How to Buy a Gun Through the Mail w/o Getting Scammed

**JB What's up** · January 30th, 2014, 04:28 PM

Question for those with more experience than me:

How do you buy a gun from someone who says they'll ship it w/o risking losing your $$? Obviously face-to-face deals are best, but sometimes that isn't possible.

This isn't about how to transfer & ship legally, etc., but rather what do most people ask to verify they'll actually get the gun in exchange for their money.

99+% of people are honest & legit. But what is fair to request? Ask for a copy of seller's driver's license before sending money? Ask for a bill of sale first? Send half the money for them to ship it & the balance when it arrives?

Trying not to be a jerk, but also wanting to make sure I don't get screwed! And also realizing the seller has equal reason to question me.

Thanks for any ideas!

**Svickstc** · January 30th, 2014, 04:30 PM

have to trust your gut, ask a bunch of questions, no real fail safe these days....armslist has become a source for scammers, however, ive also found good deals on there and met good people...

I would only sell a gun with full payment, and im an honest seller.

**Emptymag** · January 30th, 2014, 04:37 PM

I have no idea.

I buy from forum members and I check their posting history and feedback before saying "I'll take it."
If they have a habit of posting dickish things, I just move on to the next guy.

That said, I've bought from people who really only post in the classifieds.
I look at their postings as well and look at the way they put together their ads and again check for feedback. You can get a feel for people pretty easily.
So far, so good.

I send the money order and when they receive it, the item gets sent to me.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

I have no idea if a money order offers any protection from fraud either.

**rckeystone** · January 30th, 2014, 04:51 PM

Just as was said above. Check seller's posting history and feedback. Ask questions and get a feel for the seller. Go with your instinct. If the deal doesn't seem right for any reason then don't proceed. I'd rather read it wrong and miss out on something I wanted than to be missing my hard earned cash.

**Orlov556** · January 30th, 2014, 04:52 PM

Armslist has become a cesspool. PAFOA is not immune either, as i uncovered a rather hilarious scam for a Colt Python yesterday which was in our classifieds.

IMO, the only way you can be 99% certain is to buy from someone with positive feedback, on PAFOA or Gunbroker. Leave Armslist for FTF only, wayyy too scammy for me to feel conformable.

**ForeverPA** · January 30th, 2014, 05:58 PM

How do you safely buy anything online? You need a trusted escrow agent; the way PayPal works with eBay. If you are not satisfied they won't release the funds.

**wellcraft** · January 30th, 2014, 06:50 PM

the best thing to do first is call and speak with the seller and ask questions regarding the firearm for sale. if the seller refuses to give a phone number or seems reluctant to talk to you on the phone its time to pass. if the seller is the actual owner he/she should be able to answer questions accurately and intelligently. when you actually speak with a person you can get a good feel if they are legit or not. ask for detailed pictures to make sure the seller actually owns the gun and didn't steal pictures from somewhere on the net. you can also ask the seller to take a picture of the firearm with your name and email address written on a piece of paper next to the gun.

some red flags are poorly written adds with poor grammer and numerous misspelled words, requesting payment overnight or wired, slow communication, to name a few. you can also ask for references or check feedback if they have any. you can also try googleing the sellers name or email address and see what you come up with. i was trying to buy a sear for a FNC and googled the name of the person that offered one for sale. turns out the guy was just arrested for DUI, while that is not necessarily a good indicator if he was a scammer or not it was enough for me to pass. the biggest red flag is a firearm priced well below market value. the old saying "if it sounds to good to be true it probably is" in the end there's no full proof way to avoid being ripped off except a FTF transfer but by practicing due diligence you can reduce your risk.

**jthrelf** · January 30th, 2014, 08:22 PM

The above is all sound advice. I tend to put a good amount of faith in PAFOA members with good classified feedback. You can usually tell if something doesn't seem right.

**JStem1283** · January 30th, 2014, 09:44 PM

If its not a legit website, then I dont order it. Cant possibly be so good of a deal on armslist or similar to warrant the risk. As has been said if its too good to be true, it probably is. Wait for a local deal or from a reputable online arms dealer.

**bortle** · January 30th, 2014, 10:36 PM

I've only bought a few guns online. Off gunbroker, from a known and reputable dealer. (Gary Cole). Like other said , look for reputation, feedback, history and go with your gut. If it seems sketchy it probably is. Lots of scammers out there. I much rather prefer face to face. I like to see and hold what I'm spending hundreds of dollars on.