Attempted to buy a Kimber Pro Carry ll on Gun Broker

[03Lightningrocks]

It is the 4". I only bid 600. I was hoping with it ending on Christmas Eve I might get lucky and catch someone sleeping. I just got outbid. If I had the funds, I might have gone to 675. Not going to do it but it may go for a pretty good price. I have sold a few guns on GB and sometimes it seems like people get worked up on "WINNING" the bid and over pay. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/919237416

[Tex1961]

Years ago my FIL and I went to a police gun auction in Baytown. The place was packed with a lot of everyday blue collar guys looking for a deal. At that time I subscribed to the Blue Book of gun values and brought it with me. There had to have been over. 200+ guns there. Anyway we walked though and jotted down any that had any interest, noted condition, etc. and went back to our chairs. Did a quick check on values, etc. on each and got ready for the auction.. Needless to say within 30 minutes we pretty much got up and left. Those guys got all caught up in the bidding and were paying new and more than new prices on everything..

I've been to several different auctions since then and can understand getting caught up in bidding wars, but whew.... You gotta be informed before you decide to bid on something like a firearm.... People also forget about taxes, shipping and FFL charges. That can easily add up to $100.00 on your purchase..

[puma guy]

Years ago my FIL and I went to a police gun auction in Baytown. The place was packed with a lot of everyday blue collar guys looking for a deal. At that time I subscribed to the Blue Book of gun values and brought it with me. There had to have been over. 200+ guns there. Anyway we walked though and jotted down any that had any interest, noted condition, etc. and went back to our chairs. Did a quick check on values, etc. on each and got ready for the auction.. Needless to say within 30 minutes we pretty much got up and left. Those guys got all caught up in the bidding and were paying new and more than new prices on everything..

I've been to several different auctions since then and can understand getting caught up in bidding wars, but whew.... You gotta be informed before you decide to bid on something like a firearm.... People also forget about taxes, shipping and FFL charges. That can easily add up to $100.00 on your purchase..

I call it the Ebay Syndrome. As you stated, "bidding" morphs into "winning" in the minds of those looking to buy. Paying far more than new prices.

[03Lightningrocks]

Years ago my FIL and I went to a police gun auction in Baytown. The place was packed with a lot of everyday blue collar guys looking for a deal. At that time I subscribed to the Blue Book of gun values and brought it with me. There had to have been over. 200+ guns there. Anyway we walked though and jotted down any that had any interest, noted condition, etc. and went back to our chairs. Did a quick check on values, etc. on each and got ready for the auction.. Needless to say within 30 minutes we pretty much got up and left. Those guys got all caught up in the bidding and were paying new and more than new prices on everything..

I've been to several different auctions since then and can understand getting caught up in bidding wars, but whew.... You gotta be informed before you decide to bid on something like a firearm.... People also forget about taxes, shipping and FFL charges. That can easily add up to $100.00 on your purchase..

Gun Broker did not add taxes a couple years back. It made it automatically cheaper. Now they add tax based on buyer location and also add a fee of 2% on top of that to cover their expenses of tracking that tax. I sold five firearms last month and was stunned by how much that number increased the price. I sold a pair of 1977 model 29's for 3600. They were unfired and consecutive serial numbers. GB added 326 dollars for taxes and "fees". They guy who bought them was not happy with GB. The guns were beautiful so he got over it when he saw them.

[Paladin]

The Greater Fool Theory applies to both investing an auctions.

Clearly 03Lightningrocks is no fool!

[puma guy]

Years ago my FIL and I went to a police gun auction in Baytown. The place was packed with a lot of everyday blue collar guys looking for a deal. At that time I subscribed to the Blue Book of gun values and brought it with me. There had to have been over. 200+ guns there. Anyway we walked though and jotted down any that had any interest, noted condition, etc. and went back to our chairs. Did a quick check on values, etc. on each and got ready for the auction.. Needless to say within 30 minutes we pretty much got up and left. Those guys got all caught up in the bidding and were paying new and more than new prices on everything..

