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above: Guns America’s web site, a site
for both auctions and classified ads for
gun sales.
right: Glen Parshall at Bargain Pawn
in N. Las Vegas logs a customer’s gun
transfer into his FFL books.
tional element to the purchase process,
and auction purchases seem to have a
higher incidence of buyer’s remorse.
That’s no reason to avoid them, just
know going in what to expect. Whether
it’s an auction site or a straight sales
site, the main points of the selling process
and all of the transfer processes for
any online firearms site are basically
the same and are fairly straightforward.
Both auction sites and sales sites make
their money by charging successful sellers
a small percentage of the sales price,
and by the sale of optional services to
sellers, such as highlighting ads online,
and levels of membership. Given the
tens of thousands of items that can be
sold in a year, those small fees soon add
up.
To buy a gun online, set up an account
at the site of your choice, either a
sales or an auction site, then find a gun
you want. If you have questions about
the gun, you will have an opportunity
to contact the seller, usually by email
or telephone. Photos and descriptions
of the gun offered for sale in both auctions
and classified ads almost always
accompany the item auction or sales
notice online, along with information
about the seller, including location,
contact information, and their sales
history. Some sites have levels of seller
memberships, which can be useful in
gauging the reliability of a seller. Use
the contact information to ask questions
of the seller.
Buying a gun from an online site’s
classified ad for selling is not hard.
Browse the offerings, find something
you like, meet the sellers purchase
terms, pay for it, arrange for the transfer
of the gun, pick it up from your FFL, and
you’re done. Auctions are a little more
complicated. They run for the number
of days set by the seller, at the end of
which, if there is a winning bid, there is
a period of time which is usually a few
days, but sometimes longer, to contact
the seller and make payment and gun
transfer arrangements. While the auction
is open, you can “watch” it, meaning
you can sign up for emails that will
alert you when activity, such as another
bid or a change in the terms or status
of the auction, has occurred. Some auction
sites have a form of automatic bidding,
meaning you enter the maximum
amount you are willing to pay for an
item and the site automatically places
bids for you as the bidding progresses,
always bidding the least amount to win.
When you are outbid, sites with this feature
will raise your bid, but it will never
bid more than whatever maximum bid
amount you have set. If the item has a
MAY/JUNE 2011 n CONCEALED CARRY MAGAZINE n USCONCEALEDCARRY.COM
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