Gunbroker.com vs local dealer

[brucin 923]

I know we should support our local dealers but I have been shopping around for a handgun and I have been following the sold prices on Gunbroker. The gun I want has been selling for almost $100 less on Gunbroker including the transfer fee and shipping than what my local dealer is selling it for.

 

I would rather use the local dealer and if the price was $20-$30 different I could eat that but $100 will buy lots of ammo.

 

So what do you think am I being cheap or am I a smart shopper?

[reloaderguy 30]

Smart shopper!

[DSD1026 48]

you always have to weigh the pros and cons with online v. local. Sometimes you will find a better deal online (and yes, even on GB) than you can in a local shop. Sometimes, a local shop is more convenient because they do it all in one place.. Sometimes, no local shops have what you are looking for (in my case) and you HAVE to buy online (and yes, i got my CZ through GB).

 

$100 less through GB is a pretty decent amount of scratch.. However, some LGS's will have an issue if you purchase online what they have in their stores/inventory and could charge you a higher transfer price (some wont, but i've heard that some will).

[Sonnylee 20]

Well sometimes you'll get a good deal on gunbroker but most of the time there high, especially components, ammo,etc..

[scarecrow 0]

I do not have money to burn but I always go with my local dealer unless it's a used firearm. For those few extra bucks I get personalized service with no hassle or risk. All I have to do is tell him what I want and he does the rest. For me it's worth every penny. Plus supporting your local dealer is just the right thing to do IMHO.

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

$100 will buy lots of ammo.

 

So what do you think am I being cheap or am I a smart shopper?

 

$100 will buy lots of ammo? In what country?

You can possibly buy 2 boxes from the WTS section.

[Sonnylee 20]

I do not have money to burn but I always go with my local dealer unless it's a used firearm. For those few extra bucks I get personalized service with no hassle or risk. All I have to do is tell him what I want and he does the rest. For me it's worth every penny. Plus supporting your local dealer is just the right thing to do IMHO.

 

I agree, although some shops don't give a flying Fuuk they gouge anyway..

[Steve_G 51]

LGS - price of gun+nics+tax

Online - price of gun+shipping+transfer fee+nics

 

Add it all up and see what works better for you. Keep in mind, some places will really rip you off with the transfer fee. Some are as low as $35 for transfer and nics combined.

[iCARRY 0]

Contact some of the vendors on here. You might be surprised by their prices and what they have or can get.

[scohen2002 0]

Here is my most recent experience. I wanted a walther ppq. I called 4 local gun stores and asked them all if they could get me one. They all but laughed at me and told me that they were impossible to find. I went on to gun broker and bought one in 5 minutes and had it shipped. Why didn't any of the 4 stores tell me they would check around and then take my name and look themselves on gun broker. I mean they could have asked me to pay mark up and I'd have never know and would have paid it.

[BMWR12 35]

If you are looking for a modern firearms I would shop around locally. If you are looking for older,harder to find, or out of production stuff GB can help. I buy a lot of stuff online and have it transfered because you just can not find it locally.

[Zerosignal 1]

What are you in the market for??

[Howard 538]

Money is money, but all things being equal I have no problem paying a little more to buy it locally. I rather support my local business, and I know if I have a problem they will stand behind it for me. They threat me fairly and don't make a lot of money on the guns they sell. Also, if they don't have something they tell me that I should shop around - which is the right thing to do rather than to make me wait for them to try to find it.

[PK90 3,573]

Here is my most recent experience. I wanted a walther ppq. I called 4 local gun stores and asked them all if they could get me one. They all but laughed at me and told me that they were impossible to find. I went on to gun broker and bought one in 5 minutes and had it shipped. Why didn't any of the 4 stores tell me they would check around and then take my name and look themselves on gun broker. I mean they could have asked me to pay mark up and I'd have never know and would have paid it.

If the local shop bought it off GB and marked it up, you would've had to pay the markup plus sales tax.

[scohen2002 0]

If the local shop bought it off GB and marked it up, you would've had to pay the markup plus sales tax.

 

I know it sounds like a load of bs, but i would have. I strongly believe in supporting my local stores when possible. I've bought 5 guns locally and one from gun broker. 4 of the 5 i bought locally i paid $100 to $200 dollars more than i could have online, and i didn't each time purposefully and knowing i was supporting local business. But when I called at least 4 stores and gave them the opportunity to try to get this PPQ for me. They didn't even try. Anyone of them could have found it on gun broker, bought it themselves and resold it to me oh well. I'll try again next time to force them to take my business. From my experiences so far, local shops will sell you what they have in stock. Before the sandy hook madness they would also try to talk you into letting them order from the manufacturer. Now a days if they don't have it stock they can't hang up on you fast enough. I think they are missing out on some chances to use gun broker themselves and find guns for their local customers.

[H.M. Murdock 0]

Sometimes there are small scratches or imperfections on firearms I've bought "NIB" on GB.

 

Of course you can return the item with most sellers but that's extra time and money.

 

I would pay 10% extra (comparing out-the-door prices) to buy the same item locally just to be able to handle and inspect it before making a commitment.

 

I don't see why the local shop would be interested in purchasing on GB and selling to you marked up. Much less hassle and still profitable for the shop just to handle the transfer. My local shop has advised me to shop GB for hard to find items on many occasions.

