Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Did I do wrong?

I offered a trade deal on a gun to someone. He turned down the deal and I said it was just bad timing for me because I hadn't had time to recover my play money fund from some recent purchases.

The guy then offered to sell me the gun on payments with about half down. I would send the payment and he would send the gun and I would pay the rest within 4 months. I spoke on the phone and all seemed fine. We were about to do the deal when he asked me to send the money order payment in his wife's name.

Maybe I'm too paranoid but I told him I would have to pass on the deal. I feel bad because I feel like I broke my word on a deal. AT the same time I feel a bit relieved. The guy may be the most honest and trusting person in the world but both the offer of selling on payments and sending payment in his wife's name sent up paranoia flags for me.

Did I do wrong by breaking my word? Should I have dismissed my paranoia and distrust?

You did right.

Yep. You did right. If something seems wrong, it probably is.

KC

did not sound right, when he wanted the money order in his wife's name.

Maybe there is an issue in the house hold.

He said he spends so much on guns and such that he wanted her to get the money when he sells one. I figured me might have thought it could hurt his social security.

I felt bad about not doing the deal but both selling it to a stranger on payments and wanting the MO in the wife's name made me feel too paranoid to do it.

It was not paranoia .... You did right.

If you don't have the cash to pay for a gun, you shouldn't be buying one to begin with.

One makes payments on necessities, not toys

I would only do that on a face to face basis with someone I was personally familiar with. If the guy is willing to give a gun up for half price and trust you, I would be suspicious.

You did the right thing.

I completely agree. That's why I set aside a portion of income for toys and hunts.I call it my play fund. I have plenty of money in other accounts including a years emergency fund and retirement.

I just only spend play money out of my play fund. I usually put about $200 a month in that account. I told the guy that it was bad timing because I hadn't built up my play money account enough from a recent purchase enough to just pay cash. That's why I offered a trade plus cash and that's when he offered a payment plan.

Common sense is not paranoia.

Something doesn't smell right. Something like that would make me wonder if ownership of the gun were ... shaky. Stolen, maybe. Or being held in lieu of a debt and might get reported stolen later.

Seems to me that you might be the (too) honest and (too) trusting one, not him. It could have been fine but the door was open for you to be in a lot of trouble and/or out the money.

You did the wise thing.

BS. He could just sell it and buy the wife what she wants or give her the money to play with.

Something ain't right, based on the info you provided.

Sounds like he probably isn't legally able to own the gun (i.e. felon) and didn't want a money order with "gun" in the memo line with his name on it...

Everything I said is exactly what happened. I apologized in the nicest way I knew about not doing the deal. Now he is mad and calling me names.

I appreciate all the confirmations from you guys that I wasn't just being unreasonable by withdrawing from the deal. I really hate to break my word but I feel like he changed the terms of our agreement. I never thought about asking who I would send payment to before agreeing to the deal.

Not an accusation of any kind, RH. Apologies if that's how it came across.

These opinions are based on the info you provided and have nothing else to go on, didn't listen to your conversation (but the NSA recorded it), and didn't talk to the seller.

Could be a felon using the wife as a straw man. You did good.

You did right, what his reasons for this were who knows. I suspect he was going to tell his wife that was all he got for it and keep the payments that you would have given him.

No offense taken at all. I still think he is likely an honest man. I just wanted to know if others would have been as cautious and suspicious as I was in this deal.

If he is calling you names then he is probably pizzed because he is desperate. Let him sell the thing to someone else. Go about your affairs and i ignore him. The deal changed when he wanted you to send the money to his wife. If there wasnt something fishy then he could have just gave the money to his wife when he received it. Could be anything but regardless not your issue but his.