All of the firearms I have bought have been face to face private sales, aside from my first gun. It's not as sketchy as you might think as most PAL holders are people just like you or me. But like any other private sale where a meetup is involved, there's a few things you can do to put your mind at ease;
- Bring a friend, this way there will be a person helping to watch out for you
- Know what the other person looks like or what they drive
- Keep an inconspicuous form of self defense handy
- Meet up at a place where people are around but empty enough where a firearm sale won't get the cops called on you
- Check reviews on the person you're buying from