Advice on buying used shotgun online

[m2244]

Hello,

I am planning on buying a Berretta O/U in the near future. Has anyone here ever purchased a shotgun used, online? I have seen a few sites that sell used firearms and I like the idea of getting something used not only for the reduced price but also the fact that it's a used gun and I will probably feel better about taking it out in the woods and potentially getting it scratched a bit.

Anyway, has anyone ever had any problems buying a shotgun online?

[MTR]

I have bought guns from both private sellers and dealers on GunBroker.com . I also was able to purchase a gun off of a forum. I was satisfied both times with the outcome. I have a local FFL license holder/dealer that will accept the transfer for $15. Make sure that you have someone that will accept the shipment from either a private seller or another dealer. That is a really important thing. It is legal for a gun owner to ship a gun, however it is not legal for a person not a licensed dealer to receive the gun. My brother in law ran in to a problem that none of the local FFL holders would accept a gun from an individual. He ended up having to have the gun transferred to a dealer in another state, then that dealer transferred the gun to his home state to complete the legal transaction. Big PITA if you don't have a local FFL

[phermes1]

I have bought guns from both private sellers and dealers on GunBroker.com . I also was able to purchase a gun off of a forum. I was satisfied both times with the outcome. I have a local FFL license holder/dealer that will accept the transfer for $15. Make sure that you have someone that will accept the shipment from either a private seller or another dealer. That is a really important thing. It is legal for a gun owner to ship a gun, however it is not legal for a person not a licensed dealer to receive the gun. My brother in law ran in to a problem that none of the local FFL holders would accept a gun from an individual. He ended up having to have the gun transferred to a dealer in another state, then that dealer transferred the gun to his home state to complete the legal transaction. Big PITA if you don't have a local FFL

What he said. I had a deal fall through on Gunbroker because I couldn't find a local dealer willing to accept a transfer from a private seller. They either thought it was illegal or didn't want to deal with it.

I ended up with a Beretta Whitewing off of Gunbroker - good price and hardly used. 2 good things to have are 1) a good idea of what you want and 2) time. I had it narrowed down to a couple of models, so I just monitored Gunbroker for a few months until the right deal came along.

I also would only consider auctions from sellers with long histories of positive feedback.
Plus, after having that deal fall through on me, I stuck with FFL dealers only. It just wasn't worth the hassle of trying to buy from a private seller, and most of the time the deals from a real dealer were just as good as anything from a private seller anyway.

[gotpointers]

I have done this quite a few times with no problems. Gunsamerica.com has a "find ffl link where you just add in your zip code. I have bought several guns from jaquas and paulcrosnoeguns.com with no problems. Also sold my arietta custom to a guy in Maryland. Everything has gone smooth but i sure miss the Arietta.

[ibbowhunting]

i'm in the process of buying a gun from a privite party out of state i found a local ffl dealer to have the gun shipped to for 20 bucks you will need to find a ffl dealer and get a copy of there paper work and send that to the person or dealer with your payment.i havnt got the gun yet just sent the payment and paper work out today so i'm hoping every things goes smooth

[Cptmorgan177]

Gunbroker Gunsamerica Armslist. Armslist you can probably find something local as well.

[codym]

I have bought and sold alot on gunbroker and have never had any problems, in fact all the dealings I have had have been extremely pleasant. If you have any questions about a gun it's very easy to ask the seller. People on there have been very accomidating as far as explaining things and sending more pictures. I would contact an ffl holder before hand that way you don't have to hunt one once you have bought. Good luck and I'm sure you will love your beretta. Let us know what you get.

[Christopher]

I've used Gunbroker a few times without any problems, of course, there are sellers to stay away from on there. There are some terrible refinish jobs that appear on Gunbroker too. I never bid on anything unless a seller has good feedback and a decent amount of it. It's also nice to chat with the seller via email before bidding, some sellers are better about this than others. There is a search feature on Gunbroker that will tell you all the FFLs in your area who will do a transfer for you. I found one that charges less than anybody else around here and he does a great job.

[natetnc]

i have delt with gunbroker, it was a pistol but will most likely a similar transaction. first order, as mentioned, find an ffl dealer willing to do the trade... most in my area will for $20. i think gunbroker is becoming more common so i don't think finding a local dealer to do the transaction will be a problem. then bid or buy and have them ship it to the ffl dealer. even my first time was simple.

[JIM K]

Hello,

I am planning on buying a Berretta O/U in the near future. Has anyone here ever purchased a shotgun used, online? I have seen a few sites that sell used firearms and I like the idea of getting something used not only for the reduced price but also the fact that it's a used gun and I will probably feel better about taking it out in the woods and potentially getting it scratched a bit.

Anyway, has anyone ever had any problems buying a shotgun online?

if you watch sometimes you can get brand new shotgun as cheap as USED one.i have done it about 3 times.
used guns are most times expensive.