Buyer requesting to see hi res pictures up close of my firearm for sale. Scam or just cautious buyer?

[RustyIron]

I'm actually considering going back to the old website

I haven't seen your pictures, but some people take şħíțțÿ pictures that are low res, out of focus, and poorly lit. If you think your pictures are good and the guy is a jerk, just block him. It's not as if he's the only guy in town buying guns.

 

[mblat1968]

Please educate me how pictures can be used in scam. Assuming that serial number is blocked.
And I am not being sarcastic I am genuinely wondering

 

[NedSled]

I keep getting people who ask for hi res pics in here.

The first one caught me off guard so I obliged and sent pics of all angles but the serial side. He complained and said he wanted to see more pics in hi res of "all angles" aka the serial side. I said no since the firearm is in perfect almost unused condition and he made up some excuse about how he changed his mind and is pursuing a different firearm but this was after he went Mia for a week or two.

Same day he tells me he's going another direction a new user writes Me who wants pics

What's up with these pics stuff?
Every sale or purchase I have made I inspect the firearm in person and never rely on pics alone.

My firearm is brand new, no rust of any kind of issues, only shot once. And people still want pics.

If the hi res pics thing a scam or are these people actually interested sellers?
As a buyer, I have never wanted hi res pics of the serial number so I don't get they they keep asking for that.

Thoughts?

It's left me so frustrated that I'm actually considering going back to the old website

I don't sell much so when I do I try to take, and post, as many detailed and CLEAR* pictures as I possibly can, so:

a) People know what they're getting (to protect myself and save everyone time); and
b) So people are more apt to trust someone with little selling history.

*If you think taking a few random snaps of the gun in poor lighting with your iphone is going to automatically come out decent quality, you're wrong.

You want someone to give you $1300 of their hard earned money and get annoyed that they want more than a few pictures of just the left side of the gun?

If you want to protect the S/N, just black it out with MS Paint or put actual tape over it when you take the picture.

I sold a used LEO traded in Glock 17 upper not too long ago and I posted pictures from every possible angle of the barrel, slide, etc.

When I sold an old S&W auto awhile back I posted as many pics as I could, made it known that I was open to providing more pics if requested, and described every flaw I could find.

If you find it unreasonable to accommodate a buyer before you both devote significant time and energy to go meet up at an FFL somewhere, then you sound like someone I would not want to purchase a gun from.

People do not owe you a purchase. But you owe it to them to make their decision as easy as possible.

 

[NedSled]

Please educate me how pictures can be used in scam. Assuming that serial number is blocked.
And I am not being sarcastic I am genuinely wondering

They can't.

I also prefer not to show the s/n of my guns when I post pics, but in reality it's pretty tinfoil hat. About the only way a SN could be used by ANYONE would be:

- If Cal DOJ (or someone similar) wants to look it up for some reason; or
- If someone wants to email the MFR with a DOM inquiry

Scammers are out there and you need to be wary, but it's possible to take it too far. About the only nefarious thing I can think of would be if someone wanted to file a report about the gun being stolen or something, but that's going to cause them more trouble than the rightful owner in the end, and they will get nothing out of it. It seems unlikely that someone is gonna be trolling the want ads of gun forums just to play those sorts of games.

 

[2muchsoysauce4allthisrice]

I keep getting people who ask for hi res pics in here.

The first one caught me off guard so I obliged and sent pics of all angles but the serial side. He complained and said he wanted to see more pics in hi res of "all angles" aka the serial side. I said no since the firearm is in perfect almost unused condition and he made up some excuse about how he changed his mind and is pursuing a different firearm but this was after he went Mia for a week or two.

Same day he tells me he's going another direction a new user writes Me who wants pics

What's up with these pics stuff?
Every sale or purchase I have made I inspect the firearm in person and never rely on pics alone.

My firearm is brand new, no rust of any kind of issues, only shot once. And people still want pics.

If the hi res pics thing a scam or are these people actually interested sellers?
As a buyer, I have never wanted hi res pics of the serial number so I don't get they they keep asking for that.

Thoughts?

It's left me so frustrated that I'm actually considering going back to the old website

I would have just edited the picture on your phone where you blur out the serial number. You give a prospective buyer what they wanted to see but blur out the serial number which shouldn’t matter to them. I have always been a buyer for firearms for ppt, I myself also ask for pictures of different angles but I also note any dings, dents, scratches, marring, or anything else I should know about that I will find out later? I feel something’s are best discussed ahead of time so they don’t result in arguments or unexpected scenarios in person; especially if it’s used. I learned this actually on my first ppt on calguns, the guy didn’t show in the pictures that the welded on muzzle brake on the pistol had Dremel cutting disc marks on it, the employee at the shop told the seller he couldn’t have it in the shop even though he couldn’t crack the muzzle brake loose, the ppt was ended there, but since I’ve bought guns from the shop inventory before, the owner overheard and told me to go outside to tell the seller to disassemble the pistol, come back in with it in store, so we can dros as receiver.

