Everything is nuts!

[curioushooter]

Until fairly recently it was pretty easy to buy and sell firearms and such online. Now it's a total drag. Armslist committed suicide by charging to list last year. I'd say it has about 10% of what it used to. Dead zone.

Gunbroker used to be fun, as you would usually win whatever you bid on for a reasonable price (like if you bid the MSRP on something used). Now it's a bunch of hosers putting minimum bids at multiples of the MSRP or sniping wars. That 15 minute is dumb. Just count on an auction never ending when it was supposed to.

For what it's worth it seems the S&S section here is still good, but never the size of something like GB or Armslist. Are there any alternatives out there I am overlooking? What do folks like and dislike?

[waksupi]

Anymore when I get the new gun urge, I figure it will just be an enjoyable exercise in touring the gun shops. Being retired, it's an enjoyable way to spend my time, and I'm in no hurry to end the hunt. This week I came across a Ruger GP100 Match Champion, for a price I couldn't refuse, along with a pound of W296 for another $29.95. No shipping hassle, whole transaction done in ten minutes or less.

[Murphy]

Yes sir, it's gone nuts for sure. Waksupi makes a good point though. Sadly, we don't have many shops in my area. I've been considering 'thinning the herd' and setting up at gun shows to do so. Sadly, I've more than I can say grace over in casting and reloading gear. I've entertained the thought when it's time to start moving things, haggling over prices with some guy standing there with a smart phone in his hand, trying to tell me how much he can get one for just like mine 3 states over for a lot less.

Murphy

[BC17A]

I often perused gunbroker but never registered since I always found better online store pricing on the things I wanted. Then I spotted some used parts I could use so I signed up. That was the first, and last time I bid on anything on GB. I bid what I thought was a bit high, but oh-well I could really use the parts and have the money burning a hole in my pocket. By the last day, the price zoomed to nearly double my max bid and nearly triple by the time it ended. Researched the forums and discovered that was normal procedure so I haven't been on GB since.

[HWooldridge]

The gun shows used to be pretty good here in central Texas but a lot of them fell prey to Covid and big dealers were starting to take them over anyway. Forty years ago, individuals would get a row or two of tables and you could find some deals - that scenario is about all gone.

[farmbif]

yup, prices sure are way up on just about everything. was looking at new revolvers and, well, prices are crazy.

[shell70634]

I've used Guns International with good luck, both selling and buying. I like the flat rate charges.

Shelly

[charlie b]

I just won't buy a gun without seeing it in person first so the auctions do little for me.

[Peregrine]

All the cool milsurp and older sporting rifles dried right up or doubled and trippled in price.
Mainly just dried up, people are holding onto what they have.

[megasupermagnum]

Armslist got the raw end of a deal. They were hit with a liability lawsuit, and once Biden got in, they have been fighting them since. It was either this, or shut down. Ultimately Armslist is doomed. Like most online gun craigslists, they are hot for a short time, then gone. An example was the Facebook marketplace, until it got shut down.

Gunbroker is the way it always was 49% overpriced junk, usually bid up by idiots. 49% new guns, priced as high as is selling. They are selling hot right now, and prices are what they are. 1% truly unique guns that are worth a lot. 1% good deals. All you can do is keep trying. Gunbroker is one of those things that drives you mad looking for a particular gun, then one day you come across a completely different one, and for some reason it isn't being bid high. I'm not a fan of the 15 minute rule either, but the other option ends up with crybabys who got "sniped" by people who wanted it more.

From what I've found, gun dealers are quite viable right now. Certain new guns are insanely expensive, but there are reasonably priced guns for sale, cheaper than anywhere online, in every gun store I go to.

[bisleyfan41]

There's gunsinternational.com, gunauction.com, gunsamerica.com and even cabelas has quite a selection of used guns. Grabagun has good deals on new stuff. The marketplace is upside down right now. Used to be online was way cheaper than LGSs, now it's the opposite. I've bought over 50 new and used guns off Gunbroker, never had a problem. Never overpaid either. Some were great deal, but all were below market prices. I haven't found much there since covid though.

[1Hawkeye]

Don't forget gunbroker is now also charging a 1% compliance fee to the buyer based on the total purchased price.

[centershot]

Yes sir, it's gone nuts for sure. Waksupi makes a good point though. Sadly, we don't have many shops in my area. I've been considering 'thinning the herd' and setting up at gun shows to do so. Sadly, I've more than I can say grace over in casting and reloading gear. I've entertained the thought when it's time to start moving things, haggling over prices with some guy standing there with a smart phone in his hand, trying to tell me how much he can get one for just like mine 3 states over for a lot less.

Murphy

Murphy, look him straight in the eye and tell him "Go get it!". Then turn and pick up your coffee cup......

