Why are so many people unwilling to ship?

[Juhosaphat]

Yeah it makes no sense. Shipping is so much better than time out of my day and fuel to drive somewhere and hope the buyer shows up, on time no less.

This is a big part of why I'm willing to ship, especially smaller items. I've been ghosted/no-showed/waited far too long for more deals in person far more than I've been screwed over when shipping items.

 

[raftman]

Yeah it makes no sense. Shipping is so much better than time out of my day and fuel to drive somewhere and hope the buyer shows up, on time no less.

There are also lots of risks to shipping that don't apply to in-person transactions, though. If one is willing to accept that, great but it's not as though there aren't trade-offs.

 

[solv3nt]

Everybody has an acceptable amount of risk, and headache that they're willing to accept. If you're willing to ship, good for you, if you're not willing to ship, good for you. For me personally, I usually won't ship, and the headache alone will have my give something away as opposed to dealing with some random Internet person, especially if they're from Craigslist or FB marketplace.

 

[Trollinwaters]

Not sure what the huge deal with shipping is. I buy and sell a lot on another classified site that deals strictly with firearms and accessories. I have yet to have a bad transaction. Not to say they don't happen but there a steps you can take to avoid getting scammed. If both parties agree on price and product then as a seller there is no risk. Once money is received the product is shipped and a tracking number is sent. I always ask the buyer if they want to pay for insurance or the signature option. At that point it's up to them. They know the risk of having items shipped. The risk normally falls on the buyer. The site I deal on is 99% shipping so the majority of everyone on there is ok with it. But it's also a nationwide forum.

Ways to avoid being scammed -

1. Always get a phone number
2. Name and address of where the product is going
3. Check the history and time period the buyer or seller has been on the site. Sometimes it takes time to get history and certain individuals won't deal with you if you're not established. It's part of the game.
4. If the item has a serial number ask for it and cross reference it with the company to validate its authenticity.
5. Ask for a photo of the item to be text to you with the user name and date handwritten on a paper next to it. Or something random like, "Can you send me a picture of the scope in front of your open refrigerator."
6. If at any point they refuse to do so then the transaction will not move forward. If you decide to move forward just know that there is a higher risk.
7. If the deal is too good to be true then it probably is a scam.
8. Always ask for a tracking number as well as a photo of the receipt showing the product has been dropped at a shipping location.

At the end of the day bad things can happen when using USPS, FedEx, or UPS. Things can get lost or damaged or even stolen. But as long as both parties agree before the transaction then your hands are clean. Personally I don't ship items that require a FFL for personal reasons. Other than that everything else is good to go. If someone doesn't want to ship then that's their choice and yea you may loose out on a deal. It's not the end of the world. But when it comes to buying and selling you will have a much greater pool to pull from if you're willing to ship.

 

[Duneblaster]

 

[clanhanson]

Good Morning All-

Being from way out of state- shipping is the only option for me, and has been on the buyer side only. I have yet to run into a flake here- great, like-minded people that I genuinely enjoy engaging in conversation with. There are much higher risks using the local classifieds (bismanonline.com) being the main limp noodle with buying and selling. No-shows, game players. And that exists only because the admins refuse to put a rating system in place (trust me, I have requested a change for years!).

Communication is key- mind your please and thank you that your parents hopefully taught you. The buyer isn't committed to ship to you (or me). Understand those boundaries and respect them.

But by and far- this is a great community with many, many bright minds and perspectives. Places like this really go against what the common perception is regarding the Pacific Northwest and I feel honored to be included among this group of people.

Zingger

Yeah sure you betcha!

 

[echo1]

Shipping is a hassle and if the seller will that's nice, if not...oh well, different strokes for different folks. The last 2 long guns I got came out of Oregon, from 2 different sellers, both in Lebanon. Neither had shipped before, but I walked them through it, and it went smooth. I've bought and sold all over the country as well. PAX

 

[clanhanson]

Absolutely ridiculous people are this paranoid.

Did you hear a sound? Because there are jokes whooshing over your head

 

[aholley777]

Did you hear a sound? Because there are jokes whooshing over your head

seems to be the 2a group recently as the joke

 

[raftman]

Not sure what the huge deal with shipping is. I buy and sell a lot on another classified site that deals strictly with firearms and accessories. I have yet to have a bad transaction. Not to say they don't happen but there a steps you can take to avoid getting scammed. If both parties agree on price and product then as a seller there is no risk. Once money is received the product is shipped and a tracking number is sent. I always ask the buyer if they want to pay for insurance or the signature option. At that point it's up to them. They know the risk of having items shipped. The risk normally falls on the buyer. The site I deal on is 99% shipping so the majority of everyone on there is ok with it. But it's also a nationwide forum.

