Many collectors elect to buy or sell and have handguns shipped for inspection. I strongly recommend a buyer to insist on at least a three (3)-business day (M-F) inspection period with a return privilege which allows the handgun to be returned, for any reason, via U.S. Registered Mail, insured for the full purchase price.
I have extensive experience examining handguns for the purpose of determining whether they appear to be original finish and correct as manufactured. I encourage those considering this Buyer/Seller Inspection Solution to register and subscribe to the site, in order to have access to the Gallery and see examples of nearly 325 collectibles I have purchased and/or inspected. Feel free to contact me for references.
Here is a Parkerized Colt M1911A1 many collectors might have rejected because of a rarely seen anomaly. Many would think there is something "wrong" with this pistol. It simply lacks the finger clearance cutout in the receiver one the left side...right under the G.H.D. final inspection mark, which signifies the pistol was accepted by the Ordnance Department. See this and many other rare and unique pistols in the Gallery.
The Buyer/Seller Inspections Solution is intended to provide a low cost, in-hand physical inspection and opinion by an experienced collector prior to making a final decision regarding the sale or purchase of an item. It requires the handgun to be shipped pre-paid with tracking information, to our 01 FFL dealer, who will then contact me to provide the in-hand inspection.
Upon completion of the inspection, I will e-mail you through this site and report the results of the inspection. I will also forward a hard copy of the Buyer/Seller Inspection to the Subscriber via U.S. Certified Mail.
With this Solution, I will field strip the handgun (if applicable) and provide an opinion in the form of a yes/no answer as to the originality of the finish and whether or not I believe all parts visible in the inspection are correct and original to the piece. Upon completion of the inspection and report, I will at the Subscriber’s discretion, arrange to have the handgun shipped on to the buyer, or back to the seller via U.S. Registered Mail, by our 01 FFL dealer.
The pricing listed for this Solution includes the cost of the Buyer/Seller Inspection and offering the opinion via e-mail through the site. It includes one trip to the 01 FFL’s shop and the cost for the dealer transfers to receive and ship the handgun. It does NOT include the cost of shipping and insurance via U.S. Registered Mail. Shipping and insurance costs vary, depending on the item shipped, value and shipping destination.
You must notify me for approval prior to having a handgun shipped to my 01 FFL for inspection. At that time, we will determine the total cost for shipping. Once shipping and insurance charges are determined, you must pre-pay the charges prior to my 01 FFL shipping the handgun to the buyer or back to the seller after I complete the inspection.