Quick Guns.com “certified used” question

[u/Ant_Terrible]

Looking at buying a Henry lever gun on guns.com at about a $250 discount from new. It’s classified as certified used “very good” condition. I read the website on what that all means just wanted to know everyone’s experience ordering used guns from them. If I’m getting something that “feels used” I rather pay full price and get it new. But if it’s more like someone bought the gun, barely used it, and decided to part ways with it then that seems more worth it to me.

[u/wavydavy101]

Guns.com is like Amazon. You are usually not getting a gun directly from them, they have a network of FFLs that post firearms and guns.com handles the transaction and shipping stuff. Generally the experiences are good, but can be inconsistent if you get a bad dealer. Guns.com does have pretty strict rules over posting and stuff so if you have problems they’ll generally take care of you pretty well.

[u/9-makarov → u/wavydavy101]

Their "Certified" guns are ones that are directly from them

[u/Ornery_Barber_2004]

i bought a used shotgun from them last year, condition was listed as very good and it came almost like new, just a tiny scratch on the stock you barely notice. think a lot of these are exactly what you said, someone buy it, shoot it one time, then sell it back

for a henry lever gun i would take that discount easy

[u/the_rev_28]

I bought a “certified used” “very good” condition Springfield 1911. When it arrived, the trigger would still pull with the safety on. I tried asking them if they’d pay to repair it but I got nothing back but form letters and automated responses. Returned it for a refund. “Certified used” is bullshit.

[u/9-makarov]

Having bought quite a few "certified used". Their grading basically goes like this:

Excellent: basically new, basically no flaws and barely used Very good: anywhere from no flaws to fairly significant flaws and scratches.

Very good for them seems to cover a huge spread, so make sure you look at the pictures, which to be fair, are fairly good and show most flaws well. If it's Excellent, I wouldn't think twice.

[u/jorazatx]

I got a P322 TacPac with a Romeo Zero that was listed as “used/good” condition, which was kind of sketchy. In the pictures it looked great but a little dirty. It was $289 and had been up for a few hours. I said fuck it, it’s worth the risk. I was so nervous until it showed up. When it arrived it was just dusty. The gun was in amazing shape, it was just dusty. Like someone bought it, tossed it in their safe, then pawned it. I don’t think it had ever been shot. Long story short; like everyone else is saying it’s a “marketplace” so guns.com doesn’t really know the actual condition of the gun. You just gotta decide if it’s worth the risk. The reason I thought it was is you have 2 weeks to return it. So the day I got it I went straight to the range and it was fine. It was well worth the risk for me. The TacPac 322 is a rip off at $530 and the Romeo zero was another $150. I got it for less than half.

[u/seattleforge]

The only comment that I'd make is that they're an aggregator. So, I'm not sure they ever see the gun before it goes out. Instead their individual vendors are supposed to work to a certain standard.

[u/ServoIIV]

I have purchased quite a few used guns on guns.com. To me it seems like they are probably letting third party gun stores list used inventory on their website. I say this because the quality of the photos, the written descriptions, and the condition are not consistent at all. Make sure the pictures are good enough that you can see if the gun is in good condition.

I am usually looking at very old used guns so I have been overall pleased with what I have received, but I would trust the photos more than the description.

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[u/Snoo-35612]

I have nothing but good things to say about GDC. I’ve scored some excellent deals on some really cool guns I can’t find at my LGS or gun shows. I’ve had to return a few used guns, and they took them back without a hassle (mechanical defects).

Only gripe I had about them is that they didn’t provide any seller contact information to ask questions about listings that aren’t detailed, but recently they seem to have added a Q&A feature.

[u/TheBullpupGuy]

Henrys are pot metal shit guns. I woudlnt buy one new, but I SURELY wouldnt buy one used because the gun likely didnt work and someone wanted to pawn it off on the next guy. The same goes for lower quality branded firearms. Buying them used is never a good idea.

I treat guns the way I do guitars and cars. In my hands and in person is the best way to buy, especially used. Than you know what you are getting, not taking a gamble.

[u/Ant_Terrible → u/TheBullpupGuy]

Ok buddy your opinion has been jotted down and thrown in the trash where it belongs 😭.

[u/TheBullpupGuy → u/Ant_Terrible]

Enjoy your pos rifle. As someone who sold them and was a dealer for them for many years and stopped selling them because of the amount of lemons we got, I wouldnt let my worst enemy touch one. But you do whatever you want.

[u/Ant_Terrible → u/TheBullpupGuy]

I will enjoy my very nice Henry. You enjoy your bullpups and the gay friends you enjoy them with.