doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Alternatives to GunsAmerica.grrrrrrrr....

A while back someone listed another gun selling site that was recommended as a replacement for the new-improved piece-of-crap GunsAmerica... I don't what an Auction site, just a straight sale site.(I know I can use Dave's site here but I'm not selling doubles..)

Add me to the list of former GA users who are furious over the trashing of that site by its owner. Before the "improvements" I used to check it once a day to see whether any guns of the type I am interested in had been listed. After the big change, I became so frustrated that I decided that I would only try to search it once or twice a week. So, of course, two weeks ago I found a gun that I wanted a lot--- but I found it one day too late. Another buyer had beaten me to it.

It is my understanding that there are two new brokerage sites in the works. One is supposed to appear very soon, the other sometime in April. I am really hoping that these new sites bury the new GA. That is the fate it deserves.

Try this on GA:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/OldHomepage.aspx
Saying the truth the Old GA Home Page was a real mess.

I must admit, when GunsAmerica first changed over to their new format, I was very frustrated and came close to throwing in the towel. However, I have continued to visit the site and have learned to get around as well as I did with the old format. There are even a couple of small improvements. I guess if I put forth the same amount of effort, I could learn to turn our T.V. off and on and change the channels without my wife's help!

It's not as bad as it was, but I much preferred the old format with its multitude of search categories. Like learning to walk with a pebble in my shoe, I can manage but have to walk funny to get around. In any case, sure beats the old pre-internet days of gun shopping. Oh well.

The site is not entirely user friendly but is navigable with some effort. They do have some glitches which they seem to be having trouble ironing out. Their biggest problem is that when a gun is listed it does not always appear if you are searching a general category, eg. Ithaca, Parker, etc. There also seems to be a problem in removing a gun once it is sold. Expiring the listing after so many days is probably a step in the right direction. I think that the drawback to starting an alternative "classified" or "brokerage" site is how do you get your money. I am sure that GA does not get all the money due them under the honor system.

The photos are too small - you can't see anything well enough to determine a gun's condition. The new format sucks, IMHO.

A bit off topic, but when did 'sucks' change from profane to colloquial? It left the jobsite and now frequents all converstion. Most of you guys are old enough to know what the word really means.

Hansli,
I teach middle school science. Image trying to convince the students of today not to use that language without going into too much detail as to the reason. Even some of my younger co-workers use the term frequently. Such is the evolution of language I guess.
But we digress....
Back to trashing GA.
Lou M

Looks that way, Lou, but we're all at or near a certain age long gone from middle or jr. high school.

I mentioned in another post that I had sent GA an e-mail, telling them how much I disliked the new program. They replied in a manner that suggested they were really interested in my input. I'd urge everyone who dislikes it to tell them so. Maybe they'll go back to the old program, which I liked very much.
DO IT!

As to the loose use of language that has a vulgar origin, I called our local radio station to inform the yokels, who were using the term "Brownie points" on the air. I tried to 'splain the term came from "Brown-nosing", which doesn't need further explanation. The naive local idiot replied, "Oh no, I think(not likely, or often! This is Utah.) the term refers to the rewards Brownies(junior Girl Scouts) earn by doing good deeds. Dr. Laura also uses the term frequently on the air. Ditto for "sucks".

Hansli makes an observation about "sucks" and says most of us are old enough to know what it means.
Well, my understanding is that the younger generation knows what it means a whole lot better than we did. I am told and read that what it means is practiced regularly as early as junior high. I am way too old. That sorta sucks. Jake

Jim, I grew up in Utah and still own real estate there. Where are you there? Drop me a note. jakearoo(at)cox.net

All-
I'm mentally capable of navigating the New GunsAmerica....It's trying to post a gun for sale that has me ready to never use the Site again...... I spent over 1 hour trying to put in the description and pictures only to have random 'errors' continually wipe out everything and requiring me repeat again...4 times.!!!... I finally got the gun in but with only 1 picture...the word 'sucks' is mild compared with some of the language I was using.....

I had that same experience Doug.....my time is too valuable, I gave up.
Steve

I had the same experience with pics.We just happened to have an IT guy in the office that day and he said I needed a pic resizer to fit their format.He down loaded the software and I resized the pics and bingo.The odds of me getting it done--zero !!!

Had a couple of bad experiences there, and the mess with the new format is likely the last straw.

They've repeatedly dunned me for a bill I'd already paid.

Their new format has made it impossible to post an ad if you've got a maker not on their list, or an unknown one. At best its a lengthy process.

And finally, last month I was the intended victim of a Nigerian scam artist, working through GunsAmerica. They had dozens of reasons he "might" be a legitimate customer, and even after a forged (poorly done) certified check arrived and the bank security department started working on the case GunsAmerica dragged their feet on banning "Larry Collins".

Time for someone sharper than the GA people to set up a decent guns classified site.

I took Jim's suggestion and wrote them a nice, fairly lengthly but very respectful note on why I didn't like the new site. The only response: "Look again." No thanks.

After reading this post I see some members have successfully navigated GA. I wish I could be included. I used to check GA 3 or 4 times a day. I might check it once a day now and usually with no success. Before, I used to check The Parker and American doubles categories. All I wanted was the newest listings(which were marked) in each category. If anyone can advise me how to do this with the new GA I would appreciate it. Thanks.

There is an alternative to GA!! http://www.gunsinternational.com should be up and running in a few days. Been in through a back door and the site should be great.

Sowega, Navigating GA is not nearly as difficult as most of these guys are making it out to be. It does work, albeit very slowly. They do have some glitches...which seem to vary from day to day. When the home page comes up there should be a box in which you can enter the category you wish to search and another box that lets you choose the number of days; eg, 3,7,14 etc. If that is not the case click on Advanced Search and try that. Their basic problem is that you never seem to get the same list of guns in a given category each time. If you click on Ithaca for instance you will get 241 guns. If you click on Ithaca M37's you will get 10 guns but some guns that do not appear in the general category. The next day is a whole new ball game.

What I wonder is,if the new system isn't working and is taking them down,why is impossible to go back? Is the old programming totally dumped? can't be rewritten? I know nothing about programming,except lots of people make big bucks to make it work.
If we have a new transmission put in our vehicles and it doesn't work we either have it fixed/replaced or scrap out the vehicle
DUH!
Mike B.

Their new system does work. Does it work as well as it should...no. In some ways its better...and in some ways not as good. $$$ can fix any techinal problem...if you have the $$$. I think the $$$ are the problem. I do not see how you can run a business on the honor system and make money. At least give it a chance since the alternatives are much worse. Maybe a lot of the guns listed on GA are overpriced, but the price is negotiable and there is a 3 day right of inspection which you don't get on the auction sites. It has been my unfortunate experience that a lot of the guns sold on AA and GB are guns that the sellers could not sell at Gun Shows or with an inspection period owing to defects which they can pawn off on the auction sites. JMHO.

Regarding inspection periods. There are sellers on all auction sites that offer them, and would make a buyer more likely to buy. In reality, all internet gun exchanges are based on feedback and honor. I'm sure GA has no way of enforcing any of their rules, they rely on the honesty of their sellers to get paid, for Pete's sake. GA has no feedback system I'm aware of and that is some help in deciding whether you want to do business. My buying and selling experience has been good. I find most gun people to be decent types. You must rely on your street smarts and not be risk averse to deal over the net, though. GA has made some improvements, but for the life of me I haven't been able to list anything without losing it. You better make it easy to use or your clientele will go elsewhere.