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Ok, so now that your passing on this one can we get a link or know what it is?
I would rather not say cuz it is may well be a totally legit deal and I don't want to influence the seller's ad in a negative way if it's not warranted. In other words, if we put ourselves in the seller's shoes we wouldn't want undue negative attention on our ad just due to someone asking "is there a risk free way to buy off armslist". So I'll keep it general to the question at hand.
 
Very helpful info. Thank you. The Washington Washington is applicable for what I was looking at. Doesn't necessarily mean anything but it's something to consider. If it was a $40 or less item I wouldn't sweat it too much but just too risky for the item I want. No indication from buyer that it is any sort of scam (and I would not classify it as too good to be true at all) but I think I will let this one go bye bye.
If the price is more normal, the hook is usually that they're going to sell it to you under the table. Another one I see occasionally is that it's a new release that's selling out daily , like the hellcat did right after launch.
 
The scammers are using the text and pics from other forums and gun broker. I'll search the pics and then search the text content. Ive found some very obscure, older auctions and forums sales in addition to lots of old and even current gun broker ads that the scammers are stealing content from
 
I've started flagging scams on armslist the way my wife plays candy crush.
Almost every morning, and practically hourly on Saturday Sunday, you will see rare colt ARs ,arsenal AKs, $300 glocks, and other "amazing deals ".
Please use the flag options to scrub these parasites off the page. If you see Washington, Washington; scam.
Oddball use of the Engrish Ranguage; scam.
Account created today; scam.
The words "good and excellent condition "
Check other listings by user. If it's a $1200 Nighthawk in Wa , a $400 AK in Baltimore, and a $300 gen 2 glock 17 in Texas...well.
These same people are the ones who sell imaginary purebred puppies out of state
I was doing that and went back a week later. The flag's had no effect on the adds and in fact never indicated that the posts had been flagged at all....Go figure.
 
I was doing that and went back a week later. The flag's had no effect on the adds and in fact never indicated that the posts had been flagged at all....Go figure.
I don't know what the tipping point is, but it's definitely a numbers game . So many users have to flag before it's removed. Also, I see the same scam over and over with newly created or unconfirmed accounts
 
Found item (no ffl needed) I want to buy one state away on armslist and seller willing to ship. But I've heard horror stories re armslist.

Any safe way to buy it? I really don't want to send lots of $ to a stranger and hope it gets mailed.
I suggest that you never buy from a personal seller on Armslist. There are gunshops that use that venue. They will not risk their FFL for life by cheating you. Find out the name of the store and look them up on line, then call the phone number there to reach out. I wouldn't use the Armslist link to buy until you are sure they are legit. Use a credit card so you have options afterwards.
 
Get pics of the item with a toothbrush through/under it along with their ID. Use US Postal MO for payment. Insured against fraud, and federal felony charges for the cheater. You can also use an FFL to broker non firearm items for a small fee.

I agree that you can use an FFL, but it is not necessary. If you have to send money, send it certified mail with a return receipt requested. Use a postal money order. If someone attempts to scam you, it is then becomes a federal felony and the Post Office has the highest conviction rate of any federal agency or pseudo federal agency in America.
 
I had forgotten about OT !

Yea it was a good site. Seems like I bought one or two items off of it.

We have one of those in Georgia. It is controlled by LEOs who are keeping tabs on everybody buying and selling privately. They have banned some of the most pro-gun activists in America, so smart people avoid it and use Armslist instead.

Armslist has its scammers and sometimes legitimate people do get the boot due to overzealous posters. But, I don't think it's like some sites that have reputation issues.
 
I agree that you can use an FFL, but it is not necessary. If you have to send money, send it certified mail with a return receipt requested. Use a postal money order. If someone attempts to scam you, it is then becomes a federal felony and the Post Office has the highest conviction rate of any federal agency or pseudo federal agency in America.
What incentive is there for post office to pursue any kind of "conviction"? Why would they even care if I got scammed? They collect their paycheck regardless so why would they want to bother? Doesn't seem realistic for the scammed person to spend countless hours trying to get post office to do something they probably wouldn't want to do. But never had any experience with it.
 
