Stupid Questions-Please Help An Old Guy Out

[mlsa]

Hey guys, I need some info. Remember that it's been years since I've purchased a handgun and I've never purchased one online from an individual or commercial gun sales so I don't know all the rules or laws.

So this is probably really stupid questions.

From what I'm reading if I purchased a handgun from a dealer online or an individual online it has to be shipped to an FFL and not directly to me. Is this correct even if I purchase from an individual?

I was at gun dealer today looking at guns(killing time) and was talking to the salesman. He mentioned to me without my bringing it up that they charge $100 to accept a gun purchased online and shipped to them. He explained that they had a lawsuit from a guy that purchased a gun online and the first time he shot it, it exploded and they sued the gun dealer even though all they did was receive it. The $100 helped them to defray the cost of lawyers.

Is $100 typical for the cost of shipping to an FFL? Unless I just got an exceptional deal I could almost buy from a local dealer as cheap.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

David

 

[texaswheelgunner]

misa, welcome to the forum. All questions are welcomed as somebody on this forum can answer about any question you can think of.

YES, if you buy a firearm online from a dealer OR an individual, they must ship the gun to a dealer near you. You must then go to the dealer and fill out the infamous yellow form.

Don't pay anybody $100.00 for this service. That's way too high and that story you got sounds a bit far fetched to me.

Search out your area for dealers; normally they'll charge anywhere from $25.00 to $45.00 to accept the gun and transfer it to you.

There will be others on the forum who will chime in here I'm sure.

 

[pakrat57]

No, $100 is not typical. Here on the Oregon coast I've never paid over $35 and as little $10 for the transfer fee. The actual shipping charge will depend on whether it's a handgun or a long gun and the distance shipped.

 

[NMCB3]

My guy charges $10,00 to do a transfer, when I asked why so cheap? he replied; "because I`m a second amendment kind of guy." I know guys that do it for 20 to about 50 dollars, $100 is awfully high, I would shop around.

 

[StanMemTn]

Gunbroker.com has a page where you can enter your zip code and get a list of local dealers willing to accept a firearm for you. I know that for my zip code, the various dealers included their price for the transfer. NONE are $100.

Here's the link:

http://www.gunbroker.com/User/DealerNetwork.asp

-Stephen

 

[Cholo]

Just yesterday I went to my local gun shop that I don't really care for. $50 for a transfer. Called one about 20 miles away that I do like and it was $20; which I feel is quite reasonable.

 

[Wheel Gunner]

As you may have gathered, the Transfer Fee is not a set in stone Fee. Its strictly set by the individual FFL Dealer himself. Thats why you see the variation in Fee's listed here.

The FFL Transfer Fee could range from free... to ...whatever.

So you can surmise that it sometimes pays to frequent only a few dealers.

A $100 Transfer Fee is out of this world.......


Good Luck

 

[ClemBert]

I bought a Ruger Single Six a few months ago online. The cost was about $15 for shipping to my local FFL who charged me $20 and took care of the paper work. So total cost was price of revolver plus $35.

You can shop around for your local FFL who provides this service here: http://gunbroker.com/User/DealerNetwork.asp

 

[oldgoat46]

I don't know where you live but some states require that a gun is transferred from an ffl to an ffl. Most don't $35.00 is a good average figgure. ditch the greedy guy and check with some of the pawn shops. With the new UPS must ship next day air ruling shipping is the issue as across the country it can cost as much as $60.00 insured.

 

[mattsbox99]

A $100 Transfer Fee is out of this world.......

I'm not picking on you, but Class 3 stuff (silencers, full auto, etc) this is a typical fee and I've seen up to $500 for that kind of transfer.

I normally pay $20 to a friend that is a dealer, there is a store here that does it for free, but I prefer to give the money to a friend.

As to the first part of your question, all firearms and serialized receivers MUST be shipped to an FFL holder in your state. Handguns shipped from individuals must be shipped by private carrier (FedEx, UPS) overnight express - per their rules, not federal law. Long guns, receivers, and handguns shipped from FFL holders may be shipped by USPS. USPS is a lot cheaper than UPS or FedEx.

