I just signed up and used GunTab for the purchase of a rifle on this forum from BullsEye-T. Overall I like the protection from a buyers standpoint, and it apparently provides protection to the seller against chargebacks and fraudulent payments.
- Takes a few days to sign up as they require payment either via CC or a checking account. The latter requires validation via deposits and verification. CC will cost extra $$. (No use using CC as a protection method, as you can't do chargebacks with GunTab)
- After the approval of accounts (both parties need to be approved), GunTab provided good communication on the transaction progress after every step. They accepted my payment and held it, while informing the seller it was ok to ship the rifle.
- I got notified when the rile was delivered to my FFL and had 3 days to inspect. One small drawback I see is that the 3 days start upon delivery, whether its on a weekend or weekday, so choose your FFL wisely for accessibility.
- If you're rejecting the item (and proof is required that there is a significant reason), proof must be sent to GunTab and they act as the final arbitrator of the dispute. If it is valid the seller pays for the item to be shipped back. (Behooves the seller to be completely transparent of any significant flaws)
- The returned item also goes through another 3 day inspection period by the seller, to insure it is not been damaged. Upon approval or 3 days, money is released back to the buyer.
- Back to the original transaction, if the item is as advertised, the buyer sends approval to GunTab, who releases the funds to the sellers bank account. Here is where another delay happens as it takes ~2-3 days for the funds to hit your bank account. In my case I approved it on Sat, (same day it was delivered) but funds could not start the transfer process from GunTab until Monday, then it took 3 days.
So bottom line, if you're not in a big hurry to get your funds, and you want to be protected (buyer and seller) using an escrow service, they worked pretty good for my purchase. Also, their fees (~3% or so) can be negotiated by the parties as to who pays. In my case I paid for the fees, since I suggested using the service.
Neil