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Did you send the seller a message? Maybe try and see what happens. Could be it's someone who does not know what they have. Could be a scam. If scam the seller will of course not be willing to meet. Will want you to send him a M/O and he will send you the rifle. Was there pics of the rifle? Maybe it's only good for parts.
My bet is scam over uninformed. Any time I've seen a listing well below what it should be, when I started asking Q's, it became clear very quickly it was a scam. Many folks will see a deal and instead of thinking, will think instead they've just hit a golden opportunity and jump on it without doing research so they can jump on the opportunity to take advantage of someone that doesn't know the true value. In the end they are the ones that get taken.
I just avoid listings like that. Not worth my time.
I just avoid listings like that. Not worth my time.
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You mean someone of Armslist just copied the ad from GB then? If so I hope you at least alerted Arsmslist.
When the gun's in my hand, and I'm happy, I'll show you the money!
I'm not fond of scammers! And.....I trust NO ONE!!!
Actually, I'm so paranoid about crooks and scammers that I only look for guns on this site!
I know that you are all honest, decent and morally superior!
I'm not fond of scammers! And.....I trust NO ONE!!!
Actually, I'm so paranoid about crooks and scammers that I only look for guns on this site!
I know that you are all honest, decent and morally superior!
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Do you guys find that Gunbroker.com listings are more reputable than Armslist?
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Dang, I wish my grandad didn't rechamber his from 300h&h to 300 weatherby. I've got one from before WW2
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I've never gotten anything off of Armslist, but I have bought 2 very expensive guns on gunbroker with no problems.
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Before politicians finally destroyed Armslist-type deals, my son was doing LOTS of deals up around Ft Lewis and got some nice toys. New stuff every week. He literally turned a dozen trades (mostly with other soldiers) into a few keeper weps, a dirt bike and a quad.
Then he ran into flakes. And then it became illegal to buy/sell/trade, even between friends, without all that invasive FFL nonsense. Life evolves. Now most of his toy deals involve Fisher Price.
Then he ran into flakes. And then it became illegal to buy/sell/trade, even between friends, without all that invasive FFL nonsense. Life evolves. Now most of his toy deals involve Fisher Price.
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NO !
I am going through a nightmare with a GB seller right now who is a total scam artist. To make things worse I have learned that GB does little to hold their sellers responsible, even when you have asked pre-bid questions, have photos and an independent report from a well known quality gunsmith {from this forum}.
Don't trust an A+ seller rating either. The burden of proof with these 3rd party listing companies is apparently weighted towards the seller heavily, that's where their money comes from.
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You must have a lot of trust in clowns if you can say "all" of us are like that.Actually, I'm so paranoid about crooks and scammers that I only look for guns on this site!
Nah, ya'll are good folk.
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Armslist ads.....You mean to tell me that the Nigerian prince really doesn't want to share some of his millions with me?
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For what it's worth I have made dozens of Gunbroker purchases with only one difficulty and that was remedied to my satisfaction quickly. It was in no way a scam, just a mistake in the listing.
I haven't bothered with Armslist because of all the negative experiences of the people on this forum with it.
If you search "Armslist scam" on this forum there are currently five threads about them. Searching for "Gunbroker scam" gets you the Armslist scam threads and none for Gunbroker.
While @ob1 's situation is unfortunate and no doubt frustrating, I don't think it is fair to tar Gunbroker with the same brush as Armslist.
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You know how to tell if a classified ad is a scam?
Ifyou find it on armslist
Ifyou find it on armslist
Armslist is like Craigslist. It really is only for local deals. -If a person sends money to a stranger on Armslist and it goes wrong, Armslist is not going to fix it.
Gunbroker is basically eBay for guns. Its feedback system, list of dealers to facilitate interstate transfers, etc. are attempts to formalize things and dissuade scammers.
Scammers try their games on both sites, but it's easier to mess around on Armslist. It definitely seems like there is a higher rate of scammers and flakes on Armslist.
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Armslist is usually okay for local deals on stuff that you know is priced right. If you are a seller... Armslist is a nightmare.
