Great Deals Online: Gunbroker 101

Gunbroker.Com has become one of the premier internet sites of gun deals, auctions and the sale of personal firearms. There are still people however in 2018 that are afraid to use the site, so we figured it would be time to do an article on how it’s used and what we have learned about our bidding habits and the impulse buy deals that we often fall victim to on our favorite web page Gunbroker.Com

How it Works 

Just about anyone can use Gunbroker, if you are familiar with the world of Ebay and how it operates then you are all set, it’s just like that except the site deals largely with the things that Ebay has put on the restricted list. Some basic information, and a credit card to keep on retainer is pretty much all you need to start. I will say that in my Gunbroker existence I use a dedicated credit card for all transactions on the site, that way if there is a hacking issue or a problem I still have other credit cards to use.

Searching for Deals

I will admit when I started off a few years ago I was hesitant to get into Gunbroker because of my lack of understanding how the transaction dispute functions worked. After reading up on that and getting over my fears that I was going to get ripped off I was on my way to looking for deals to spend my extra money on. In the last few years we have learned a few tips that we would like to pass on to the person who maybe new to the art of online gun sales and auctions.

1. Check Spelling: You would be surprised how many times I have seen listings for guns that are misspelled. People get excited or busy and while typing the advertisement they add extra letters. The names that often seem to be misspelled are Beretta, Walther, but Ive seen lots of others. Often times these misspelled ads will have ridiculously low bids because people just aren’t finding them. That’s a win for potential buyers
2. Ask Questions: This is a huge one, when reading the descriptions if something stands out as odd, ask questions. This is especially important when biding on guns that came in multiple calibers, such as the Luger P08 and the Astra series of pistols. For example I know people who have ordered guns thinking they were 9x19mm only to find out they were 9x18mm or worse 9mm Largo. It’s a buyers beware game out there.
3. Picture is worth 1000 words: It personally drives me nuts when someone writes up an advertisement and lists all the great details like proof marks, or waffen marks on WWII era German pistols, then the images they post don’t show anything clearly. If I am in doubt at all I ask for more pictures, if the seller won’t send them or even bitches about them in the least bit, move onto another auction. Always remember in the words of Michael Corleone “It’s not personal, Tony, It’s strictly business”
4. Never be afraid of low balling: This is where the old school fans of auctions and horse trading will really shine. If you are looking at auctions with no minimum bid, always drop a lowball bid. You never know if a bid will sit on a gun for days and you eventually might come away with some real steals. I’ve done this and scored two pistols for under $120 each and never regretted it.
5. Only bid if you are serious: This ties in with tip #4 in a way, sometimes that last click of the mouse and the thoughts of “This probably won’t even go through” winds up biting you in the ass and you are stuck with a gun or part that you maybe really didn’t want to buy. To be 100% honest that is how I won the two pistols I referenced in tip #4.

Gunbroker for Parts & Gear

If you are a collector of older military style weapons and need small parts, Gunbroker is one of the sites that could just save that project you have been working on. The same can be said of nearly every type of firearms project including NFA type firearms projects. If you need a part or a magazine no matter how obscure, I’m betting with a little patience and searching you will be able to find it on Gunbroker eventually. Time and time again I have found parts for my M1 carbines and my Astra A400 pistols that I thought I would never find, only to find them on the site for a few dollars.

Show Us Your Toys 

This is the best part of writing articles like this, show and tell. Have you scored an incredible deal on gunbroker in the last few years and want to share ? post up some pictures below and let us know. Talking about great deals that have been found seems to be one of the universally well received things in the gun community. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like military sporting arms or shotguns, everyone loves hearing about a nearly impossible deal that someone pulled off. It’s good for the firearms community as a whole.

Writers Wanted 

We here at The Arms Guide are looking for writers and reviewers. If you are passionate about firearms and think you have what it takes to photograph, review and write up firearms and firearms accessories than we want to hear from you. Military or Law Enforcement experience isn’t needed, simple send us an email ([email protected]) and let us know a quick bio and what sort of gear you would be interested in writing about. Rifles, shotguns, military style firearms, it doesn’t matter, come one, come al.