Spotting the Glock 19 'I'll ship it' scam
The most common scam on every state's site, decoded — what the seller is actually trying to do, and why it always ends the same way.
The Glock 19 is the most-listed firearm on every state site we run. It’s also the gun scammers ask about more than any other, because it’s the firearm with the most predictable resale market — they know what to bid, they know how to fake provenance, they know they’ll find a buyer.
Here’s the canonical scam, almost word-for-word as it appears in firearms-classifieds inboxes nationwide — variations of it have been documented by FBI IC3 advisories and on every major firearms forum:
Hi, is this still available? I’m relocating to {your state} for work next month and need to ship it ahead. I’ll pay full asking + shipping if you can FedEx it to my buddy who’s an FFL here. Zelle works for the deposit.
Three things wrong with this, in plain English:
- You can’t ship a handgun across state lines. 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(2) — non-FFL interstate firearm shipping is a federal felony. The buddy-FFL pitch is the cover story for getting you to commit a crime so they have leverage if you complain.
- There is no “deposit.” A real buyer who’s relocating doesn’t pre-pay a stranger online. They see the gun in person, hand over cash, walk out. Anyone proposing a deposit is preparing a chargeback or asking you to commit fraud.
- Zelle is irreversible. Once you accept Zelle, there is no recovery. Banks treat it like cash. The fact that the scammer wants Zelle (not Venmo, not Cash App) tells you exactly what they’re going to do next.
The right response, copy-paste-ready: “Cash, in person, in {your state}, FTF only. No shipping, no deposits.” If the buyer was real, they’ll keep talking. If they were a scammer, they’ll move to the next listing.
Hit the Report button on any listing or message that pushes shipping + Zelle. Our moderation pipeline auto-quarantines accounts after three confirmed reports of this pattern.