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Question About Gunbroker Purchase (PROBLEM)


Rube Burrows

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A lot of the time I will purchase from people here but I recently made my first purchase from Gunbroker. The seller has over 990 positive feedbacks. I thought that this would be an easy transaction as it is an antique and can be shipped straight to my home. 

I completed the auction using the buy it now feature. He contacted me by email and then I called him and paid with my debit card to the tune of 1400 or so dollars.

 

All was going smoothly and he sent me a tracking number and when I tracked it it basically said that he had paid for shipping but had not dropped off the package yet so there was nothing to track just yet. 

After two days of no tracking updates I emailed him and said that there was no new tracking info. He said it shows the same on his end but he don't know anymore info than what is on there.  He said it was dropped off on the same day he paid for the shipping and tracking number. 

I decided to be patient and waited a few extra days. I am in Louisiana and he is in Florida so I thought I would wait for the time that it should be here. 

 

It never showed and it has been over a week since I paid. I called him yesterday and he told me that he mailed 4 packages that day and mine was the largest being a long gun and that all others had arrived at their destination. Mine was the only one missing. He informed me that he was going to the post office to see if he could figure it out. 

 

Now, today, I email him again and my patients is wearing thin. I was not rude in any way but made it clear that I am not happy and have become worried. 

 

He told me that we are both at the mercy of the post office and that he went up there and they are not sure what happened or where the package is. He keeps telling me to be patient. I feel that I have been but I am out 1400+ dollars at this point and have no gun. 

 

I am really hoping that this is some kind of misunderstanding and honest mistake but I am worried. 

 

It would seem that a dishonest person could pay for shipping and get a tracking number but never deliver the gun to the post office and therefore it would never track. The gun is supposed to be fully insured but if the post office never shows that they got it I am doubtful they will pay. 

 

It has also crossed my mind that what if someone at the post office stole it before scanning it. 

 

I am hoping that maybe the label fell off or was mislabeled or something honest has mistakenly happened. 

 

I am not sure what to do at this point other than wait but how long is a person supposed to wait and what can ultimately be done? 

 

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. 

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  • Rube Burrows changed the title to Question About Gunbroker Purchase (PROBLEM)

Can't really offer any advice since mail order gun sales these days all risk the great black hole.  I sold three guns recently.  Two got there in less than a week.  The other showed no tracking after it was scanned.  The buyer and I were both getting worried.  Remember this goes both ways.  Right now you are out $1,400.  If the gun never arrives and he refunds your money then he has no gun.  The gun I sent took 35 days to reach its destination a couple of states away.  Never showed any tracking until it arrived.  The buyer and I both contacted the POs on our end.  The fact that the seller is responding to your emails and phone calls is a GOOD sign.  A scammer would ignore you.  I ordered an item a few months ago that the tracking showed was in Nashville for weeks.  The seller (a commercial vendor) finally refunded my money.  A couple of weeks later the item finally arrived.  I sent an email to the vendor telling him the item had arrived and asked how I should make payment.  He said no one had ever done that before so just keep it as a gift.  A new scam is appearing on GunBroker.  People copy ads from Guns International and post the items on hacked Gunbroker accounts.  So the seller's info makes it look like he has lots of positive feedback.  These days more and more things done over the Internet or by mail are becoming a crap shoot.  A guy over on the Trap Shooter's forum put an expensive shotgun on Guns International.  While he was looking at Gun Broker he found his ad but, of course, the seller was someone else.

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I will say that it took 2 weeks for a banjo to ship from Middle Tennessee to Northern Georgia. It took nearly 2 weeks for a money order shipped in a priority mail envelope to get from Middle Tennessee to Iowa. 

 

THE POST OFFICE SUCKS!

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11 minutes ago, Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381 said:

Your first mistake was paying with a debit card. Big red flag.

Why is that? What should I have paid with? 

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You can go to the Post Office and fill out a form to address to a Postal Inspector's attention. Tell them it firearm related. That sets up a warning flag.

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I guess the fact that anytime I have ever dropped something off at the post office they scan it right away with the receipt. So at least it should show they actually have the gun. Then if the shipping didn’t update I would know they at least have it. 

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1 minute ago, Rube Burrows said:

Why is that? What should I have paid with? 

A debit card is like cash.  Once it is out of your account it is gone.  A credit card you can contest the charge.

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2 minutes ago, DeaconKC said:

You can go to the Post Office and fill out a form to address to a Postal Inspector's attention. Tell them it firearm related. That sets up a warning flag.

I can do that on my end? 

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1 minute ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

A debit card is like cash.  Once it is out of your account it is gone.  A credit card you can contest the charge.

Oh, geez. 