 

[c.r.]

imo, it sounds like this "dealer" is simply trying to discourage people from buying elsewhere and having them shipped.

In my neck of the woods, $25 is the going rate for use of an FFL.

"the $100 helped them defray the cost of a lawyer" ??????????

if they're charging $100 to use their FFL, they aren't getting much business to help "defray" the cost. they'd be able to generate much more money by charging $25 a pop.

again, jmho, this guy just doesn't want to deal with the transfers or he is trying to make it so costly that you'll buy from him instead of online.

~c.r.

 

[StanMemTn]

The owner at the shop nearest me charges $50 and made it clear that he doesn't want to get in the business of competing with the Internet and that his FFL rate was set to discourage people from ordering guns online and having them shipped to his store. He also made a note about how busy he is and how he doesn't need to bargain on prices.

I didn't think I looked like a complete rube, but I took the hint and took my business elsewhere (transfer fee of $25) when I ordered my CDNN .357-50th Anniversary gun. The owner at shop #2 said he'd appreciate my business in the future and that he sees it as a good thing if he gets a gun buyer in his store, even if it's just to pick up an Internet order. I won't be returning to that first guy for anything.

I understand it's a free country and I told the first guy I understood if that's how he thought he needed to do business, no hard feelings.

Bottom line: Shop around

 

[StanMemTn]

double post, sorry

 

[ClemBert]

The owner at the shop nearest me charges $50 and made it clear that he doesn't want to get in the business of competing with the Internet and that his FFL rate was set to discourage people from ordering guns online and having them shipped to his store. He also made a note about how busy he is and how he doesn't need to bargain on prices.

I didn't think I looked like a complete rube, but I took the hint and took my business elsewhere (transfer fee of $25) when I ordered my CDNN .357-50th Anniversary gun. The owner at shop #2 said he'd appreciate my business in the future and that he sees it as a good thing if he gets a gun buyer in his store, even if it's just to pick up an Internet order. I won't be returning to that first guy for anything.

I understand it's a free country and I told the first guy I understood if that's how he thought he needed to do business, no hard feelings.

Bottom line: Shop around

I couldn't have said it any better!

 

[JimMarch1]

Not mentioned so far:

In most states, "face to face" transfers with no paperwork is allowed when both the buyer and seller are legally able to own guns and are residents of that same state. But you can't do shipping, even within the same state.

You need to find out if that's the case for your state.

So, a lot of people find a gunnie web forum specific to a given state and do their buying and selling there. Many are willing to drive up to a couple hundred miles to avoid paperwork, personally inspect the gun, dodge any possibility of shipping loss and save on the FFL fees.

Another source for local gun ads is "backpage", which is sort of a clone of Craigslist except they allow gun ads:

http://www.backpage.com/classifieds/index

Find out if your state allows private-party off-paper transfers FIRST. Post your state and somebody here will likely know.

 

[Hokie73]

Shipping is a biggie these days, and while individuals can ship long guns thru the USPS, they can't ship handguns. FFLs can. My guy charges $15 to receive a gun, $20 to ship a gun, and insured shipping charges thru the USPS average around $25, thus I save from $25 to $45 to have my FFL ship a handgun for me. When buying handguns I have suggested this and twice was able to save money on the receiving end too.

 

[Cholo]

A fee of $20 encourages me to use that dealer for any future purchases in their shop. I said in my post above that I really don't like my nearest local dealer that would've charged me $50 for the transfer of a gun I wanted to buy on this forum. I was a few minutes late on that purchase, but I know I would have bought something else from the dealer I like who's 30 minutes down the road with the $20 fee.

It's a business transaction and I know where my loyalty lies, the good 'ole boys who would do it for $20. I was turned off back in the middle 90's by my local dealer and their attitude. Now, I'll never set foot in their shop again...

I don't care if you're selling guns or wigets, reasonable service is the name of the game in '09 and beyond.