Purchasing from Gunbroker

[IW1978]

What has everyone’s experience been with gunbroker auctions? I put in a bid on a Parker on there and oddly it took me to the email about a similar gun that I saw on Gunsinternational. The auction seems like something odd went on and another account was just jacking up the price. If the gun description is legit then it’s a fair price. Just don’t have experience on that site.

[Greg Baylander]

PM sent, check your messages

[Keavin Nelson]

Be careful, there have been scammers on GB in the past and certainly there will be in the future. This is both from a buyers and sellers side. Was it the same gun listed in both places?

[B. Dudley]

Some sellers may cross post and market their guns in both locations. But not very often.

A commonly seen scam is where someone will hijack photos from a guns international listing and crop off the GI watermark and then put up a gunbroker listing for the gun using those photos. Usually the descriptions are minimal. And the price will always be half what the gun is “worth” making it very attractive to bidders.
These scam sellers will usually be NR (no review) sellers on Gunbroker meaning they have no feedback rating. OR the ratings will be very low. Like 1 or 2. And usually those ratings are from other scam accounts. They work together to try and pad up feedback ratings to make their accounts look more legit.

Maybe if you share examples of the listings you mention, we can advise.


One company that is posting a lot of GI is Guns.com. And they have their own website and run their own auctions on there as well as fixed price sales. They are just using GI to try and boost their exposure. Which will just end up biting GI in the ass in the future as Guns.com is their competitor. And, They are BAD NEWS based on recent experiences I had with them.

[edgarspencer]

Check the seller's 'other listings'. If it's their only listing, send them a message, and ask that they reply to your email address. If they don't, they may not want you to be able to better identify them.
I don't look at GB too often, and have very limited buying experience off that site. My most recent experience was with a seller in upstate NY. The gun was a 30" DHE20, and turned out to be very much nicer than his good pictures suggested. I was the only bidder, and felt it was a very good deal.

[Jay Oliver]

All good advice/practices mentioned here. I'll also add that once gun is over around $2k or more, I usually want to talk to the seller on the phone(just to ask questions about the gun and get a feel for who I am dealing with).

That doesn't always happen, but if something doesn't feel right or if I need a few more details before I bid. I usually enjoy the phone call as good sellers don't mind talking about what they have listed. Good sxs relationships can start this way.

One last thing if something feels off, "cut and paste" the description(or parts of it) and see what Google will come up with. If it is double listed or something fishy is going on you'll usually find it, as scammers don't take the time to alter the description.

Some of you may remember. I bought a 28g VH that Brian restocked wonderfully that was initially listed on Guns International, but listed on GunBroker a few times as well.

[Craig Larter]

I look for lots of positive feedbacks on GB sellers. I have only purchased a few great items off GB but I watch it daily. If the seller is using the GB instant check out system that makes me comfotable since a credit card is required and some of the sellers on the check out system waive the CC fee.

[Phil Yearout]

Never have, doubt I ever will. There is simply too much that is subjective, too much stretching the limits of honesty for me to feel comfortable. I bought my first few guns at shows where I could at least handle the thing in person; all my later purchases have been from someone I know or at least is well known on the boards. My buying days are likely over anyway .

[Brett Trimble]

FWIW, I’ve bought many guns on GB. Very few vintage guns, however. If I’m interested I send the seller an email. If they don’t reply I move on. If they do I usually ask for additional pics and/or a phone call. I haven’t had a problem yet.

The info that Brian shared is critical, IMO…

[John Allen]

I always look to see their other listings. If they have several photos with different backgrounds that is a red flag. Most legitimate sellers use the same background for all their photos. When they are mixed,they have been lifted from different sites.