There looks to be some good deals to be had there if you poke around enough, but I share your concern about the possibility of shady characters there. I also wonder if the hoops and additional costs really make it worth buying online. You buy the gun, pay the shipper for shipping. Then you have to find a local dealer that will accept shipment on the gun, get a signed copy of his FFL to send to the shipper and pay the local dealer anywhere from $20-60 for recieving the transfer and, on arrival, doing the 4473 and NICS check. All said and done, between shipping (typically around $25), and the local dealers fees (usually around $25-45 average), plus the extra trip the the gun dealer, how much are you really saving? And in most cases, at least around here, the dealer will also charge you the 6% sales tax, so you're not even saving that. The only way I can see buying from an auction site is if the deal is very good, and/or you can't get the gun you want through a local dealer.
The above information is spot on. However, sites such as Gunbroker certainly do have lots to offer. If you can't find that particular weapon through your local LGS (or private sales) you can usually obtain it through Gunbroker. So, if you want something badly enough, if may just be your best route to obtain such.
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If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.
Have bought a couple firearms through thier site. It'snot so much GunBroker to wonder about as much as it is the actual seller. Like eBay, GunBroker is simply hosting the auctions. Check the feedback of the seller and ask all your questions BEFORE bidding.
The above information is spot on. However, sites such as Gunbroker certainly do have lots to offer. If you can't find that particular weapon through your local LGS (or private sales) you can usually obtain it through Gunbroker. So, if you want something badly enough, if may just be your best route to obtain such.Â*
This is true. I would at least give a local dealer the chance to quote me a price on the gun I wanted and see if he can get it. If he can get it and he's within 5-7% of the online auction price, then I'll happily buy from him. If he can't at least get close in price, or he can't get what I want, then I might consider going online. I'd just be VERY cautious about who I bought from on an auction site. If the seller is an FFL dealer, you probably don't have anything to worry about. But I'd be very hesitant to buy from a private individual online. You just don't know what you're going to get, or if you'll have any meaningful recourse against the seller if the deal turns out bad.
I'ts a great place to look for lefty bolts. I bought a left hand Remmington 700 XCR last year and a couple of years ago, bought a complete upper for my AR-15 there as well. My dad has made a few gun purchases as well from GB. Stick with the dealers.
I've bought used guns thru Gunbroker but never anything new. Always had a good experiance. You can find some really great deals, IF you spend enough time looking. I agree that you absoulutley must consider all the additional costs when buying from any website, specially the shipping costs. It appears to be all too common for someone to post a good selling price and then charge a sky high price for shipping.
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If you can't shoot enough gun then go home!
Well, I'm going to have my first personal experience with Gunbroker.com. I bought a NIB Remington 700 LSS .257 Weatherby (the special run gun, not an LSS Mountain) from a dealer in New York. Having it shipped to a local FFL nearby. The rifle cost $759 (MSRP $972), shipping is $20 and my local dealer will charge me $30 for the transfer with no IA sales tax. I'm not sure why some of my local transfer dealers listed on gunbroker.com charge sales tax and others don't. Either they are fleecing their customers and pocketing the 5-6% (depending on county), or they don't know better. IA does not (yet) require people pay sales tax on items purchased out-of-state and shipped in, so since the deal is directly between the customer (me) and the out-of-state dealer, the receiving store is not obligated to charge sales tax. Anyway, the total cost will be $809. If the gun were bought locally it would have cost $850 plus 6% sales tax would be $901, so I actually will save $92 which makes it worth while. That's a set of dies, shellholder and a box of brass.
I'll update when the transaction is complete. I'm praying everything goes smoothly. I'm sending my payment (a USPS Money Order) via the USPS, so I'll have some protection there against fraud since if he did scam me he's on the hook for a Federal felony, but I doubt it'd come to that. The seller contacted me soon after the auction ended and I get the feeling he's on the up 'n' up.
Gunbroker
