Decided to build again an AR and went to eBay to buy parts.
Surprisingly was not able to find any.
What happened?
Can someone tell?

you have to be careful with search terms.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xbuffer+tube.TRS0&_nkw=buffer+tube&_sacat=0

buffer tubes.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=buffer+tube&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xlower+parts+kit.TRS0&_nkw=lower+parts+kit&_sacat=0
lpk's

but even ar15 turns up some stuff.
they don't like it, so most people leave that out and call it 223 or 556 or something like that.

What kind of parts?  There are a ton of AR parts on EBay right this second?  My personal preference is not to buy AR parts off Ebay.  You can find things cheaper from many reputable dealers.  There are too many fakes/ knock offs on Ebay.

As has been noted, eBay has turned very anti firearm. Use generic terms (such as "castle nut")  and leave out specific makes/models. It takes longer to scroll through all the auto and airsoft crap, but they're there.

Also use company names like Palmetto, Bravo etc.

It seems to work in cycles. It's like eBay will clean house and eliminate a whole bunch of listings deemed not in accord with their anti-gun agenda and then shortly after vendors will relist their items again.


I was on there a few weeks ago and could not find a carbine length gas tube or a standard mil-spec barrel nut to save my life. 'Went on a week later and there they were again.


I've also seen evidence of eBay removing listings when I check out my purchase history in "My eBay". Many times listings are removed and the link to them is defunct.


The example below shows a listing that was removed. Think it was for a Safariland Rogers Superstock.






 
 

I have been using Rousch Sports (directly from their site and thru Amazon) lately as well as Midway who occasionally has some great clearance/sale deals on small AR parts. Shipping is only 5$ for standard mail from Midway.

I had a listing pulled from eBay because it had AR15 in the description. Same part listed another way was fine... Amazon is another place to look and they don't mind listing parts correctly.

If you want cheap why not buy Anderson as bare minimum. Rousch sports, KAK, aim surplus, matrix arm and damage industries are pretty cheap too. Picket Mill Armory also has some cheap but decent barrels. They also have discounts usually.

Anderson Sport Upper $40
Anderson Lower $40
KAK Buffer Tube Kit with stock $40
Anderson LPK $45
Matrix Arms Handguard $55-65
Aim Surplus Nitride gas block $20
Generic Gas Tube $5
KAK Over-run Barrel $110
KAK Milspec charging Handle $20
AIM/DSG arms Nitride BCG $90
A2 Flash Hider + Crush Washer $15

$490 right there for a carbine that also has a slim rail with everything made in the USA.

Rousch is pretty nice for budget builds. Also they make some interesting flash hiders, and they are nitrided too.

The trigger in the Anderson sucks tbh. I'd spend 20 dollars for for the PSA trigger. The trigger I got from PSA was polished and feels almost as good as the ALG QMS I picked up.

Here is a budget build I put together.
Foliage stuff/sights not included, I think I spent under $425 on this. Also the flash hider is from Rousch. Concussion doesn't seem as bad as the standard A2. You don't have to buy questionable parts to keep things cheap.


The rail is a cheap Chicom clone of the NSR,, but it's actually pretty decent. the keymod is in spec and the finish isn't bad. If I knew about matrix at the time, I would have got that instead. But it seems light and sturdy. I might just order a shorter matrix rail as a replacement. It cost the same sadly.

While not the exhaustive reference we'd like, it does a good job: http://arpartsfinder.com/

My last pistol came from searching here in the sale items thread, the search engine above, and looking around. Ebay/Amazon aren't all that.

Be advised there are manufacturing plants offshore to make AR15's for other nations and they sell parts. Take a look at the Brownells catalog, they mark sources that are Made in the USA, about half the catalog isn't marked. Either the vendor won't tell them - or it's a foreign import.

A LOT of AR15 stuff is from offshore, same as 1911's coming from Turkey, the old Czech Republic, or the Philippines. Most of the entry level 1911's are not made in the USA, and some of the $1,100 ones with major names on them are 95% done offshore, right down to the roll mark. The shop just does it's little things that are a trademark and how it controls it's market.

My Anderson LPK with stainless trigger and hammer was far better than the CMMG kit I bought years ago. It's luck of the draw. They aren't race triggers but if you need to make one work, limiting the reset with an adjustable trigger screw does 80% of what a $100 trigger does.

Someone once said that a match trigger only makes a difference to a poor shooter.

they cancelled a barrel i had on because i said it didn't have M4 (Gulp!) ramps.
reposted it without the evil M4 and it was fine.


pulled a scope because i said ii had it on a AR.


tards all, but we keep going back.


 

yes I pu some enhanced pivot pins and a ebrv2 bolt release ..went to leave feed back  had not sellers were removed ...
better prices out there just look ..

Ebay's policies suck, but it's a huge customer base. I sold some kydex pmag carriers on there once. I made them for a local guy, he cancelled, so I had to unload them somehow. Anyway, my auction was pulled when I had AR 15 in the title. Removed that word, and the auction stayed up until I sold them.

Ebay and PayPal both are very anti firearms.

Vince

The EE here is great and as a seller and a buyer from there Everything has been 100% smooth and fast. Personally I am bitter to eBay they take way to much away from the seller.

You did it wrong

I was looing there last night and they were plentiful

Things have definitely changed on eBay the past few months. I recently built my first ar in May and parts were everywhere. I recently looked for a different charging handle on there and didn't come up with much. Back in May there would have been 500 listings.