Armslist's Response Translation (feel free to add)

iofneedle

iofneedle

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I recently put some stuff on Armslist. I hope you find the below translations helpful.

When a potential buyer state:
  • Is this still available? Translation: I have nothing to do. Just want to see if you're dumb enough to answer.
  • I'll buy it. Translation: Go ahead and respond, but I have no attention of any follow-up emails Psych!
  • Let's meet at 11:00 at the Home Depot in Waltham. I'll be in a black Ford F150. Translation: My black Ford F150 will be no where near Home Depot in Waltham at 11:00.
I am sure there are plenty more...
 
You can't have that gun in Massachusetts/ that gun isn't on the roster you can't have it/ that gun illegal.
Translation: I don't know what the f*** I'm talking about, ignore the rest of the shit that comes out of my mouth.

I just bought a house in West Glocksbury and need a gun for home defense, it's scary around here and there was just a murder up the block. I want to protect my wife and daughter.
Translation: Do me a solid and illegally sell me a firearm, by the way I'm lowballing you $100 off your asking price.

You're price gouging that AR
Translation: I'm old and my mind is going. I remember the good old days of $75 stripped frames and $500 AR's and refuse to believe the world has changed. Oh, and no I won't sell you my $500 AR for 750, it's worth more than that.

I'll trade you a ______.
Translation: I have an inferior gun I can't sell I'd like to straight up trade for your way better gun.

I'll give you (lowball cash) right now.
Translation: The world revolves around me, you need my cash, you need it now. Drop everything you're doing and let me rip you off.

Whats your best price?
Translation: I don't know how to negotiate, so I'm just going to assume you'll talk yourself down.
 
CrackPot said:
More people with bad armslist experiences. My success rate on armslist is north of 90%. Yes, some kick the tires and some don't show, but some of my best ongoing customers came from armslist.
Click to expand...
It's most likely dependent on communication skills of sellers and buyers, whether its nes or sewerlist, comms are everything. As a seller it's pretty easy to filter out shit buyers, etc.
 
CrackPot said:
More people with bad armslist experiences. My success rate on armslist is north of 90%. Yes, some kick the tires and some don't show, but some of my best ongoing customers came from armslist.
Click to expand...
Based on this thread, I think most people with bad experience are just angry people that somehow expect you to reply to them with some magical word on a certain font at a specific time of the day.

People getting angry at buyers asking if it is still available and saying they will buy, is not an Armslist problem, it is a personal problem.
 
Get them on the phone if they’re serious. Tell them what works for you and ask if it works for them. Get them to call when they’re heading out to meet. I’ve yet to have someone say over the phone “I’m on the way” and no show.

It’s not hard you just need to be clear and cut your losses when the person is a flake but you’re desperate to sell.
 
Snora said:
Get them on the phone if they’re serious. Tell them what works for you and ask if it works for them. Get them to call when they’re heading out to meet. I’ve yet to have someone say over the phone “I’m on the way” and no show.

It’s not hard you just need to be clear and cut your losses when the person is a flake but you’re desperate to sell.
Click to expand...

This is a good point, if you haven't talked on the phone (unless you already know them, or know them via a reference or referral) the Flake out rate jumps to like 75%. Every friend I had who bitched about an armslist transaction or an NES transaction that went to shit... NEVER talked to the buyer or seller on the phone. Just text or email/pm. Like what the f***?
 
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Broccoli Iglesias said:
People getting angry at buyers asking if it is still available and saying they will buy, is not an Armslist problem, it is a personal problem.
Click to expand...
“Is it still available” screams scam / tire kicker just spamming out generic inquiries for whatever their purpose is.

A competent person would start with “If this (item name) is still available...” then start the conversation
 
No matter what I had listed on Armslist in NH, this one kid would always email me and offer a trade. It was actually kind of fun to see what he was offering because he had something different every other day. The trades were always in his favor so I never accepted but I started thinking that maybe he started out with a pen or something and kept trading up to see what he would get. He must have been making trades constantly and then immediately offering the new gun for trade for the next upgrade.
 
Don't deal with Armslist buyers unless local, that way your time isn't wasted to greatly. I've only had one transaction on Armslist and I drove about two miles away from home to a FFL to complete the purchase.
Or, only deal with NES buyers and sellers who have accounts that are at least a few years old and proven track records. I have never had a problem with any buyers or sellers on this site.
 
Snora said:
Get them on the phone if they’re serious. Tell them what works for you and ask if it works for them. Get them to call when they’re heading out to meet. I’ve yet to have someone say over the phone “I’m on the way” and no show.

