What are you doing, GunBroker sellers?

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Been looking through GunBroker lately, and have always noticed that many sellers only accept personal checks, bank checks etc. Basically, you the buyer have to snail mail a check out to these sellers across the country just to purchase your order. Can we bring these guys into the 21st century? Like what is the deal?
Just take my PayPal money, it’s instant. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
 
Been looking through GunBroker lately, and have always noticed that many sellers only accept personal checks, bank checks etc. Basically, you the buyer have to snail mail a check out to these sellers across the country just to purchase your order. Can we bring these guys into the 21st century? Like what is the deal?
Just take my PayPal money, it’s instant. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

CC processing is rape. [3-5%!] PP doesn't allow "gun" transactions so if anything goes wrong the money can get stolen by them etc.
 
Ok, but even if they don’t want to use PP, can’t they just accept a credit/debit? The chargebacks are usually included in price anyway.
 
PayPal will delete you’re account if they find your using it for a gun purchase.

What gun purchases? I just buy sporting goods from random people across the country. Are you trying to tell me that people can buy GUNS from each other ONLINE?!? [laugh]

Ok, but even if they don’t want to use PP, can’t they just accept a credit/debit? The chargebacks are usually included in price anyway.

I'm assuming you mean businesses on GB rather than private sellers. As a private seller, there's no way I'd want to deal with cards.
 
That does not make sense to me. I guarantee you’re losing business because you choose to not accept electronic payment from any source.
i actually get frustrated when I see zero electronic option. It’s 2020...
 
either Way, even if you’re a private seller, you’re still doing a business transaction. Business or private, shouldn’t matter. Just let me pay you. It’s ridiculous.
 
I find that businesses all take CC's. Private sellers want USPS money order. No big deal unless you are spending 24/7 buying from private sellers on GB.
 
Credit card companies are just as bad, they will yank the money back too. The modern consumer is clueless to what goes on behind the scenes. This is the only way to guarantee the money won't be swiped.
 
Ok, but even if they don’t want to use PP, can’t they just accept a credit/debit? The chargebacks are usually included in price anyway.
Fees are included in the price, "chargebacks" are not. Once a check clears you can't freeze the money the way you can with a CC or PayPal.
 
Fees are included in the price, "chargebacks" are not. Once a check clears you can't freeze the money the way you can with a CC or PayPal.
I have never in my life had that happen. And I’ve used CC and PP tons of times.
 
That does not make sense to me. I guarantee you’re losing business because you choose to not accept electronic payment from any source.
i actually get frustrated when I see zero electronic option. It’s 2020...

Lol get frustrated all you want but most of this is caused by two things:

-Selling guns is typically a low margin industry.

-If you're not a full blown business with a merchant acct, there's no way you can take a CC without accepting a huge risk. A tabletop FFL or whatever isn't going to go through the trouble.
 
cash in hand is a good thing. remembering back, last time i tried to get cash from my paypal it took a while. a live check was almost 2 weeks, electronic transfer to an account, close to 5 business days. the only time i use it is when i pay my nes fee every year. i don't sell on gunbroker but use ebay on occasion and i want a money order if i can get it. my rule of thumb there is if i have an easy to sell item and the buyer is crying about me not using paypal, i politely tell them to take a hike. if my item is a tough sell, i'll break down and accept paypal. sooo.....yeah, life's not fair and i'm a prick.
 
I have never in my life had that happen. And I’ve used CC and PP tons of times.
So you take CC payments for purchases from people then? I don't think you understand what people are trying to tell you here. Your average person does not take CC for payments and most try not to use paypal for any gun related transactions. When a chargeback happens it is the person using the CC for payment that initiates the request to the CC company to refund them their money for whatever reason. So you may have used CC and PP but if you were the buyer and didn't initiate a chargeback then of course you would have never had it happen.
 
I have never in my life had that happen. And I’ve used CC and PP tons of times.
Lol @ surviorship bias, people have had charities accounts locked down by PP etc. As a buyer? Risk is low because you can dispute it. As a seller? Lol PP can hold their money hostage for awhile.
 
