GunSnag Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about joining GunSnag, buying and selling, offers, trade listings, trust signals, account security, notifications, and firearm transfers.
Getting started
Is GunSnag invite-only?
No. Anyone who meets the eligibility requirements may register directly. After verifying your email address, you can create classified and Want to Buy listings and contact classified sellers. An invitation can establish an immediate trust connection, but it is not required to join.
What does GunSnag do in a transaction?
GunSnag helps buyers and sellers discover one another, communicate, record listing status, and build a public transaction reputation. GunSnag does not process payments, take possession of an item, act as an escrow service, or decide whether a particular transfer is legal.
Why do some account capabilities unlock gradually?
Public listing activity carries less risk than privately approaching a Want to Buy buyer or inviting another account into the Trust Tree. Verified direct-registration members can list and contact classified sellers immediately. Higher-risk capabilities require an invitation or established marketplace history.
Buying and selling
What is the difference between claiming a listing and making an offer?
“I’ll Take It” claims an active listing at the seller’s stated terms and moves it to Sold Pending Funds. If a seller enables offers, a qualified buyer may instead propose a price. The seller can accept, reject, or counter; an accepted offer becomes the transaction price and claims the listing.
What is a trade-only listing?
A trade-only listing invites non-cash proposals instead of purchase offers. The seller describes what they are seeking, and interested members contact the seller to work out the details. Because GunSnag does not evaluate or facilitate the exchange, both parties remain responsible for lawful transfer and fair dealing.
What are Want to Buy listings?
A Want to Buy, or WTB, listing lets a member describe an item they hope to find and name a desired price — what they would like to pay, not a ceiling; offers either side of it are normal. Any member who can create listings may respond by sending a listing of their own, including one created privately for that request. Direct messages to the buyer remain reserved for invited or established members. WTB listings can also be watched and matched against newly posted classifieds.
How should a seller close a listing?
Mark the listing Sold when the transaction is complete, or Withdrawn when the item is no longer available without a GunSnag sale. For a cash sale, GunSnag asks for the actual final price. Trades and bundles are recorded as non-comparable outcomes rather than being assigned a misleading cash value.
Are sold prices public?
Yes, confirmed sold prices may appear in marketplace summaries, category price guides, and email digests. Older listings backfilled from their final asking price are clearly labeled as historical estimates. Trade and bundle outcomes do not receive a made-up cash value, and participant-only transaction details remain private.
Trust and safety
What do Trust Scores and the Trust Tree mean?
They summarize GunSnag history such as completed transactions, feedback, and invitation relationships. They are evidence, not identity verification or a guarantee. A new member may simply have no GunSnag track record yet, while a strong score still does not replace ordinary care and lawful transfer practices.
What is Proof of Life?
Proof of Life lets a seller photograph the listed item with a listing-specific challenge. A current proof raises confidence that the seller possessed the item when the proof was submitted. It is one trust signal—not an authentication of identity, item condition, or legal ownership.
What does verified external reputation mean?
GunSnag administrators can verify that a member controls a named profile on another marketplace and display selected reputation evidence from it. Verification confirms control of that external profile at a point in time; it does not endorse the member or guarantee a transaction.
When is multi-factor authentication required?
MFA is optional for ordinary browsing, for buying, and for publishing classified or Want to Buy listings. It becomes required for verified Vendor accounts, when an account uses a capability that acts on someone else — generating invitations, or messaging a Want to Buy buyer — and once an account earns a trusted reputation, because a trusted account is the kind worth stealing. GunSnag explains the first reason that triggered enrollment and provides recovery codes during setup.
How do I set up MFA on the same phone?
Start the authenticator setup, then use Copy setup key instead of trying to scan the QR code on your own screen. In your authenticator app, add an account using Enter setup key or Manual entry, paste the key, and return to GunSnag to enter the six-digit code. Treat both the QR code and setup key like passwords: do not keep screenshots or unprotected copies, and never share them.
Can I get MFA codes by email?
Yes. Emailed codes are deliberately the weakest of the available factors, because an inbox may be protected by only another password and is also the channel used for account recovery — if it is compromised, an emailed code is not a fully independent second factor. An authenticator app or a passkey is generated or held on your own device and is meaningfully stronger, so GunSnag recommends one of those where you can use them. If a stronger factor is required for your account, GunSnag tells you during setup. One-time recovery codes are issued as well, in case your device becomes unavailable.
How do I report suspicious content or conduct?
Use the Report action on a classified listing or listing comment so the concern enters the administration queue with the relevant context. For account, transaction, or safety concerns that do not fit those reports, contact GunSnag directly. Do not proceed with a transaction that feels wrong.
Alerts and communication
How can I hear about listings I care about?
You can watch individual listings, sellers, and categories. You can also save a filtered classified search and enable immediate matching alerts. Notification channels are configurable, and the weekly marketplace digest is only sent when enough new content qualifies.
Does GunSnag store private messages?
Yes. Messages sent through GunSnag are stored so the conversation can be read in your account, and that conversation is the authoritative record of the exchange — email and push notifications only tell you a message is waiting. Contents are encrypted at rest with a dedicated key, but they are not end-to-end encrypted: GunSnag is able to read them, and does so for specific reasons only — a reported message, an investigation into an abuse, fraud, or dispute report, or a valid legal request. Private messages are not read routinely. A conversation is kept for up to two years after its most recent message and is then permanently deleted; sending a new message keeps it active. Deleting a message removes it from your own view. While a report about a message is still open, or if it has been kept for an investigation, that message is held so evidence of abuse cannot be erased; once the report is closed without being kept, the message returns to the ordinary deletion and retention schedule.
Legal transfers
Does GunSnag arrange FFL transfers or background checks?
No. Buyers and sellers are responsible for determining and following every applicable federal, state, and local requirement, including FFL, background-check, interstate-transfer, waiting-period, and recordkeeping rules. GunSnag does not provide legal advice or verify transaction compliance.
Can I buy and sell ammunition here?
Yes, ammunition is a supported category. It carries its own rules on top of the usual ones, and they are the buyer's and seller's responsibility in exactly the same way. Age limits differ by type — federally you must be 21 to buy handgun ammunition from a dealer, 18 for rifle and shotgun ammunition. Several states add requirements of their own: California requires a face-to-face transfer through a licensed vendor, New York runs ammunition purchases through a background-check system, Illinois requires a valid FOID card, and some states require ammunition to be shipped to an FFL rather than to a residence. Magazine-capacity limits also vary by state. Carriers impose their own restrictions, and ammunition generally cannot travel by air. Check what applies where both parties are located before agreeing to a sale. GunSnag does not verify eligibility or transaction compliance, and nothing here is legal advice.
What should I do if I am unsure whether a transfer is lawful?
Pause the transaction and consult a qualified attorney, the appropriate government authority, or a licensed dealer familiar with the jurisdictions involved. Do not rely on another marketplace member or GunSnag for legal advice.