It’s not hard you just need to be clear and cut your losses when the person is a flake but you’re desperate to sell.
Click to expand...
drgrant said:
This is a good point, if you haven't talked on the phone (unless you already know them, or know them via a reference or referral) the Flake out rate jumps to like 75%. Every friend I had who bitched about an armslist transaction or an NES transaction that went to shit... NEVER talked to the buyer or seller on the phone. Just text or email/pm. Like what the f***?
Click to expand...
That lesson was quickly learned when craigslist got off the ground. ALWAYS message once for the phone number. That's all I'll usually give them. Its amazing how much crap that eliminates
 
Funny that everyone has had a bad experience selling on Armslist. I have sold a number of firearms via connections on Armslist. One took like 3 months, but happened and at the price I wanted. Yes kind of annoying answering questions and never getting response, but for me that was a small price for getting what I paid for the gun and not taking a 20 - 30% discount to sell it in a rush.

However, I think i kept the crazies away by being specific that meeting is at my location, and cash only and no trades in the desc.
 
We're beginning to meander off topic here but.

kro77 said:
However, I think i kept the crazies away by being specific that meeting is at my location, and cash only and no trades in the desc.
Click to expand...

I found the more specific I am the less issues I get. Last sale I pulled a guy in from framingham to buy my wasr. While I felt bad, he knew exactly what he was getting, for how much, and where. Gave him a good chance to inspect the rifle, fit test the mags, and even let him take it apart. Except for the drive I think it was easy on all accounts.
 
i expect a bunch of dumb ass replies when i put stuff up no matter where...armslist, gunbroker and even here on nes. it's part of the game. i answer each question politely. hey, not everyone is as smart as me.
 
When a potential buyer state:
  • Is this still available? Translation: If yes, I will send another email to try to scam you
  • I'll buy it. Translation: I will send you a bogus check or a real check and then cancel it after you send me the gun
  • Let's meet at 11:00 at the Home Depot in Waltham. Translation: I won't bother telling you that I am not going to show up.
 
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CrackPot said:
More people with bad armslist experiences. My success rate on armslist is north of 90%. Yes, some kick the tires and some don't show, but some of my best ongoing customers came from armslist.
Click to expand...
Yeah I don't do too bad. You get a few total asshats lol I have a ppq up now in nashua and a guy tried to trade me a benchmade socp and a hundred bucks for it lol.. but by the by I usually do okay there.
 
hillman said:
I've had more people try to offer me tractor tires here than on armslist. Had that one fella that offered me a date with his sister, though.
Click to expand...
[pics]

I had to do that.

My worst Armslist experience was back during the last ammo shortage, I responded to a post offering a few hundred rounds of unobtainium .22lr. I agreed to his price and he said he had some issue with driving so I agreed to drive. It was about 30-35 miles.

I get within one mile of his freaking house and I get a text saying his son decided he wanted it so he's backing out.

Needless to say I was slightly tourqued off. I changed his name in my contact list to Douchebag in case I ever got contacted by him on another listing.

Flash forward a couple years, I've traded for an AR that came with a red dot sight which doesn't work so well for me due to my astigmatism. I see an ad for a decent scope with mount and the seller would like to trade for a red dot. His package is roughly $3-350 new. Mine is about $75 new. Let's give this a shot.

"Douchebag" calls, agrees to the trade. Still can't drive so I go to him. We made the trade and both of us are happy. Nice guy, veteran with service related injuries is why he couldn't drive.

I removed douchebag and left it with his name.

I've had two buyers drive 3+ hours, one for 1 box of antique .32 S&W and a box of blanks, the other for a $100 shotgun he wanted to refinish and engrave for a gunsmithing course but those two were NESers.
 
True Armslist story. I was selling a 45 and set up a meeting he gave me his phone number. I respond via text close to the meeting date to confirm and I get a question mark response. So I text back sorry, wrong person I was looking for xxx. The girl texts back that's my boyfriend let me check. Answer comes back they don't know what I'm talking about.

So I think i have been given a line of bs. I email back anyway and tell the buyer his phone number is wrong. He responds oh sorry here is my number. I'm thinking this is still just a bunch of BS and was going to just ignore it. I did wind up texting the new number and got a response and we confirmed the meeting. I asked again to make sure he had a valid LTC because now I'm suspicious. He say's yes and he is also a retired PO. That made me more suspicious it was all BS.

As it turned out he was a retired PO, showed me his PO ID, the phone number was a mistake and coincidence that he had the same name as the girls boyfriend. Deal went very smooth. You just never know.
 
I've only sold one firearm on armslist a G26. I took the listing down four times. Because 4 individual people told me they would take it. I finally sold it to a nice guy that worked for the Winchester PD. After the fifth time of posting the ad.
 

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