question about shipping for you collecting gurus

[bisley pete]

What kind of money do yall see on shipping handguns and longguns?
what is most common shipper? got about 6 or 8 collectible guns i am getting ready to put on and wondered.

 

[flatgate]

Handguns can be shipped very inexpensively IF you have a FFL or a buddy with a FFL.......

Rifles are easy to ship, however, the insurance can add up if they are "nice guns".

I can't quote any "real" prices since I've not done much shipping as of late...

flatgate

 

[ar15ed]

handguns are a little interesting. a ffl holder can ship by uspostal priority in the fixed rate boxes. this is, by far, the cheapest method. usually 15 or 20 bucks, and insurance is cheap. you just have to find a ffl who is willing to ship by uspostal, and not charge you an arm and a leg for the paperwork. i got on gunbroker.com, and checked for your zip code, and there are a few within about 30 miles of you, charging between 15 and 20 bucks. your best bet is to talk to a few of them, and get everything arranged before you even try to sell anything. ups and fedex are both very cost-prohibitive!

long guns are a little easier. YOU can ship a long gun by postal priority. you just need to make sure that the ffl you are shipping to will accept a shipment from a non-ffl-holder!

the best thing is to do a little homework, and hit a few dealers, and come up with a ffl-holder who will be your bud, and handle your shipping! it takes some time, but i have finally found a dealer who is right next door to a post office, and charges me 10 dollars to do the paperwork, coming in or going out. he is a good guy. i buy stuff from him occasionally, and i just stop by and shoot the breeze sometimes. it makes interstate firearm transactions immensely easier!!!

good luck!

 

[flatgate]

YOU can ship a long gun by postal priority. you just need to make sure that the ffl you are shipping to will accept a shipment from a non-ffl-holder!

....... and, I'll run, not walk, away from a FFL that won't accept firearms from a U.S. Citizen.......

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[contender]

The USPS is the cheapest shipper of firearms. And the info above is excellent.
Having a friend with an FFL who doesn't enjoy raping folks on paperwork fees is the best thing to have. If you are a regular customer or someone who spends regular money with the FFl, he may be very nice to you about his fees.

 

[MG-70]

As a non-FFL you can ship handguns to FFL holders via UPS and FEDEX, but you'll pay. They both require you ship "next day", and UPS has a Next day air saver, IIRC, in an attempt to minimize internal theft. You can calculate how much it'll cost you in all three sites, using box dimensions, weight, and zip codes. In most cases, if you can find an FFL that charges you up to $30 for the transfer out, it's still worth it to use the FFL and USPS Priority Flat Rate.

If you're shipping long guns via the USPS, I suggest you print out the relevant pages in Publication 52 and take to the counter with you. I actually have all three companies' rules printed out and have had to use them when dealing with ignorant employees, which seems to be quite common.

HTH

 

[slofyr]

The last time I shipped a handgun by the required 'overnight' it cost $62 via FedEx. In addition to the ridiculous price, I had to convince the naive nitwit at the counter that it was legal for me to ship a firearm. As soon as "gun" was mentioned, she went pale and literally ran off to her manager who was also clueless and had to phone the main office to verify. They still demanded to see a copy of the receiver's FFL. What a circus. Now, I send handguns via a local pawn shop FFL who will log and ship for $45 via Priority Mail. Fwiw, I've been told that FedEx is the contractor who transports the postal service's Priority Mail, so the odds of it being 'lost in the mail' are greatly reduced.

 

[tek4260]

I would assume that most members here have a regular shop that they visit and purchase from. It seems crazy that a dealer would charge a customer to ship a firearm other than the actual cost of shipping. Logging a firearm in and out to the receiving FFL takes about 3 minutes. In all honesty, the customer can do all the leg work as far as packing and shipping at the PO since they are acting as the dealers agent.

Now all bets are off if it is a new firearm that the dealer stocks or can order. In that case, always buy from your dealer even if it is a bit more expensive. If the price difference is too much, find a new dealer.

 

[Flash]

$20 to $25 on handguns and $30 to $35 on long guns. Insurance is included. I've been going to the same family owned shop for 30 years.

 

[chris_]

I do not understand dealers who will not ship USPS and also dealers who charge retarded amounts to take guns in and ship them. It takes five minutes to do the paperwork and if the gun comes in ready to ship, then off it goes, no need to hit a guy for $25 or $30 in fees. After all, you have a guy who just made a few hundred bucks standing in your shop, make him happy!

I ship handguns USPS, $18 including insurance up to 1k