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Read this.  It is interesting.  To keep someone from getting scrammed the real seller "bought" his own gun.

 

https://www.trapshooters.com/threads/scammer-on-gunbroker-with-a-3-rating.908958/

 

Again, the fact that the seller is responding to your inquiries is a good sign.  If it was insured he can start an investigation.

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5 minutes ago, Rube Burrows said:

I can do that on my end? 

I believe so, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong.

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9 minutes ago, Rube Burrows said:

Why is that? What should I have paid with? 

 

A debit is just like cash. I always use Paypal, which uses my AMEX. I have recourse through both of them, especially AMEX.

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A. My debit has a Visa logo and fraud protection.

2. Louisiana just had a hurricane and has a lot of issues. The post office uses centralized sort centers. Might be a local shipping issue. 

 

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50 minutes ago, Rube Burrows said:

A lot of the time I will purchase from people here but I recently made my first purchase from Gunbroker. The seller has over 990 positive feedbacks. I thought that this would be an easy transaction as it is an antique and can be shipped straight to my home. 

I completed the auction using the buy it now feature. He contacted me by email and then I called him and paid with my debit card to the tune of 1400 or so dollars.

 

All was going smoothly and he sent me a tracking number and when I tracked it it basically said that he had paid for shipping but had not dropped off the package yet so there was nothing to track just yet. 

After two days of no tracking updates I emailed him and said that there was no new tracking info. He said it shows the same on his end but he don't know anymore info than what is on there.  He said it was dropped off on the same day he paid for the shipping and tracking number. 

I decided to be patient and waited a few extra days. I am in Louisiana and he is in Florida so I thought I would wait for the time that it should be here. 

 

It never showed and it has been over a week since I paid. I called him yesterday and he told me that he mailed 4 packages that day and mine was the largest being a long gun and that all others had arrived at their destination. Mine was the only one missing. He informed me that he was going to the post office to see if he could figure it out. 

 

Now, today, I email him again and my patients is wearing thin. I was not rude in any way but made it clear that I am not happy and have become worried. 

 

He told me that we are both at the mercy of the post office and that he went up there and they are not sure what happened or where the package is. He keeps telling me to be patient. I feel that I have been but I am out 1400+ dollars at this point and have no gun. 

 

I am really hoping that this is some kind of misunderstanding and honest mistake but I am worried. 

 

It would seem that a dishonest person could pay for shipping and get a tracking number but never deliver the gun to the post office and therefore it would never track. The gun is supposed to be fully insured but if the post office never shows that they got it I am doubtful they will pay. 

 

It has also crossed my mind that what if someone at the post office stole it before scanning it. 

 

I am hoping that maybe the label fell off or was mislabeled or something honest has mistakenly happened. 

 

I am not sure what to do at this point other than wait but how long is a person supposed to wait and what can ultimately be done? 

 

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. 

Try your bank. See if they can stop/refund payment.

If the gun shows up, then you can send payment again.

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57 minutes ago, Rube Burrows said:

I am in Louisiana and he is in Florida so I thought I would wait for the time that it should be here. 

 

It never showed and it has been over a week since I paid.

 

I would worry but not get concerned.  A week is nothing.  Especially with the recent bad weather and driver shortages from covid.

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6 minutes ago, Texas Joker said:

A. My debit has a Visa logo and fraud protection.

2. Louisiana just had a hurricane and has a lot of issues. The post office uses centralized sort centers. Might be a local shipping issue. 

 

Yeah we have definitely had our mailed slowed a bit but I have been getting other orders with no delay. Maybe that’s it. Hope so. 

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I guess I just need to be more patient. Been spoiled with fast shipping and years of great deals on the internet. This is my first real issue. Maybe I’m just overreacting at this point. I’ll wait longer. 
 

I do agree that at least he is still answering emails and calls. He has lots of good feedback also so that’s comforting that he seems to be on the up and up. 

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I ordered some stuff from Midway recently.  The tracking said it would be delivered on a Thursday.  I was home sitting at my computer which is by a window that looks out at my front door.  I usually see deliveries.  My computer beeped and said the package had just been delivered.  I had not seen anyone and went to the door.  No package.  The next day I went to a UPS office and they checked the computer and said it was delivered.  Items in my neighborhood often get dropped off at the wrong house because numbers get transposed or the driver just gets sloppy.  The neighbor that gets the item usually takes it to the right address.  I contacted Midway and told them what had happened.  They said to wait two days and if nothing arrived send them an email and they would resend the package.  Nothing ever arrived, Midway reshipped.

