Is it just me?

[GeauxLSU]

Sounds reasonable. I guess my biggest problem with it was that it seemed so counter intuitive in my mind to not see it work before buying it. I am from a rural area so if I was selling a firearm to someone I could take them in my backyard and let them shoot off a few rounds so that they could see everything is in working order. Now that I know that its not the norm here, I guess its not really a big deal but my initial gut reaction to him saying no to me firing it first just seemed really strange.

You ask a very reasonable question and an equally reasonable seller would attempt to accommodate your request. As you've figured out however, it is much more common to NOT fire a weapon for function here as in most all gun shops. That's unfortunate in that it would seem to be an advantage of buying from a private seller. I'm like you in that it doesn't seem too much to ask (other than the added hassle). If I buy a gun and it does not function properly and I feel the seller knew or should have known it, I'll give him the chance to make it right. I'm not going to go to them 6 months later saying "Hey I finally got around to firing this and....." but within days. If he chooses to not make good on his word (assuming he said it was in working order) I'll simply let it be known publicly and not deal with the person again. Many people on here do not subscribe to that and get run over by dishonest people which is certainly their prerogative but worse won't warn others. Everybody deals with things their own way. I deal with people honorably and expect the same.
If I'm selling the buyer is free to fire it (assuming it's not a previously unfired weapon) a few times with any factory ammo he's brought along and depending on his attitude I may not even require him to purchase if he's unhappy with it for any reason. But he's going to clean it right there. No one has ever asked, nor have I. So far in the limited deals done, I had one issue but I'm confident (enough) the seller wasn't intentionally dishonest.
Good luck with your purchase. I suspect it will be fine. And welcome.

 

[JkEnder]

Never asked for a function check, never had a problem. I would never knowingly sell something that was non functional, and I would do anything I could, within reason, to make it right if a weapon I sold ended up having an issue I was not aware of. I can understand a sellers reticence for reasons other than dishonesty. Besides, if the weapon ends up having an undisclosed issue, that's what negative feedback is for. I'm pretty sure that's one of the few circumstances where you could get a neg to stick.

 

[webicknell]

I did buy a milsurp rifle off of GunBroker that ended up with a bad barrel.... (Italian Cercano) This is now eye candy at my son's home.
Never tried Craigslist.. And won't... All I got from Armslist were fine.... (only do FTF deals with ArmsList... Too many Scams...

Done many deals on ODT... All have been as expected, function test, yes, test fire, never....

Any long term member with a good rating will want to keep that rating... You be reasonable, they will be reasonable....

When I do a deal, it may be a weekend or a lunch hour during the week... My goal is to get it done and move on... Not take 30-35 minutes to go to a gun range... I am talking as a Buyer or a Seller....

You will find very trustworthy folks on this site... a Community here... Do this deal, go home, take it to the range to test... then enjoy your new prize...

 

[medium187mph]

I'd say the long timers are GTG and in most cases have honor and integrity.

IT's the new guy's with no feedback that i'm weery about.... just saying.

 

[Staygold]

If he's got 50+ positive feedback, said he's previously fired the weapon with no issues! and I want it. Yes, deal

 

[nadroj1485]

Seller stated the gun worked when he put it in the safe. Why would you believe it might not when you bought it? Sitting in a safe or storage will not harm a gun unless rust or something. I'm with the rest of these guys, if you are not familiar enough with said firearm to inspect at the scene for function ability then you don't need to be trading for that gun. That being said you should disassembled, clean and inspect again when you get it home BEFOREHAND you fire it.

Not sure how many other ways I can explain it other than what I have already posted. Having never purchased a firearm from a private party, I assumed it was commonplace to test fire for functionality before the purchase. When the seller did not want to do that, it set off alarm bells. Hence my original post trying to seek clarification on if the seller was being suspicious by not wanting me to fire it first or if it was normal for people to purchase firearms on this site without having first shot said firearm.

Thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions. Now that I know this is not the norm, I am no longer skeptical of the seller and will know how to proceed for future transactions.