Scammed on CalGuns

[Dvsride]

There was a guy in the old Calguns days that pulled off this famous group buy scam. I actually met him, a friend of mine bought some of the guns from him. What he did is he back when you could just transfer C&R guns without going thru an FFL he set up a group buy where he was buying crates of Mosins and driving them back from AZ and distributing them.

He took money for something like 200 guns and only delivered part of them. But the fun part was he kept stringing people along on the forum saying he was getting the guns. He’d scammed people on other sites too.

Damn…. I remember this. Didn’t he do it like twice? The first time, he kinda did come through….. the second time…… like you said…… only some people got their Mosins……. Man; I remember that thread kept getting bumped……

 

[Deleted member 12066]

I have had a no show PPT in the past, it does suck to waste time.

I’m really hesitant to sell anything to anyone outside the people I know or through associations these days. In turn I have also picked up some really good guns from those same people and associations, premium guns that are new in the original boxes with test targets, factory accessaries, and paperwork, collectors dream guns, from dudes who purchased them new 20-40+ years ago and never fired a single round through them.

From my experience, people with real money that buy and sell valued anything are not really on the internet, especially not in CA. The internet opens you up to imbeciles. Imbeciles have no issue wasting their own time much less anyone else’s. Time wasting is an imbeciles hallmark.

Many gun collectors also fall out of guns and shooting as they age, and their life’s priorities go in another direction. I have scored some unbelievable guns through association with the right people and I have sold guns to people with deep pockets. I had a dentist out of SD try to buy my whole gun collection for an insane amount of money. I sold him a few pieces but not the whole of my collection. The only way that guy found me was through his patient that I worked with, they always talked guns. The dentist was looking for a very specific gun and the guy knew I had one. That’s all it took to make a connection.

With that, I still would not take a deposit on a PPT unless it was a long haul to and from the transfer location. I have only been burned once in dozens of PPT meets, and I have never had to drive more than 20 minutes to a dealers for a PPT with an internet buyer. I guess it will take a bit more before being completely jaded.

From my perspective I believe no shows and the like are passive aggressive gun owners who don’t like your pricing or terms of sale. They can’t directly thread crap on your listings so they burn you with a no show or start a passive aggressive separate thread about your specific type or brand of gun and how the pricing is out of line etc in an infantile attempt to lash out because they have no control over their emotions. They probably have no idea that what they are doing is a form of mental illness. Don’t let them dictate how you run your business.

Sounds like you've scored some pretty good deals outside of the internet, these days I keep a pretty low profile so those are rare for me, so as you mentioned the imbeciles can be relentless. Eventually you learn to read their cards in the 1st couple of hands.

I have in fact waived the deposit during buyer vetting, nothing is in stone, but one must qualify.

 

[deephouse]

I don't get it. You paid $140 to not own an XD40. Sounds like a win to me!

You savage. =)

 

[Hostile_SS]

i am going to assume someone here said never send cash. If it seems shady, dont. I was to do a ffl during covid and the guys says to meet outside and we coulg go over the deal. i told him, thank you but no.

You just learned a valuable lesson.
Ive met so many nice and honest people here... shoot.. selling a 7K plus gun and do it someplace you feel safe.

 

[Deleted member 9396]

Sucks you got burned. Sorry to hear it. That whole exchange (asking for 2nd deposit) sounds super sus....that should have been a flag

In 15 years of buying on Calguns I've never been asked for a deposit. I've never had a bad PPT experience with Calguns members, either.
Go figure...

 

[M_N04H]

No deposits. It's a little tough when you have to drive further for potential no shows, but that's a risk you take.

 

[SLORNR]

No deposits. It's a little tough when you have to drive further for potential no shows, but that's a risk you take.

Or don’t take. I wouldn’t drive more than 20 minutes to a PPT. Anything outside my area is going to cost the buyer more $ in my time and fuel. And that will require a deposit, or it is a NO GO.

 

[M_N04H]

Or don’t take. I wouldn’t drive more than 20 minutes to a PPT. Anything outside my area is going to cost the buyer more $ in my time and fuel. And that will require a deposit, or it is a NO GO.

There is that. Depends on how much you want that gun I suppose.

 

[SFCOLLECTOR415]

Can you fill me in on the details?

About a month ago I saw that aguige1 had a Beretta 70s for sale. That particular model holds sentimental value to me. I told him I would buy it time and time again. No answer. It wasn’t until I made an offer that he responded and asked for a deposit, which I gave him a small deposit. So, I’m in the Bay Area, he’s in L.A. I told him time and time again I had no problem traveling down to L.A. to meet at an FFL to do the transaction. He kept saying things like “No need I will see about meeting you in a city half way” or “I will fly up to the Bay and we will do the transaction at an FFL there.” This was like the 2nd or 3rd week of June. And he said he wouldn’t have time till the 3rd week of July to meet because of his busy work schedule. Well, I would try to contact him once every week via text on his cell to confirm and nothing he disappeared. Bottom line; I learned my lesson and I'm moving on.