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3 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

I ordered some stuff from Midway recently.  The tracking said it would be delivered on a Thursday.  I was home sitting at my computer which is by a window that looks out at my front door.  I usually see deliveries.  My computer beeped and said the package had just been delivered.  I had not seen anyone and went to the door.  No package.  The next day I went to a UPS office and they checked the computer and said it was delivered.  Items in my neighborhood often get dropped off at the wrong house because numbers get transposed or the driver just gets sloppy.  The neighbor that gets the item usually takes it to the right address.  I contacted Midway and told them what had happened.  They said to wait two days and if nothing arrived send them an email and they would resend the package.  Nothing ever arrived, Midway reshipped.


I would feel better if I had some…. ANY type of tracking info showing that it passes through any checkpoint whatsoever. Then I would know that it’s the post office and not a fraudulent seller who never dropped the item off. 

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4 minutes ago, Rube Burrows said:


I would feel better if I had some…. ANY type of tracking info showing that it passes through any checkpoint whatsoever. Then I would know that it’s the post office and not a fraudulent seller who never dropped the item off. 

My experience with tracking is that most of the time it seems to lag behind what is really happening. USPS seems to be the worst. Tracking will say that package has been scanned then 2 or 3 days go by with no change. The package shows up a day later and tracking hasn’t been updated. 

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4 minutes ago, Derringer Dan said:

My experience with tracking is that most of the time it seems to lag behind what is really happening. USPS seems to be the worst. Tracking will say that package has been scanned then 2 or 3 days go by with no change. The package shows up a day later and tracking hasn’t been updated. 

Yeah. I have had that happen before also. This one has never been scanned though so far. 

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With 990 plus feedback it’s probably solid on his end, would bet a post office screw up.  I’ve been on both ends of it, you are at their mercy unfortunately many times but with his communication and history it will probably just show up.  

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I had the same issue as Larsen E. Pettifogger. With COVID and weather issues I had a gun sit in Phoenix for weeks before moving again. As long as he is communicating with you, I think you're okay. Both of you are at the mercy of the USPS. That said, there has been hacking of long-standing GB accounts and scammers ripping photos of guns from GunsInternational or Rock Island auctions. Some even rip photos from old GB auctions.

 

I will once again post this: https://www.guntab.com/

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Really start worrying when the seller stops communicating.

 

I sold a shotgun on the wire. Guy sent payment but it never arrived. He was rightly concerned. I was also concerned as my reputation was on the line.

Fortunately is was a USPS MO so it could be tracked if it was cashed. Had to wait 60 days before the PO would cancel it and issue a new one. IIRC he received the letter back as undeliverable 2 days  after the PO issued a new MO. This one arrived in 3 days.

 

All the while we kept communicating.

 

Seller needs to contact the Post master at his location and start an investigation. Ask the seller as a courtesy to take a photo of the paperwork and send it to you. This way you have some documentation of what's going on.

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BTW if your debit card has a Visa or Mastercard logo on it you can file a claim with them to get your money back. However hold off doing so as long as the seller is communicating with you. 

 

The difference between a CC and a debit card with the Visa or Mastercard logo on it is that with a CC you are not out the money while the transaction is in dispute. If resolved in your favor you don't have to pay. If not then you have to pay plus and interest.

With a debit card you are out the money until the dispute is settled. If in your favor you get a refund. If not then they already have your money. 

NEVER EVER use a debit card that does not have a Visa, Mastercard, or other major credit card logo on it. They are almost impossible to dispute.

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I have no use for USPS anymore. I sent a cashiers check for some merchandise.  It never arrived.  The bank charged me $30.00 to cancel it.

 

I sent a personal check and it never arrived.  The bank charged me $5.00 to stop payment on it

 

I sent a personal check via USP envelope and it was received in two days and I had the purchase two days after that.  It cost me $7.00 to mail it via UPS.

 

Neither one of the first  two checks ever arrived and neither one was ever cashed.

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5 hours ago, DeaconKC said:

You can go to the Post Office and fill out a form to address to a Postal Inspector's attention. Tell them it firearm related. That sets up a warning flag.

 

5 hours ago, Rube Burrows said:

I can do that on my end? 

 

Alas, from my experience, no.  

 

A few years ago a buddy sent me a brand-new modem/router.  It never arrived.

 

After a week I contacted our local post office.  When I gave them the tracking number, they told me it was delivered.  I told 'em it may have been delivered, but it was not delivered to ME.  With that, they said that the sender had to initiate a tracking request and I should let the sender know and otherwise I should just go away.  :mellow:

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USPS-not good. I sent a gun for repair to a gunsmith. When I called him to ask about it he asked me how I got it all the way to his gunshop without paying postage on it. He said the PO left him a notice that he had a package but would not deliver because it never had postage paid on it. I sent him a picture of the receipt. He had already paid postage to get it from the post office.

kR

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