What Gunstar does

Gunstar is a UK-based online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of firearms, shooting equipment, and related services. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Brighton, the platform serves as a dedicated classifieds venue for the British shooting community rather than a general-purpose marketplace. Listings span rifles, shotguns, air rifles, pistols and handguns (within UK legal limits), ammunition, accessories, deactivated guns, replicas, blades, bows and crossbows, airsoft and BB guns, gun dogs, and wanted requests, and the platform also operates a UK-wide Services Directory of registered firearms dealers, gunsmiths, shooting grounds, clubs, and professional services. The technology stack is a conventional web-based classifieds platform with category hierarchies, sub-category filters, location-based search across all UK regions, and supporting editorial content via the Gunstar Hub resource centre. Brand presence is maintained through email newsletters, a YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram.

The business model is a transaction-fee classifieds model built primarily on listing fees charged to sellers, augmented by promotional incentives such as 50% off the first advertisement. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed and the company does not appear to publish pricing tiers. Customers are segmented horizontally across licensed shooters and hunters, firearms collectors, registered firearms dealers (RFDs), and air gun enthusiasts, with primary use cases spanning hunting, target shooting, clay shooting, pest control, and collectables.

The company operates as part of the Friday-Ad network, a UK-based group of classified advertising websites, which provides corporate backing and shared infrastructure. The team is small (6 employees as per firmographic data), and there is no public funding history, public listing, or disclosed executive leadership, indicating a privately held, lean operator running a niche vertical marketplace under a larger classifieds umbrella.

Name

Gunstar

Legal name

Gunstar

Website

https://gunstar.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gunstar is a UK-based online marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of firearms, shooting equipment, accessories, and related services, serving licensed shooters, registered firearms dealers, collectors, and air gun enthusiasts across all UK regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Firearms Marketplace

akta.pro primary industry

Firearms & Ammunition Retail (CRAMAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hunting, Shooting Sports & Archery Retail (CRAMABAK), Shooting Sports Equipment Retail (Targets, Clay, Range Gear, Hearing/Eye Protection) (CRAMAKAG), Hunting Accessories & Field Gear Retail (Calls, Decoys, Blinds, Game Cameras) (CRAMAKAE), Archery Equipment & Accessories Retail (CRAMAKAB), Hunting & Shooting Specialty Knife/Tool Retail (CRAMAKAH)

Keywords

• Firearms marketplace
• Shooting equipment classifieds
• Air rifles listings
• Shotgun sales platform
• Guns buying selling

Headquarters

HQ city

United Kingdom

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Listing Fees: Gunstar generates revenue through listing fees for sellers listing guns and shooting equipment on the platform. The platform offers promotional incentives such as '50% off your first ad' to attract new sellers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gunstar operates the UK's leading online marketplace for new and used firearms, shooting equipment, and related services. Private sellers and registered firearms dealers (RFDs) pay listing fees to advertise rifles, shotguns, air rifles, pistols, ammunition, accessories, deactivated and replica guns, blades, bows, and gun dogs to UK buyers across all regions. The platform also hosts a services directory connecting users with gunsmiths, shooting grounds, dealers, and clubs, plus a content hub providing guides, licensing information, and reviews.

Product overview

Gunstar is the UK's leading online guns marketplace, operating as a classifieds/advertising platform that connects buyers and sellers of firearms, air guns, shooting accessories, and related equipment. The platform enables private sellers and registered dealers to list items across multiple product categories including Air Rifles, Rifles, Shotguns, Pistols & Handguns, Ammunition, Accessories, Deactivated Guns, Replica Guns, Blades, Other Guns, Bows & Crossbows, Air Pistols, Airsoft & BB Guns, Gun Dogs, Wanted listings, and a Services Directory for gunsmiths and shooting grounds. The Gunstar Hub serves as a companion resource centre providing expert advice, reviews, licensing guidance, and manufacturer information. The marketplace features 11,339 gun listings and 417 service providers across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Firearms and Shooting Equipment Marketplace UK-wide online classifieds marketplace where private sellers and registered firearms dealers (RFDs) list firearms, air guns, ammunition, accessories, replicas, blades, bows, and gun dogs for sale to UK buyers. Includes category, keyword, and location-based search across rifles, shotguns, air rifles, pistols/handguns, deactivated guns, replica guns, antique firearms, and more.
• Services Directory Directory of UK-based shooting-related businesses and professionals, including registered firearms dealers, gunsmiths, shooting grounds/clubs, and professional services such as repairs, storage, and firearms transfers. Listed as a separate browseable category alongside product categories.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Friday-Ad Networkparent networkOthersGunstar operates as part of the Friday-Ad network of classified advertising websites. Friday-Ad is a UK-based network of marketplaces covering various product categories.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Country Sports & Shooting Directory: A UK directory site listing shooting grounds, gun dealers, and country sports services. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive — overlapping with Gunstar's 417-entry services directory rather than its core firearms marketplace.
• Angling Active / Fieldsports Channel: Fieldsports Channel is a UK media brand covering shooting, hunting, and angling content. While not a marketplace, it shares Gunstar's target audience of UK country sports enthusiasts and is a potential content-distribution partner or substitute destination for audience attention.
• Clay Shooting Nation / British Shooting Sports Council: The British Shooting Sports Council is the UK governing body representing shooting sports federations. It is not a commercial peer but a regulator/industry body whose policy positions directly shape the legal and commercial environment in which Gunstar operates.

Regional players

• Armslist: Armslist is a major US-based online firearms classifieds marketplace for private sales and dealer listings. While geographically US-focused and so not directly competing with Gunstar in the UK, it is a comparable business model (private-party listings, location filtering, dealer directory) targeting the same shooting-sports user.
• GunBroker: GunBroker is the largest US online firearms auction marketplace and the international reference point for vertical firearms classifieds. While UK regulations prevent it from operating in Gunstar's market, it serves as the business-model benchmark Gunstar could aspire to and represents the most analogous platform globally.

Broad incumbents

• eBay UK: eBay UK is a large horizontal e-commerce marketplace that has historically supported firearms-related accessory and deactivated-gun listings, subject to its own compliance policies. As a broad incumbent, it could expand category coverage and pressure Gunstar's accessory and replica listings if it chose to.
• Gumtree UK: Gumtree is a major UK horizontal classifieds platform owned by Adevinta. It has historically hosted firearms-related listings and represents the largest horizontal competitor that could re-enter the firearms niche if compliance economics improve. Its sheer traffic scale dwarfs Gunstar's audience.

Emerging players

• Williams Gunsmiths (RFD and dealer): Williams Gunsmiths is a UK Registered Firearms Dealer with an online sales presence. As a single dealer with a digital storefront, it competes with Gunstar for buyers looking for RFD-vetted listings, though it is a single seller rather than a multi-seller marketplace.
• Shooting UK / Sporting Shooter: Shooting UK and its sister title Sporting Shooter are UK shooting media brands (part of the same Future plc network) that host classifieds alongside editorial content. They compete for Gunstar's audience with a magazine-style content-plus-classifieds hybrid that overlaps with Gunstar's Hub and marketplace offering.

Direct peers

• Gun Trader: Gun Trader is the closest direct competitor to Gunstar in the UK — a dedicated online firearms marketplace connecting buyers with private sellers and RFDs for rifles, shotguns, airguns, ammunition and accessories. They compete head-to-head for the same UK shooting community traffic and listing volume.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Gunstar-UK
• Facebookfacebook.com/gunstar.official
• Instagraminstagram.com/gunstaruk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gunstar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gunstar