Confession of an idiot buying 98k
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BishopofBling
Senior Member
A 30% restocking fee is absurd but I don't think it's a big deal if a seller charges you like $50 for restocking as you deal with a ton of morons as a seller. I don't even sell guns as a business and I've met more than enough and a restocking fee of some sort discourages people from being lazy as a buyer such as not knowing their local laws.
I'd take this as a lesson that if you're a new collector than GB is not forgiving you really have to know your stuff and it's incredibly rare to get a good deal. I mean look at the average K98 auction, the prices are overinflated to hell as uninformed people just bid it up.
I'd take this as a lesson that if you're a new collector than GB is not forgiving you really have to know your stuff and it's incredibly rare to get a good deal. I mean look at the average K98 auction, the prices are overinflated to hell as uninformed people just bid it up.
I think we will have to agree to disagree. In my earlier posts I’ve tried to be objective, so I’ll let myself be subjective in the continuation of this discussion.
1. That’s not byf_41’s first turd he sold.
I don’t know if he did alterations or somebody else did, but the fact of sales exists. Period. I have never said he tries to hide anything, in contrast I said I missed the fakery MYSELF. Because of my previous positive transaction experience and fraternal socialisation that followed, I briefly ran through pictures being sure that if he said (advertised) it was good it was good. If that would be somebody else, I would have spotted it with high probability.
2. His behaviour after I asked to return the rifle was outrageous.
He could have well said that he simply wouldn’t do the return and that would be his right according to his posted return rules. So I’d become solely responsible for fakery purchase and that’s how it is now. He initially proposed 20% restocking fee and I agreed to it, because I felt that my trust (idiocy) was to blame for this transaction as well. But blacklisting me, saying that the consignor had no money, calling my FFL to ask them to tell me to stop annoying the seller. Then coming up with 30% restocking fee, threatening me with their ShitStocker friends, then saying that he could only send me $500 before I ship the rifle back. Trying to insult me with his OCD statements and calling me a liar after all. Oh well. I still have no right words to comment on this.
3. Not having enough knowledge/integrity to admit that this is a turd.
Many times in texts to me, in our phone talk, feedback on transaction he stated that there are no fake/re-stamped numbers.
4. I am convinced that he thinks that he did everything correctly. Alright.
I don’t agree that any of this points are applicable to a reputable seller.
In the same vein I have no knowledge that infamous Scotty personally alters his rifles, so let’s call him a reputable seller.
Completely agree. And that is what title of this thread is referring to... and blind trust to somebody in buying as well.
I've dealt with byf_41 before. Totally dishonest and pathetic seller.
R.W. Parker
Well-known member
Maybe one day they'll sell a turd to some slip-'n-fall lawyer with time on his hands...
R.W. Parker
Well-known member
R.W. Parker
Well-known member
I agree. A 3-day inspection used to be the norm, but somewhere along the line sellers started in with this "restocking fee" nonsense.
The whole "restocking fee" thing came from appliance retailers and the like. Some housewife would buy a vacuum cleaner and then decide that she didn't like it. So the retailer had to get an employee to put in a fresh dirt bag, clean the thing up, fit all the stuff back into the carton properly, and place it back in stock. All that took time, and they had to pay someone to do it.
But when a couple of people in their bathrobes are schlepping guns out of their living room, what is there to "re-stock"?
R.W. Parker
Well-known member
It's a flashing red light for sure, Herk. At least it is for me. So is the "sold as-is, no returns" label. There's no way I'd EVER buy a gun from someone who put either of those lines in their ad.
Richie
I believe there are some old basics truths that apply to all businesses, that everyone has heard of, such as: the customer is always right; there are costs in doing business; a happy customer is the best advertisement; etc. As far as "restocking fees" I would say this: My wife buys a lot of things online, such as kids clothes that need to be tried on (we live in a rural area and can't easily get to a lot of retail stores), and she will typically only buy from places that have free returns. No telling how much business is lost based only on the return policy. I don't think I would buy anything if would cost me $800 to return it.
heavy_mech
RKI- Reasonably Knowledgable Individual
Agreed. I feel it's because they know it's bad
R.W. Parker
Well-known member
Well that's just it, Mech. And whether it is or it isn't, the feeling you get from phrases like "restocking fee" and "sold as-is, no returns" is the same. Crummy photos give me that feeling too, like "What is he hiding?" However, I might even take a chance with crummy photos IF the guy offered the standard 3-day inspection.
On the other hand, I can understand things from the seller's point too. Say he offers the standard 3-day inspection and, while the gun is in the buyer's hands, the buyer drops it onto a concrete floor. Then he calls the seller and says "No dice pal, this thing has obviously been dropped! I'm sending it back!" Even if the seller has good evidence that the piece left his shop in beautiful shape, he now has to duke it out with this jerk.
In this game there was always a bad apple or two on both sides. But since both the hucksters and the "difficult" buyers were so few, they were quickly exposed and didn't last long. Nowadays however, it seems there are a lot of people who are truly shameless. It's really sad.
Richie
He is a flipper, a dealer that tries to buy cheap and sell dear, - if you want ethics, integrity and compassion for "second thoughts" buy from a collector that cares about his reputation, - not a flipper that states "no returns-as" clearly and whose description is several sentences long with terms that are clearly not open to compromise or interpretation... I would not buy from him simply for the lengthy terms and demeanor of their tone.
As for the word "reputable", it simply means a good reputation and in my book that means you stand by the conditions in the terms and make clear what is offered and honestly (162 pictures suggest he did not intend to mislead anyone), - I can understand this sellers attitude because I have to deal with illiterate and inconsiderate buyers very often, - I can only imagine the hassles of dealing in firearms.
In this case I would accept a return because he sold it (stated it) in terms that seem to imply his experience and knowledge was adequate to determine its originality, - had he been less "definitive" or less "confident" in his claims I would not think you deserved any considerations.
This seller is a flipper, he is a dealer, he is not especially knowledgeable, at least from my observations of his auction. He stated clearly no returns-AS IS and posted an absurd 160 pictures... you really think you are a victim here? I do not, I think you didn't do adequate homework before buying, you didn't seek advice from someone that has the experience, you could frequent Dave's forum where he routinely outs bad rifles and allows current auctions discussions, - you chose none of these things, and the only thing I agree with you on is that this thread is titled correctly.
** Lastly, I know for a fact he did not alter this rifle, I have pictures of it and text describing two prior sales.
As for the word "reputable", it simply means a good reputation and in my book that means you stand by the conditions in the terms and make clear what is offered and honestly (162 pictures suggest he did not intend to mislead anyone), - I can understand this sellers attitude because I have to deal with illiterate and inconsiderate buyers very often, - I can only imagine the hassles of dealing in firearms.
In this case I would accept a return because he sold it (stated it) in terms that seem to imply his experience and knowledge was adequate to determine its originality, - had he been less "definitive" or less "confident" in his claims I would not think you deserved any considerations.
This seller is a flipper, he is a dealer, he is not especially knowledgeable, at least from my observations of his auction. He stated clearly no returns-AS IS and posted an absurd 160 pictures... you really think you are a victim here? I do not, I think you didn't do adequate homework before buying, you didn't seek advice from someone that has the experience, you could frequent Dave's forum where he routinely outs bad rifles and allows current auctions discussions, - you chose none of these things, and the only thing I agree with you on is that this thread is titled correctly.
** Lastly, I know for a fact he did not alter this rifle, I have pictures of it and text describing two prior sales.
