Talk to the seller on the telephone - get a good feel for his honesty - ask the rest of us for knowledge of the seller; the seller should not be insulted by such inquiry. Make sure you have a 3 day inspection on the gun and agreement to send it back with a complete refund (less shipping) if it's not "as advertised." These steps should keep you in good shape on a deal......breakemall
You are dealing with people and they are all different so no one can tell you what will happen. I have had all good results on TS. But the next one may not be good. The only bad experience on the internet was on ebay with a 99.9 positive rating 3000 plus transactions. Talk to the guy and make you best judgment. Ask if anyone has dealings with him hear. Good luck and happy shooting. Tom
I have found that if phone numbers are exchanged this helps in the confidence area, and gives you a direct link to someone in the future if a problem occurs. Jon
Very first thing to do.. is look up their log on name here.. See if it's a first post.. or have they been here a while.. Then.. don't be afraid to ask your fellow board members..(your family).. If anyone has dealt with he or she in the past.. Then calling them.. having a good chat.. maybe see if you have any friends in common..
If really in doubt.. either don't do the deal.. or go FFL. to FFL..
I recently went through this same process, finding a gun on here and being unsure about how to go about safely purchasing it. The guys on here are pretty good at giving advice, I took the advice I receive and it went really well.
This is what I worked for me. I emailed back and forth with the seller, getting good pictures and descriptions of the gun. I confirmed what would happen if it needed to be returned, damaged in shipping, what the inspection period was, and who pays what etc… Once we had the deal hammered out I asked for some personal information.
I asked if he belongs to any particular Club, ATA, etc… also what his address and phone number was. (You can then confirm all their information by looking it up online) I provided him with my info, ATA, Club info, Address and Tel#. We then spoke on the phone. Only after confirming he was who he said he was, hammering out the specifics of the deal, returns, etc…and having a good talk with the guy did I decide to proceed. I also had a Postal Money Order made out; it seems a better way than a money order and NEVER send cash.
I worked with other guys before from various sites and was less than satisfied with them. The important thing to remember is that we have way more time than money. If the situation seems fishy or you are not satisfied in any way, Don’t Do It.
I bought a Blaser from a guy off this site last fall. Took us a month or so (due to his work schedule/travel) but it ended up very positive. I am in NY & he is in NC & we were actually going to meet part way to do the cash/gun exchange. Turned out he had a guy he worked with & trusted lived about 2 hours from me. Shipped the gun to him & I drove down & paid him, went to a local FFL dude to make sure I was legal to accept it, etc. All in all, worked out very well for both of us. The key is talk to the guy via phone & see what you can work out. Keep an open mind, but still be alert, as there are (regrettably) people out there who will take advantage of you.
If they are a private individual I would insist that the gun be shipped FFL to FFL and make your payment to his dealer.
Joe
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