In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
local seller not willing to sell in person
DarkStar11
Member Posts: 1,557 ✭✭✭
Say that you happen to find a rifle for sale online that you have been looking for, and the seller happens to be local (within 20 miles). You shoot the seller a question prior to bidding, asking if you can pick the item up in person -- and you tell him what city you live in so he knows you aren't driving in from BFE. The minor cost of shipping and FFL transfer fees is really irrelevant in this transaction. Does it give you pause if the seller replies that he does not do face-to-face transactions?
Comments
Or maybe he's illegit. Who knows.
My transaction worked out ok.
What makes me cautious is that when I am a seller, it seems that a face-to-face transaction is much less of a hassle. If a person is willing to come to me, see the firearm, and hand me cash for it (as opposed to a check or money order), and leave with it in their possesion, then there is no opportunity for them to say they were cheated or the UPS truck ran over it.
Its not that I am opposed to the fashion in which they choose to run their business -- I am trying to decide if I trust them based upon the fashion in which they choose to run their business.
My gut says that I should not trust a seller that will not do business face-to-face.
Not that unusual. I don't advertize firearms in the local paper because I really don't want strangers comming to my home to look at my stuff. A little different between dealing with firearms and selling a car. Nothing wrong with hooking up in a neutral location. IMHO [8D]
For this same reason i don't advertise anything in the local paper and i dont like strangers coming to my house. this is especially true for someone selling guns.
I know I have at several times made a time to sell something on the weekend at a set time and the flakes never show wasting my time. I don't see anything wrong with doing business on the internet with out FF transfers.
you go to his house, say no.
you come back at 2am and take it anyway.
i know whats going thru his mind.
hes a smart man.
ask him for a neutral location.
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.
I am betting he is a "kitchen table" dealer and doesn't want strangers in his kitchen. Dark Overlord Klinton and Butch Reno (both minions of Satan) tried to get rid of the "kitchen table" dealers, and did get rid of a bunch of them, but this one may have survived.
It doesn't bother me to do an over-the-counter transaction, though I don't get to do many. I tell the buyer where it is, and if he wants to make the drive, he is welcome. He also has to understand that my gun business is part-time, and I do have full-time employment, so I am not available all the time. The security issue isn't a big worry. My shop is in a separate building, so the casual buyer doesn't come in the house.
quote:nunn Posted
Dark Overlord Klinton and Butch Reno (both minions of Satan)
hes perfectly within his rights.
you go to his house, say no.
you come back at 2am and take it anyway.
i know whats going thru his mind.
hes a smart man.
ask him for a neutral location.
bingo
I don't think I should post this seller's identity. He has not wronged me in any way, and I do not wish to bring him any negative press based on the e-mail interactions I have had with him. I will say that I live within the DFW metroplex, and he claims to be located in a town adjacent to mine.
Sounded like a dealer I have dealt with, but it doesnt seem like to be him.
...so not that unusual...just being cautious/extra cautious maybe...[;)]
and any of you who have been selling on the net knows what kind of lunatics you can run into, even some off the wall questions and request can drive you insane
As a former insurance adjuster, when I worked out of my home (did it for seven years that way), I refused to let people come to my home. In fact, I forbid it. I told people that I'd be happy to drive out to their home, or we could meet at my company's office, but that my home was off-limits.
There are kooks out there that aren't too far off from The Cable Guy. They'll show up at your house unannounced -- and it isn't cool. If a buyer ever has a problem with a gun, do you want him coming to you whenever he/she feels like it (be it nights, weekends, or when you're having guests over)? I'd not want that.
If this guy is running a business, that's a totally different story.
There are kooks out there that aren't too far off from The Cable Guy. They'll show up at your house unannounced -- and it isn't cool. If a buyer ever has a problem with a gun, do you want him coming to you whenever he/she feels like it (be it nights, weekends, or when you're having guests over)? I'd not want that.
Gee sounds like back when I was mudding while in college. I rented a place with two other guys to cut on the rent and we had 5 computers hooked up via modem to the local college computer freenet. We managed to get ourselves sysop accounts for the unlimited login time (regular accounts had to call back every 60 minutes, we had unlimited connect and our own private number for sysops to connect through)
One night I answer the phone and girl's voice is on the other end.
"Hi it's Jenny. I just flew in from California and am tacking a taxi over. I will be there in a few." I'm 24, she knocks on the door and she's 16. She had checked my I.P. against my sysop account and the info freenet gave. Then she hopped a plane on her dad's employee ticket and flew out to meet me. She said I sounded like a sweet person online and wanted to see what I was like in real life.
Scared the crap out of me. I finally convinced her to fly back to California and drove her to the airport. I am so glad the cops never came knocking on my door when she did. I never gave her a name or address, never came on to her. She was just smart enough to get that info from public records. After that we got an unlisted number.
If you have a FFL, you have a "licensed premises" where over-the-counter transactions have to take place. If you don't want people coming to your licensed premises, you probably shouldn't have the license. JMHO.
Back in 94/95, the BATF told me I HAD to be open to the public and have my hours of operation posted at entrance. I was running my FFL out of my home at the time. Up until then, I was open "by appointment only". I had to give up the license rather than argue because the city had ordnances regarding a walk up arrangement in a residential neighborhood.
I would suggest calling your local police station, explaining the situation and telling them you are willing to bring the gun in and have it checked to make sure it is not stolen.
If they agree-should work out well for all. Probably wouldn't work in the big cities-but you shouldn't live there anyway. No good places to shoot![:D]
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.