Announcement Important Update: Deposits Requests = Ban 🚨

[ikeo1]

I don't get why venmo is fine but zelle is not. That makes zero sense.

I don't recall seeing many scams on cgn. They happened but they weren't "very prevalent", as you say ikeo.

Not sure if you’re just unaware or mainly in your own bubble.

I hear about it all the time and have had members here have issues

You might not know this but Venmo also has a protection option you can check.

A simple google search will show you there are a number of people trying to scam others “scam” Calguns site: Calguns.net

Let alone what we see and deal with here literally on a daily basis and we’re way more secure than Calguns will ever be. If you don’t believe me, you might recall when Calguns got hacked in February 24 but maybe not. Thing is, this is probably your hobby you kinda just pop in and out. I see a lot of attempts plus get complaints daily. I’m unapologetic for inconveniencing you for running a site on my spare time thats free to use. You’re a smart guy, not everyone is as smart as you.

 

[ikeo1]

I'm not a scammer (I know what you're thinking - sure, that's just what a scammer would say).

Why not just let the folks here look out for themselves?

I've never asked for a deposit and prefer to use an FFL that's local to me.
I typically like to have a couple of verbal conversations with a buyer to see if we're on the same page.
If something seems off (I once had a potential buyer tell me we don't need to use an FFL), I'll decline to do business with them.

If a buyer asks me to travel farther than I want to and I ask for a non refundable cash deposit (to cover my time/expenses, in case I get ghosted), I'd like to be able to choose the method of payment that I like, not one from a list of methods that I don't use.

An alternative would be for me to say:
Your offer to me does not agree with the T&C (terms and conditions) of my ad, so for me to meet you at your FFL means I have to raise the price of my widget by 10%.
Would I then get in trouble with the site, for raising my price?

• Personally, all the rules that are put in place to protect us from one another feel like a thorn in my back that I can't remove.
• I'd rather just rely on myself (not that I can't be fooled ) to protect myself.
• The State tries to protect us from ourselves and overburdens/restricts the vast majority to protect the few.

The user doesn’t have to report you, that’s the difference. This is not law. It’s a recommended step.

If they choose not to report and pay you, then that’s not going to raise any flags. In my line of work, that’s social engineering and 50% of all compromises are through people.

A new account asking for a deposit then raising the price is in poor taste which will be reflected in feedback.

The difference again is, people who send money aren’t able to get it back.

I also disagree who the burden is on in this case. The majority approve of this while only a few, don’t.

Ironically, you guys would be ok to ask as long as it’s listed in the ad because you’re not new accounts or have donated at some point.

IMO, you guys don’t seem to care that people are getting ripped off, I do and I’m putting policies in place to prevent it on my watch based on my observations. If it does happen, it’s by their own choice and understand the risk.

 

[tommywoo2024]

We don't have rules for shipped items. We might limit Zelle/Venmo to paid users.. You can ask them to cover fees no problem.

There might be an option to use Zelle/Venmo for trusted sellers based on reputation. We can adapt this when it makes sense to. I've seen a pickup in traffic and scammers too. This is by far the main issue with deposits, so there might be some adjustments, ie; Less than 10 feedback, or subscribing member, that sort of thing.

We mainly want to limit new accounts with no history from requesting deposits...

There is a report button at the bottom of every post and you can report users.. Look for the Report button throughout the site.

You may also use the Contact Us link in the footer.

The seller is asking for deposit 50%. How can I report this?

 

[ShootFirstFirster]

The seller is asking for deposit 50%. How can I report this?

This guy's is talking about me. Hardly a new account. The deal was both chiappas for 5k and I'd throw in 300 worth of reloading supplies and two m200 38 spl revolvers for free. 50% to lock and take off market. The deal wasn't for him apparently.

 

[BobGBA]

IMO, you guys don’t seem to care that people are getting ripped off, I do and I’m putting policies in place to prevent it on my watch based on my observations.