[Rooster]

I changed my email on GB and they wanted to charge me a fee. For what? Nope. Seeya. Too many out in the wild to suffer those idiots. It seems everyone hates guns and hunting these days. Maybe I'm paranoid. Oh, and while I'm on a roll-computers hate me too.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

yup, prices sure are way up on just about everything. was looking at new revolvers and, well, prices are crazy.

Yes, there appear to be more revolver buyers than revolvers. It has been many months since i have seen any deals on GB.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Murphy, look him straight in the eye and tell him "Go get it!". Then turn and pick up your coffee cup......

That mentaliity has been out there for awhile. Like driving 150 miles to save twenty bucks on a gun.

[pworley1]

Most of the time I can find what I am looking for locally, but sometimes when I am looking for something unusual the online auctions are the only source.

[Jack Stanley]

Murphy, look him straight in the eye and tell him "Go get it!". Then turn and pick up your coffee cup......

That's the line I use on people like that ....... and since they don't consider the cost of shipping , of course I will encourage them to spend more money ;-)

Jack

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

All I can say is, These times are now a seller's market.

Last fall, at the one local gun show, where I have a table at, I usually bring a couple guns I don't want to sell and put some stupid prices on them, just so I can be there and sell some little junk, and also participate with the other show vendors...I always buy more than I sell. Anyway, last fall, some kid wanted my 4" 586 so bad, he paid the stupid price...funny thing is, I kind of miss that gun, I should have put the price a couple hundred higher.

[RustyReel]

I like the 15 minute rule when I'm selling, not so much when I'm buying.

[Mr Peabody]

I like the 15 minute rule when I'm selling, not so much when I'm buying.

Darn right!

[Kimber1911]

Until fairly recently it was pretty easy to buy and sell firearms and such online. Now it's a total drag. Armslist committed suicide by charging to list last year. I'd say it has about 10% of what it used to. Dead zone.

Gunbroker used to be fun, as you would usually win whatever you bid on for a reasonable price (like if you bid the MSRP on something used). Now it's a bunch of hosers putting minimum bids at multiples of the MSRP or sniping wars. That 15 minute is dumb. Just count on an auction never ending when it was supposed to.

For what it's worth it seems the S&S section here is still good, but never the size of something like GB or Armslist. Are there any alternatives out there I am overlooking? What do folks like and dislike?
It is insane, I just tried to updated a gb acct with a new email and it locked my acct and had to be reviewed, now they want me to upload 2 forms of picture id?????

[cobia]

Been 'watching' https://www.gunlistings.org/ a little bit, but not much for inventory

[Murphy]

Murphy, look him straight in the eye and tell him "Go get it!". Then turn and pick up your coffee cup......

Exactly. I will admit if it's a firearm after I've fondled it a bit, there is always the obligatory "this as low as you'll go on it friend?", and do it with a soft smile. Same if I'm selling. And the fastest way to get me to leave a table if I'm considering buying/selling a gun is to pull out a 'Blue Book'. I think the last time a fella did that to me at a show some years back, I looked him squarely in the eye and told him..."Mister, you're wanting to buy at Blue Book prices, but the truth is simple. If I could buy at those Blue Book prices? I wouldn't be out looking for one, I'd of had it long ago...maybe two of them". I turned and walked away.

Murphy

[MrWolf]

Don't forget gunbroker is now also charging a 1% compliance fee to the buyer based on the total purchased price.

Yup. They are actually charging sales tax on shipping for tax exempt items with that compliance fee. Guns and ammo are tax exempt here. When I tried telling them they were not supposed to charge me sales tax on shipping a tax exempt item they basically blew me off. Keep forgetting to send my documents to Sales tax fraud here. As soon as I have time and can remember I will put something together. Already spoke to fraud and they are waiting on documents. They should have just been nice. Oh well.

[curioushooter]

Gunbroker is the way it always was 49% overpriced junk, usually bid up by idiots. 49% new guns, priced as high as is selling. They are selling hot right now, and prices are what they are. 1% truly unique guns that are worth a lot. 1% good deals. All you can do is keep trying. Gunbroker is one of those things that drives you mad looking for a particular gun, then one day you come across a completely different one, and for some reason it isn't being bid high. I'm not a fan of the 15 minute rule either, but the other option ends up with crybabys who got "sniped" by people who wanted it more.

Until recently I've found GB to be reasonable. I bought a 44 Special Flatop Blackhawk there in 2019 like new (item was purchased, never fired) for 600. That's under MSRP. Can't complain. I bought a Hawkeye in 6.5 Creed for under 800 brand new. It was a left hand model. I've found if your tastes are a little odd you can get decent deals. Or could. Now it's nuts. I had a hankering for a so called "big bore belly gun" recently after reading some Handgunner article. I was looking at S&W 624s and 625s and 629 Mountain guns. As late as 2020 there were Mountain guns on Armslist as little as $700. Now they are all over 1, some 1.5k. So I started to look at brazilian stuff. And these jokers have Rossi 720s and such for $900+. I bough a like new S&W 624 a few years ago for 700 OUT THE DOOR, that's with tax, FFL transfer, shipping.... Now people want $900 for brazilian guns that MSRPed for $200 25 years ago! Old Charter arms bulldogs in less than perfect shape, some with obvious problems, for $500.

