st, is because I know I want it, and can't find it locally at a gun show or LGS.

Normally DFW is a great area to find deals.
 
I don't spend to much time at G.B. To many overpriced semi-common revolvers, for my taste.

The above being said, in the last year I have bid on and won two G.B. auctions. The first was for a 98% condition 3 1/2" barrel M 27-2. That one cost big $$$, but I've been looking for one for several years, and prices just kept going up.

The second was kind of a fluke. I've been interested in a Model 65-5 Lady Smith for sometime now. I did not have one on my hot list, but!!! Found one on G.B. and made what I thought was a low bid. Guess what, it was not.

My way of bidding at any auction site is: Determine if I really want the item offered, determine the most I will pay for any item, then place my max bid, and walk away. The auction site will let me know if I won or lost the auction.

Have fun bidding....
 
It is like anywhere you can find deals on GB you just have to look often know what your cap is and walk away on stuff that goes to high.
 
I have bought my share of items off GunBroker.

Two purchases stand out as unique;

The first one was a used rifle purchase. Months later the seller contacted me and stated they had to have the rifle back. The law enforcement agency who had sold the rifle to the seller as a police trade-in needed to have it back. In return, I received a brand new replacement rifle of significantly nicer quality.

The second one involved a used pistol. I contacted the manufacturer seeking additional magazines. The manufacturer had experienced problems with this pistol and offered me a new pistol in exchange for the old one as an even trade.

So, two brand new firearms for low auction prices on two used ones.
 
I too, have done lots of business on GB myself. I don't know if they'd be considered steals or not, but to me, these are some of the better buys I've gotten on there:
• $349 Used, V.G. 9mm PX4 D Police trade w/3 mags and 40-50% night sights.
• $501 Used, Excellent 9mm HK P2000 LEM w/2 mags.
• $740 LNIB 9mm HK P30 LEM w/2 mags.

Not GB, but decent buys I've gotten from Bud's (all NIB):
• $693 9mm HK P2000 LEM w/police pkg (N.S. & 3 mags).
• $551 CZ P-01.
• $586 CZ 2075 D.
 
GB Auctions

I have a lot of experience with gun auctions. I went to one once a month. I was a registered regular. I usually had 15-20 guns on the block. Usually bought
several too. 10 days after auction I would get check minus what I had spent.
By the time check came I was on my way to trading and selling into my next
load. Then they announced they were going online. They had bank of girls on
phones and computers taking bids. That's when I quit. I looked on GB and Ebay
and found out why. At auction the gun will bring the exact amount a person is
willing to pay. You don't "win" a auction, you bid the highest! To many guys
pay to much, jacking prices across the board. A true collector item commands
top prices not the run of mill stuff. It seems to me all ex Navy guys are living
on the coasts. You know what happens when Navy shows up, prices go up!
Just kidding!!!
 
7. You sniping sonofagun! Why didn't you just bid that amount in the first place instead of waiting until the last minute?

Each successive bid adds 15 minutes to the auction. It's not like fleabay where last 1/10 second "sniper" bids beats you.
 
Saxon-your photography, your guns and now your dealing skill leaves me in awe. You've definitely got some nice stuff at VERY nice prices.
 
^^^ come on those aren't current prices... you had to have bought those in the 60's ;)

I've gotten some pretty good deals, but not on anything as mainstream as SAXON posted... I did get what looked like an unfired American Bulldog in 44, & with a loading gate for around $100.00

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I never look to get a "steal" on a gun. IMHO, that's too much work for someone who is not in the business of buying and selling guns. However, Gunbroker has been an excellent source of some really good/fair deals for me.

I've purchased a significant number of guns through Gunbroker at prices that are $100 to $500 less than what I could expect to pay in any retail establishment.
 
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