[RTSP1 67]

I see that there is always going to be some kind of controversy about getting local or hitting the interwebs, at RTSP we encourage our customers to look around for some of the hard to get items and by all means have them shipped in. That said, I have seen many transfers come in where the price paid (they usually have a receipt attached) is a few dollars more then what we have the same gun in the store for even if you do include tax and NIC's. Do we get angry? No. I feel that some people are just to damn busy to drag themselves to a store and find that doing it over the internet is just more convenient.

 

As far as fee's, well it is no secret that we are on the high end of the spectrum for non-members and even members alike. The process to take in a transfer is for the most part a lengthy one, with all of the regulations that need to be adhered to. With 5 or 6 transfers coming in a day, your looking at almost two hours of paper work especially if you have to make a new product in your POS system. just sayen

[Combat Auto 174]

This is America...Only thing that brings prices down and service up is competition...Did you swear allegance to your local dealer? Why is the even a question.

[djg0770 481]

If you search gunbroker and confine your search to NJ you can save on shipping and transfer (in many cases, be warned that this is not always the case though).

[brucin 923]

Sometimes there are small scratches or imperfections on firearms I've bought "NIB" on GB.

 

Of course you can return the item with most sellers but that's extra time and money.

 

I would pay 10% extra (comparing out-the-door prices) to buy the same item locally just to be able to handle and inspect it before making a commitment.

 

I don't see why the local shop would be interested in purchasing on GB and selling to you marked up. Much less hassle and still profitable for the shop just to handle the transfer. My local shop has advised me to shop GB for hard to find items on many occasions.

 

There's the rub. The out the door price at the local dealer even factoring in transfer and shipping is still 15% more than the last few auctions on GB. That's why I'm leaning towards GB.

 

I would prefer to buy local and would pay what it would cost with the transfer and shipping but I just can't bring myself to pay 15% more than that just to buy local.

[Sludog 0]

There's the rub. The out the door price at the local dealer even factoring in transfer and shipping is still 15% more than the last few auctions on GB. That's why I'm leaning towards GB.

 

I would prefer to buy local and would pay what it would cost with the transfer and shipping but I just can't bring myself to pay 15% more than that just to buy local.

If you can't find what you want the use GB for sure. But be cautious, like others said guns listed NIB are sometimes scratched up and have been obviously handled but other people. Lots of times they were store demos or one owner safe queens that were dry fired a couple of hundred times. Some LGS dealers have demos on display and brand new guns untouched in storage so you can get an unmolested gun which may be worth the few extra bucks in the long run.

 

Also remember the guys right around the corner from you will have ammo you need and can take home or to your range and use. Ammo supplies are getting thin as of late. Might be a good idea to start a relationship with the hand that feeds you by buying a gun from them. I have a .22 Buck Mark on layaway waiting for OGAM to pass and I have been stock piling .22 ammo. A few times I stop in the shop where I bought it and the guys always seem to find a brick of .22 lying around for me.

[acuevo 0]

personally i prefer to support local shops. but convenience and laziness comes in to play too. i recently made a purchase for 450 that i KNOW i could have gotten for about 350 or so at dicks. i chose a local dealer however because i don't shop at dicks (see their name). plus a lot of times transfer fees negate any money saved online. even if i pay a little more, i like to support a shop where there are friendly, honest and helpful people.

[capri_auto 0]

I know we should support our local dealers but I have been shopping around for a handgun and I have been following the sold prices on Gunbroker. The gun I want has been selling for almost $100 less on Gunbroker including the transfer fee and shipping than what my local dealer is selling it for.

 

I would rather use the local dealer and if the price was $20-$30 different I could eat that but $100 will buy lots of ammo.

 

So what do you think am I being cheap or am I a smart shopper?

 

That a redbone coonhound?

[brucin 923]

That a redbone coonhound?

 

Yes she is.

[WVisHome 0]

I have no shame in going on Gunbroker.

 

I got a NIB Remington 700 XCR (~$1000 MRSP) for $675 shipped + FFL fee. (It was a 2007 model, and the guy said he had about 8 of them still on his shelf that he was trying to get rid of.) Funny part was, I called the shop to make sure it was NIB, and he assured me it was....and told me that he'd waive the 3% CC fee if I just called in and sidestepped Gunbroker.

 

Worked out great as there were defects in the bore, and after sending it back to Remington twice, I ended up with a brand new 2012 700 Mountain SS (~$1100 MSRP).

[FishHunter 0]

I know it sounds like a load of bs, but i would have. I strongly believe in supporting my local stores when possible. I've bought 5 guns locally and one from gun broker. 4 of the 5 i bought locally i paid $100 to $200 dollars more than i could have online, and i didn't each time purposefully and knowing i was supporting local business. But when I called at least 4 stores and gave them the opportunity to try to get this PPQ for me. They didn't even try. Anyone of them could have found it on gun broker, bought it themselves and resold it to me oh well. I'll try again next time to force them to take my business. From my experiences so far, local shops will sell you what they have in stock. Before the sandy hook madness they would also try to talk you into letting them order from the manufacturer. Now a days if they don't have it stock they can't hang up on you fast enough. I think they are missing out on some chances to use gun broker themselves and find guns for their local customers.

I was hunting for a CZ and found Cheyenne Outfitters - they are CZ direct and were happy to take my order and place it with the manufacturer. The guys at the mostly empty gun cases are somewhat unpleasant but the guy with the red beard [Dave, I think] who does the phone orders was a pleasure to deal with.

[RTSP1 67]

Took in a lot of guns today, looks like the shortage is getting better. The prices as well, we will be doing a comparison over the next few days and hope that we can start getting back to normal up here in North Jersey as it relates to both AR's in 556, 223 and 308. Keep you posted!