Is everyone on Armslist.com a scammer

[ilikegunspdx]

I actually have had decent luck and sold a few things on Armslist, but it is bad if you don't know what to look for. Worst part is all the ads, and only a few listings per page.
There are flakes and scammers everywhere...
Even sometimes infect our Classifieds here. Tacswap is another one that has a lot of scammers, and flakes... any site without a feedback system is a playground for those arse clowns.

Agree about the feedback system. Feedback part is critical to trying to figure out if u are dealing with a scammer or a straight shooter.

 

[bmtm09]

I've wondered about this a few times based on requests made of me to sell/ship a certain way. My experience with the FBI and army CID of decades ago tells me surveillance is an on-going thing and should never be discounted.

I actually saw an ad on Facebook for what is called an fuel filter but is in actuality a suppressor. The person in the ad unscrews the end cap and pulls out the baffled inner sleeve.

 

[bmtm09]

I actually saw an ad on Facebook for what is called an oil filter but is in actuality a suppressor. The person in the ad unscrews the end cap and pulls out the baffled inner sleeve.

FOR NAPA 4003 WIX 24003 - 1/2-28 5/8-24 FUEL FILTER ALUMINUM SOLVENT T

Satisfaction Guaranteed within 90 Days Shipping gt gt Worldwide Express Shipping Available Handling time gt gt Ship within 24 hours after payment Returns gt gt Fast refund 100 Money Back Guarantee FREE SHIPPING on orders over 39 98 of customers buy 2PCS We are going to sell out 1000 items at the...

www.heiwgn.com

 

[gmerkt]

Feedback part is critical to trying to figure out if u are dealing with a scammer or a straight shooter.

Yeah, no feedback system on Armslist. I've mostly sold on Armslist, think I only bought one gun from it. Most of the guns I've sold have been local meet-ups for what was basically a face-to-face sale. However, I've sold several long guns out of state on a strictly trust basis. Which I would never do as a buyer but the guys who bought from me didn't hesitate. Maybe they had their own way of checking up on me. I think I told one guy, "You can check my feedback on Gunbroker if you'd like" but he didn't care to take me up on it. I have the urge to tell anyone buying like this, "How do you know I won't bamboozle you?" but I don't. By living up to their trust in me, I hope I'm not setting them up for something bad in the future with someone else who is a scummer. That won't be on me; it's a free will thing, they decide what to do as an adult.

 

[HeavyfootHick]

Just this morning was reading the same rant over on the AK files forum's. People running into flakes/scams on Armslist both buyers and sellers and Gunbroker prices at a premium.

 

[1371JarHead]

Yup just had a guy flake on me this am to buy my .243 Win, sigh, what is wrong with people, yeah Armslist needs some sort of way to vet these guys..

 

[shibbershabber]

I've bought and sold on both.

Selling on Armslist is a joke ... If you 10 emails, 2 will want you to do an off books private deal, 2 will be very interested and never respond to you again, 6 will be check fraud scams (I have the checks to prove it)...
If you're lucky, someone might arrange to buy... Then it's 50/50 of he shows up.

Buying can be nice though.


Selling on GB is good for more obscure items as it gives you a nationwide audience. Though if you're selling a used RIA 1911, you will have to sell low to be competitive, then GB takes their fees which are YUUUGE...

Buying on GB is harsh as the prices are not great... Most of the time you are buying used stuff at MSRP prices. Then the ahipping ... Good God almighty I don't know why everyone has to charge so much for shipping on there, no matter the item!
Like 2x what actual postage is... Something that would fit in a $13 flat rate box.... Is $25 AND they ship USPS even

Northwest Firearms classifieds are the best game in town

 

[1371JarHead]

I've bought and sold on both.

Selling on Armslist is a joke ... If you 10 emails, 2 will want you to do an off books private deal, 2 will be very interested and never respond to you again, 6 will be check fraud scams (I have the checks to prove it)...
If you're lucky, someone might arrange to buy... Then it's 50/50 of he shows up.

Buying can be nice though.


Selling on GB is good for more obscure items as it gives you a nationwide audience. Though if you're selling a used RIA 1911, you will have to sell low to be competitive, then GB takes their fees which are YUUUGE...

Buying on GB is harsh as the prices are not great... Most of the time you are buying used stuff at MSRP prices. Then the ahipping ... Good God almighty I don't know why everyone has to charge so much for shipping on there, no matter the item!
Like 2x what actual postage is... Something that would fit in a $13 flat rate box.... Is $25 AND they ship USPS even

Northwest Firearms classifieds are the best game in town

hahahahahahahahaha best thing I have read on the interwebbs today...

 

[wewaits]

Why does it say Blackhawk in the side of a Chinook? That's an insult to both aircraft.

Holy batcrap batman, I have been trying to sell a few rifles and some ammo the past few weeks, they are listed in here but also on armslist.com....Damn it is very nearly driving me to the point of jumping of my roof lolololol. Has anyone else posted in armslist.com before, I used them a while back to sell some ammo and old Marine Corps gear I dont use anymore and it was ok, but now..it almost seems like there is a anti 2nd amendment thing going on. ok rant over..

View attachment 718275

 

[trevi]

I got this message from a Mathew Haught:

I would like to proceed with the instant purchase immediately,I am an officer. Am okay with the condition and the price, I just got deployed from your area. That's the reason I won't be able to meet to see it but I can contact my FFL holder and you give me the contact info of you as the person I am about to purchase the firearm from? My FFL or me can email msg a copy of my FFL for verification if you want. So let me know if you are ready to proceed in receiving the payment right away, it will be in-form of a certified cashier check which will be mailed to you via Fedex next day air delivery, So you ll have to ship to my FFL once the check is cleared. If we can go ahead with the sale please get back to me with this details.

