What Some Dealers Will Try

[alamogunr]

I was scanning thru some Gunbroker listing when I ran across this one:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/959247713

Listed this gun as shippable to a C&R holder. Starting bids at $3200.

I might have to get mine out of the safe. Mine doesn't have the custom wood stocks.

[Winger Ed.]

I think they're scarce because nobody wanted or bought them before they were discontinued.

They evidently never found a niche-
For a duty revolver, there's a bunch of other choices that seem to be preferred over a large-ish frame, 3", 5 shot.
For a concealed carry revolver, its rather big and heavy.
For recreational/target shooting, for most people it'd be pretty expensive to feed.

[charlie b]

If you can make people believe it is rare and collectible, then you might convince them to spend a lot of money on it.

The Franklin Mint has been doing that for decades.

[Gray Fox]

I wonder what my Lipsey's version with the Magna Porting is now worth? Of course, I don't have the $300 grips on mine. GF

[alamogunr]

My main point was that they had represented it as C&R. Unless regulations have changed drastically, the 696 does not qualify.

[samari46]

Bought my 24-3 with 3" bbl and combat stocks some years ago, paid $750 for it. Guess he figures some fool will buy it at any price. Frank

[35 Whelen]

https://i.imgur.com/qcY2bJ2h.jpg

[Hickok]

Always add the word "Vintage"......some sucker will pay more![smilie=p:

[salpal48]

Whatever The Traffic will Bear

[curioushooter]

696s are cool. But that price is truly insane. I just bought a 5-shot Rossi M720 44 SPL for just a touch over 400 (which I thought was a lot) this last summer. In pistols of this weight, you aren't going to be doing keith loads, or even skeeter. If I recall Glen Fryxel did an article using a 696 200 grain loads in 44 SPL and the polygonal rifling caused him some grief.

[cainttype]

Gunbroker’s biggest flaw is that it allows FREE adds, often becoming nothing more than a showplace for stupid prices and scammers.
Allowing adds to run for free, indefinitely, invites over-priced crap postings to flood the site. You can find entire stores listed at stupid prices because it costs nothing to be too greedy there.

Giving a free week, maybe, then charging a fee that would discourage the over-inflated prices every week would go a long way towards improving Gunbroker over all.
A different option might be charging weekly UNLESS you reduce the listing by a certain percentage until it reaches a real selling price.
You would need a clause that banned pulling an item only to re-list it later in an attempt to abuse the one free-week benefit.

Either option would eliminate a lot of the trash that overwhelms Gunbroker, and would promote a more consumer friendly site that would only bring listings to a more realistic value.
It would also totally eliminate the pages of “stupid” listed by “dealers” that have their entire over-priced inventory wasting bandwidth ONLY because they can do it for FREE… forever.

[alamogunr]

https://i.imgur.com/qcY2bJ2h.jpg

My wife says that I don't examine labels and usually come home with something completely inappropriate.

[ddeck22]

Gunbroker’s biggest flaw is that it allows FREE adds, often becoming nothing more than a showplace for stupid prices and scammers.
Allowing adds to run for free, indefinitely, invites over-priced crap postings to flood the site. You can find entire stores listed at stupid prices because it costs nothing to be too greedy there.

Giving a free week, maybe, then charging a fee that would discourage the over-inflated prices every week would go a long way towards improving Gunbroker over all.
A different option might be charging weekly UNLESS you reduce the listing by a certain percentage until it reaches a real selling price.
You would need a clause that banned pulling an item only to re-list it later in an attempt to abuse the one free-week benefit.

Either option would eliminate a lot of the trash that overwhelms Gunbroker, and would promote a more consumer friendly site that would only bring listings to a more realistic value.
It would also totally eliminate the pages of “stupid” listed by “dealers” that have their entire over-priced inventory wasting bandwidth ONLY because they can do it for FREE… forever.

Agree, it is more of a virtual storefront than an auction site. I find it difficult to find anything on there unless it is very niche. Otherwise you have to spend hours going through it. And if you do want to sell something on there, you tend to get drowned out by the other 1000 listings on there for that item.

Just my experience on GB

Ebay is the same now too. It's just a virtual storefront

[Woodtroll]

The 696s are sought-after guns in some circles, even though they are relatively big and only 5 shots. But for someone who wants a bigger-bore "smaller" revolver, they're a good choice, and fairly unique unless you want a Taurus or Charter Arms. I doubt it will bring anywhere near that price, though.

The line where he claims "you need to have a C&R or use your local dealer for transfer" is indeed confusing and incorrect. Probably copied type from some other ad he posted.

