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Fallen Knight

GunBroker.com...Is it worth buying from here?

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Hi All,

 

They seem to have good prices. But is it worth buying from here? Do we still get hit with NJ state tax? I know we still got the NICS fee. And how does buying from here work? They ship it to a FFL dealer, and you just go in and pick it up? Thank you in advance for your time!

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The FFL will charge you a transfer fee as well. When you file your annual taxes, you are supposed to pay sales tax on all things you bought online and didn't pay sales tax on.

 

What are you looking at buying? A lot of the forum vendors here can get you great prices.

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Hi All,

 

They seem to have good prices. But is it worth buying from here? Do we still get hit with NJ state tax? I know we still got the NICS fee. And how does buying from here work? They ship it to a FFL dealer, and you just go in and pick it up? Thank you in advance for your time!

 

Yes, it's worth it, if you can find what you're looking for at a much better price.  Yes, you owe NJ Use tax on things you purchased from out of State. If the merchant doesn't collect it, you have to pay it on your NJ 1040 at end of year (or by Est. tax payments if large enough).  Be wary... I've heard reports of some Tax depts. stopping UPS trucks and auditing the packages (i.e. the "taxman" delivering the package his/herself and demanding payment of Use tax up front before delivery)! :shok:

 

 

gunbroker.com is just that - a "broker." You're actually dealing with the merchant that offers the item.  You make your payment directly to that merchant, and they ship the item directly to the NJ FFL that you specify to them. You then pay the FFL transfer fee and NICS fee to that FFL.

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If you can't find it locally or if after all the fees: Nics, shipping, and transfer saves you 100 or more bux..then it's worth it IMO. Any savings less than that I would go local. They need our support.

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If you can't find it locally or if after all the fees: Nics, shipping, and transfer saves you 100 or more bux..then it's worth it IMO. Any savings less than that I would go local. They need our support.

 

 

This.....  

 

Being a small business owner/partner myself......   

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You can definitely find bargains, especially with uncommon weapons. With more common models you can usually get a comparable deal locally. Advantage of buying locally is that you examine the gun BEFORE buying ( i.e. feel the trigger, examine for blemishes) , you support the local guys and you get to take it home right away!

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While I've never encountered it myself, I have read reports of transferring FFLs charging "tax" on the value of the firearm. So if an FFL quotes you "xx dollars plus tax", make sure they clarify that the tax is just on the NICS/transfer fee, and not on the value of the firearm. I'm not aware of any forum vendors following this practice.

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 I actually use GunBroker to window shop and get ideas on best case prices and I then go back to a local vendor and have always been successful at finding the same item at an equal or comparable price, once you figure in any shipping and transfer fees.

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While I've never encountered it myself, I have read reports of transferring FFLs charging "tax" on the value of the firearm. So if an FFL quotes you "xx dollars plus tax", make sure they clarify that the tax is just on the NICS/transfer fee, and not on the value of the firearm. I'm not aware of any forum vendors following this practice.

 

The should not do that unless they're actually selling you the firearm. Then they have every right to charge  you tax on the value of the firearm.

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Only the transfer fee should be taxed, not the firearm, because the state says that that service is taxable. Some dealers charge a sales tax on NICS. Others charge a higher NICS fee than the $15 the state charges them. A purchaser should ask what a local dealer's total cost would be for the transfer to compare your online purchase with a local purchase.

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Thank you for the all info! It's very helpful. My first thought is to shop locally, however I did see some items that were much less expensive online.

 

Was it a "buy it now" price on gunbroker or an auction?  If an auction, the price can get run up very quickly in the final few minutes of bidding.

 

If it was cheaper fixed priced or an online gun store, buy it and have it transferred but factor in all the associated fees (shipping fee charged by seller, transfer fee charged by FFL and NCIS fee).

 

Good luck.

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LOL..  

 

As others have said, Gun broker can be great if you get a deal..  you can get stuff cheap if the stars align, but as Glenn said, prices can go up dramatically in the last few minutes of an auction. 

 

Basically, its a crap shoot....

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I try and shop locally with the Vendors that support the forum but some leave us for freedom..no names mentioned....and sometimes they can't get it..then I go elsewhere and sometimes it's GB if the price is right. Always had a good transaction.

 

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Forget about "figuring in" the NICS fee. It doesn't matter whether you buy local or you buy online, either way you need a NICS check and will pay it unless your FFL decides to waive it.

 

Unless you manage to buy online from a private citizen instate.

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Use the following to compare costs of purchasing online or in NJ.

 

#. Internet ............... In-State
1. $ ???.?? Cost of Firearm $ ???.??
2. $ ???.?? Shipping Charge $ ???.??

3. $ ???.?? State NICS Cost $ ???.??
4. $ ???.?? Transfer Charge $ ???.??

5. $ ???.?? Credit Card Fee $ ???.??

6. $ ???.?? State Sales Tax $ ???.??
------------------------------------
#. $ ???.?? Total of Column $ ???.??