Scams all day long. You can spot it in the first sentence. I go along with it and have them send me the check. I always make up a name to see if they catch on........ they dont. I have checks made out to Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld, Winston Churchill, Haywood Jablome, etc.
I then let them know that they wasted their $40 to overnight the check... They argue a bit, but always go away. Though they've threatened to kill me a couple of times
Unfortunately, no one is interested in shutting these guys down. I used to think that check fraud was a crime, that using the mail to commit fraud, felony fraud was a crime. Apparently it isnt.
I do this almost weekly... I love to waste their time and money... As such, I end up with a lot of addresses and fake checks (drawn from real banks), Ive even strung them along to the point that I almost had a person on the other side waiting to accept a wire transfer.
Ive talked to police and other state/fed agencies.... no one cares.
Like how I had my CC# taken and they cloned the card, used it a few times... I had them nailed. There was a surveillance camera at the register, the store said they had the video and a clear image of the person. However, they wouldnt give it to me.
So I called the police... That was a waste of time, I live in Vancouver but the fraud happened in Portland. So I had to initiate police report in 'couve who then relayed it to pdx police (who would follow up in a week) After calling VPD and PPB several times over the course of 6 months... I finally gave up. I had an identity theft ring on a gilded platter for them and they couldnt care less to do anything about it. What sucks is that I know Im not the only one they hit.
Seems like fraud is like going 5mph over the limit anymore.
Armslist is such a waste of time now. Most of the ads are dealers with overpriced stuff, buyers who constantly offer non-gun related crap in trade, buyers who always want an under the table deal, fake check scams in my email weekly... Rarely is there a local deal worth checking out.
Gunbroker is a little better. The only thing worse is getting burned by a misrepresented item is the fact that these guys... 90% of them, absolutely violate you with shipping. Think youre getting a good deal on a gun, but then see that you have to pay $50 in shipping... it sucks (esp in WA where we have to pay tax on shipping) I keep looking at a small black powder pistol on there, but Im not paying $35 shipping when we all know it will fit in a small flat rate box.
rant/off
Scams all day long. You can spot it in the first sentence. I go along with it and have them send me the check. I always make up a name to see if they catch on........ they dont. I have checks made out to Clint Eastwood, Jerry Seinfeld, Winston Churchill, Haywood Jablome, etc.
I then let them know that they wasted their $40 to overnight the check... They argue a bit, but always go away. Though they've threatened to kill me a couple of times
Unfortunately, no one is interested in shutting these guys down. I used to think that check fraud was a crime, that using the mail to commit fraud, felony fraud was a crime. Apparently it isnt.
I do this almost weekly... I love to waste their time and money... As such, I end up with a lot of addresses and fake checks (drawn from real banks), Ive even strung them along to the point that I almost had a person on the other side waiting to accept a wire transfer.
Ive talked to police and other state/fed agencies.... no one cares.
Like how I had my CC# taken and they cloned the card, used it a few times... I had them nailed. There was a surveillance camera at the register, the store said they had the video and a clear image of the person. However, they wouldnt give it to me.
So I called the police... That was a waste of time, I live in Vancouver but the fraud happened in Portland. So I had to initiate police report in 'couve who then relayed it to pdx police (who would follow up in a week) After calling VPD and PPB several times over the course of 6 months... I finally gave up. I had an identity theft ring on a gilded platter for them and they couldnt care less to do anything about it. What sucks is that I know Im not the only one they hit.
Seems like fraud is like going 5mph over the limit anymore.
Armslist is such a waste of time now. Most of the ads are dealers with overpriced stuff, buyers who constantly offer non-gun related crap in trade, buyers who always want an under the table deal, fake check scams in my email weekly... Rarely is there a local deal worth checking out.
Gunbroker is a little better. The only thing worse is getting burned by a misrepresented item is the fact that these guys... 90% of them, absolutely violate you with shipping. Think youre getting a good deal on a gun, but then see that you have to pay $50 in shipping... it sucks (esp in WA where we have to pay tax on shipping) I keep looking at a small black powder pistol on there, but Im not paying $35 shipping when we all know it will fit in a small flat rate box.
rant/off
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Lilhigbee and I have made a number of ftf deals in the past and I place him on the top of of an already reputable stack of members here on this forum {and he's also a nice guy}. I too have made a number of successful transactions through GB.
