Buyers Beware

[drewp]

never be in a hurry to buy a gun.

Seriously you need to look closely and if you are unable to inspect the gun properly then its on you...people are dishonest and some sellers just dont know what exactly they are selling...ive learned alot of things about guns while I was selling it to another person.
I sold a rifle that had a bent firing pin (according to the seller) but I had no clue...I sent him money to fix the problem...anytime I sell something I always tell the guy call or text me if you have an issue...I think you need to be a better buyer...

 

[jbett98]

Buy the gun, not the story.

 

[whiskeybill]

I like the rating system, but people need to be honest and make things right if wronged. And anyone knowing selling an unsafe firearm should be turned into the authorities.
Esoecially of they are the ones that made it unsafe boogering it up

I seriously doubt that "The Authorities" will provide an avenue of relief. These are private transactions, not commercial. Again, it is "Buyer Beware". It is the responsibility of the purchaser, in the end, to research the purchase and the goods being sold. As I stated in a previous reply, if the seller balks at the idea of having the firearm inspected by YOUR gunsmith, at YOUR cost, then that should kill the deal. It's not worth it to blindly buy a piece of junk, and then think I am going to try somehow force honesty on someone that has none. It's not worth my time or my money. The criminal justice system has a lot bigger fish to catch than to waste time and resources on one private transaction gone bad.

I regularly go to gun shows. I see powder, primers & .22 ammunition for sale at highly inflated prices. If you are someone who has none of these items in your pantry, and need them, then you spend the money. I think it's wrong for these "Fellow Firearms Enthusiasts" to profit in such a way, but they do. When a customer comes up and lays out that money, no one is twisting his arm to do so. When I walk through this same gun show looking at used firearms, and I am carrying my recent edition of "The Blue Book of Gun Values", many of these dealers look at me like I am a heretic and a troublemaker. So be it. I learned my hard lessons long ago. I still buy the occasional used firearm, but these are the rules I live by.

 

[Joao01]

on a side note (by the way, i'm completely new on the forum, so take this with a grain of salt), but for us Washingtonians, if 594 passes, we wouldn't even be able to inspect a firearm by the nature of the law until it is transferred to us, the way I read it. You would (legally) have to buy the gun from him at an FFL, transfer the gun to you. You could then inspect it. If you don't find it the way you think it should be, then you'd have to pay (or he would) to transfer it back. But since you now hold the hot potato, he could just walk away.

 

[DieselScout]

So how come you havne't left negative feedback for either of these sellers? What's their names, I don't want to do business with them.

 

[drewp]

So how come you havne't left negative feedback for either of these sellers? What's their names, I don't want to do business with them.

This but...
If the deal is right I dont care if they have negative feedback. But I know that if I dont look it over...its my bubblegum not the sellers. ..but its nice to know if they've had an issue.

 

[Medic!]

I have a friend that bought a 1911 with a sewer pipe for a barrel [Zero rifling]. A shotgun with a drilled and tapped barrel. And a mini-14 with the bolts missing that hold in the stock liner. [If your reading this you know who you are]!

I pointed out all these things with a less than two minute look. I don't think he will ever learn.

When I started buying WWII guns and started really looking guns over before shelling out my cash. Most people don't know what they have. So You need to let the gun tell you what it is. I guess before I started buying antique guns, I just got lucky.

Buying guns defiantly has a learning curve. '' Buy the gun. Not the story'' Applies to all guns! Even so called new ones. Oh, buy the way. My friend that bought the 1911 with a bad barrel. It was a new in the box colt he bought at a gun show. Dealer must have swapped the barrel. It was obviously much older.

If somebody wont let you take the gun apart. And examine it in good light. Then don't buy it! If you cant asses what your buying. Bring a friend that can.

People lie! Or they don't know what they have. Only the gun can tell you what it is.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

Sounds like you should only buy new firearms from gun stores, with the luck you've been having lately with used guns.

That's how I play it.

 

[Doc In UPlace]

This but...
If the deal is right I dont care if they have negative feedback. But I know that if I dont look it over...its my bubblegum not the sellers. ..but its nice to know if they've had an issue.

In my long experience, people who are ripoffs and liars will continue to BE ripoffs and liars.

