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Gunbroker experiences?

If you are buying a new firearm and do not have a ffl, you will need a local ffl to handle the transaction. Show him what you found and have him see if he can do better.
Ill ask them and see but few years ago he told me "aint no way im doing that" on a tikka varmint.
 
I have done a couple of deals on GB but only buy stuff that is not locally available. The last GB buy I made was about 6 years ago and it was an unfired Ruger No.1 in 257 Roberts with red pad, box and all original paperwork.
 
I have had great experiences with gunbroker. I also have a good relationship with my local FFL for the transactions. As said already, keep shipping costs, FFL transfer fee, and taxes in mind when you make a purchase. The listed price will be $100 more when you add shipping and transfer to it.

My LGS will sell on gunbroker if they have stock in the store that is not moving. The owner has told me several occasions that a rifle brought hundreds more on gunbroker auctions than he had it advertised in his store for.
 
Whitemoose is a large brick and mortar gunshop in northern NH. I've bought from them before and they are great to work with. Nice layaway plan as well. I've actually driven up and picked up my purchase in person.
 
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Nothing but positive experiences for me. Couple used items and guns, couple new guns. As said, keep eye on feedback and shipping costs etc. definitely expect another 100$ or so but it will depend
 
How much should the local dealer mark things up?


As much as they want.

The beauty of the free market economy is there will always be somebody willing to make $400 profit instead of the $500 profit the other guy wants and then they'll be somebody else willing to make a $300 profit instead of the $400 profit of the first guy.

The free market economy will always get the consumer the best price available. That is... IF its a truly free market.
 
Local gun stores near me seem to price gouge. Within the past six months I bought two new shotguns from Gun Broker. With shipping, tax, and the FFL transfer I saved about 15% over buying local. I just make sure shipping is reasonable, and they don't tack on a credit card fee, or a % of the transaction for insurance. Bottom line carefully read the ad.
 
I have purchased a few things from Gun Broker. I use it when I can not find it somewhere else. To me things there are more expensive than anywhere else. But Can find things that are just not available anywhere else.
Case in point I have a 8lb jug of N555 powder on its way. I paid 80$ more than Anyone else sells it for but no one anywhere I checked had any. I use it for loading my 25 Creedmoor. To me it was worth it. I was not happy about the price but am happy I was able to get some more powder I needed.
 
Gunbroker is full of sleeper deals, provided you stay current on value. Figure any firearm at $500 ish dollars, you can expect another $100 in fees, tax, and shipping. From there, it climbs accordingly. Sometimes the extra cost is the dealbreaker. Sometimes it’s an A rating, vice an A+ rating. Sometimes it’s too many listings at too good to be true pricing. Due diligence is your friend.

As far as gunbroker itself. You get screwed by a seller, you’ll never recoup the full price. The search engine needed updating 10-15 years ago. They collect taxes from users whose states require it, but there is no provision to prove the individual has paid, since the transaction details are deleted not so long after completion. Screen shots are useful for record keeping. There is little means to look backward and determine sale price, to see trends.

Helpful hint. If you want to know what something sells for, save that auction to favorites. If it sells, you can access the page for X amount of time before it is removed altogether. Doing this also lets you see how long/how many’s relists occur on items, and if listing prices get lowered. Some sellers do lower pricing after X amount of time.
 
I found a real bargain there once. Even after the exorbitant fees were tacked on, I still did OK. There are bargains there for us left-handed shooters, you just have to be patient.
 
I have purchased a few things from Gun Broker. I use it when I can not find it somewhere else. To me things there are more expensive than anywhere else. But Can find things that are just not available anywhere else.
Case in point I have a 8lb jug of N555 powder on its way. I paid 80$ more than Anyone else sells it for but no one anywhere I checked had any. I use it for loading my 25 Creedmoor. To me it was worth it. I was not happy about the price but am happy I was able to get some more powder I needed.
I did the same thing recently on GB with AR-Comp, but the seller hit my card TWICE for the transaction and it took 6 weeks to get it resolved. Luckily I used my Amex card and when they didn't get a response from the seller or GB, they finally backed out one of the charges.
 
I used Gunbroker quite a bit in years past, both as a seller and a buyer. I think it used to be a good thing, but I have not done any transaction on Gunbroker in several years.

They add in the tax, but I found the tax was often incorrectly charged. I was charged taxes for areas that I did not live in, taxes I would not pay if I went to a store and bought an item. The last transaction I did there was 2021 I think, I put a Colt AR-15 up for sale, actually two of them. Both auctions closed with winning bidders, one went fine. The other one ended up being a non-paying bidder, I sent email requesting payment, or some form communication. I ended up filing a non-paying bidder report, but Gunbroker never did anything, Gunbroker tried to charge me the $150 or so dollars for the taxes and fees. Fortunately for me Gunbroker's credit card system didn't work and the charge would never go through. They tried to bill my card, which was correct and current, every month for well over a year. I tried calling them, got nowhere. I emailed them, got nowhere. I filed the non-paying bidder report, and even relisted the gun, I got nowhere. I started a thread on hear to try to get some resolution, the thread was deleted. I have not listed anything for sale since. Friends have told me that now the fees and shipping have gotten so bad that they don't bother any more.
All I use it for now is to get a rough idea on pricing. If someone has something I want I contact them directly to see if they will do a deal outside of Gunbroker.
 
Good friend bought a pistol on gb for $750. Didn't ship, two weeks not recieving, contacted gb and let them know.
3 months after contacting them, he got $400 of his $750 back. I don't see that as a positive response and will never use them!
 

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