online auctions sites like Gunbroker, and ? on 2 rifles

Coyote33

Coyote33

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OK, I'm embarrassed to say, I don't fully get how these auction sites work. I was looking at a few things on Gunbroker, but have no idea what they mean by:
Current Bid, Minimum Bid, Starting Bid. I have obviously not participated in any sort of bidding system, but am interested in a couple things. So, I imagine I need to create some sort of account, and then put in a bid. How do I know what to bid, and if I won, and when it ends, and what is a good deal, etc. ?

Thanks.

The two I was recently looking at:

Mossberg 620K Chuckster (.22 Mag)

COLTEER 1-22 IN 22 MAG WITH REDFIELD SCOPE

Do these look like OK deals?
 
Gunbroker will email you when you've made a bid, won an item, when another bidder bids higher than you.

What I've found is that it's best to make bids in the last hour of an item's listing. Why? Because, unless it's a crazy high bid worth more than the gun, you will be outbid by the time the listing is almost over.

Pretty much every time I've won an item on gunbroker, it's been because I make my bids 15-20 mins before the auction is over.

A good deal is very subjective. Recently I won an auction on GB for a Gen 2 LCP that came with 7 magazines. Given that I already had an LCP Custom, the red trigger LCP, I did want more mags for it and when I did the math, the price of the LCP alone was around $100. $100 for an LCP is a good deal because most LCP's sell for $150 with a mag included and in less than stellar condition.

Most recently I was the highest bidder for a Charter Arms .357 Bulldog. It was made in the 80's, it had Pachmyer grips, the front sight is not one piece with the barrel like current Charter's are, the chambers are recessed for the rim, and the head of the rear sight adjustment screw is busted.

Replacing a screw is nothing and with all the other features of the gun, and keeping in mind what the going price is for them, I thought it was a fair price.

I can't say I've gotten a ton of deals on Gunbroker, but I have bought a lot of older, used guns that I wanted for a fair price that I otherwise would not find where I live. I'd say the best "deals" you can run across on Gunbroker is used black powder reproduction guns, used Charter Arms revolvers, used H&R revolvers, used North American Arms guns, used Kel Tecs, and other used guns. You will rarely, if ever, find a "deal" on a new, never before owned gun on gunbroker.
 
It’s an auction site.

So determine what the item is worth for you, put that in as your max bid, and then don’t budge.

If the market disagrees with your idea of the item’s worth, you’ll lose the auction. Otherwise, you’ll win.

It’s pretty much that simple.
 
Picton said:
It’s an auction site.

So determine what the item is worth for you, put that in as your max bid, and then don’t budge.

If the market disagrees with your idea of the item’s worth, you’ll lose the auction. Otherwise, you’ll win.

It’s pretty much that simple.
Click to expand...

What are the repercussions if it is a piece of crap? Don't want something that won't shoot straight, or has rusted out bore. Don't care about surface junk on outside or on stock. It's hard finding older .22 Mag rifles in any local shops.
 
Coyote33 said:
What are the repercussions if it is a piece of crap? Don't want something that won't shoot straight, or has rusted out bore. Don't care about surface junk on outside or on stock. It's hard finding older .22 Mag rifles in any local shops.
Click to expand...
That's the chance you take buying any gun. With companies that still exist and will service their guns no matter when they were made are your best insurance.

If something has a rusted out bore and it's not detailed in the item's description or shown in the pictures, then you have a legit grievance and can request a refund. You can also try and make the seller refund you for the FFL transfer, but good luck with that. They usually won't refund you anything more than the price the item sold for and maybe shipping.
 
Coyote33 said:
What are the repercussions if it is a piece of crap? Don't want something that won't shoot straight, or has rusted out bore. Don't care about surface junk on outside or on stock. It's hard finding older .22 Mag rifles in any local shops.
Click to expand...

I never bid on items if I’ve got any kind of doubts about those kinds of issues. I don’t want to mess with warranties, returns, or shitty sellers. I also ask plenty of questions; if the answers don’t come fast, I walk; there’s nothing so rare that it won’t eventually come up again some other time. Be patient, or rich.

In practice, that means it’s rare for me to go in on any items without lots and lots of detailed pics.
 
Coyote33 said:
What are the repercussions if it is a piece of crap? Don't want something that won't shoot straight, or has rusted out bore. Don't care about surface junk on outside or on stock. It's hard finding older .22 Mag rifles in any local shops.
Click to expand...

You get a 3 day inspection period. If it's not as described and was shipped to an FFL don't accept it then make arrangements to send it back.

Check the sellers feedback. The colteer seller has 68 positive and 1 negative in the last 12 months. The negative the guy claims he didn't bid on an item. If he didn't bid he couldn't leave feedback so he lied.

The chuckster seller has 63 and 1 and takes credit cards so you could put it on your card and if there is a problem where they don't refund your money let the cc company deal with them.

Right now that Chuckster is at a real good price. I paid around $250 for mine. They are a great gun for the money.
 
To get a ‘good deal’ in my experience in Gun Broker, you have to be patient and picky. Learn how to use the search filters to narrow down the search field and it will seem less overwhelming. You can also search to see the ended auctions which is helpful. If you see something you like, ask the seller questions and don’t let any go unanswered before you bid. Also don’t be afraid to ask for more pictures (or clearer pictures) so that you can see what you are buying! If the seller won’t give you the time of day, just move along to the next one.
 
Another thing to consider it the "Buy Now" price... this price may be higher than what is currently listed, but if the price is right for your budget, you can seal the deal right away.

I recently bought a new shotgun via GB from a FFL that was selling through the website. This was one of the questions my local FFL asked... "is this from an FFL or not" I don't know if it makes a difference, but as others have said- talk to your local FFL.

FYI... GB charges you $1 to complete your registration.
 
Three things to remember;
1) Don't get caught up in the auction, before you bid decide what your top bid will be and go no further.
2) A bid is a commitment to buy. Be sure the gun is what you want and meets you standard of quality/condition.
3) Identify an FFL that will do the transfer for that gun before you bid. This is mostly for MA but a good idea in general.
 
caveat emptor.

I've purchased several guns on Gunbroker and elsewhere over the years. Never had a problem. Although I was never looking for perfect specimens.
 
I've had decent luck on gunbroker.com. Found several items I was interested in, set my price that I thought was worth paying and bid. Won 2 auctions and had the firearms shipped to my LGS. You have to be patient it takes a couple weeks for the payment and your FFL info to get received and checked out then shipped. I'd prefer just going to my LGS or to another local store but gunbroker.com offers MANY MANY more firearms than I'll ever see locally.
 
TruthTellers said:
Gunbroker will email you when you've made a bid, won an item, when another bidder bids higher than you.

What I've found is that it's best to make bids in the last hour of an item's listing. Why? Because, unless it's a crazy high bid worth more than the gun, you will be outbid by the time the listing is almost over.

Pretty much every time I've won an item on gunbroker, it's been because I make my bids 15-20 mins before the auction is over."
Click to expand...

It should be pointed out that Gunbroker has a "15 minute rule" to prevent "sniping". If you outbid someone just before the end of an auction the clock re-starts for another 15 minutes.. If they beat your high bid the clock starts again etc. etc. So it really doesn't matter when you put in your max bid.
 
Start off slow. It works just like ebay. Bid on a couple of $0.02 items over there and get the hang of it.
Gun broker is nearly identical.
 

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