That being said, you don't get a true picture of an operation until something goes really wrong. I am not saying that all GB sellers are like the jerk that I am currently having to deal with. I am saying that the lack of enforcement of GB seller standards makes it possible for these types of people to lurk there with impunity.
I am also calling attention to the fact that GB does allegedly have a fraud complaint procedure in place which suggests to the buyer that they will act to address egregious problems with their sellers. And that is all I have asked for, but without tangible results. He is still selling stuff and still has that A+ rating.
From my experience with them now, I totally believe this lackluster performance on their part is not accidental, it is deliberate, just from considering the amount of effort I have expended trying to squeeze water from a rock. If this is tarring GB...well so be it, from my perspective they richly deserve more than that for allowing this guy to continue ....business as usual with them.
I cannot go into specifics now since there are current criminal and civil actions active. But what I can describe is what I have observed of the GB fraud complaint procedure.
1. If and when you have a major problem with a transaction, you must send a one-way blind message on the GB message system. There is no other e-mail address, mailing address, physical address, telephone number or voice mail number. It's almost like they are operating a safe house for the witness protection program.
Until I had this problem, I had no reason to examine how GB did business. They do have a Facebook site, but it isn't set up for contact regarding problems.
When you do get a response from their main site, it is in the form of a vague acknowledgement of your message and a reference number. Some times days later, sometimes weeks or not at all..
2. When you send in a formal complaint, copies of doctored photographs, copies of bogus post descriptions, photographs and inspection reports from third party gunsmiths, copies of correspondence with the seller etc. ... yippee, you do get another one line acknowledgement and reference number. No further information, not even so much as a " we will take a look into this".
Months down the road, the most tangible thing they have come out with is "You should send the item back to the seller with documentation, then the seller should issue a full refund, if not, you should contact the authorities".
Well thank you Clarence Darrow !
That being said, you don't get a true picture of an operation until something goes really wrong. I am not saying that all GB sellers are like the jerk that I am currently having to deal with. I am saying that the lack of enforcement of GB seller standards makes it possible for these types of people to lurk there with impunity.
I am also calling attention to the fact that GB does allegedly have a fraud complaint procedure in place which suggests to the buyer that they will act to address egregious problems with their sellers. And that is all I have asked for, but without tangible results. He is still selling stuff and still has that A+ rating.
From my experience with them now, I totally believe this lackluster performance on their part is not accidental, it is deliberate, just from considering the amount of effort I have expended trying to squeeze water from a rock. If this is tarring GB...well so be it, from my perspective they richly deserve more than that for allowing this guy to continue ....business as usual with them.
I cannot go into specifics now since there are current criminal and civil actions active. But what I can describe is what I have observed of the GB fraud complaint procedure.
1. If and when you have a major problem with a transaction, you must send a one-way blind message on the GB message system. There is no other e-mail address, mailing address, physical address, telephone number or voice mail number. It's almost like they are operating a safe house for the witness protection program.
Until I had this problem, I had no reason to examine how GB did business. They do have a Facebook site, but it isn't set up for contact regarding problems.
When you do get a response from their main site, it is in the form of a vague acknowledgement of your message and a reference number. Some times days later, sometimes weeks or not at all..
2. When you send in a formal complaint, copies of doctored photographs, copies of bogus post descriptions, photographs and inspection reports from third party gunsmiths, copies of correspondence with the seller etc. ... yippee, you do get another one line acknowledgement and reference number. No further information, not even so much as a " we will take a look into this".
Months down the road, the most tangible thing they have come out with is "You should send the item back to the seller with documentation, then the seller should issue a full refund, if not, you should contact the authorities".
Well thank you Clarence Darrow !
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When the gun's in my hand, and I'm happy, I'll show you the money!
I'm not fond of scammers! And.....I trust NO ONE!!!
Actually, I'm so paranoid about crooks and scammers that I only look for guns on this site!
I take offense some of us are dirty no good scoundrels and proud of it ;-).
