So in a nutshell, I've bought from Gunbroker in the past but always from an online business. now I have the opportunity to buy a pistol from a private seller (FFL to FFL of course) but the payment method is Paypal... so here the questions... First- am I going to have to pay this guy first and hope he goes to the FFL and actually ships it or will he ship first and my FFL hold until he verifies payment received? and second- if I decide to be a trusting soul and send the $$$ first do I have any recourse (besides my CC company's assistance) if dude turns out to stiff me since it's Paypal... Thanks in advance for any information as I trust in the Hive...

Based on my experience buying from an individual,
the seller has to be trusted to ship the item AFTER he receives your payment. Postal money orders have been the preferred payment medium.
I've only been screwed once, that time being that the rifle had a cracked stock that didn't show in the advert. The seller refused to acknowledge the problem. Giving him a failing feedback was my only recourse, which of course was a waste of time.

More than likely you'll have to pay first. I'd be extremely hesitant to pay for a gun via PayPal because if there were an issue & you tell them you paid for a gun you have violated their terms of service & would more than likely be out your funds.

If you haven't already committed to buying I would suggest not doing it. If you've already committed I'd be surprised if the listing said PayPal only and would explore other methods of payment as skipsan said a postal money order preferably.

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I'd be extremely hesitant to pay for a gun via PayPal because if there were an issue & you tell them you paid for a gun you have violated their terms of service & would more than likely be out your funds.

This! MO only. I also do not like postal MO's because if a problem exists it may take 2 or 3 months to get resolved. My preference is Walmart or grocery store MO's as they are easy to purchase & easy to get problems resolved.

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Originally posted by Tompow:
So in a nutshell, I've bought from Gunbroker in the past but always from an online business. now I have the opportunity to buy a pistol from a private seller (FFL to FFL of course) but the payment method is Paypal... so here the questions... First- am I going to have to pay this guy first and hope he goes to the FFL and actually ships it or will he ship first and my FFL hold until he verifies payment received? and second- if I decide to be a trusting soul and send the $$$ first do I have any recourse (besides my CC company's assistance) if dude turns out to stiff me since it's Paypal... Thanks in advance for any information as I trust in the Hive...

In all the transactions I've ever done on Gunbroker (and there have a been many), GunsAmerica, Ebay and on the forum, both as a buyer and seller, the buyer always sends the money first and the seller never ships before the money is received.

I have had a few occasions where due to a high level of trust, a seller has shipped to me before they received the money, but that was VERY unusual.

Paypal is also not a good way to pay unless you are very, very careful. If there is even the slightest hint it is a firearm purchase they will shut down both accounts permanently and the money will be locked up for weeks or months before the buyer will get it back.

I used to use Paypal for that purpose, figuring what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them or me since it was not illegal. Usually I strongly cautioned the buyer from mentioning anything. However, once a buyer was very quick to pay and mentioned the model of the firearm in the message section before I could caution them. I was lucky enough to see it soon enough to transfer the money into my bank account before Paypal caught it. However, they did shut down my account and probably the account of the buyer as well.

As someone has mentioned, usually payment is with a USPS MO for Gunbroker unless the seller is a business.

Have you ever ordered a gun from an online dealer and told them “Hey i’ll Pay you after it gets here.” Why would this be any different. This sign from a tattoo shop in New Orleans says it all.

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My only bad purchasing experience on GunBroker was when I bought from a private seller. Never again; FFL only and preferably one with a brick and mortar business.

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Originally posted by GaryBF:
My only bad purchasing experience on GunBroker was when I bought from a private seller. Never again; FFL only and preferably one with a brick and mortar business.

That was also the case with me. However, I have also had many, many very positive experiences with private sellers. I've also heard firsthand stories of issues with FFLs. So, I think it can go both ways.

The key is to look at the feedback before you commit.

I’ve purchased a good number of things off gunbroker some private and some dealers. I’ve never had any problems, but I usually base whether I’m going to buy it or not off their feedback. I don’t always expect a ton of feedback but if you have 10-20+ positive feedback I like to assume they’ve probably bought/sold 30-40 things without any issues because a lot of people don’t leave feedback if everything went smooth from my experiences, but they surely would if things went bad.

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Originally posted by GaryBF:
preferably one with a brick and mortar business.

Yeah, us home based guys cant be trusted....

PayPal should not be used for this transaction. It violates their terms of service and, if they find out, could cause problems for both of you. Send a money order instead. If - and I can't imagine why - the seller balks at this, skip the transaction altogether. As for the veracity of the seller, your only clue is his/her feedback. This is a classic case of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).

Rare item, willing to lose your investment. OK. Anything else. not a chance. Paypal will not help.

quote:

Originally posted by Tompow:
So in a nutshell, I've bought from Gunbroker in the past but always from an online business. now I have the opportunity to buy a pistol from a private seller (FFL to FFL of course) but the payment method is Paypal... so here the questions... First- am I going to have to pay this guy first and hope he goes to the FFL and actually ships it or will he ship first and my FFL hold until he verifies payment received? and second- if I decide to be a trusting soul and send the $$$ first do I have any recourse (besides my CC company's assistance) if dude turns out to stiff me since it's Paypal... Thanks in advance for any information as I trust in the Hive...

I've bought and sold plenty on GB (private sellers and retail) and have never had a seller ship an item before payment is received. Conversely, nothing is ever brought to my dealer until I have payment in hand and it clears.

I'd stay away from PayPal. GB's fraud protection is a joke and as others have stated, firearms purchases are against PayPal's policy, so, it's highly unlikely you'll get a whole lot of help from them.

I would reach out to the seller and ask if they would take a USPS MO.