Ways to avoid being scammed -

1. Always get a phone number
2. Name and address of where the product is going
3. Check the history and time period the buyer or seller has been on the site. Sometimes it takes time to get history and certain individuals won't deal with you if you're not established. It's part of the game.
4. If the item has a serial number ask for it and cross reference it with the company to validate its authenticity.
5. Ask for a photo of the item to be text to you with the user name and date handwritten on a paper next to it. Or something random like, "Can you send me a picture of the scope in front of your open refrigerator."
6. If at any point they refuse to do so then the transaction will not move forward. If you decide to move forward just know that there is a higher risk.
7. If the deal is too good to be true then it probably is a scam.
8. Always ask for a tracking number as well as a photo of the receipt showing the product has been dropped at a shipping location.

At the end of the day bad things can happen when using USPS, FedEx, or UPS. Things can get lost or damaged or even stolen. But as long as both parties agree before the transaction then your hands are clean. Personally I don't ship items that require a FFL for personal reasons. Other than that everything else is good to go. If someone doesn't want to ship then that's their choice and yea you may loose out on a deal. It's not the end of the world. But when it comes to buying and selling you will have a much greater pool to pull from if you're willing to ship.

It's still quite possible to get stung if you do everything right. In my case, sold an item on a different platform (set of pistol grips, so not a regulated or serialized part), shipped with tracking. Tracking says delivered, placed in mailbox. 3 weeks later, guy says he never got the grips, reports it to the platform. Website's buyer protections just take their word for it despite tracking. I am told "you have x-amount of days to send another item (I didn't have any) or refund the buyer or we'll refund them and charge you for it." I go to the postal service and they say insurance doesn't cover this situation. I can't even leave negative feedback because platform only allows buyers to rate sellers and not the other way around. I can't even say something snarky like "enjoy the free grips" because they could leave me a negative feedback.

 

[aholley777]

It's still quite possible to get stung if you do everything right. In my case, sold an item on a different platform (set of pistol grips, so not a regulated or serialized part), shipped with tracking. Tracking says delivered, placed in mailbox. 3 weeks later, guy says he never got the grips, reports it to the platform. Website's buyer protections just take their word for it despite tracking. I am told "you have x-amount of days to send another item (I didn't have any) or refund the buyer or we'll refund them and charge you for it." I go to the postal service and they say insurance doesn't cover this situation. I can't even leave negative feedback because platform only allows buyers to rate sellers and not the other way around. I can't even say something snarky like "enjoy the free grips" because they could leave me a negative feedback.

Anyone who takes ratings on these kind of forums are jokes. Super easy to lie or do anything to screw someones rating over.

 

[solv3nt]

seems to be the 2a group recently as the joke

Great way to make friends.

 

[aholley777]

Great way to make friends.

not this specific group, just lots of bending over.

 

[clanhanson]

Great way to make friends.

I mean, "Ahole" is in their username...

 

[clanhanson]

Anyone who takes ratings on these kind of forums are jokes. Super easy to lie or do anything to screw someones rating over.

Somebody with 20+ positive reviews and little to no negative can generally be considered a reliable buyer/seller. Feedback is important.

I've been fortunate to only have one chucklehead that made the deal turn into a nightmare. The rest have been great because I vet them thoroughly.

 

[echo1]

I haven't used them yet but an escrow account like Guntab sounds like the way to go with unknown folks. I metioned it on some WTB responses (which gennerate a lot of scammers), went dark on the other end as soon as I mentioned it. PAX

 

[aholley777]

Somebody with 20+ positive reviews and little to no negative can generally be considered a reliable buyer/seller. Feedback is important.

not everyones been here for years though, tells nothing

 

[clanhanson]

not everyones been here for years though, tells nothing

A new member that's actively contributing to different threads is likely not a bot. The scammers usually join then immediately go to the Classifieds without much participation in other sections.

 

[Trollinwaters]

It's still quite possible to get stung if you do everything right. In my case, sold an item on a different platform (set of pistol grips, so not a regulated or serialized part), shipped with tracking. Tracking says delivered, placed in mailbox. 3 weeks later, guy says he never got the grips, reports it to the platform. Website's buyer protections just take their word for it despite tracking. I am told "you have x-amount of days to send another item (I didn't have any) or refund the buyer or we'll refund them and charge you for it." I go to the postal service and they say insurance doesn't cover this situation. I can't even leave negative feedback because platform only allows buyers to rate sellers and not the other way around. I can't even say something snarky like "enjoy the free grips" because they could leave me a negative feedback.

Sounds like a crappy platform to deal on. But you're right. Things can always go wrong. I haven't had it happen to me yet.

 

[Trollinwaters]

A new member that's actively contributing to different threads is likely not a bot. The scammers usually join then immediately go to the Classifieds without much participation in other sections.

Very true.