I’ve called other shops for ppt’ing that pistol, most said no. One gave me an hard time over the phone; “where did the seller get that! Are they a cop!” I argued with them over the phone, it ended with them saying “I knew that! But I don’t want that on my books” Only two said yes which includes the shop we went to; but the other shop said “I havnt dealt with that pistol yet but that sounds legal”. So at the time we were pretty damn limited on which shops we could go to for the ppt; unless we try further out.

If item was as described I wouldn’t have haggled; but I was reasonable in asking the seller to lower the price $100 so I can go get it re-welded at a local gunsmith that charges that price. The seller was fine with it since the item was not as described.

If this was discussed ahead of time we could have avoided the unexpected scenario.

When showing up for the meet, I inspect in person to make sure it was as described, and hand over the cash in an envelope.

But in your case you said it was practically brand new.

Are you able to blur out the serial number in your phone? iPhone can do that.

I wouldn’t go out of my way as a seller that many miles unless you were having that hard of time selling it; but it depends on who you are dealing with. Did this person have any feedback at all? As a buyer I always drive to my sellers convenience. I remember I had one time the seller did have to drive to meet me only because they were in the rural area somewhere so they came out to the city life for a breeze at an ffl wiling to honor the 10 day waiting period exemption for c&r pistol for 03/coe holder, but I drove as close as possible to them for the ppt at an FFL.

I think the farthest I’ve driven for a ppt so far has been about a little over 80 miles one way.

 

[ShootFirstFirster]

FOR THE RECORD THIS IS THE SCAM THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN REGARDING S/N's

CAVEAT: Old timey methods but older and internet-inept people would fall for this:

Easier for a scammer to pull off a decade ago but heres how it goes:



Scammer poses as buyer and asks for detailed photos including serial numbers.

Scammer disappears takes said photos to different site and poses as a seller

Scammer posts insane TGTBT deal for said item

Scammer receives offers but initiates some stipulation where he is unavailable for an extended time but will take a small deposit to hold item.

Scammers hooks a few gets them to send money in various forms

Scammer rides into the sunset with money with throw away accounts, fraudulent ID's etc

Scammed Buyer has throw away/fake emails, phone #, name etc but has a legit S/N

Scammed buyer files police report with guess what? Real S/N

This is not at all easy to do today. UNLESS the scammers mark is absolutely naive and has zero understanding of how to navigate the gun forums sale sections.

 

[H. Bowman]

They can't.
...About the only nefarious thing I can think of would be if ...

It's not uncommon at all for scammers to use good photos of someone else's stuff to create a sale ad elsewhere, and trick people into sending them money for an item they never even possessed to begin with.

 

[NedSled]

It's not uncommon at all for scammers to use good photos of someone else's stuff to create a sale ad elsewhere, and trick people into sending them money for an item they never even possessed to begin with.

Possibly... but that's not OP getting scammed. And that's on those buyers to caveat their emptor.

 

[GoldensRule]

I keep getting people who ask for hi res pics in here.

The first one caught me off guard so I obliged and sent pics of all angles but the serial side. He complained and said he wanted to see more pics in hi res of "all angles" aka the serial side. I said no since the firearm is in perfect almost unused condition and he made up some excuse about how he changed his mind and is pursuing a different firearm but this was after he went Mia for a week or two.

Same day he tells me he's going another direction a new user writes Me who wants pics

What's up with these pics stuff?
Every sale or purchase I have made I inspect the firearm in person and never rely on pics alone.

My firearm is brand new, no rust of any kind of issues, only shot once. And people still want pics.

If the hi res pics thing a scam or are these people actually interested sellers?
As a buyer, I have never wanted hi res pics of the serial number so I don't get they they keep asking for that.

Thoughts?

It's left me so frustrated that I'm actually considering going back to the old website

I just looked at your current ad for the CZ, the primary picture is quite fuzzy and out of focus the second and third pictures are pretty good except they all show the weapon from the same angle / side. If I were a buyer @ $1300, I would want to see all angles and all sides in clear sharp pictures. Out of focus pictures or pictures of only one side of the weapon would make me suspicious or hesitant.

I agree with another poster, I can't imagine how pictures of your weapon can be used to scam you. The only ulterior motives I can think of is someone is looking for a stolen weapon and wants to see the serial to confirm it isn't theirs.

 

[H. Bowman]

Possibly... but that's not OP getting scammed. And that's on those buyers to caveat their emptor.

Your statement said that pictures can not be used in a scam. They clearly can be.

 

[H. Bowman]

The only ulterior motives I can think of is someone is looking for a stolen weapon and wants to see the serial to confirm it isn't theirs.

And yet, the other person being accused of something has already posted statements that they explicitly old OP that they didn't care if the serial number was covered up, they just wanted better photos of the firearm in question.


Why do you people make things so much more difficult than they need to be?

 

[NedSled]

Your statement said that pictures can not be used in a scam. They clearly can be.

I think the context of OPs concern was if HE was getting scammed. Hence how my thought was framed.

 

[GoldensRule]

And yet, the other person being accused of something has already posted statements that they explicitly old OP that they didn't care if the serial number was covered up, they just wanted better photos of the firearm in question.


Why do you people make things so much more difficult than they need to be?

