Sadly, fraud and other unethical behaviour is commonplace these days and we urge all Users to exercise the necessary discretion, caution and due diligence when dealing with Buyers and Sellers alike.

Some common sense best practise suggestions are:

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask questions until you are satisfied.
• Avoid giving out personal information that isn’t absolutely necessary.
• Never provide Credit Card Numbers or Pin Numbers.
• Never release goods until payment has been verified and reflected in Your bank account. (And make sure it isn’t a cheque deposit which can be reversed.)
• If meeting the Buyer or Seller, make sure to do so in a public place and preferably not alone. A firearm dealership or shooting range is advised if it is firearm related.
• Try to avoid ever meeting a stranger at Your home or place of work. This is especially relevant when it comes to someone knowing that You own and most likely store a firearm at Your home.
• If someone insists on meeting at Your home or place of work or if anything doesn’t feel right, move on. You cannot be too cautious and you will find another Buyer or Seller soon enough.
•  Trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right or seems too good to be true, it probably is. Move on and report it to support@gunfinder.co.za. (Or the Police if necessary.)
• When Buying an item, make sure of the the condition. Ask for additional photos if necessary.
• If the item is out of town, try and have someone impartial view the item on your behalf to verify the item and it’s condition before completing the purchase and paying over money.
• Verify as much information as possible in order to minimise the chances of anything not being as it seems or is purported to be.
• Draw up a sales agreement and have the other party sign it, have it witnessed and certified at a Police Station and provide a certified copy of their ID.
• Once you have satisfied yourself that all your questions are answered and you want to go ahead, if you haven’t already done so, speak to the Buyer or Seller telephonically. It is much harder to be convincing when speaking on the phone and answering questions as opposed to via email or other written forms of communication.
• When purchasing a used firearm, try and test fire the firearm before purchasing it if at all possible.
• If at all possible, let your local firearm dealership or gunsmith inspect the firearm for condition, rust, functionality, defects and authenticity.
• If purchasing a firearm, make sure to ask about and confirm the license status. Make sure that the firearm is either currently on Dealer Stock or, if it is privately owned and licensed, that the license is valid and has more than 90 days until it expires in order to give you enough time to submit the new license application or to transfer the firearm onto a Firearm Dealer’s stock more than 90 days before the license expiration date. The last thing you want to do is pay for something that you cannot license and no firearm dealership can accept.
• Make sure that the firearm and the license serial numbers match.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at support@gunfinder.co.za to report any suspicious activity or with any suggestions on how to make Gunfinder SA as safe and user friendly as possible.