Name to be on check
Full address to receive the check
Mobile number
Final asking price of the firearm

regards
Mr Haught

So, I preceded to respond that this reads like a bot, and if he is interested, he can give my email to his FFL and let me communicate with him/ her. No, response yet.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Some potential red flags I see are "payment right away" being so prominent and cashier's check right away. I know in the past there have been a lot of scams re cashier's checks. They look legit and you deposit and it shows up in your account (temporarily) and u mail item and then days later you find out it's not real. Maybe banks have fixed that issue now though I dunno (ur bank would know). I know for me the "hurry, hurry" thing is always a red flag. Doesn't mean it's not legit, just gets the spidey sense tingling. Great idea on the communication with FFL. Just my 2 cents, I'm no expert on this.

 

[teflon6string]

8 years ago (or thereabouts) my soldier son made several great trades on Armslist.com, enlarging/upgrading a small collection from 3 to 6-8 varied pieces. Most/all of his contacts were other Army and Air Force players local to Ft. Lewis/McChord AFB.

Very capable on Craigslist (with guitars, amps, vehicles and kayaks), I became interested in Armslist and tried it in the Portland area. Nothing but flakes, liars and scammers posing both as buyers and sellers.

Almost overnight (I think about 2013) my boy started getting 100% identical results. We were both disgusted, quit it and never looked back.

I've had good experiences on NWFA and Gunbroker.com. Can anyone here recommend some other legit online sites?

 

[SemiAccurate]

I've never bought anything off Armslist, but i have sold a good amount of ammo. Certainly deal with the usual flakes but haven't run into any scammers yet for local meet-ups anyways. That run of good fortune might just be due to people turning to sites for ammo nowadays.

 

[shibbershabber]

I got this message from a Mathew Haught:

I would like to proceed with the instant purchase immediately,I am an officer. Am okay with the condition and the price, I just got deployed from your area. That's the reason I won't be able to meet to see it but I can contact my FFL holder and you give me the contact info of you as the person I am about to purchase the firearm from? My FFL or me can email msg a copy of my FFL for verification if you want. So let me know if you are ready to proceed in receiving the payment right away, it will be in-form of a certified cashier check which will be mailed to you via Fedex next day air delivery, So you ll have to ship to my FFL once the check is cleared. If we can go ahead with the sale please get back to me with this details.

Name to be on check
Full address to receive the check
Mobile number
Final asking price of the firearm

regards
Mr Haught

So, I preceded to respond that this reads like a bot, and if he is interested, he can give my email to his FFL and let me communicate with him/ her. No, response yet.

Thats the script... hahaha

I give my work address and a BS name... And most of the time they overnight a fraudulent check.

I enjoy wasting their time & money...

Plus my coworkers love it, to see the mailman come in asking if __________ is here.
I have checks written to names like Dee Snutz, Hugh G. Rection, Mike Oxmall and other such names.

Good times

 

[Mikej]

Dee Snutz, Hugh G. Rection, Mike Oxmall

 

[Siglvr]

Holy batcrap batman, I have been trying to sell a few rifles and some ammo the past few weeks, they are listed in here but also on armslist.com....Damn it is very nearly driving me to the point of jumping of my roof lolololol. Has anyone else posted in armslist.com before, I used them a while back to sell some ammo and old Marine Corps gear I dont use anymore and it was ok, but now..it almost seems like there is a anti 2nd amendment thing going on. ok rant over..

ARMSLIST RESPONSE: (please read this with an accent)
"I'm interested in the Chinook you list in your photo and will pay SIGnifigantly more than market if we can conduct business away from the prying eyes of the government. As the personal representative of the President of Nigeria I have unlimited funds. Does it come with the usual complement of Armaments XM32, 33 etc etc or are there any loose M60s onboard? Also, if there are any warheads still tied down that were never offloaded - please leave them and I'll pay extra for those as well."

 

[1371JarHead]

Thats the script... hahaha

I give my work address and a BS name... And most of the time they overnight a fraudulent check.

I enjoy wasting their time & money...

Plus my coworkers love it, to see the mailman come in asking if __________ is here.
I have checks written to names like Dee Snutz, Hugh G. Rection, Mike Oxmall and other such names.

Good times

Hahahahahahahahaha f me, I got the same response hahahahaha...wtf is going on , lolololol.

 

[1371JarHead]

Why does it say Blackhawk in the side of a Chinook? That's an insult to both aircraft.

Its just how the meme was done..lololol.

 

[gmerkt]

This is a typical bogus reply to an item you are selling:

" That's ok with me, i'll cover whatever shipping cost and i will mail a cashier check for payment and once the bank posts the funds which usually doesn't take more than a day. So send me your name, full address, final asking price and mobile number to mail the cashier check, it should take 2-3 working days for the delivery via USPS. Please bare with me as i m highly interested in this purchase .... Thanks "

Stilted English, mention of cashier's check, asking for "final asking" price when the price is already listed and no negotiation has been mentioned.

I've seen these often enough to recognize them for what they are. Still, if you don't answer an email, you won't know if you have a real buyer or a scammer.

I have sold a few rifles directly. Directly meaning, I myself shipped to their FFL dealer, I didn't need an intermediary FFL dealer to ship it for me as I would a handgun. Those long gun sales worked out, USPS postal money order only, yellow paper with watermark and green stripe through it. Hard to fake. Cashier's check, those aren't as well protected. I did sell one handgun out of state via Armslist, it went the FFL to FFL route. Trusting souls.