"You people"....... sad.

 

[mblat1968]

It's not uncommon at all for scammers to use good photos of someone else's stuff to create a sale ad elsewhere, and trick people into sending them money for an item they never even possessed to begin with.

There are thousands upon thousands of great photos on gun forums all over the country.

So there is no need to bother anyone with requests for few more.

But then again I am not a scammer so what do I know....

 

[guncurious]

Asking for high res pictures or specific angles is common, especially depending on the particular firearm, driving distance, etc. Some of the photos posted here and elsewhere are hot garbage - Yeah, it's the shape of a gun but not much more detail can be seen. Honestly, someone saying "It's brand new in perfect condition" means nothing if I can't see it. "Oh, that scratch? Those wear marks inside of the slide? It's still almost like new kinda..."

I don't know what photos you posted but before I'm going to take time out of my day to set up a PPT appointment, grab a bunch of cash out of the bank, drive somewhere, I want to see good quality photos of the outside of the gun, the barrel, any wear on the rails and in the slide, etc - Not because I want something brand new but I want to know what I'm getting so I can make an informed decision and ask more questions if necessary. I have done plenty of PPTs and asked for plenty of better quality photos to be sent to me - and no one has ever had an issue with that.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't trust your intuition if your spidey sense is tingling - but better photos in general is super common. Asking for video? That's a new one...

 

[oneaudiopro]

I know the OP stated that the firearm he was selling was new BUT in some instances such as an older 1911 or military rifles, closeups of armory stamps and the like are crucial to some collectors. Just sayin

 

[2muchsoysauce4allthisrice]

I know the OP stated that the firearm he was selling was new BUT in some instances such as an older 1911 or military rifles, closeups of armory stamps and the like are crucial to some collectors. Just sayin

All matching serial numbers is another one

 

[Nacho_Libre]

I don't sell much so when I do I try to take, and post, as many detailed and CLEAR* pictures as I possibly can, so:

a) People know what they're getting (to protect myself and save everyone time); and
b) So people are more apt to trust someone with little selling history.

*If you think taking a few random snaps of the gun in poor lighting with your iphone is going to automatically come out decent quality, you're wrong.

You want someone to give you $1300 of their hard earned money and get annoyed that they want more than a few pictures of just the left side of the gun?

If you want to protect the S/N, just black it out with MS Paint or put actual tape over it when you take the picture.

I sold a used LEO traded in Glock 17 upper not too long ago and I posted pictures from every possible angle of the barrel, slide, etc.

When I sold an old S&W auto awhile back I posted as many pics as I could, made it known that I was open to providing more pics if requested, and described every flaw I could find.

If you find it unreasonable to accommodate a buyer before you both devote significant time and energy to go meet up at an FFL somewhere, then you sound like someone I would not want to purchase a gun from.

People do not owe you a purchase. But you owe it to them to make their decision as easy as possible.

The website doesn't let me post more than 3 pics or at least it didn't when I tried.
I sent the person multiple pictures through their email also so that should have been good. Someone said something about serial numbers not matching... that's weird why wouldn't they match? My firearm is stock so it should be assumed that the serials match. I would not expect to get 1300 for a firearm with serials that don't match. Someone else mentioned that the buyer was driving far away. Idk how that could be bc they set the location and asked me to drive to them. It will be about 100 miles round trip for me to drive to them and they haven't mentioned to me if they are local to where they set the meet or not. But they're no longer responding and instead liking these posts so that says a lot on how serious or non serious they are about buying the firearm. I bought an Arsenal Sam7 just last yr from a user in here and I didn't ask for 100 pictures. I drove to them 1 hr and inspected the firearm in person. Everything was good so I went through with the purchase at the ffl and I paid 1500, much more than this seller would pay for my firearm. It's just weird to me, ya know? It's a lot of weird little quirks to this deal that don't make sense and buyer again has gone radio silent but is freely liking these comments hahaha

 

[Nacho_Libre]

All matching serial numbers is another one

Yeah I totally get that for collectibles but as you stated my firearm is new. Nothing has been switched or changed. It's fully stock.

 

[Nacho_Libre]

Asking for high res pictures or specific angles is common, especially depending on the particular firearm, driving distance, etc. Some of the photos posted here and elsewhere are hot garbage - Yeah, it's the shape of a gun but not much more detail can be seen. Honestly, someone saying "It's brand new in perfect condition" means nothing if I can't see it. "Oh, that scratch? Those wear marks inside of the slide? It's still almost like new kinda..."

I don't know what photos you posted but before I'm going to take time out of my day to set up a PPT appointment, grab a bunch of cash out of the bank, drive somewhere, I want to see good quality photos of the outside of the gun, the barrel, any wear on the rails and in the slide, etc - Not because I want something brand new but I want to know what I'm getting so I can make an informed decision and ask more questions if necessary. I have done plenty of PPTs and asked for plenty of better quality photos to be sent to me - and no one has ever had an issue with that.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't trust your intuition if your spidey sense is tingling - but better photos in general is super common. Asking for video? That's a new one...

I mean, you tell me if these pictures are "not hi res enough" . . .