For the record, I do not want to see anyone getting ripped off and scammers suck.

Unfortunately, some people need to make a mistake in order to learn from it.
Experience is a great teacher and the lessons learned are usually quite valuable.
Ask me how I know.

Give a man a fish and he has a meal.
Teach a man to fish and...

 

[ikeo1]

For the record, I do not want to see anyone getting ripped off and scammers suck.

Unfortunately, some people need to make a mistake in order to learn from it.
Experience is a great teacher and the lessons learned are usually quite valuable.
Ask me how I know.

Give a man a fish and he has a meal.
Teach a man to fish and...

I’d rather people not go through that here, but they can still ignore me. I’ll update the text to review history and reputation.

The seller is asking for deposit 50%. How can I report this?

This guy's is talking about me. Hardly a new account. The deal was both chiappas for 5k and I'd throw in 300 worth of reloading supplies and two m200 38 spl revolvers for free. 50% to lock and take off market. The deal wasn't for him apparently.

If it is this user, you can see based of feedback and badges he maintains a reputation and to use your best judgement

We can say that he’s an established member both here and Calguns which IMO counts.

 

[echo1]

This guy's is talking about me. Hardly a new account. The deal was both chiappas for 5k and I'd throw in 300 worth of reloading supplies and two m200 38 spl revolvers for free. 50% to lock and take off market. The deal wasn't for him apparently.

For the amount of ducats and volume of gear seems reasonable to me. A serious fella wouldn't hesitate and cover the balance once you're FTF. That's what keeps you from getting ghosted, up-front money. PAX

 

[ikeo1]

For the amount of ducats and volume of gear seems reasonable to me. A serious fella wouldn't hesitate and cover the balance once you're FTF. That's what keeps you from getting ghosted, up-front money. PAX

Sending $2500 in a one way payment with someone you’ve never met before on the internet should be seriously considered. You worry about being ghosted when 98% is people ghosting after getting paid without recourse.

 

[Radman64]

Reputation says a lot as does showing a past history of positive feedbacks on various sites.
I've bought a lot of rifles that were out of state from site's like Gunboards but only dealt with those that showed history with zero issues.
I've bought firearms from CGN where the seller was not local but we made arraignments to meet halfway, I always offered to pay for their gas and to put a down on it to show I was serious so it would be removed from the 4 sale listing or marked SPF.
Driving 150-200 one way miles involved a bit of planning and I have heard time and again how many flakes say the will buy something but never show so I totally understand if a seller asks to show a bit of a commitment on said item before pulling it if there is distance involved.
If it's local there should be no problem meeting somewhat quickly to do the transaction.
Just my 2 cents..

 

[Radman64]

I would be

Sending $2500 in a one way payment with someone you’ve never met before on the internet should be seriously considered. You worry about being ghosted when 98% is people ghosting after getting paid without recourse.

I would be leery also if someone asked me to front up that kind of money, a couple of bills that is non-refundable if the buyer flakes I totally understand.

 

[ShootFirstFirster]

I would be

I would be leery also if someone asked me to front up that kind of money, a couple of bills that is non-refundable if the buyer flakes I totally understand.

It is definitely not for the faint of heart. But the potential of saving 2200 bucks in the deal is very real. Ultimately, we never discussed form of payment, and he never counter offered. Instead, he ran here after threatening to get me banned. I sell all my off roster or gucci guns below what anyone can get them for. Losing Money on guns is what I accept to make guaranteed transactions. Money isn't my problem, however, space is. I like to line things up far in advance. Needless to say, I could never do business with that user going forward anyway.

 

[ikeo1]

It is definitely not for the faint of heart. But the potential of saving 2200 bucks in the deal is very real. Ultimately, we never discussed form of payment, and he never counter offered. Instead, he ran here after threatening to get me banned. I sell all my off roster or gucci guns below what anyone can get them for. Losing Money on guns is what I accept to make guaranteed transactions. Money isn't my problem, however, space is. I like to line things up far in advance. Needless to say, I could never do business with that user going forward anyway.

