Gunbroker Purchase Gone Bad

[Flieger]

I already own a 9mm Baby Eagle and love it. So much so, that I wanted the .45 acp version.

The listing stated "This firearm is used but is in immaculate condition" and the pictures appeared to back up the claim.

Before I placed a bid, I called and talked with the gun store owner who told me a story of how a man purchased the gun for his wife and not liking it, returned it immediately. I was going to be blown away at how good this gun looks.

I received a call from my dealer today who told me to be prepared for a disappointment and when I showed up, disappointed I was.

The gun showed extensive wear all over and the seller used a black magic marker to cover up the missing finish. One of the magazines was so bad, it glowed with a purple hue. The recoil spring was all used up and there were gouges on the grips. The tac-rail was chewed up and worst on all, there was an obvious area of damage (missing metal) on the right side of the slide where they tried to conceal it. But because it was on the definition line, the wavy look was pretty obvious.

I always buy new and I guess there is a reason for it. When it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

I'll still find my 45, but the next time I will pony up and buy new. I just thank God that I bought it on my Discover card. I almost came close to sending a check.

Not one of my best gun buying days.

Here's what I saw in the listing. It look's perfect. This is not what I saw in the store today. But he does have 7 positive feedbacks and I have no intention of being his first negative.

[dorangolv]

Just as long as you didn't get stuck with it. I think the gun dealer would've been more careful being part of such an ugly sale. Makes them look bad.

[downtownv]

Something stinks, here. You didn't pizz in his boots, did you?
7 feedbacks, all good, why would he pull the BS on you and ruin his reputation.
Credit card is you the best protection, glad it worked out for you in the end.

[FLBri]

why not call the dealer and see if a mistake had been made? Maybe he shipped the wrong gun?

If he stonewalls you, or defends his actions ... than why would you not be a negative on his record. People need to be warned about unscrupulous business like that. I think more that it is your obligation to report in the negative.

[ripley16]

Can you post a link to the ad so we can see the seller and other details?

[SlowBurn]

Gunbroker Purchase Gone Bad

why not call the dealer and see if a mistake had been made? Maybe he shipped the wrong gun?

If he stonewalls you, or defends his actions ... than why would you not be a negative on his record. People need to be warned about unscrupulous business like that. I think more that it is your obligation to report in the negative.

++1

[chrish]

I agree w/ FLBri, why not?


I'd contact the guy again by phone and ask him what's up. From his response you should easily be able to tell if he intentionally/deliberately tried to pull one over or is just a total dunce. If he's a dunce and REALLY thought the gun was in perfect condition, so be it. It could at a minimum be a teachable moment for the guy. But either way, you can give a negative rating and still be polite in the comment that goes with it.


Just a thought.

[Flieger]

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. If we takes care of the problem without being a jerk, I will accept it.
But if he gives me crap or opposition, I have changed my mind and will leave a professional negative feedback.

[Bawanna]

You should be fine. Something like this you look the gun over before your dealer does any transfer paperwork. If it's a pig you just don't accept it. Dealer sends it back. At most you might be out his shipping cost.

Most dealers have a 3 day non firing inspection period, if they don't I'd look elsewhere.

It's much easier if you don't accept and don't do the transfer.

I was nearly burned not long ago by a fella selling something at far too good a price that he didn't even have. And he's only on the other side of the state. Still tempted to go knock on his door and ask what the heck he thinks he's doing.

Hope this has a happy ending.

[Flieger]

I would like to do nothing else but post the entire auction from Gunbroker.

Until this is resolved, I have to keep all communications in writing per Discover. They require documentation.

I can't emphasize enough that is doesn't look like the same gun. I can't see any point to calling anyway. He BS'd the hell out of me on the phone prior to buying it.
The gun was covered with magic maker, The slide was loose because the recoil spring was shot out.

And what did I accomplish? I thought I was saving over $100 for what I could have bought from a dealer.

We learn from our mistakes in life, and I have up until this point been blessed. But I can tell you that I will never again put myself in this position. If I can't examine and touch it first, I'm not buying it.

It's an entirely different situation if I were buying it from a forum member. I should be clear and say, I'm never going to buy from Gunbroker again.

Thank God, I made the sale on Discover. I came so close to sending a check to save 3%. In that case I would have a paperweight. I assume that if you are reading this, you know what a Baby Eagle looks and feels like. If you saw the actual condition of this gun, you'd be hard pressed to spend $200 for it, it was that bad.

[Bawanna]

I'd not let one bad deal ruin your outlook on Gunbroker in general. I've bought many with no issue.

My one close call was with armslist which is designed really to connect local buyers and sellers, not really to arrange shipping across the country but it happens all the time and that's not a bad thing.

One just has to be careful, build a dialogue with the seller, read the fine print and do your homework.

If I'm not mistaken I think Gunbroker has some built in protection for this sort of thing also.

You shouldn't have to eat this thing for a life learning experience.

[jigsaw290]

I've bought several off of GB over the last 6 mo. My kahr transaction was the sketchiest. 4 phone calls, after 2 unanswered emails, and 8 days after the two day only cost was paid- it did show up. The hundreds of positive feedback by the same guy should have been a clue. More attention will be paid to that in the future. All my others have been flawless.

[TheTman]

If I was absolutely certain that they seller tried to pull one over on you, and didn't ship the wrong gun or something like that, I'd have no problem posting his first negative feedback, and include as many of the details as you can fit in the comments.


I've been very lucky with Gunbroker, everything has met my expectations, and one was much better than I expected.

[Flieger]

Gunbroker can be like walking close to a mine field. In most cases, you make it through, but the ranks of dishonest people with no honor has risen just a bit. I firmly believe that the vast majority of sellers are honest and out to increase their business, but in some cases, you get the dealer whose idea of the word "mint" is a whole lot different than my interpretation.

I have bought numerous times from Gunbroker without a problem, but I feel this was just a warning shot fired across my bow.

The problem with Gunbroker is the lack of help or remedy they afford you. There's no phone number to call, and they cater to their bread and butter big dealers.

I know that eBay is a bad comparison because their policy is skewed to the buyer and yes, a dishonest buyer can take advantage of it. But before they changed their policy/ guarantee, I lost a few times.

There should be something in the middle that protects both parties.

[CJB]

I met a potential girlfriend one time online. she was a lot more feminine and a lot less hairy in the pictures. the clincher when I met her though .was that she only like sex in total darkness and from behind.

that kind of reminds me of this gun deal