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fraud frequency
Farmer Brown
Member Posts: 198 ✭✭✭
I am somewhat new to Gunbroker. I have made several purchases over the past three months without a hitch. I'm starting to look at higher dollar stuff, and am getting a little shaky putting out $1000+ bids. Just how often are there fraudulent sales, and what measures are taken to help prevent it?
Should a person just absolutely stay away from anyone with no or low feedback? There are a few items that I would like to purchase, but low feedback is making me shy.
Whatyall think?
Should a person just absolutely stay away from anyone with no or low feedback? There are a few items that I would like to purchase, but low feedback is making me shy.
Whatyall think?
Comments
I am somewhat new to Gunbroker. I have made several purchases over the past three months without a hitch. I'm starting to look at higher dollar stuff, and am getting a little shaky putting out $1000+ bids. Just how often are there fraudulent sales, and what measures are taken to help prevent it?
Should a person just absolutely stay away from anyone with no or low feedback? There are a few items that I would like to purchase, but low feedback is making me shy.
Whatyall think?
In addition to the site's feedback, I also use the net to verify a seller's store front and address and telephone number. If from a person I've used "Zaba Search" & even Mapquest & Google Earth to check names and adresses.
No real reason to buy on-line that I see. You are just hurting that local guy you went to high-school with if you do. The BATF has already put the thumbscrews to local FFL dealers. On-line transactions has hurt them even more. And with anything in the way of on-line transactions, you will eventually get a burn, which might be a big burn. Of course, on the internet, who would care? If you have something bad to say about the FFL dealer that lives a few, or maybe several blocks away, that guy has a community to answer to. On-line, that is far from true. On-line auction sites will always support the people who pay them the bucks, and not the buyer. That should be a given.
I think you can pretty much trust online sellers, BUT you must use common sense and keep your eyes open.
--beware of people who communicate in short, clipped responses to your emails. Don't buy from them ever.
--beware of the guy who says, "I don't know anything about guns." or "I got this from the widow of Jesse's James' great, great grandson.".......you know, crap like that.
--beware of these big "neon" auction fronts who sell a large volume of mediocre-to-junk guns and doesn't care if you are unhappy with what they sold you.
--don't buy anything on the spur of the moment. If you find the auction will end in 16 hours and you can't communicate adequately with the seller beforehand, let it go. Make sure you get serious about the item while there is plenty of time left in the auction for you to do your homework, communicate with the seller and even perhaps, to ask the opinions of the forum members here.
--MAKE SURE you communicate with the seller and ask a few questions that are not already answered in the auction description. Not necessarily to get the answers, but to see how the seller responds and how quickly. NOTE: I'm talking about expensive items here.
--Find out what the seller's return policy is. If you aren't happy with it, don't dicker with the seller about it. Just pass on the item.
This is all stuff you already know. Go with your gut. There is not a single thing on the auction site worth your getting ripped off over.
I have only been ripped off once in all the times I've purchased stuff on the Internet and never on a gun just following a few intuitive "rules". The one time that I was ripped off, it was an eBay transaction. I tracked the guy down using free available info from eBay and the Internet, found his address and phone number and told him I have over a million air miles and enough hotel points to live free in his town for months and I would be coming to see him. I got my money back in a Priority Mail envelope a couple days later.
And, yes, I would prefer to deal with my local gun shops, too, but when they simply don't have a unique item that I'm interested in, charge outrageous "service" fees to handle an item that I purchased out-of-state, refuse to maintain an adequate inventory, forcing me to buy something just to see if I like it, or routinely price the stuff they do have above the manufacturers' published retail price list, well......that old high school buddy, support-your-local businesses, stuff can take a hike. I vote with my feet. When a business provides shoddy service or merchandise or attempts to take advantage of me, I just don't go back.
i think you are on a very organized and very safe website here on gb. and 1000.00 in todays world is not a lot of money when it comes to guns. 5 grand and up, i might be interested in backgrounds, but when it comes to dealing with ffls, i would be first to say youre safe. heck, ask to send your payment to his transfering ffl. that way you got a valid address and tracable point of reference for your payments location destination. an ffl wont vouch for a scam artist. he'll be involved and the fed regulations too. try that.
Former Member U.S. Navy Shooting Team
Former NSSA All American
Navy Distinguished Pistol Shot
MO, CT, VA.
"The problem with being dishonest isn't that people can't trust you,
it's that you can't trust anyone else." J. Crosby
That said, all of the above cautions are reasonable. Trusting folks is fun, but you don't want to be foolish about it either.
You bubble wrap your * before you go out so if you fall you won't get a boo-boo too??
Farmer Get the phone number of the seller, and call 'em, ask ALL the questions you can think of then ask yourself if you feel comfortable with that person.
... I don't know about you but I talk with every seller that Im going to spend $500 or more. The most Ive ever spent w/an NR is $875, smooth easy transaction.
...The only way I deal with sellers now that I have changed is that I will ONLY deal with an FFL holder. For one thing the shipping from a non FFL is almost always a LOT higher since they are paying an 01.
You also have one more "link" in the chain for a foul up.
The "foul up" part is why I will only buy from an FFL holder now...had a seller that had personal problems(not my dman fault) and also had problems with his jerk 01; hence I deal with dealers only.
...FB is good to consider but it is abused, screwed up and generally not worth a chit, calling the seller and having a nice talk or two is way better; you should be able to get a "feel" if the guy is legit or not if you ask the right questions and engage in some small talk a time or two...[;)]