That does not make sense to me. I guarantee you’re losing business because you choose to not accept electronic payment from any source.
i actually get frustrated when I see zero electronic option. It’s 2020...
Very often firearms are sold on very slim margins. CC fees eat a lot of this.
 
Credit card companies are just as bad, they will yank the money back too. The modern consumer is clueless to what goes on behind the scenes. This is the only way to guarantee the money won't be swiped.

Swiped as in the CC company keeps the transactional dollars as an FU for breaking their rules or just kicked back to your account minus fees, etc?
 
I think -1 is too high. -10 maybe.

I am a dealer and I sell on gunbroker and otherwise sell online. I take one form of payment. US Postal Money Order. I take nothing else. Don't like it, don't bid on my stuff.

I have CC processing. BUT, my CC processor will shut down my account if I do anything but card swipes. No guns sales online. Modern CC processors that charge merchants a single fixed fee either are anti gun or have the restriction I have. Old school that charge a different amount for every charge (based on card type, is it a fancy card that gives cash back, etc. Remember, the merchant pays for all your features on your card) cost way much for a low volume high ticket business. Old school have monthly fees, no way to predict cost, per transaction fixed, per transaction variable. Its a nightmare.

No personal checks for obvious reasons. No cashiers checks or other money orders because there are multiple scams possible. Postal Money order I turn into cash IMMEDIATELY at the PO and then ship the gun.

No Paypal or Venmo because they will close your account in a nanosecond.
No google pay or other "modern" method because they will close your account in a nanosecond.

The modern online economy is full blown anti-gun.
 
GB sellers like to weed out flakes.
USPS Money order is safest for both parties.
You'll get your PayPal locked if they find you using it for guns or mags (over 10 rounds).
$10 to ship a USPS Money Order by Priority Mail.
3% CC fee = $15 on a $500 gun.

Lots of people on GB are just individuals selling a couple guns a year.

If you are only selling a few things a month - the fees for having CC capability are not worth the price or effort.

It's a sellers market, too.

There is no reason to go through the process of CC capability or risk PayPal since there will be people willing to send a USPS MO.

Some people take checks, too.
They might wait 10 days to clear though.

I have heard of check that bounced 3 weeks after initial clearing.
 
Made quite a few purchases on GunBroker. 50% of them with money orders. I mail it out same day next day if not possible. The seller does the same usually receive item in 4 to 7 days.
 
any of you sold on gunbroker?
they charge a fee
drop a CC fee on top of that
you still want to buy stuff cheap?
something's gotta give
 
Overnight a money order or buy local. Gun manufacturers usually make more than one of a specific model. Unless you’re after a 1905-1910 colt, in which case I’m definitely not buying sight unseen. I will download Venmo Apple Pay and PayPal and broker anything you want if you’re that desperate to spend$$. And I’ll hook you up with the f&f rate of 20%. 👍
 
MY CC processor charges 3% for a swipe transaction, but more for an entered transaction(ie over the phone). GB seller fees are something like 6% these days (lower for the high volume guys), if you're slinging guns for an already razor thin margin you have to make it wherever you can. Paypal will not only shut you down but they will keep your money for months while the "issue" is resolved.
 
PP turns me off because of their anti-gun stance, but I would still use them if I could guarantee they wouldn't shut my account down if they found it was for a gun purchase. That's the thing that really irks me. You can buy all sorts of stuff online, just don't buy a GUN!! GASP!

I've bought a few on there. I usually don't mind sending a money order and waiting. It's not like I "need" the gun the next day, so there's usually no rush aside from my impatience to shoot it.
 
That does not make sense to me. I guarantee you’re losing business because you choose to not accept electronic payment from any source.
i actually get frustrated when I see zero electronic option. It’s 2020...
I've actually grown to like the postal money order auctions, as I find it deters a lot of other bidders. I've gotten some really good deals on GB auctions where the seller only takes postal money order. I'll take the hassle of a lunch break drive to the post office to save on the final price.

One rifle I was looking at was a good deal cheaper via the money order auction. Same rifle from another vendor with identical feedback and shipping policy, but cheaper because people didn't want to deal with getting the money order presumably. I've turned what I saw as a hassle into a financial bonus silverlining.
 
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