Scammers on GunsAmerica?

[Tool]

I just made an order on GunsAmerica, and the seller only accepts checks or money order. No credit card payment is accepted.

Should I be worried about scamming?

[The Verminator]

Paying with the credit card gives you some protection.

I have RARELY bought a gun without that protection.......

BUT........a couple of times the gun was so good that I was willing to risk it.

It worked out fine and I got a couple of great guns.

Some sellers just don't trust credit cards but they're still good people.

I did talk to them on the phone enough to get a feel for their trustworthiness and I'd recommend that for all sales.

[Tool]

Many thanks for sharing your experiences and the excellent recommendations! This is very helpful.

[dogtown tom]

I'm an FFL and don't take credit cards for firearms I have to ship.
The reason is chargebacks.

[44 AMP]

Sometimes the seller is a private party, who is just not set up to process credit cards. Checks can be cashed or deposited, money orders can be cashed, but someone without the business set up (like me) would have no way (and no idea) what to do with a payment by credit card.

The transfer is going to go through an FFL (or two) and a shipping company, but the sale is between you and the seller.

Cash, check, or money order are the traditional methods of payment. Virtually every business "takes the card" these days, but private sellers often don't.

The one's a would avoid like plague are the ones who "require" Venmo, Bitcoin, or some other totally electronic form of payment. Also be wary of anyone asking to directly access your account "for your (or their) "convenience".

[5whiskey]

Yeah 44amp hit it. I've sold on Gunbroker, but I'm a private party and I don't have credit card point of sale abilities. If you buy from me, it's a check or money order. As long as the user has a profile with previous good feedback, it's likely legit. Of course there's always the exception, but yeah the auction sights requiring check or money order is fair. I would send a cashiers check or money order. Not only do you not have to wait for a personal check to clear before the seller ships, but there are some protections built in to those instruments. Gets lost in the mail? You'll get your money back eventually. Plus you're not giving up your personal checking account number to a potential mail thief.

[cjwils]

To Dogtown Tom; so you don't take credit cards on guns you have to ship, due to chargebacks. Some businesses add on 3% for credit charge purchases. Couldn't you just do that and call it good?

[jag2]

Something I have done in the past is google their address and see if that sets off any alarms, like a vacant lot.

[FITASC]

If a seller only wants electronic payments - zelle, venmo, etc. RUN AWAY

[dogtown tom]

cjwils To Dogtown Tom; so you don't take credit cards on guns you have to ship, due to chargebacks. Some businesses add on 3% for credit charge purchases. Couldn't you just do that and call it good?

A 3% credit card surcharge has nothing to do with a chargeback.

A chargeback is when the buyer contacts his credit card issuer and tells them that the product wasn't received, was defective, misrepresented, etc.........and he wants his $$$ back.

You would think that his FFL having a 4473 showing the buyer received his firearm would be proof enough, but often it isn't.

[5whiskey]

To Dogtown Tom; so you don't take credit cards on guns you have to ship, due to chargebacks. Some businesses add on 3% for credit charge purchases. Couldn't you just do that and call it good?

The 3% credit card charge is to cover credit card processing fees (which usually come out to about 3%). Charge backs are a different animal. Charge backs can occur for various reasons, but a common reason today is credit card fraud. If your credit card is used fraudulently, then you can report it to the bank and you usually get your money back. The bank does not like to eat that money, so they usually charge back the retailer who submitted the payment (unless a chip was used at the POS). So, someone can order a gun from dogtown and pay with stolen credit card data. The account holder discovers this, and submits a fraud claim. The bank then takes the money back from Dogtown, and almost always AFTER he has shipped the item. Sure, the person using stolen CC data can be prosecuted, but the prevelance of fraud has made this less and less likely. There is literally more fraud than police to investigate it. On top of it, if Dogtown sells accessories that don't require an FFL transfer, it's easy enough to take steps to conceal your identity when committing a fraud.

And fraud is just one reason for chargebacks, there are others.