RIA this weekend

[Geo99]

I wouldn't say it's hard to return an item - I would say it is impossible.
Auctions are auctions - I would never expect to be able to return anything. That's why I get the auction house on the phone with gun in hand and ask them questions about it. And after all that, you still have to bid low so you don't get ripped off from some hidden problem they missed.

The fee is 15% as long as you pay cash or check. All the other fees are waived. I always bid low with the 15% fee in mind too.

There is a newer auction now "Carol Watson's Orange Coast Auction". They only charge 12%
(did I just say ONLY?).

Yes, it was the name "o***e". If that means "on site", then I may have misunderstood. But when I was bidding on Friday, I was on the phone with a live agent. Every time I lost one, she told me it was the same guy in the back who won. Maybe I just had a run of bad experience with wanting the same stuff as this guy. Anyway the whole thing was an eye-opener.

- Geo

[alvin]

Originally Posted by Geo99

I wouldn't say it's hard to return an item - I would say it is impossible.

That's the biggest problem. Auction house sells thousands of guns each time. It's impossible for them to pay attention to everything. I save my $$ for many months to buy a nice gun of a few grands, but gun like that is nothing for them.... they did not even bother to disassemble it to check for correctness. For exterior finish, I bet they did not pay attention to many details on everything. No time to do that. Sold as is. If they grant buyer 3-day inspection, world will be different. I heard people successfully returned a rare bolt action rifle back. But that must be very exceptional case.

Viewing from another angle -- if an individual lists a gun asking a few thousand, posting one or two pictures in ad, and long text describing gun's standard features, will it sell? Most likely not. But for auction house, that's business as usual.

[lew1]

Originally Posted by Geo99

I wouldn't say it's hard to return an item - I would say it is impossible.
.

I have a friend who has been able to return a couple of items to RIA - but - he is a very good customer. But for the rest of the 99.99 percent it is impossible.