Question: has anyone ever bought a gun from the online site gunbroker.com. There’s a Remington 870 Tac 14 I found on the auction site but I don’t want to waste my money or go through a lot of hassle to acquire it. Any help would be appreciated.
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Thanks!
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There is a thread in the “Guns” tab called “should I buy a shotgun or a rifle”. That’s the thread he he posted in about his purchase. I’d link it, but I’m not smart enough for that.
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When I looked into it they just needed the address and FFL license number of where I wanted it shipped. Most FFL’s charge a fee to run the background check and then it’s yours.
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I’ve been using GunBroker for last 10 months.
All is legit, however I treat them the same as Ebay or Amazon, so before the purchase I always check and verify the seller.
I bought 1 handgun and around 5K rounds of ammo through them. Never had any issues with the purchases.
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Check and verify the seller. Also, don’t forget to add any credit card fees, and shipping costs, plus what a local FFL will charge for the transfer. On new guns, with all the added costs figured in, the gun store I go to beats Gunbroker every time. Now, if you are looking for a used gun, or your dealer can’t get it at all, that’s a different ball game.
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I have bought many many many guns off Gunbroker. More than the number of year old I am. The key to gunbroker is to have your FFL lined up ahead of time as any gun will need to be shipped to them. Gunbroker has an FFL finder that will help you find an FFL close to you. Your local shop is a good choice, but I have had better luck with guys running FFL’s out of their house. They usually have better rates and when I first used gunbroker in 2015, the first couple transfers I did with local shops and I got a lot of attitude. I guess they figure every transfer is a missed sale. But like everything do your homework. FFL’s our of their house also require homework. Check the address and first make sure it is an area you are comfortable going to, check their online social media profile for red flags, things like that. Also, check the boards at your gun club to see if any members have an FFL and do transfers. Once you find one you are comfort with, contact them and make sure they are willing to do the transfer. In this time of covid, they might not be taking on new clients, have high risk health issues where they might be staying socially distant, etc. Once you get the go ahead, bid or buy it now. I usually then just forward the win auction notification email that has the auction number, seller’s email, etc. so my FFL will have all the necessary information. Then it’s a waiting game for the shipment. Most cases, if you and your FFL are on it, if you buy beginning of business Monday, I usually have it at my FFL Thursday or Friday.
A couple notes on sellers. Make sure they have a solid rating. Never buy from a seller with no rating. The more reviews they have, the better. Top sellers are preferred and they typically have the best prices too. You can see that next to their sellers name. Read all the descriptions and information very carefully. There are some sellers who carry no inventory. That means that they have to get it from a distributor after you order. Especially in the current climate, if the distributors are out, you are in for a wait. Also, if it’s a used gun, make sure they have an inspection period. You won’t be able to fire it, but you will be surprised what you can miss inspecting at your FFL. Also, inspect before you fill out the paperwork. If you have any concerns, do not accept the transfer. Have the FFL send it back. One final note, when you are buying a firearm, check to see if the seller has an FFL, especially if it’s a used firearm. Some FFL’s will only accept transfers from other FFL’s not private sellers, and if it is a private seller, they might not be able to sell it through an FFL or there might be extra fees involved. Best to know all that up front.
It sounds like a lot, but in all honesty when you have your FFL already lined up it’s super easy and addicting. You will have a newfound sense of freedom as you will no longer be a slave to the inventory at your LGS.
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As @Levi2 said above, I used them to find a hard to get rifle. The vendor was in WI and I am in TX. The rifle was shipped next day to my FFL dude, and I picked it up from him mabye, 6 days later.
I had to provide the FFL number of the receiving TX dude down here at the point of sale.
It really was quite easy.
Good luck
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I recently purchased a handgun on gunbroker and did not have any issues. As mentioned, line up your FFL before the purchase. I also contacted the guy and chatted with him on the phone. I did not send any money until I was comfortable he wasn’t going to do anything funny.
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This is a very reputable site, they will ship the gun to any local FFL dealer to let you pick it up.
Phil from FL.
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I looked at my sellers reviews. They were great and over 1000. It was actually a big privately owned sporting goods store in WI.
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never used gunbroker. but did find a great sale on one i liked and bought it from an online store ,very easy when you pick a local FFL holder to transfer it for you. you do have to pay for a transfer and it varies quite a bit from state to state and individual licencees not to bad at all
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