I’ll update the text to be more clear. Seems like there are some legitimate use cases and leave it to the buyer to decide

 

[Pewpewwagon]

I doubt anyone is doing a 2000$ deposit regardless of how many itrader you have.

 

[ShootFirstFirster]

I doubt anyone is doing a 2000$ deposit regardless of how many itrader you have.

Wheat from the chaff. Unfortunately, too many tire kickers. Money talks, bull walks.

 

[echo1]

Sending $2500 in a one way payment with someone you’ve never met before on the internet should be seriously considered. You worry about being ghosted when 98% is people ghosting after getting paid without recourse.

Phuck it, let him walk. If it is close enough to do a PPT then your only out your time when the shadow buyer fails to appear. I've got one hangin around too. PAX

 

[Radman64]

It is definitely not for the faint of heart. But the potential of saving 2200 bucks in the deal is very real. Ultimately, we never discussed form of payment, and he never counter offered. Instead, he ran here after threatening to get me banned. I sell all my off roster or gucci guns below what anyone can get them for. Losing Money on guns is what I accept to make guaranteed transactions. Money isn't my problem, however, space is. I like to line things up far in advance. Needless to say, I could never do business with that user going forward anyway.

I totally understand, the fact the buyer did not counter with something more credible with logic to me is a red flag. Myself I would have offered up 2-300.00 as a non-refundable deposit and then made proper arraignments. On a transaction of that price I would have requested the buyer to bring a bank cashiers check.

 

[H. Bowman]

Not sure if you’re just unaware or mainly in your own bubble.

I hear about it all the time and have had members here have issues

You might not know this but Venmo also has a protection option you can check.

A simple google search will show you there are a number of people trying to scam others “scam” Calguns site: Calguns.net

Let alone what we see and deal with here literally on a daily basis and we’re way more secure than Calguns will ever be. If you don’t believe me, you might recall when Calguns got hacked in February 24 but maybe not. Thing is, this is probably your hobby you kinda just pop in and out. I see a lot of attempts plus get complaints daily. I’m unapologetic for inconveniencing you for running a site on my spare time thats free to use. You’re a smart guy, not everyone is as smart as you.


View attachment 88723

You do realize how old those are, right? 2013? 12 years ago? On a forum that once had what, 200k users and probably dozens to hundreds of transactions per week? And that 3 of the 4 are people not getting scammed, but recognizing an obvious scam and calling the person out. People actually being scammed is pretty rare and it's almost always some bonehead that thought the Prince of Zimbabwe was sending them a free Surgeon 591 action with their $150 case of 308 ammo as long as they sent a money gram to their cousin in Indiana.

We can't hold everyone's hand for everything.

Sending $2500 in a one way payment with someone you’ve never met before on the internet should be seriously considered. You worry about being ghosted when 98% is people ghosting after getting paid without recourse.

That seller seems to potentially be legit, but there's no way in hell I'd send 2500 bucks to a random internet stranger who wanted to give me free guns. That being said, I wish he was close to me because I'd buy those 200 dollar 38s.

I'm still confused on if deposits can be asked for or not without threat of getting banned. Thread title and a lot of commentary says "Deposit request = Ban", but there are a lot of "well, no, only if they report it and it's on a case by case and maybe not."

 

[Pewpewwagon]

I commend ikeo for trying to stop the scum from ripping people off. It’s the right thing to do. The other site had its own thread for scammers. I seen new and old user posting often.

 

[ZeroFoxGiven]

Ban ‘em all, let moderators sort ‘em out!

 

[ikeo1]

I'm still confused on if deposits can be asked for or not without threat of getting banned. Thread title and a lot of commentary says "Deposit request = Ban", but there are a lot of "well, no, only if they report it and it's on a case by case and maybe not."

Members who read the thread and discuss will notice we're flexible and see I've been asking for ideas/suggestions. The title was good old fashioned "Click bait".