Buyer beware

[Bowguy]

I'm fairly new to the modern technology thing n I'm sure others are too so I wanted to post about a friend who "bought" a gun from arms list.
He paid big money for a gun weeks ago. The seller told him to send a pay pal-friends n family. You aren't protected this way. He told my friend he didn't get it out cause of a death n now he spent all the money helping a dying girl. Don't even have money to ship it. Finished each email w a God bless. It lowered the concern initially thinking the fellow was a Christian and he's pretty much nothing more than a dirt ball fraud artist.

The seller still has gun up and for sale. Many may know not to send anything pay pal friends n family but he n I didn't. I'm sure others don't either. I'd stay away from arms list too.

[TauntoHawk]

that's a tough break, the ability to buy and sell on the internet quickly with people anywhere is great but it does bring out a lot of dirt balls as you stated

[Spitten and drummen]

so he did not get a address or contact before sending money? I would have gotten those and then tried to contact seller prior to sending a large sum of money. It may not have mattered but who knows. also I would contact a attorney immediatly. I would hope someone would somehow help your friend out. all that said , thanks for the heads up.

[dublelung]

It would take God's blessings to save his sorry butt. Surely your friend got an address, phone number, someway to identify who the person actually is or where he lives? It's a pain but there's legal ways to recover the money. Best of luck to your friend.

[TauntoHawk]

I do agree regardless of what paypal can do it is still theft if he has any information he needs to follow through, shouldn't the host webpage have account information for individuals. It sounds like they've had email contact I would let him know that I will be pursing legal action 

[1iagobblergetter]

I do agree regardless of what paypal can do it is still theft if he has any information he needs to follow through, shouldn't the host webpage have account information for individuals. It sounds like they've had email contact I would let him know that I will be pursing legal action

x2. If your friend does nothing someone else is going to get bent over...It's also simply put the principal of the matter!!

[Bowguy]

He's working on his alternatives

[Gooserbat]

I don't care if it's 2K miles away. I'd be driving over to say hello.  Might even have a country sheriff's deputy along for the ride.

[spaightlabs]

The below is from ARMSLIST:

Q: What should I do if I suspect a listing is a scam?
Please flag the listing as "scam", this will remove the listing from the site. Please contact us with a link to the listing so we can remove the listing.
Q: How do I avoid scams?
Follow these common sense rules to help avoid getting scammed:
Deal locally and transact in person - This will help you avoid almost all scams
Never send Cashiers Checks or Money Orders to sellers
Never wire money via Western Union, Moneygram, or other wire services
Never accept Cashiers Checks or Money Orders as they can be easily faked
Never give out financial information
Avoid deals involving shipping or escrow services
If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is
ARMSLIST is not involved in any transaction, we do not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
Q: What should I do if I've been scammed?
Please do the following:
Contact your local police department via their non-emergency number
File a report via the Internet Fraud Complaint Center
Contact us and include the URL to the listing so we can remove the listing.
Q: Can ARMSLIST help if I've been scammed?
We take every precaution to prevent scammers from using the site. Unfortunately, beyond our efforts to prevent scammers there is little we can do.

You are the best resource to prevent and stop scammers. Please take the steps listed previously if you are the victim of a scam. Also, please refer to our tips and heed the warnings on the site on how to prevent getting scammed.
Q: Can ARMSLIST provide me with more information about a scammer?
Due to our privacy policy, ARMSLIST can only provide information to law enforcement during due process of law.

[Natty Bumpo]

I have heard more scam stories about Armslist than from ALL of the other gun sites, put together.

I would just stay away from Armslist unless its F2F and local.  It's a scammer's swamp.

[taylorjones20]

I have only purchased one gun from Armslist and it was through a dealer. I had a phone number and physical address of the place. Called the guy and talked with him before sending any money.

Never do business with someone without proper information...