how to buy without getting scammed

Yeah, I'm hoping I'll be able to sell soon myself. I hope it won't be too hard to sell my Uragan. But with not having much activity here, I'm sure it will be a little tough. But personally, I'm willing to share whatever info a buyer needs within reason. Anyone not willing to do so, I'd steer clear of.

First I have to even get privileges to sell. 😭

But yeah, just remember if something seems too good to be true, don't do it. You're playing with big money here, no reason not to require people to provide a reasonable amount of info.
 
A few things. Check the feedback and how long they have been here. Unfortunately for a new guy selling to you, that will be hard, but they have to figure that out. I usually pass in that case.

On another forum, I actually offered to ship my product before getting the buyer to pay me to build feedback and respect. It was a very well respected buyer, so I did it, and it worked. That takes trust!

As for buying… my first big sale here was to Hajimoto before I knew who he was. He was very careful and I learned a lot from that transaction. He called me, then asked me to FaceTime as well. He saw me and got to get good looks at the rifle. He did some test emails with me and test PayPal transactions to make sure I had access to the account he was sending funds too. Main thing, you can’t be too careful.
Wow! Some good ideas there. I e done some PP transactions on other forums but like was said above, not before doing my research.
 
There is a website called Gun Tab.com. They take payment from the buyer and hold it in escrow until the buyer receives and approves the item. Then GunTab releases the funds. Sounds good and safe, I have not used it but have read good things about it. Both buyer and seller need to set up accounts on the website and go forward from there.
PayPal, Venmo, Square, Cash App are all quick and slick but they have their faults, one of them being Anti 2nd Ammendment. If a claim occurs and firearms, etc is mentioned they have been known to freeze and confiscate funds.
 
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There is a website called Gun Tab.com. They take payment from the buyer and hold it in escrow until the buyer receives and approves the item. Then GunTab releases the funds. Sounds good and safe, I have not used it but have read good things about it. Both buyer and seller need to set up accounts on the website and go forward from there.
PayPal, Venmo, Square, Cash App are all quick and slick but they have their faults, one of them being Anti 2nd Ammendment. If a claim occurs and firearms, etc is mentioned they have been known to freeze and confiscate funds.
Guntab is there to protect BOTH parties. It's like the carfax of the classified gun sales industry. When u mention Guntab and the seller gets defensive, there's ur sign.
 
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Just checked Guntab's website.
Pricing seems reasonable. As of today it's 2.9% to 2.5% based on purchase price.
So for $1000 purchase price. It can be as expensive as $29.
Buyer and Seller can decide how to split that cost (50% each = $14.50 or Buyer pays, or Seller pays)

Anyone with first hand experience with this company? Any horror stories? or success?
 
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I've dealt on several air gun forums and classified sites over the last couple years with 100% success (so far). By and large, air gun folks are salt of the earth people and will deal honestly. Its easier on forums because you can do your "research" on the seller/buyer by checking out their activity and vet them that way.

Classifieds are more difficult to safely navigate as anyone can post, and scammers have easy access. My tips of the trade (for both classified and forums) are to reach out, ask for additional photos of the item and do a quick Google image search to see if the pictures provided were lifted from the web. I then request to chat on the phone and ask specific questions that only someone who has the item in front of them can answer. This achieves a couple things, firstly it confirms that there is a real person behind the ad and if anything seems "off" it is easier to catch during verbal dialogue. Answering specific questions helps to prove that the item truly exists in the sellers hands.

This method doesn't guarantee you won't get scammed, but it will narrow the margin significantly. There will always be a leap of faith when dealing with folks you don't personally know, but such is the human condition.
 
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I've dealt on several air gun forums and classified sites over the last couple years with 100% success (so far). By and large, air gun folks are salt of the earth people and will deal honestly. Its easier on forums because you can do your "research" on the seller/buyer by checking out their activity and vet them that way.

Classifieds are more difficult to safely navigate as anyone can post, and scammers have easy access. My tips of the trade (for both classified and forums) are to reach out, ask for additional photos of the item and do a quick Google image search to see if the pictures provided were lifted from the web. I then request to chat on the phone and ask specific questions that only someone who has the item in front of them can answer. This achieves a couple things, firstly it confirms that there is a real person behind the ad and if anything seems "off" it is easier to catch during verbal dialogue. Answering specific questions helps to prove that the item truly exists in the sellers hands.

This method doesn't guarantee you won't get scammed, but it will narrow the margin significantly. There will always be a leap of faith when dealing with folks you don't personally know, but such is the human condition.
I have followed this method many times selling firearms on other forums and so far have had 100% success. Thanks for the advise.