Re: Private sale safety
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 8:40 am
1) Police station lobby is almost always a great place to transfer items (even firearms).
2) First option is to buy from someone who has upwards of 200 posts or more on a forum (for online firearm sales), because there is some level of trace that can be applied if anything went wrong.
3) Always deal in cash, never in cashiers checks or travelers checks. Personal checks are OK if you can immediately deposit (like at the bank). Even better (to avoid checks) is to wire the money from one account to another. Usually banks charge about ~$3 for this but the money is transferred as quickly as cash without driving around with thousands. This is the method I would use for 20k+ transactions, like vehicles.
4) Bring a buddy, or at least another set of eyes. The only time I have broken this rule is when buying or selling to/from forum members. Craigslist, bring two set of eyes and a AR-10... lol.
5) Always, ALWAYS do a bill of sale with two copies, and get both signatures on each. If that pistol you just bought was stolen, you HAVE to be able to prove that you did not know at the time. Proving a negative is quite difficult, hence Bill of Sale.
6) If they aren't willing to show ID, don't buy. That includes putting ID number down on paper or taking a photo of it.
If it is a FTF sale and you are a venerable population and alone (aka young woman, disabled, etc), you can ask an officer to step into the lobby and witness the transaction. Knowing the heart of most LEOs, they wouldn't have an issue. Typically, though, there is an officer at the front desk that can visibly see the lobby.
2) First option is to buy from someone who has upwards of 200 posts or more on a forum (for online firearm sales), because there is some level of trace that can be applied if anything went wrong.
3) Always deal in cash, never in cashiers checks or travelers checks. Personal checks are OK if you can immediately deposit (like at the bank). Even better (to avoid checks) is to wire the money from one account to another. Usually banks charge about ~$3 for this but the money is transferred as quickly as cash without driving around with thousands. This is the method I would use for 20k+ transactions, like vehicles.
4) Bring a buddy, or at least another set of eyes. The only time I have broken this rule is when buying or selling to/from forum members. Craigslist, bring two set of eyes and a AR-10... lol.
5) Always, ALWAYS do a bill of sale with two copies, and get both signatures on each. If that pistol you just bought was stolen, you HAVE to be able to prove that you did not know at the time. Proving a negative is quite difficult, hence Bill of Sale.
6) If they aren't willing to show ID, don't buy. That includes putting ID number down on paper or taking a photo of it.
If it is a FTF sale and you are a venerable population and alone (aka young woman, disabled, etc), you can ask an officer to step into the lobby and witness the transaction. Knowing the heart of most LEOs, they wouldn't have an issue. Typically, though, there is an officer at the front desk that can visibly see the lobby.