[jonp]

"scarce" is the next iteration of "rare". A selling point to pull in the less informed and if you think that you can buy that pistol online and have it shipped without an FFL involved you get what you pay for.

[murf205]

I am an L frame fan and a big fan of 44 Spl's myself. The short 696 makes a great belt gun for woods walking or riding an atv but at the prices they are fetching on Goingbroker--not me. I'd like to have one but not at the prices that they are actually bringing. I guess as soon as they discontinue a gun it goes through the roof. There is a lot of interest in guns now that didn't bring very much a few yrs ago. Heck, I remember Marlin 336's in 30-30 barely bringing $250 at gunshows not long ago. And a Remington 141 in 35 cal-no body was interested but my my, how things change.

[dswancutt]

What jumps out a me other than being listed for about 2 times what it would actually sell for, is that he doesn't know beans about S&W revolvers and is just making stuff up.
I have never heard of that style of hammer referred to as a "Chicken Spur", I have seen them called a "fish hook style. The grips are just standard factory round butt combat grips, which by themself, sell for between $200 to $400.
That said, you cannot say it doesn't have enough pictures and they are good quality.
It is a desirable version of that model. Forged and case hardened trigger & hammer, cylinder stop pin instead of the later integral stop, all the paperwork and box.

[1Hawkeye]

He's definitly an optomistic student of P.T. Barnum

[compass will]

a C&R is a type of FFL. Mostly if something is older than 50 years old its C&R, but the FFL produces a list of other things that cound. I looked that one up on the FFL C&R list but I don't see it.
also the 44 special cartridge is not on the list.

[M-Tecs]

It is common for dealers to use a boilerplate terms statement. They bold or highlight the specific details that apply to the specific sale. He clearly stated only "ship to FFL". The portion about C&R is not in bold. He is not trying to pull a fast one on anyone. He has premium stuff and is charging premium prices. His choice same as it's the buyer's choice to pay the sellers asking price.

Very nice stuff at a price that is normally higher than I am willing to pay but some are willing to spend that amount https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search?IncludeSellers=1934006

[FISH4BUGS]

Asking price and selling price are two very different things.
I watch many guns that start at a ridiculous price and never get a bid.
I guess the seller really doesn't want to sell it.

[ascast]

I think guys who list a lot get sloppy with their ads. I have seen it a bunch of times. Need to email ad clarify

[Electrod47]

I think they're scarce because nobody wanted or bought them before they were discontinued.

They evidently never found a niche-
For a duty revolver, there's a bunch of other choices that seem to be preferred over a large-ish frame, 3", 5 shot.
For a concealed carry revolver, its rather big and heavy.
For recreational/target shooting, for most people it'd be pretty expensive to feed.

Good ole' Charter Arms Bulldog has filled the bill since 72' for 200-400 bucks.

[siamese4570]

After going to gunshows for many years, I decided that when used car dealers get drummed out of the business for being unethical, they start selling guns.
Siamese4570

[GooseGestapo]

There used to be a term of derision called a “pretty feather merchant”. He seems to qualify.
You can’t really call him a “dealer”.
More accurately a “Museum Curator”.

[Greg S]

I was screwing around on GB about 2 months ago and saw a 629-6 for $885. Looked the pics over, real barrel, Hillary hoe, 3" with less than 8 hours on the auction. Said to myself it was going cheap, Davidson's did a run on yhem I seemed to recall and they were going 15 or better. Decided to push the bid alottle and won the bid @ 890.00. Checked when I got home Sunday night and low and behold, no other bids. :killingpc

Teach ne to not mess around

[georgerkahn]

The 696 family, if I recall (??) was only produced from 1999 to 2005 or 2006. The version with the $3,200.00 price tag is in fact the most-desired original "no-dash" model, which sported its firing pin in its hammer. While some profess this feature was eliminated before the first dash edition, the 696-1 is distinguished by the absence of this hammer-pin. A couple of other dashes followed which were believed to be less desirable than the no-dash or 696-1.
The Charter Arms Bulldog is also a 5-shot .44 S&W Special, and most weigh in at between 19 and twenty ounces. The 696's weigh in at almost exactly one U S pound (16 oz) more!
In my neck of the woods (:)) Bulldogs do show up, albeit rarely, and the ones I have seen have price tags of $500 to $650 on them, with a few in the $800.00 range!. On the other hand, I've only seen one 696 (the 696-1 version) which had a $999.99 tag on it! I actually fondled it, and had quite the conversation with dealer about it. He indicated that if it had not the dash, the tag would 1st, have been $500.00 more; and 2nd -- the revolver would surely had been out the door! (This was about one year ago... prices surely have escalated?)
The way I view it, if you're in the market for Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, just about every grocery has lots of cans, so it's a buyer's market. On the other hand, if there's but one available -- whatever it may be -- and, there's also someone out there who wants "it" badly enough -- they'll pay the price!
I recall attending an auction where ONE bottle of wine went for eighteen hundred U S dollars!
Had I had the resources, that 696-1 definitely would now be mine!
geo