It does seem demand driven, because at LGSs the prices are insane for junk as well. Like rusty old 22s and break action shotguns they want $200, 250 and more. Used to be you could walk away with stuff like that for 4 twenty dollar bills.

My theory is all this "stimulus" that has been going on is driving people to just spend money on anything while they can that has a hope of holding some value. I think this is what is driving the recent insane demand in things like luxury watches (Rolexes) classic high quality firearms, etc.

In 2008 it was demand driven, but there was a focus on just getting stuff like glocks or whatever because people thought Obama would ban it all. Primers were though the roof back then. Now it seems people are buying stuff without even considering that these things are for shooting.

My beef with the 15 minute rule is that it favors losers that can sit in front of a computer and bid all day and have nothing better to do. Maybe if it was a 5 minute rule it would be tolerable. People still snipe anyway. They place bids 16 minutes before. Wait until the last minute to bid again and add another 15. I think half the time it's the person who is selling the item too. They do it to get the price up and then let someone else take the bag. Or if they end up winning their own auction accidentally, they just relist. Frankly I just dislike auctions in general. It's like divorce. Almost nobody involved is happy. The only people who win are those facilitating it...the auctioneer/divorce attorneys.

[6622729]

It's just a matter of the market. Someone is finding value at those prices or they wouldn't be selling anything. It's not Gunbroker's fault or even the sellers. If they can sell things at prices you consider high, you're not their customer. Like everyone else, I hope prices come down some daybut fornow, if you want to shoot, this is the current market.

[dondiego]

If I see something I want on GB I figure the max I am willing to pay and bid that amount and walk away. Most times I am outbid fairly soon. Sometimes I get it for less than my max bid.

[farmbif]

one indicator I use to see the level of craziness is by watching the gun broker auctions for repair parts guns. there are regional outfits, gun busters, that list every week
for example ruger repair parts, Remington repair parts, ect. sometimes, actually quite often, these disassembled guns minus the parts that have serial number on them sell for as much as complete functional firearms.

[Lead pot]

Yes,things have gone crazy.
When I was a kid in the mid 50's I could order a rolling block out of the back pages of the NRA magazine for $13.. I could not afford the 1917 eddy's or the 03A-3 or the sharps rifles that sold for $30. making .50 cents an hour stacking hay bales in the hot haymow till after the third cutting in late August or early Sept.
Box of .22 shorts were .18 cents at the local Gamble store and I could throw the .22 single shot over the bike handle bar and put it in the coat closet at the one room school house and shoot rats with your buddy at the open garbage dump after school.
Times sure have changed.............

[Bmi48219]

GB is hit or miss on deals for me. They recently sold a Benelli MP3S with two mags, the high bidder got it for $1,425. I’ve been looking for one and they’re alway well north of 3K. One of those times I wasn’t paying attention. Another time (2016) on the holiday weekend there was an AMT Javelina listed. Would have rounded out my AMT shelf nicely. We were traveling that weekend so I didn’t bid. It sold for $750.00, less than 1/2 the going price. Most times the items I take a shine to are bid up beyond any realistic price.

[megasupermagnum]

Same as any auction, you bid whatever you are willing to, and what happens, happens. I understand what you are saying. There are people who have the brains of a squirrel, that will keep bidding the next $5 forever. I don't bid early, but the day of the closing, I bid the most I'm willing, and let it ride. Sometimes two people are stupid, and they bid each other forever. Great for the seller. Sometimes they just bid more than you. If you want a certain gun, and are only willing to pay $800, what does it matter if someone bids $825 with 15 minutes left?

[charlie b]

Have spent a lot of time on ebay auctions for stuff that I do (and in person auctions, estate sales, etc). You just have to be patient and have your own rules on how you will bid. Every now and then you can get a great deal. And 'sniping' is just another way to get a good deal. I consider it a good thing cause it kinda stops the small bid process. I have bought several items by sniping, and lost many.

If you 'insist' on getting a 'bargain' then you have to be patient and wait for the right item to come along at the right time. Today an item might be bid up to $600. Next week, same item might only be bid to $300.

Same kind of issue when selling. Set your start price and see what happens. One week it won't get any bids at all. Two weeks later it will get 20 bids. I've seen some items not bid on at all and relisted for several weeks. Then all of a sudden 3 people will bid it up. If one of those had 'noticed' it sooner they could have had it cheap.