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GunBroker Buyer's Protection Program: buyers always lose

Buyers always lose money to scammers, even when GunBroker approves their claims.

The loss curve

Under the GunBroker Buyer's Protection Program, buyers always lose between 20% and 100% of their payment to scammers. Buyers lose over 80% of their payment at most price points:

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The curve is under-stated because it does not include shipping, insurance, and sales tax. The Program never covers those losses.

Incomplete coverage

The GunBroker Buyer's Protection Program is quite limited:

If you pay less than $100, you lose everything. If you pay more than $100, you lose at least $100. You may lose your entire payment, because GunBroker may not approve your claim.

It's also worth noting the Buyer's Protection Program does not protect sellers. GunBroker sellers are vulnerable to chargebacks and various scams.

Not all claims approved

GunBroker often denies claims for Buyer Protection. For example, GunBroker won't approve any claim where payment was made by Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, etc.

See our case study of two GunBroker scams by the same scammer. One buyer relied on the GunBroker Buyer's Protection Program, but GunBroker denied his claim. He lost his entire payment. (The other buyer relied on GunTab, and lost nothing.)

Hypothetical scenarios

Analyze how much you will lose to a scammer if you rely on the GunBroker Buyer's Protection Program. You will always lose between 20% and 100% of your payment.

Scenario If GunBroker denies claim If GunBroker approves claim If using GunTab
   $100 price
+ $10 shipping
+ $9 sales tax
= $119 paid



   $119 lost  (100%)
   $100 protected
– $100 deductible
= $0 reimbursed
   $119 lost  (100%)



Zero lost
   $500 price
+ $0 shipping
+ $0 sales tax
= $500 paid



   $500 lost  (100%)
   $500 protected
– $100 deductible
= $4000 reimbursed
   $100 lost  (20%)



Zero lost
   $1,000 price
+ $40 shipping
+ $82 sales tax
= $1,122 paid



   $1,122 lost  (100%)
   $500 protected
– $100 deductible
= $400 reimbursed
   $722 lost  (64%)



Zero lost
   $4,000 price
+ $50 shipping
+ $204 sales tax
= $4,254 paid



   $4,254 lost  (100%)
   $500 protected
– $100 deductible
= $400 reimbursed
   $3,854 lost  (91%)



Zero lost

Quotes from actual GunBroker users

The following quotes are from actual GunBroker users across many years. These comments were posted on various websites, including GunBroker's own forum:

GunTab offers the only safe online payments for guns, ammo, and more.