[HumptyDumpty]

Gunbroker’s biggest flaw is that it allows FREE adds, often becoming nothing more than a showplace for stupid prices and scammers.
Allowing adds to run for free, indefinitely, invites over-priced crap postings to flood the site. You can find entire stores listed at stupid prices because it costs nothing to be too greedy there.

Giving a free week, maybe, then charging a fee that would discourage the over-inflated prices every week would go a long way towards improving Gunbroker over all.
A different option might be charging weekly UNLESS you reduce the listing by a certain percentage until it reaches a real selling price.
You would need a clause that banned pulling an item only to re-list it later in an attempt to abuse the one free-week benefit.

Either option would eliminate a lot of the trash that overwhelms Gunbroker, and would promote a more consumer friendly site that would only bring listings to a more realistic value.
It would also totally eliminate the pages of “stupid” listed by “dealers” that have their entire over-priced inventory wasting bandwidth ONLY because they can do it for FREE… forever.

That would destroy the site. They've already raised their fees on sellers, and banned certain words in titles and descriptions. Charging yet more money has the potential to really hurt the bottom line of businesses, and dissuade private sellers from even using the site. I'd absolutely leave if they tried to centrally manage prices as you've described. It can take many relistings for an item to sell, even at a fair price, it depends on many different factors.

[cainttype]

That would destroy the site. They've already raised their fees on sellers, and banned certain words in titles and descriptions. Charging yet more money has the potential to really hurt the bottom line of businesses, and dissuade private sellers from even using the site. I'd absolutely leave if they tried to centrally manage prices as you've described. It can take many relistings for an item to sell, even at a fair price, it depends on many different factors.

I’ve already pretty much left/ignored Gunbroker because of the excessive useless garbage listings.
The site suffers from self-inflicted wounds, mainly running over-priced adds indefinitely for FREE. That leads to pages and pages of “useless”, and many serious buyers simply ignore the site because of it.
I’ve bought and sold on Gunbroker for decades, and it’s always been a problem.
If your item doesn’t sell, you’ve over-priced it for the market. I NEVER had problems selling…NOTHING on Gunbroker sits long when priced right.

They’d get more traffic, more sales, and generate more profit by having less trash listings (the vast majority of the site) and more competitive prices.
How do you accomplish that?…. Offer a free limited time listing, then demand a realistic price reduction to keep your “free add” status or start charging a fee to get rid of all the trash listings that overwhelm the site today with no intention of ever selling… Cheap storefronts for greedy scammers.
They’ve “raised fees” on sellers to survive because their business model sucks, and it’s their only way to generate funds.

A more consumer-friendly business model that discourages ridiculous listings by sellers that know they can get away with it for free would only improve the site.
Less trash listings would encourage more serious buyer traffic and more sales…That would allow easing the pressure of generating funds only by increasing seller fees.
It’s a win/win.

[jonp]

"vintage", "rare", "scarce" im not sure who the numbnuts are that react to this tripe and throw their money away. I also have a giant red flag waving at the C&R. Im getting old but im not that old to remember the 90's isnt C&R but there is a sucker as P.T. Barnum said

[Hickok]

"vintage", "rare", "scarce" im not sure who the numbnuts are that react to this tripe and throw their money away. I also have a giant red flag waving at the C&R. Im getting old but im not that old to remember the 90's isnt C&R but there is a sucker as P.T. Barnum said"When these are gone, there wont be anymore!".........Jon, you said exactly what i was thinking!:drinks:

[Good Cheer]

Good ole' Charter Arms Bulldog has filled the bill since 72' for 200-400 bucks.

Yes sir, their latest incarnation, the pug ugly stainless Charter Arms magnums, are just about right as it gets though nowadays everything gives this elderly purchaser a severe sticker shock to the system.

[ddeck22]

Unless the thing I'm looking for is not widely known or not as desirable, you end up with 800 listing that you have to pour through to find the thing for which you are looking. Maybe if their search feature was better or something I would use it more, but as it stands, I only check there for somewhat oddball stuff. I did find a Hornady LnL shellplate for 30 carbine on there for about 50% of other retailers, but it was very specific.