What happened to Auction Arms?

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Auction Arms Logo

I was recently asked, “What happened to auction arms?” Auctionarms.com was an early firearms auction site, and is currently a defunct domain name. However, those unfamiliar will be pleased to know that auctionarms.com evolved into gunauction.com. According to the Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) auctionarms.com has been redirecting to gunauction.com since August 8, 2011. In fact, the homepage of gunauction.com still has the following message, to hopefully alleviate confusion.

“GunAuction.com is the oldest auction website for guns online. Originally called Auction Arms and started in 1998, GunAuction.com is a great place to buy and sell guns, research gun prices, and stay informed on all the latest cool gun stuff.”

It’s uncertain why the transition occurred, especially since the old Auction Arms page had a large homepage banner declaring it “The Official Auction Website of the NRA,” but seemingly little other than a better domain name has changed. Currently, gunauction.com is a direct competitor to places like Gunbroker.com and GunsAmerica.com I remember checking the listing fees for Auction Arms (now Gun Auction), and they had a page where you can go calculate their fee vs. their competitor’s fee for the same listing. They never mention this competitor specifically, but it was almost certainly Gun Broker.

Each of those gun auction companies is a “do-it-yourself” EBay type of site for guns. Gun Auction can be a fine place to list a gun for sale, especially if you have a very common gun like a Glock 17 or Ruger LCP 380. Those are guns with a very well-known value. Rock Island Auction Company is very different from what those sites do.

While RIAC is very happy to help you with any type of gun you want to sell, we are a full service, hands on, gun auction company. It is the services we offer and connections to buyers around the world that quite often results in more money for our consignors for antique, curio & relic, and many modern firearms. Take a look at one of our recent blogs on the subject of selling guns online.

At Rock Island Auction Company, firearms is all we do. We are not like many other auction houses that happen to sell firearms in addition to selling antique toys, lamps, coins, and signs. We “auction arms” or, if you prefer, host “gun auctions” and related items only. As a full service auction company, when we offer your firearms on consignment, we take care of everything: professional photography, specialist review on every gun, and written description and condition statement or condition grade.

In the time before auction, our graphics department is not only creating our own auction catalog, but dozens of custom advertisements for print magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and banners for internet advertising and gun forums. After the sale, we also take care of securely packaging and shipping the item, as well as ensuring all state laws are followed regardless where the buyer is located. Finally, after the auction is completed, we send you a check or direct deposit for your sales. If you are interested in auctioning your arms, contact us today.

Another advantage at Rock Island Auction Company is the full-time Interactive Production Manager who writes newsletters and blogs featuring many guns in the auction. They also make daily posts to all of our social media outlets, including videos for our YouTube Channel.

RIAC holds three different types of auctions. View our full gun auction schedule here.

Premier Auctions: These are three-day sales and feature some of the finest firearms in the world. Here you can view our top 50 selling items during the last 5 years.

Sporting & Collector Auctions: These are huge four day auctions many times exceeding 10,000 guns. They feature shooters, sporting arms and beginning collectors firearms.

Arms & Accessories Day Auctions: These sales last one day and feature shooters, sporting arms, gun parts, scopes, and many other related items.

Starting in 2019 we are holding at least one gun auction each month, click here to view the current gun auction catalog.

If you are interested in Auctioning your Arms, contact us today.

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Rock Island Auction
7819 42nd Street West
Rock Island, Illinois 61201 USA

1-309-797-1500