How to handle payments on Tacswap

Tacswap is an increasingly popular place to post guns and accessories for sale.  Like Armslist, it uses a "classified ad" approach. However, its design is much cleaner and more fun to use.  It's also generally cheaper than Armslist and GunBroker, with a fee of just $10 per year (was a $5 signup fee until February 2023). Unsurprisingly, Tacswap is growing quickly. But there is  one aspect where Tacswap is behind the curve: their payment advice.

Tacswap suggests using PayPal for payments, even for transactions that violate PayPal's policy. That puts you at risk of having your PayPal fund seized, and your account permanently banned. But you don't need to put your money at risk.  There is a much safer way.

What Tacswap suggests for payments

Tacswap is a marketplace.  It helps buyers and sellers find each other, but doesn't help with the actual transactions.  To quote Tacswap from their FAQ page:

Once you have contacted a user through the messaging system it is up to the two parties to arrange their trusted method of payment and transaction exchange.  Tacswap advises using only secured method of payments and does not provide any payment protection between transactions.

That's good advice.  Most firearm-friendly payment methods are not secured methods, which is why there is so much fraud with online firearm transactions. However, not all of Tacswap's advice is good.

On Tacswap's "Best Practices" page, they suggest using PayPal for payments.  That's a big mistake.  PayPal explicitly prohibits transactions for firearms, ammunition, and many accessories.  If it catches you, it will seize all the funds in your account and permanently ban you.  That is why Tacswap offers guidance on how to violate PayPal's terms without being detected:

Always use a secure payment method with purchase protection/guarantee such as PayPal Goods & Services. ... If using PayPal we suggest you NOT write anything gun related in PayPal payments. If you absolutely must write a comment, say something generic like "outdoor equipment". Anything gun related can get the seller's PayPal account banned. It does not matter if it's Friends and Family or Goods & Services or if you don't file a claim, they will consider it a violation of their TOS.

Yes, it is possible to violate PayPal's terms without being detected.  But even if you do, there are other risks to worry about.  For example, the buyer can still be ripped off.  If the seller is a scammer, PayPal won't help the buyer recover the funds.  PayPal is clear that "PayPal Buyer Protection does not cover ... Products that violate PayPal policies".  Also, if the buyer or seller ends up disgruntled about the transaction, they can take the nuclear option and deliberately report the transaction to PayPal as a violation.  PayPal will suspend both accounts and seize all funds.  It's simple: using PayPal for guns or ammo is dangerous.

Tacswap suggests PayPal because it was a common choice years ago, before there was an alternative.  Yes, it was dangerous back then too.  But many people were willing to take the risk because there was no better way.  Since 2015 there has been a much better way. And it's cheaper, too.

The only safe payments on Tacswap

GunTab is the only safe way to pay for firearms, ammunition, and accessories online.  It costs 2.9% per transaction – less than PayPal.  But it is much better than PayPal.

First, GunTab is safer because it is escrow – it holds the funds until the merchandise has been delivered.  So unlike PayPal, there is never a question of whether a buyer qualifies for buyer protection – all buyers are protected, and sellers too.  Second, GunTab is more helpful because it includes features like FFL search, shipment tracking, and regulatory guidance.  Most importantly, GunTab is better because it is a member of the gun community, not the California anti-gun mob like PayPal.

How to use GunTab on Tacswap

It's easy to use GunTab for your Tacswap transactions. Just open a free GunTab account. If you're a buyer, you can use GunTab send "payment offers" for free. If you're a seller, you can use GunTab to send "payment requests" for free. There's no risk – GunTab only charges its service fee if your transaction is successful, and you're guaranteed to be safe.

If you're a seller who wants to add GunTab links to your listings, try GunTab Checkout. Simply copy-paste your "HTML snippet" into your Tacswap listings, and buyers will be able to pay you automatically.

Integration coming soon

We're in touch with Tacswap about integrating GunTab as a payment option for sellers. Right now, their plan is to add a GunTab integration in Q3 of 2023, somewhere between July and September. We're thrilled about collaborating to offer Tacswap users safe, easy transaction payments.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the choice is yours.  If you want to put your money at risk with PayPal, you can.  Or you can pay less, be safer, and be happier with GunTab.

It's completely free to open an account with GunTab – try it now.