Auction FAQs

Bidding/ Buying

• How do I purchase a gun through a Guns.com auction?
  
  
  • Create a Guns.com account.
    • To start bidding and winning, follow the simple steps to create your Guns.com account. You can securely store your payment information, manage your preferred FFL dealer, and keep track of your purchase history all in one place.
  • Start Bidding
    • Browse hundreds of auction listings from local firearm dealers nationwide. Search by gun brand, model, caliber, or scroll through until you find the gun you want to bid on. Our no-reserve policy ensures there's a winner for every auction. Use our Max Bid feature to auto bid on your behalf – we'll automatically make the lowest bid to keep you in the lead.
  • Win and repeat
    • Once you win an auction, you may update your payment and FFL information, pay immediately, or sit back and wait, and we'll automatically bill your credit card on file after 24 hours. Then head back in to Auctions and start bidding again!
• Do I need a Guns.com account in order to bid?

  Yes. do require you setup a secure Guns.com account. Your account stores your preferred FFL, payment method, and purchase history to give you the best online shopping experience.

• Can I purchase Guns.com Auction firearms in my state?

  The following states are not currently able to participate in auctions, and we are actively working to include them as soon as possible. Customers residing in these states may still purchase firearms through our non-auction process: 

  • Massachusetts (MA)
  • Vermont (VT)

  Guns.com Auctions will not be available in the following states due to various laws and regulations:  

  • California (CA)
  • Connecticut (CT)
  • Alaska (AK)
  • Hawaii (HI)
• Why do I have to have an FFL and payment stored before placing a bid?

  With Guns.com Auctions, we strive to make the purchase process as smooth as possible. We save your chosen FFL and payment method so we can process your purchase and get it on its way as quickly as possible on your behalf.

• What is the difference between “Auction” and “Buy Now”?

  With an Auction, you can place bids and compete with other registered buyers. The highest bid at the auction’s close wins. The Buy Now option gives you the ability to purchase the firearm instantly at the listed price without bidding in an auction. The Buy Now option is not available once the auction bidding is within 5% of the Buy Now listed price.

• How does AutoBid work?

  Our AutoBid system simplifies your bidding experience. When placing a bid, simply enter the maximum amount that you’d be willing to pay for that listing. The AutoBid feature will automatically place the lowest bid on your behalf to keep you in the lead  AutoBid will not exceed the maximum bid you set, If the auction exceeds the limit of your maximum AutoBid bid, you will be notified toplace a new bid to continue competing in that listing’s auction.

• What are the auction bid increments that I can expect?

  For auctions with Starting Bids up to $999.99, bid increments are $5. For auctions with Starting Bids of $1,000 or more, bidding increments are $25.

• What is the “15 Minute Rule”?

  The 15 Minute Rule keeps bidding fair and competitive. If someone places a bid within the final 15 minutes of an auction, the auction end time automatically extends by 15 minutes. The auction only closes once 15 minutes have passed with no new bids.

• How can I follow auctions I’m interested in?

  After finding a listing that you love, click “Watch” to add the listing to your Watchlist. After logging into your Guns.com account, you can access your auction watchlist from the Customer Dashboard.

• What if I have a question about the item I want to bid on?

  Each auction listing includes a Questions & Answers section where you can submit questions specific to that item. The seller, whether it’s Guns.com or one of our trusted dealer partners, will review your question and post a public answer if it’s relevant and hasn’t already been addressed.

• What should I expect after I bid?

  Above all else, expect clear, timely communication sent to the email you used to create your account. If you’re outbid, we’ll let you know immediately, so you can jump back in with a new bid. When you win an auction, we’ll notify you of your win, and you’ll have the opportunity to update any of your information including the FFL that we’ll ship to and your payment method.  Finally, your order will be processed and shipped out to the local firearm dealer you’ve designated.

• What happens if I am outbid?

  If you’re outbid immediately after entering your bid, you will see a notification in the bid window on the listing page.

  If you’re in the lead and outbid while away from your phone or computer, we’ll send you an email notification immediately, so you can jump back in with a new bid.

  If you use our AutoBid feature and are outbid, another bidder’s Autobid limit exceeds the AutoBid maximum that you’ve placed on the bid window, you will immediately be notified on the listing page and via email that you’ve been outbid.

  If you hold the leading bid and later get outbid, you will be notified via email and given the opportunity to update your bid on that listing.

• Can I cancel or retract a bid?

  All bids placed are legally binding and may not be cancelled or retracted.

• Can I bid on multiple auctions at once?

  Yes, you may bid on multiple auctions at once.   Just remember that an auction bid is a legally binding commitment to purchase the item should you win the auction.

• Where can I find information about items I have bid on?

  You can find full information about items you’ve bid on as well as bid history for those items in your Customer Dashboard.

• How to read and understand an auction’s bid history?

  Each auction listing provides a link to that items bid history. When you click on the bid history link, you’ll be shown a list of bids in chronological order. Here you can see the date and time of the bid, the first and last letters of the bidder’s email address (the bidder’s information is masked for privacy purposes), the bid amount, and a checkmark if the bid was placed automatically by our AutoBid system.

• I won an auction! What happens next?

  Congratulations on winning a Guns.com Auction!

  There are two simple ways to complete your auction purchase.

  #1 – Let our system take care of everything for you. After 24 hours from the auction close, Guns.com will process your payment method on file. You don’t even have to lift a finger!

  #2 – Upon completion of the auction, you will receive an email notification which includes a link to update your payment and preferred FFL information and complete your purchase.

  Once either of the above scenarios are completed, we’ll ship your auction purchase directly to your chosen FFL. Enjoy!

• What happens if a seller updates the description of an auction?

  Prior to the first bid on a listing, the seller has the ability to update the description of that listing. When updates are made, the listing clearly displays those updates along with the date and time that the updates were provided.

• Where can I find closed auctions and see how much an item sold for?

  Check out our Recently Ended page to see all of the auction listings that have ended in the last 90 days.