Complaint Review: GunBroker.com LLC

I feel compelled as a user of the site to share my very recent experiences on GunBroker.com. Whilst I do not discount the experiences of others with billing issues associated with the registration and identity verification process or so called "background check", I can attest that in my experience the site has worked for me as a buyer thus far. My advice is to use a non-free email address to avoid any requirement for payment associated with the site itself.

I was very concerned after reading this report late January, because at the time I was in the process of registering on GunBroker.com. To avoid the concerns regarding credit card billing for a "background check", I used a non-free email address (e.g. a corporate email address) so I was not required to provide any credit card or payment details to GunBroker.com itself or be charged a $1.00 or $2.00 fee. It was as simple as that. Following receipt of my auction registration code via email, I was able to confirm my access to and begin using the site.

I downloaded and read all the instructions for using the auction site before actually doing so. I have conducted eight separate transactions to date, since 1/22/2013 thru 2/3/2013. All of which have been excellent transactions in respect of communication with the various sellers whose auctions I won. I have made payment as prescribed and shipments with tracking information have been made to the FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealer that I designated and where required by law or shipped directly to me where not required by law. I then picked up my purchases at my local FFL after completing the required Federal Government background check, as you would do in any store and paying the FFL's transfer fee for their service.

I read the advice of another rebuttal to this article and have been careful to select sellers who have good feedback and in my case preferably but not always that are also FFL's.

All other communications, transactions and interactions are between you and the buyer or seller. Sellers however, are required to pay a fee for selling items at auction. This much in the same as eBay charges individuals or businesses for selling on their website. I cannot vouch for the selling experience or associated fees and charges however the sellers and/or dealers I transacted with have conducted a great many transactions, so I assume they are satisfied with using GunBroker.com for conducting some if not all of their sales.

As a buyer the site works very similarly to eBay in some respects where you can watch items you may want to bid on and track items you have won with the ability to marked the actions required to complete the transactions with the seller. I hope this helps address any concerns. I am in no way affiliated with GunBroker.com except as a registered user of the site.

BS!!  GB does charge a reoccurring $2 fee.  The op was correct that no type of background check can be done for $2.

I have been on GB fro several years and recently had to pay the $2 fee 3 times.

Potential users should just read through the large number of complaints about gunbroker, and then compare that to the number of complaints about any other large retail website that sells firearms. 

There are nationwide chains with millions of daily transactions more than what gunbroker claims it has, and these retailers only have a handful of complaints on this website. 

And the best example is in this thread.  Gunbroker's response here demonstrates their overall attitude.  It is never to resolve an issue, help a potential customer, or reach a compromise or understanding.  Their reaction simply is unprofessional and defensive.  They simply state "We are right and you are wrong."   

It is highly recommended that users avoid this business due to such behavior.

I'm not going to waste any more time responding to the statements of this business.  They apparently are more concerned with responding to negative internet complaints than with running their business, and obviously spend a lot of time monitoring all of the poor reviews about them on this website.

Buyers and sellers should use a service without so many complaints. 

The third party service does charge the banks money for the service. The banks choose to embed the cost of this in their fees. GunBroker.com elects to pass this cost directly to the user, instead of hiding it and increasing other fees on the site. The user is given the option several times to decline, as our screen shots illustrate.

We are a large website site, currently over 2.25 million registered users, 4 million unique monthly visitors, and are currently ranked in the top 300 US websites for traffic (according to Quantcast - January 13, 2013). Our traffic is much larger than most sporting goods dealers. Our business is different than a direct retailer like a sporting goods store, in that we do not directly sell items; rather, we bring buyers and sellers together. Thus identity verification is an important part of our business model, and a feature that our buyers and sellers appreciate.

If it is an identity check, "just like banks use", then why don't banks charge money for the service?  And when did gunbroker become and expert on email fraud?  I'd be interested to know what percentage of customers are required to pay another $2 for gunbroker expert service.  Other businesses have numerous free methods of verifying identity and information for no cost.  Why can't gunbroker do this?

I encourage everyone to look up gunbroker on the internet and look at the number of complaints about this store.  Even on this site there are dozens of more complaints about gunbroker than any other reputable sporting goods or firearms dealers.  As many recommend, gunbroker is not a professional nor ethical business, and should be avoided. 

The check this individual is describing is identity verification, not a "background check".  This process has been put in place to protect our users against fraud.

"We charge no recurring membership fees of any kind. We charge no fees to bidders or buyers who register with a corporate, government or ISP email address. Users of free email services like Hotmail or Yahoo will be charged an activation fee of $1.00. Also users of free email services or persons whose registration information is flagged as suspicious by our fraud prevention systems maybe charged to go through a detailed security check."

The $1 Charge:
Customers that use a Registration Email Address from a company that offers free email addresses are charged a $1 fee for account activation. It is not a monthly recurring fee. You can see explanation of the $1 charge and screenshots here:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Support/SupportFAQView.aspx?faqid=1196

The $2 Charge:
GunBroker.com requires extended identity verification in order for you to have access to certain functions in the system. This extended verification is administered by a third party and requires a fee of $2.00. It is not a monthly recurring fee.

• This process is similar to that used by banks and credit companies to secure personal information.

• Your answers are used solely to make sure the person requesting access is actually you.

• GunBroker.com does not have visibility or access to these questions or your answers.