Arms list?

[wcd]

Anyone use it? I was looking through it and found it odd that many would not ship, nor would they send through ffl. Seems like there were some good deals but a lot said local only. Seems like it you really wanted to sell something you would be willing to charge for shipping and use a ffl. Wonder if it more of a local sales site.

 

[Carmel Corn]

I have purchased but never sold via this route. I know I will lose money, but I prefer selling thru an FFL and being able to have a record of the transaction and that I no longer possess the item.

 

[tsilveus]

I tried to buy a few different times from Arms Lists posts, but each time I contacted the person to move forward and buy the item, I never received a contact back (even after multiple tries). This happened 3 separate times. All Indiana based posts. It sucks because all were pretty good deals I would have been happy to drive to. Maybe it will work the next time I see something that I want.

 

[CampingJosh]

Shipping is a headache and adds significantly to the cost. If someone is willing to pay, say, $500 for a gun, I want all $500 of that in my pocket rather than $25 going to transfer and $25 (minimum) going to shipping.

Armslist is used similarly to the classifieds here: mostly coordinating F2F transactions.

 

[Smith& W]

A large percent of arms list sellers are scammers. Buyer beware. Lots of no shows, low ballers . Stick with the good people of INGO.

 

[Ggreen]

Shipping is a headache and adds significantly to the cost. If someone is willing to pay, say, $500 for a gun, I want all $500 of that in my pocket rather than $25 going to transfer and $25 (minimum) going to shipping.

Armslist is used similarly to the classifieds here: mostly coordinating F2F transactions.

All of this, shipping is a real pita for those not familiar with shipping, not to mention payment. Not many sellers want to wait for a postal money order to hit their mailbox, and all sellers are very careful when it comes to paypal, no gun sale policy means that sellers have no recourse if the buyer refunds themselves through fraudulent claims. Gun broker provides a little shelter for private sales, but they take a portion of each.

 

[Ggreen]

A large percent of arms list sellers are scammers. Buyer beware. Lots of no shows, low ballers . Stick with the good people of INGO.

I've bought and sold a number of guns on armslist and never been scammed. I've been stood up once. I would say that less than a tenth of armslist ads up more than an hour are scams. It is easy to spot someone trying to scam you, they usually claim that they will send a shipping agent to pick up the gun and transfer it to their ffl in Utah or some nonsense, or they are asking 1400 for an Anderson upper on an aero lower or 700 for a glock. Armslist is mostly good to go. Rule of thumb online shopping for anything if it is too good to be true it isn't real.

 

[Carmel Corn]

A large percent of arms list sellers are scammers. Buyer beware. Lots of no shows, low ballers . Stick with the good people of INGO.

Occasionally there are posts made by people who try to issue warnings about dealing with certain buyers or sellers. While I appreciate those, I don't know how easily you can remember or flag them. I know somebody who got rid of a pistol and was trying to sell his excess ammo via AL. He connected with a buyer, made arrangements to meet. The buyer was texting with him....was late, keep saying he was on his way, but finally said he was just screwing with the seller and had no intention to show....but rather waste his time. Nice.

 

[Falschirmjaeger]

I've had good luck with Armslist, thus far. Both as a seller and as a buyer. You just have to exercise sensible precautions. I've found that you can screen out the tire-kickers, scammers, etc. pretty quickly once you actually speak with them.

Naturally INGO transactions are much more likely to be safe, thanks to the 50-post requirement and the higher caliber of folks who are members here.

 

[Joniki]

I have done quite well with Armslist.

 

[wcd]

I've had good luck with Armslist, thus far. Both as a seller and as a buyer. You just have to exercise sensible precautions. I've found that you can screen out the tire-kickers, scammers, etc. pretty quickly once you actually speak with them.

Naturally INGO transactions are much more likely to be safe, thanks to the 50-post requirement and the higher caliber of folks who are members here.

So no 22lr people here more like 308 or 50 bmg?
But seriously I was shopping for a discontinued model and striking out most other p!aces. One I offered up paying shipping a nd a little extra for the trouble a!omg with ffl but it was still a no go.

 

[223 Gunner]

I tried to buy a few different times from Arms Lists posts, but each time I contacted the person to move forward and buy the item, I never received a contact back (even after multiple tries). This happened 3 separate times. All Indiana based posts. It sucks because all were pretty good deals I would have been happy to drive to. Maybe it will work the next time I see something that I want.

It depends on how you worded your first email.
If I get any kind of an email asking me if it is still for sale. I do not reply, because that tells me you did not read my ad.
If I have an item running on armslist, if you do not send a contact number that I can text in the first two emails, then I will quit replying.
Too many people on there harvesting emails, and running scams, serious buyers know to send contact info in the first couple of emails.

 

[Carmel Corn]

It depends on how you worded your first email.
If I get any kind of an email asking me if it is still for sale. I do not reply, because that tells me you did not read my ad.
If I have an item running on armslist, if you do not send a contact number that I can text in the first two emails, then I will quit replying.
Too many people on there harvesting emails, and running scams, serious buyers know to send contact info in the first couple of emails.

Some sellers specify a telephone number to text vs. using the AL contact seller mechanism. How do you feel about text only and no email?

 

[d.kaufman]

Thru the years ive sold, traded, or bought lots and lots of stuff on Armslist. Whether it was firearms, ammo, or accessories, Ive never had a single issue. Always met up in a busy public place. Usually Cabelas, Bass Pro, or Gander Mountains parking lot. Made a few good friends along the way too

 

[223 Gunner]

Some sellers specify a telephone number to text vs. using the AL contact seller mechanism. How do you feel about text only and no email?

I prefer an email first.
I google all email accts. before responding.
That way I can look up a name, see FB pages etc.
Then decide if you're someone I am willing to sell/trust with a firearm, yes I know appearances can be deceiving, if a face book page shows someone flashing cash, guns, drugs etc.
I do not need to sell that person a deadly weapon.

Yes I do as much homework as possible before replying with my contact info.
Having an idea of who you are dealing with is always a good thing.

 

[223 Gunner]

Just like your profile Carmel Corn, does not reveal much about you.
I would have to read your posts on here and look at feed back before dealing with you.

 

[sharpetop]

I've purchased one firearm and sold another via Armslist, [locally] with no problem.

The next one I tried to sell the guy tried to scam me. Luckily I figured it out before any funds actually transferred. Screw Armslist, unless it's a local deal and face to face.

 

[Topshot]

Anyone use it? I was looking through it and found it odd that many would not ship, nor would they send through ffl. Seems like there were some good deals but a lot said local only. Seems like it you really wanted to sell something you would be willing to charge for shipping and use a ffl. Wonder if it more of a local sales site.

From their FAQ:

Q: What is the safest way to conduct out-of-area transfers?
ARMSLIST was designed for local interactions, please use the site accordingly.

I've sold several pistols and ammo and bought several pistols. Meeting someone tomorrow in fact. No problems so far. I've had many not respond to my inquiries but I figure they had sold it and just never bothered to deactivate their ad.

 

[JRR85]

I have always had good luck on Armslist. I always meet in a public place for face-to-face transactions. No sending funds or shipping for me. I have bought and sold by the way. In my experience if it doesn’t seem right just move on.

 

[Carmel Corn]

Another thing I look at is whether the seller is registered or not. Not a 100% guarantee, but I would trust a member who has been registered for many years over an unregistered seller who just joined.