After dozens of legit deals on Armslist I finally got screwed on a deal. I had a good long running streak and I knew this would happen eventually.

I know we have our own feedback system here but can we create a HOS thread dedicated just for Armslist? Possibly name *if allowed*, email, contact, address, etc?
 
Yeah, the idea of the USPS money order and mail fraud protection is a sick joke. The scammers know this, so will gladly accept them. Credit card use, so you can contest the charges if it doesn't show up, is better. In person with a camera and tape recorder is best. Either/both hidden is always good,. Lots of pen recorders that also write are good. Down side is the scammers also look for these as well to make sure you aren't taping them. If they spot them, it is 100% sure it is a scam!
 
What incentive is there for post office to pursue any kind of "conviction"? Why would they even care if I got scammed? They collect their paycheck regardless so why would they want to bother? Doesn't seem realistic for the scammed person to spend countless hours trying to get post office to do something they probably wouldn't want to do. But never had any experience with it.

The incentive, I suppose, is much like the insurance companies that spend a grand to keep you from collecting a hundred bucks, which is simply don't mess with us. They have to make the postal money order good; they have to account for the person who signs for a certified piece of mail.
 
I bought a CMR30 because of an ad on ArmsList. I do not buy from a personal seller on there. I found it at an FFL dealer advertising on there, but i bought it by calling them and buying it through their own website. I had looked to see if they had a brick & mortar building (they did) and were reachable by phone and email (they were). The reputation of AL has been screwed by reports of scammers.
Find a friend who has an FFL license and buy through them. No shipping and the deal will be about the same. Thats what I do.
 
Yeah, the idea of the USPS money order and mail fraud protection is a sick joke. The scammers know this, so will gladly accept them. Credit card use, so you can contest the charges if it doesn't show up, is better. In person with a camera and tape recorder is best. Either/both hidden is always good,. Lots of pen recorders that also write are good. Down side is the scammers also look for these as well to make sure you aren't taping them. If they spot them, it is 100% sure it is a scam!

Private parties don't take credit cards and a lot of other stuff is iffy. Recently, Paypal, of all people tried to steal money from me. They debited my account for $299. I was reading my e mails when paypal notified me of the payment. I immediately challenged the charges online. Paypal writes back and says they will "investigate." An hour and a half later, they send me another e mail assuring me the charge is legitimate and I owe the money. Really? I wondered what they "investigated" since the alleged vendor was already closed.

When I called the vendor, he didn't know who I was and knowingly allowed me to record the conversation. Paypal had taken money from him without his consent and he acknowledged getting notified of the $299 from me without even knowing who I was AND he had NO transactions in at least six months for $299. I put a stop payment on the charge. Then the bank said once someone does that, they can wait a couple of months and try to take money from your account again.

I terminated my bank account of 28 years due to this dispute with Paypal. Paypal is not backing down. Like most corporations, you are dealing with computers, not humans. There are going to be a million ways the corporations, regardless of who they are, can steal from you. Moral: If you can buy it face to face, it's worth even spending a couple of bucks more than to risk losing all your money. Once someone cheats you from out of state, it has to be worth more than 10 grand to get into federal court. Your other option is go where they live and sue them. Would you go from Georgia to California to sue Paypal for $299? Whoever that works for Paypal and steals money can best answer that.
 
I was doing that and went back a week later. The flag's had no effect on the adds and in fact never indicated that the posts had been flagged at all....Go figure.

Craigslist works the same way as Armslist. If you flag an ad, it drops into a file "bucket" and when the required number is reached, the ad will be pulled.
 
Armslist keeps raising the bar for sellers. IIRC, when I started listing stuff there, you could list up to six items without paying their dealer subcription. Which currently is $30 per month. Then some time ago, I tried to list a sixth item, discovered they'd changed the free maximum to five listings. Just tonight, I discovered that within the past week, the minimum has been changed to four free listings. Congress won't have to worry about shutting down Armslist. Armslist will do it themselves at this rate.

The big brou-ha-ha abour Armlist has been that it facilitates firearms sales without a BC. Which doesn't apply to WA or OR because state law requires it.
 

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