I've been to several different auctions since then and can understand getting caught up in bidding wars, but whew.... You gotta be informed before you decide to bid on something like a firearm.... People also forget about taxes, shipping and FFL charges. That can easily add up to $100.00 on your purchase..

Gun Broker did not add taxes a couple years back. It made it automatically cheaper. Now they add tax based on buyer location and also add a fee of 2% on top of that to cover their expenses of tracking that tax. I sold five firearms last month and was stunned by how much that number increased the price. I sold a pair of 1977 model 29's for 3600. They were unfired and consecutive serial numbers. GB added 326 dollars for taxes and "fees". They guy who bought them was not happy with GB. The guns were beautiful so he got over it when he saw them.

That's good to know about the fees. I haven't purchased or sold any thing on GB in a long time, though I almost bought one a couple of weeks ago that exceeded my bid limit. I really wonder if all the auction sites and online vendors are submitting the taxes the states. My brother owned a camera store years ago with many professional clients who complained about him charging tax. He told them "no, I don't charge tax, I collect it".

[flechero]

on GB and sometimes it seems like people get worked up on "WINNING" the bid and over pay.

For the reason you mentioned, I never bid on a gun I want until close to ending time... I'll add it to the watch list and set a reminder in my phone for an hour or two before the bell... a gun sitting with no bids garners less attention than one with activity, IMO. Did that again recently- waited until just a few minutes left so it appeared there was no interest.

Seems like anything that get early bids, goes higher than I will.

[carlson1]

It is the 4". I only bid 600. I was hoping with it ending on Christmas Eve I might get lucky and catch someone sleeping. I just got outbid. If I had the funds, I might have gone to 675. Not going to do it but it may go for a pretty good price. I have sold a few guns on GB and sometimes it seems like people get worked up on "WINNING" the bid and over pay. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/919237416

Yep that is me and my wife has grounded me from Gun Broker. That thing about being a good “looser” never fit my personality.

[03Lightningrocks]

It is the 4". I only bid 600. I was hoping with it ending on Christmas Eve I might get lucky and catch someone sleeping. I just got outbid. If I had the funds, I might have gone to 675. Not going to do it but it may go for a pretty good price. I have sold a few guns on GB and sometimes it seems like people get worked up on "WINNING" the bid and over pay. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/919237416

Yep that is me and my wife has grounded me from Gun Broker. That thing about being a good “looser” never fit my personality.

A couple weeks ago I listed my Auto Ordinance Thompson 45 with a hundred round drum magazine and one extra 30 round stick magazine. A guy paid 2475.00 for it. I watched them war over the gun. He overpaid by about 500 dollars for the package. GB has a fifteen minute rule which keeps people from "sniping" the gun at the last second. A new high bid adds fifteen minutes to the auction. As a seller I like it because it gives buyers a chance to sit there and talk themselves into bidding higher again. As a buyer I hate it...LOL.

[03Lightningrocks]

The gun has now been bid up to 800 dollars. Here is where I get suspicious of cheating a high rated seller. This guy
Brutus529 NR
Member Since 12/18/2021
suddenly comes in at the last couple hours and pushes the bid up. He registered five days ago. No ratings at all. I have seen this happen on high rated sellers many times in the past. It makes me real suspicious that the seller used a secondary account to push the bid higher. Maybe I am wrong but there it is. https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/919237416

[RPBrown]

