The safest payments for guns and ammo

Historically, firearm ecommerce was plagued by fraud and scams.  GunTab was created because there was no safe way for private parties to conduct transactions online.  It continues to be the safest, easiest way to pay.  Don't just take our word for it.  Consider your options.

Check or money order

Checks and money orders (usually USPS money orders) are dangerous for buyers, and can be dangerous for sellers too.

For legitimate buyers, it is ridiculously easily to get ripped off when paying by check or money order.  Think about it.  You're mailing money to a stranger without any security.  At most, you have the seller's reputation to rely on (assuming the person you're talking to actually represents that seller and isn't an imposter).  It's almost effortless for fraudsters to post deals online, receive payment by check or money order, and disappear.

Most sellers don't realize that checks and money orders can also be dangerous for them.  It's easy for fraudsters to print fake checks and money orders.  Even if you wait for the deposit to clear, which takes at least 2 business days, you may not be safe.  In the case of personal checks, you continue to be at risk for months.  If the bank receives a report that the personal check was unauthorized, they can permanently remove the funds from your account.

PayPal, Venmo, etc.

Payment platforms are also unsafe for both buyers and sellers.

All payment platforms strictly prohibit firearm and ammo transactions.  That includes PayPal, Venmo, Square, Zelle, and all the others.  If they learn you are trying to conduct a firearm or ammo transaction, they will seize your funds.  Not just the individual payment, but all the funds in your account, the other person's account, and sometime even your family members' accounts.

But even if they don't catch you, you're at risk.  Buyers have no guarantee they'll get the merchandise.  The seller could withdraw the money from his account and be gone by the time the buyer complains to the payment platform.  Likewise, sellers have no guarantee their payment is safe.  Imagine a disgruntled buyer informing the payment platform you were involved in a firearm or ammo transaction.  Then imagine saying goodbye to your money, because the payment platform would definitely seize it.

GunBroker Pay

GunBroker Pay is not safe for buyers.

GunBroker Pay is only available for GunBroker listings, so GunBroker's Buyer Protection Program always applies.  That means "GunBroker.com will cover up to $500.00 on an item and all claims have a $100.00 deductible."  However, they do not cover shipping cost, transfer fees or sales taxes.  So a buyer who has been defrauded will definitely lose $100, plus everything over $500, plus whatever they paid for shipping, transfer, and sales tax.

Let's say a buyer ordered a $1,200 rifle and paid $50 for shipping, $25 for transfer and $25 for sales taxes, for a total of $1,300.  Then let's say either the shipment never arrives, or arrives damaged.  The buyer requests a refund from the seller, but the seller declines.  So the buyer invokes GunBroker's Buyer Protection Program by paying the $100 deductible.  The buyer has now paid a total of $1,400.  Then the buyer receives the full $500 maximum from GunBroker.  That means the buyer has lost $900 after doing nothing wrong.

Independent credit card processing

Independent credit card processing is quite dangerous for sellers.

Only licensed FFLs can be approved for independent credit card processing.  The irony is, after all the hard work it takes to set up, it's quite dangerous in practice.  Many sellers don't realize that with credit card payments, the seller is responsible for all fraud.  If a fraudster uses a stolen credit card, and the seller ships the item, then the fraudster gets away with the merchandise.  The real cardholder will issue a "chargeback" and the bank will yank that money from the seller's account.  This chargeback problem isn't limited to professional fraudsters, either.  Sometimes ordinary buyers commit "friendly fraud" by issuing a chargeback for an item they simply don't want to pay for anymore (whether they intend to return the merchandise or not).  It happens all the time.

Here is a simple fact: If you accept credit card payments, you are in the fraud mitigation business.  GunTab is in the fraud mitigation business.  Do you want to be?

Cash in person

Cash is not safe for buyers.

Meeting at a house, business, or parking lot for a gun transaction is definitely dangerous for the buyer.  Yes, many of us have done this before.  But it's obviously not a great plan to go somewhere with a pocket full of cash to meet a stranger who promises to be armed.

Who should suffer the risk?

Each of the options above is dangerous in a different way, but they all suffer from one shared flaw: somebody must take a risk.  If the buyer sends the money first, the seller is happy but the buyer is at risk.  If the seller sends the merchandise first, it's the opposite.  So who should go first and take the big risk?  The correct answer: nobody.

GunTab is escrow, so neither side needs to take the risk.  GunTab holds the funds until the merchandise has been delivered.  This way both the buyer and seller can be confident they will receive what was agreed. In fact, GunTab guarantees both sides are fully protected.

Conclusion

We've worked incredibly hard to make GunTab the best choice no matter what other options exist.  Why not try it now to see what it feels like?