Yea thanks guys I was on the fence and now u guys help me realize its not worth taking the chance of losing $700
Could you find out from him who his FFL is, call the dealer and explain the situation, and mail the check to the FFL? That way, no gun gets shippie, no check gets givie. Money gets exchanged at the same time the gun gets exchanged to the dealer for shipping. Tell the FFL he has one week, and if he doesn't show, either destroy the check or mail it back.
This.
While I have dealt across the country on firearms through Armslist even as recent as last week, I would still be cautious. I had luckily dealt with the seller on some reloading equipment 6 or 7 months ago and we had been in contact off and on since then so I had no problems sending him a money order for a rifle he had tried to sell me then.
Notes on purchasing a gun from a individual on a web site like armslist: It's always a risk to send money to a stranger(who doesn't have feedback or a reputation. If in doubt and you are not using a site like gunbroker, You can suggest to the sellor that you would be more comfortable if you could send the money to a FFL that is nearest to the sellor and have him(if he agrees) to hold the money until the seller hands the gun to the ffl who will then ship the gun to your ffl. Some ffl's will do this but not all because some don't like the hassle of shipping. And of course many will want a "fee" for doing the shipping and checking the guys id (the seller). Remember, a seller must provide a copy of a valid ID for your ffl to transfer the gun anyways. And of course you don't just send your money to a so called FFL the seller recommends until you look that ffl up on the ATF's EZ Check site to verify his address and ffl is valid. Then you google the ffl and get him on the phone and see if he's willing to accept the gun and your payment and ship it to your ffl. Only after the seller goes in, hands the gun that you described to the ffl and verifies it does he hand your payment to the seller. That ffl then ships the gun to your ffl . DONE If the ffl is reluctant be willing to offer him enough money to make it worth his time. $15 bucks, 25 bucks...maybe 35? Also, if the ffl agrees to this all the money you pay the seller is just for the gun and you agree with the ffl to send him shipping cost...plus what ever he wants to do all of this. It may seem like a hassle but really won't you sleep better knowing you got a real legitimate store(ffl) taking away your fears of being robbed since the seller, to get paid, has to show up in person, hand over his ID to be copied by the ffl (which goes in the box with the gun) then ships to your ffl guy. If the guy shows up with no gun or id to the ffl store...he gets no money from you. Okay so the whole gun ends up cost a little more. But spending maybe as much as 35 bucks(maybe less or even free if the ffl is cool) is cheap insurance against sending a **** load of money to a con man. Oh, and of course if the seller says "no to all of this and refuses to have his local ffl ship the gun then that is your big fat RED FLAG...a message from GOD...your spidy sense that the guy is a scsammer and you walk away from the deal. If I were a seller(and I am from time to time) mI would have no problem taking the gun to a ffl who has agreed to ship it to your ffl and he then hands me your money order. What am I out? Heck, if the ffl is willing to ship it I don't have to stand in a line at a shipper so it's great for me the seller that way too. And if more people tried this more ffl's will set them selves up to do it as just another way to make a little cash and it's a win win for all...BUT THE SCAMMERS. Spread the idea. It's already being done but not enough.
Holy nine year old thread batman!!!!
Similar threads
