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Gunbroker vs Armslist
- Thread starter BigGreen2000
- Start date
CrackPot
NES Member
Buying or selling? They have very different models/purposes.
Armslist is like craigslist. You search by location for stuff and then reach out to make whatever arrangements with the buyer that you want but typically face to face. Lots of random tire kickers, retards and scammers. But it will enable face to face transactions and dealer sales.
Gunbroker is like eBay. It is an action site with buy-it-now features that is mostly about sending your money into the ether and something showing up at your house or FFL. It is unlikely to be a path to a local dealer or long term relationship (though it can happen)
Not truly apples to apples. The Armslist changes regarding needing a pay account to post or use the "contact seller" feature are unfortunate. Premium Dealer accounts we just put our contact info in a footer that gets appended automatically and still get email/texts/calls. Premium Private you have to manually add contact info. Armslist may be in the process of committing suicide thanks to being constantly sued by the Bray Bunch.
I am a dealer and use Armslist extensively. That might change as I shift to facebook, reddit, instagram, etc for marketing (though all of these you can't be overt as they hate freedom). People do waste my time on Armslist at a higher rate than NES classified, but it happens in both places. If you use common sense (but if it was common, would we have to tell people to use it?)
NES Classified is going to be a good place to meet stable, reasonable people (yes, we have lots of people covering the whole spectrum, but what can you do).
I much prefer local transactions via NES, but have used GB a few times with only minor trouble. If I ever use AL it will be for local FTF transactions only.
I have spotted scams on both AL and GB. Watch for seller ratings, pricing well below market, and do a reverse image lookup.
I have spotted scams on both AL and GB. Watch for seller ratings, pricing well below market, and do a reverse image lookup.
They all have their strengths and weaknesses. I always prefer A face-to-face transaction if possible.
Armslist is a good way for dealers to reach people and keep them aware of their inventory. I use it for FTF transactions only. It's a lot easier than checking 15 websites. Which most of them aren't up to date.
GunBroker is good because you have access to a huge amount of inventory. I just purchased a used muzzleloader off of GunBroker as well. It should be here on Wednesday.
NES Classifieds are great as well. You know you're dealing with a real person. And for the most part everyone is vetted. Because most people have had FTF transactions with other members.
I have used all three in the past month. So it's not one over the other it's whatever fills the need at the time.
Armslist is a good way for dealers to reach people and keep them aware of their inventory. I use it for FTF transactions only. It's a lot easier than checking 15 websites. Which most of them aren't up to date.
GunBroker is good because you have access to a huge amount of inventory. I just purchased a used muzzleloader off of GunBroker as well. It should be here on Wednesday.
NES Classifieds are great as well. You know you're dealing with a real person. And for the most part everyone is vetted. Because most people have had FTF transactions with other members.
I have used all three in the past month. So it's not one over the other it's whatever fills the need at the time.
EJFudd
NES Member
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
So much for those who felt the new fees would make the scammers go away. ![[wave]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/011.gif "Wave [wave]")
cathouse01
NES Member
- Joined
- May 10, 2018
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I've met a couple of my favorite MA FFLs via Armslist, but I would never use it for anything but a face to face transaction.
Whiskeywon
NES Member
Nope. They are still posting in droves because all it takes is one person getting scammed and 8$ is a small price to pay for the privilege of access. For the general buying public that is absolutely going to hurt them. In regards to people selling it will be a mixed back because as said above you can still post contact information with premium accounts.
btnh6668
NES Member
I would like to hope at some point they introduce some kind of feedback system.
Prior to moving to GA, I sold 10-12 firearms from fall 2017 - summer 2018 and nearly all of them were local sales via Armslist.
When I was buying I preferred Gunbroker as I was able to avoid the MA premium via frame transfers.
When I was buying I preferred Gunbroker as I was able to avoid the MA premium via frame transfers.
RULES OF BUYING ON ARMSLIST:
1) If the price seems too good to be true - it is.
2) if the seller only has 1 listing and/or just joined recently, watch out.
2)Make sure the locations of multiple listings are the same. If the location is just "Massachusetts" it's a red flag.
4) If it's "Massachusetts/Massachusetts" or any other state, just flag it and move on. (Dont expect Armslist to do anything about it though.) My favorite was "AZ/New Hampshire" or something like that.
5) If they only accept Venmo and promise to ship it to you... well.... I mean, I shouldnt even have to specify this one.
6) if they give a phone number and a specific town and the mention an FFL they *prob* aren't a scammer, but they can still be functionally retarded.
There is an argument to be made to administer an IQ test in order to use a classified site but the beauty of 'Murica is even morons have freedom.
Rocky Mosasaurus
NES Member
Bought from GB. No problems. Same with Armslist. For both websites I will say do a thorough investigation into the legitimacy of your future business partner and always check other customer reviews and other tell tale signs to confirm they’re professional.
ETA: One purchase only from each and NES is my go to over either one any day of the week.
ETA: One purchase only from each and NES is my go to over either one any day of the week.
A potential change to our NES classifieds would be an improved way to search or list by location. NH transfer laws are quite different than MA or other states...! You can enter any word in the search currently but it's hit or miss if the ad isn't specific. And if I have missed the best way to search, thanks for enlightening me!
Dennis in MA
NES Member
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- 38,125
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What I don't get about Armslist is so many people with guns they could get a premium for here in mASS and they put "no I won't ship" on the listing. Well Fudge! So you'd rather get $400 for a used XYZ in Alabammy versus $600-700 by shipping it to a MA FFL?????
Whether it is GB or AL you need to apply the common sense test. Unless the seller has a million feedbacks and otherwise looks legit, I will insist on a phone call. Four minutes on the phone will tell me all I need to know about whether to proceed or not. And in dozens of deals I have never been wrong when abiding by this guideline.
If seller is not responsive to my initial inquiries, no deal.
If someone makes excuses not to call, no deal.
If the number is not from the same area code as the listing (e.g. Google voice) AND the seller is heavily accented, no deal.
If the seller can't lay hands on the gun while they call me to answer questions, no deal.
Any other spidey sense tingles, no deal.
It still amazes me how many still will send cash/cash equivalents to complete strangers without even so much as a simple live conversation.
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If seller is not responsive to my initial inquiries, no deal.
If someone makes excuses not to call, no deal.
If the number is not from the same area code as the listing (e.g. Google voice) AND the seller is heavily accented, no deal.
If the seller can't lay hands on the gun while they call me to answer questions, no deal.
Any other spidey sense tingles, no deal.
It still amazes me how many still will send cash/cash equivalents to complete strangers without even so much as a simple live conversation.
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BillyBoy
NES Member
I'm a mixture of NES FTF and Gunbroker. My preference is to always go with NES FTF to keep things local and easy. There are times where things are hard to come by locally and Gunbroker just opens up your options a ton. Just read the feedback of the seller on GB and make sure they are GTG. I've been on Armslist a bunch of times but never went through with a transaction on there.