If they've ripped others off, what's so special about you that they won't take you for a ride, too?

If they'll rip off small things, then they'll rip off big things, too. Deals "too good to be true" usually are, and if the price is WAY low, the items are probably screwed up or stolen.

History repeats itself. Fair warning.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

There's a rating system here, use it!

 

[TOVO]

So how come you havne't left negative feedback for either of these sellers? .

I would agree with DieselScout 100%. The feedback system works if you leave honest feedback. The issue with honest feedback is that I had a bad dealing with a member and left negative feedback. The person got pissed at me and gave me a really bad feedback with a bunch of lies to the reason why.

I am always reminded that there are two sides to a story and the people being accused should be able to respond to your accusations.

 

[NoFlinch]

Ya know,
I personally think that if you don't know enough about what yer' buying to know if it's fair deal, or a great deal, or a rip off, or if you're buying a broken gun, or it may be stolen, or you have no information about the gun you're buying to even know what to look for in the "reported problem areas", or if you can't get the sellers contact information, and if you don't know how to follow your GUT INSTINCTS, you might consider buying new from a reputable dealer ONLY>....

 

[Throckmorton]

same thinking applies here as to Craigslist purchases. ...broad daylight,back away from ANYTHING hinky,like being in a hurry,etc.
I"ve been lucky I guess,all good transactions with the people on this site,but your events are a good reminder to be just a little wary of buying from strangers.

 

[usagi]

Buy the gun, not the story.

what's weird is how many buyers desperately want a story before buying. shrug.

kinda like buying a car. the story is almost always BS. take it to a shop and have it inspected.

 

[Mikej]

what's weird is how many buyers desperately want a story before buying. shrug.

kinda like buying a car. the story is almost always BS. take it to a shop and have it inspected.

Yep! Like the no dash 629 I bought, the guy said it was pristine and the little old lady only took it out when she went to church on Sundays. I loved that story.

 

[whiskeybill]

Ya know,
I personally think that if you don't know enough about what yer' buying to know if it's fair deal, or a great deal, or a rip off, or if you're buying a broken gun, or it may be stolen, or you have no information about the gun you're buying to even know what to look for in the "reported problem areas", or if you can't get the sellers contact information, and if you don't know how to follow your GUT INSTINCTS, you might consider buying new from a reputable dealer ONLY>....

Keeping in mind that a good deal can be had from a reputable dealer on a new firearm. Just don't get in a hurry, and watch what's out there. I have seen full size M&Ps anywhere from $589 to nearly $800 at various dealers. It took me over a year to get my last 1911 at a price I liked. Brand new pistol + decent price +warranty =Happy Buyer.

 

[NoFlinch]

Keeping in mind that a good deal can be had from a reputable dealer on a new firearm. Just don't get in a hurry, and watch what's out there. I have seen full size M&Ps anywhere from $589 to nearly $800 at various dealers. It took me over a year to get my last 1911 at a price I liked. Brand new pistol + decent price +warranty =Happy Buyer.

Ya, how u liken' that Ruger?

 

[Otter]

I figure over the course of X number of used purchases I'm going to get ripped off at least once regardless of my inspection, so I calculate that into the price I'm willing to pay. This applies even more to firearm related transactions that need to be shipped and you can't inspect the item.

Needless to say I don't purchase used very often. I'm willing to pay extra for the piece of mind and no-hassle factor.

 

[jbett98]

If you're buying something from a person you don't know, ask them over the phone a set of questions regarding the item, such as, "how long have you owned it, has it been damaged and/or repaired" and the most important question is "why are you selling it".
Then have a friend call from a different phone and ask similar questions and see if the seller answers with a different story to the same questions.
A seller that is lying will generally make up a different story each time, but someone telling the honest truth will faithfully repeat the same answers.
I learned this from a minister and he was a very sharp operator when dealing with people and money.

 

[whiskeybill]

Ya, how u liken' that Ruger?

What Ruger? It's a Para Elite Commander. I do know a guy with the Ruger SR1911, and he likes it. My brother bought a Remington no-frills GI Remington, and he likes it. I've shot both of them, and I find no fault with either.