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August 29, 2009
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I have sold many guns online but never bought one. I would love to buy a DW 41 mag, (then sell the new in box Alaskan Guide 445 for top $$$$$ on GB…ooppss that is going to open a can of worms, don't bomb bard me with PM's trying to buy my AG as its not for sale till I get a like-new/new in box 41 mag IF I go that route and IF I do sell it it will be sold on GB) I see some have shown up on GB but can't get past the "is it for sale couse it is broken or is it just for sale to get rid of it" thought in my head. I have been to enough gun stores and heard the "it has a problem, I will just sell it on GB to get rid of it" line.
How do you tell if a DW is a good one when you can't look at it in person? I know there is the 3 day return but in my line of work, it might be a week or longer before I can get to the FFL to look/pic it up.
Guess I could just copy the list of things form the how to tell if you have a good post and hope they reply honestly???
PS: Why doesn't the spell checker work in this web page? This is the first forum that the spell checker doesn't wrok when typing. x
Dans Club
May 17, 2009
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Landtoy80,
The spell checker has to be toggled on. It's at the right end of the button bar above and then the misspelled words get a red line under them. Click on the identified word and chose the options offered. At least that's what it does for me. 
I suppose you could negotiate with the seller to have a longer return option. I'd allow that if I was honest and confident that what I was selling was in good condition. But then that's me.
Ed
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
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I have only bought one on auction, and it worked out great. Check to see if it's a private sale or a gunshop, check the feedback, hope for the best. I'm with you, I like to see it and handle it before I buy it, I'm not very comfortable otherwise.
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
January 22, 2008
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I've bought several via auction / internet private sales where I haven't been able to view the gun a head of time and all have worked out great.
Good Luck!
May 14, 2008
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I have had one bad out of 20. But at the price paid , it was no great loss. Like playing the lottery, it's still gambling.
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Range Officer
Range Officers
May 2, 2009
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Most of the ones I have bought ended up being in better condition than described 
. You never know, you just have to go with your gut.
SHOOT
Supporter
Moderators
January 24, 2009
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I think that where online purchases are concerned, it gets to a point where you have to weigh the risk of it possibly being a gun with issues, against how bady you want it (and how hard it is to find). The best way to get a good idea of whether or not it's going to be a problem gun, is with GOOD pictures. Good pictures will tell you a lot about a gun's condition.
For me, the fewer quality pictures there are, the less I'm willing to spend…unless the crappy pics are of a gun that happens to be one of only five made, then I have to trust the seller's word on it's condition.
There has only been one gun I've bought online that wasn't quite as good as I was expecting, but for the price I paid, I don't feel like I came out too bad. In the end, if you get a gun with issues, it's not the end of the world…but it is an experience to learn from.
Good luck, and…how much do you want for that AGS??
Range Officer
Range Officers
Dans Club
February 28, 2009
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I have only had 2 "bad" experiences when buying online. The first was a gun that never arrived but I got my money back with no hassle.
The second is a Monson 741 which are fairly rare (I think). So I paid way too much for it. When I got it, i found that someone had messed with the action. Single-action let-off was under a pound, and if your hand was tilted slightly to the right the trigger would kick back after firing. This is definitely a dangerous gun.
I bought new springs from DW, but after looking at the instructions, I think I'm going to have someone else do the change.
-Mike
April 25, 2008
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Since there are few gunshops around here, I've bought most of the guns I've gotten in the last few years from the internet auctions. Only had one problem, and it was an airgun advertised as working and it didn't. The seller refused to pay for the repair, which was $21 plus $7 shipping and only offered a refund...and he was a seller with thousands of feedbacks.
Look the gun pics over carefully, email the seller if you have questions, check the negative feedbacks, especially if you can see both sides of the story...some buyers wouldn't be happy if you threw in a pot of gold. If anything raises your eyebrows, better consider it carefully before you spend your hard-earned money. That said...I really enjoy browsing the auctions. You can pick up some neat things if you're patient.
The Savantist
October 13, 2009
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landtoy80 said:
I have sold many guns online but never bought one. I would love to buy a DW 41 mag, (then sell the new in box Alaskan Guide 445 for top $$$$$ on GB…ooppss that is going to open a can of worms, don't bomb bard me with PM's trying to buy my AG as its not for sale till I get a like-new/new in box 41 mag IF I go that route and IF I do sell it it will be sold on GB) I see some have shown up on GB but can't get past the "is it for sale couse it is broken or is it just for sale to get rid of it" thought in my head. I have been to enough gun stores and heard the "it has a problem, I will just sell it on GB to get rid of it" line.
How do you tell if a DW is a good one when you can't look at it in person? I know there is the 3 day return but in my line of work, it might be a week or longer before I can get to the FFL to look/pic it up.
When my wife and I were full-time RV'er, we owned a vintage Blue Bird Wanderlodge; in that community, often someone would find a Blue Bird quite some distance away. What they would do on that forum is try to find someone who was close by, in this case to the proposed DW, and have them check it out. It worked well. I would think checking out a DW for someone would be a lot less time consuming and technical than checking out a motor home. Just my 2 cents worth. Tom
Guess I could just copy the list of things form the how to tell if you have a good post and hope they reply honestly???
PS: Why doesn't the spell checker work in this web page? This is the first forum that the spell checker doesn't wrok when typing. x
Tom Meservey, USN (Ret) Gun control, first grip the Dan Wesson in both hands……………
October 12, 2009
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Having been burned on eBay (which I no longer consider) I bought a few DWs on GB to see if I could fare batter then I did on eBay.
One was a Model 15-2 stated as new in the original box and after receiving it, the item was as described and had non of the tell-tale signs of ever being shot. I also purchased a DW 44mag with the 8" barrel in stainless steel from GB, it was listed as used in mint condition and upon receipt it was even better than expected. A trip to the range with a few different hand loads proved this DW 44 to be very accurate and so much so I bought another on GB which should arrive today or tomorrow a DW 44 with 6" and 8" barrels plus spares. Like others I took the 44 apart, used breakclean to clear away the old gunk and it is now my favorite revolver. I 'am debating on whether I should test fire the "new old stock" 15-2 or keep it as a safe queen along with my collection of colt pythons.
So far I have had nothing but good experiences buying online from dealers with actual stores.
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