 

Basically, NICS will need to be charged in both cases. And if the cost of the firearm is the same, and there are no credit card fees, and the sales tax is 7%, then the difference is what the Internet Purchase's #2+4+6 is, compared to what the In-State Purchase's #6 is. (and nobody claims a firearms use tax on their Income Tax Return)

 

So, as an example comparison, the following shows what the breaking point is apples to apples ($744.30):

 

#. Internet ............... In-State
1. $ 744.30 Cost of Firearm $ 744.30

2. $ .20.00 Shipping Charge $ 000.00

3. $ .15.00 State NICS Cost $ .15.00
4. $ .30.00 Transfer Charge $ 000.00

5. $ 000.00 Credit Card Fee $ 000.00

6. $ ..2.10 State Sales Tax $ .51.80
---------------------------------
#. $ 811.40 Total of Column $ 811.40

 

Of course, in most cases, online dealers sell firearms for less money compared to NJ dealers. Also, a specific item is sought after, one has more of a chance finding it online.

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As has been previously stated (in various ways) the comparison is the GB.com price 

plus Shipping & transfer fee vs. the LGS price + sales tax.

 

Depending upon the LGS, current price & avail., GB.com seller price, ect.  -sometimes

you get a deal, sometimes you don't.

 

But remember, that when you buy on the net, you don't get much support (other than the transfer)

from the LGS since they have no skin in the game.................

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Most often the guns I want to buy are hard to find.  I use the NJGF Price Request, and usually get 4-5 "can't get that" responses, so I try.

 

I almost always buy it now for the lowest total price including shipping, and GunForHire charges me $20 for the transfer including NICS.

 

So for my, GB is the way to find guns.

 

NO dealers I called last month had a reasonable stock of S&W 357 revolvers; I had my pick of 500 models on GB.

 

Next purchase is a pair of Ruger New Vaquero 357 with sequential numbers.  I'll try to buy locally, but will end up buying on GB.  When I do want something more common, I go to my local stores, usually the Rahway FAGs or Mastodon if I can.

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Most Manufacturers have a warranty period covering the purchase, so NEW guns are covered no matter where purchased. You take a chance buying used sight unseen on GB, especially if buying from a non-licensee, because if it has to be returned, it must go back to a dealer.

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Thank you all very much for the abundance of info, in particular PK90, the breakdown you've provided is especially enlightening. I've also been looking at BudsGunShop, some good deals on there as well, but so far, I'm leaning more towards a local Gun Shop, simply for support, and (hopefully)better customer service.

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I don't like BUDS. They are kind of scummy with certain things. Also don't forget to factor in gas and Tolls if that applies to you. It does for me. Especially since all of the shops south of me have the better inventory. For me if it ends up cheaper shipping it than the 4 hours plus tolls then I win.

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Gunbroker is (or, can be,) a great place to find pricing.  It is also a great place to find very specific models - I wanted a Sig 1911 TTT a few years ago, before I was on this forum.  My local guys couldn't find that model, so I had to go online to find one (and I do mean one...I got the only one on gunbroker at the time.) 

 

My tastes have gotten much more specific, and I don't always feel the need to handle something in-store before I make a purchase.  Finding a Sig P220 Elite Dark or West German P228 or whatever other models I have my eyes out for locally can be difficult, so whenever I have the money to buy these, I will try the forum price request first, and if/when I cannot find the models locally, online I will go.

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With the hassle, risk, and expense in shipping, etc. it is probably not worth it for most things to get through Gunbroker, especially since it appears to be that the majority of things are sold on there through dealers and dealers have overhead, etc. and not usually the best prices.  That said, you can sometimes get something cheaper through an out-of-state dealer and have a small savings by the time you are done.  That savings might not be worth the risk, though.  To save $20, I would rather support a local dealer (that is decent to me) and know what I have in hand.  Sometimes the out-of-state dealers on there don't want to deal with NJ, etc. magazine restrictions, etc.  However, sometimes they will work with us US citizens behind the Iron Curtain.  For example, I was able to get something on there that was NJ legal, and had the magazines shipped to my uncle out-of-state because they weren't NJ-legal.  He sold them for me and I used the funds to buy statist-acceptible magazines.  Even if you find something at a great price, by the time you factor in the FLL and shipping charges, typically you will be back to NJ prices. 

 

Gunbroker's value is in helping you to find and acquire things that you cannot find locally, but which you may wind up paying a premium for. 

 

I have used GB a few times and have had smooth transactions, received what I thought I was getting, and had no problems.  I paid fair prices for the items that I got with the exception of one really good local deal.

 

Another way to use it is to buy stuff on there from local vendors and pickup in the shop.  Then you can avoid FFL charges and shipping.  You can get a good deal sometimes if others don't bid on it, especially if it is local and you put a lower bid in.  But you have to be careful, because if the dealer expected it to sell for more, or expected to get a little more from FFL charges, exaggerated shipping charges, etc. it might not be "available" when you go to pick it up, as many ads say that the item is also being sold in the shop and the auction could end anytime.   You have to read the ad carefully as well, because some local dealers will only sell through the mail, especially if they are FFLs out of their home.  You could wind up getting it from a local dealer and still have to pay FFL fees and shipping.

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