A couple of years ago I was bidding on (2) Savage 99’s. I figured I may have a chance by bidding on 2. One of them I won for $800.00. The other that ended a few hours earlier I was the high bidder until 1 minute before the end. My bid was $875.00. At exactly the 1 minute mark (I was watching) a new bidder (6 day member) bid $1100.00. I too was very suspicious of that.
I was extremely happy with the one I got at $800. And it has dropped 2 nice bucks since then.plus there is some sentimental value to me for that particular model. My mother had given me one that belonged to my grand dad when I was 15. That was my only rifle until I was 40ish. Since I hunted on the family property I left it at my mom and dads house. Came up at Christmas one year and planned to go hunting while I was there. My rifle was missing. No one seemed to know anything about it. A year later dad told me my brother had stolen it along with his favorite rifle and some other things and pawned them. For the longest time, brother and I fought every time I was around him to the point I stopped going. He finally turned his life around, paid me what he got for the rifle (not near what it was worth) and we have somewhat mended fences.
I know this one is not the same one but the sentiment is there.

[03Lightningrocks]

A couple of years ago I was bidding on (2) Savage 99’s. I figured I may have a chance by bidding on 2. One of them I won for $800.00. The other that ended a few hours earlier I was the high bidder until 1 minute before the end. My bid was $875.00. At exactly the 1 minute mark (I was watching) a new bidder (6 day member) bid $1100.00. I too was very suspicious of that.
I was extremely happy with the one I got at $800. And it has dropped 2 nice bucks since then.plus there is some sentimental value to me for that particular model. My mother had given me one that belonged to my grand dad when I was 15. That was my only rifle until I was 40ish. Since I hunted on the family property I left it at my mom and dads house. Came up at Christmas one year and planned to go hunting while I was there. My rifle was missing. No one seemed to know anything about it. A year later dad told me my brother had stolen it along with his favorite rifle and some other things and pawned them. For the longest time, brother and I fought every time I was around him to the point I stopped going. He finally turned his life around, paid me what he got for the rifle (not near what it was worth) and we have somewhat mended fences.
I know this one is not the same one but the sentiment is there.

I had a similar situation. My dad was killed in Vietnam when I was 9 years old. He had a few pistols and several rifles. None were real high value. He was a Kentucky boy and spending big on firearms on a military salary weren't part of his ways. It was about hunting purposes for him. All but three of those rifles managed to disappear over the years after I left home at 16. When I realized they were turning up gone I immediately went in and got the last three rifles he had left and still have them to this day. I have always suspected my youngest brother or some of his miscreant friends of the crime. He was always a selfish kind of person with very low morality standards. It is somehow worse when a family member does something like that. Glad you and your brother have mended the broken fences. I can't really say the same thing. His very presence is enough to make me mad...LOL.

[Jose_in_Dallas]

I was in the same boat with eBay many years ago. Playing up on the bidding and overpaying for what I got caught up on. Now a days, when I see something I want, I set a maximum price I'll pay for something and leave it at that. I've bid on stuff that I suspected was being driven up by a friend of the seller. The way I see it, if you don't fall into the trap of overbidding, you don't lose. And just maybe, just maybe, the "friend" who's bidding up the price will win and the buyer loses out on selling it.

[03Lightningrocks]

I was in the same boat with eBay many years ago. Playing up on the bidding and overpaying for what I got caught up on. Now a days, when I see something I want, I set a maximum price I'll pay for something and leave it at that. I've bid on stuff that I suspected was being driven up by a friend of the seller. The way I see it, if you don't fall into the trap of overbidding, you don't lose. And just maybe, just maybe, the "friend" who's bidding up the price will win and the buyer loses out on selling it.

I think this is a possibility on all the auction sites. The safe bet is to do like you said. Decide the max you will pay and leave it at that.

[texas yankee]

"suspicious that the seller used a secondary account to push the bid higher." - I've bought and sold a few guns on Gunbroker, and I wonder about that, too - the thing is, IF the seller is using a secondary account just to bid the price higher, if the secondary bidder actually wins the auction (bids too high and no one else bids over his bid), then the GB fees would still be due on the sale, right?

As to the taxes and fees, for the guns I sell, I always make sure to clearly state that BUYER PAYS SALES TAX and BUYER PAYS ACTUAL SHIPPING.