Buying guns mail-order, on-line, etc.?

[Cemetery-man]

I have never purchased any gun outside of the LGS. The problem is, the rifle I want, they don't have and said it might be months before they get one in. Ordering a firearm and having it sent to someone is a totally new concept to me so I am curious.

1. Do LGS's dis-like a potential customer purchasing from someone else and having it sent to them even though they get paid to do it?

2. Say I want to buy a gun from Gunbroker, out-of-state dealer, etc.. What is the proper procedure to getting it in my hands?

Thanks for any help. Like I said this is totally new to me and I don't want the screw it up when the time comes.

 

[ISHOOTHST'S]

When you find the one you want. Go to your dealer tell them you would like a transfer or call them. They will give you a ffl form of thiers to send the seller. In return the seller will send the firearm to your dealer with his ffl form so that it may be transfered to you. 25 dollars should cover the transfer at the dealer that recieves it. Be sure that dealing with someone on gunbroker they are either a dealer or individual seller. Some transferring dealers will not accept a shipment of a firearm from an individual. Hope this helps

I order from budsgunshop.com all the time this is how its handled. Most of the time big sellers may have your ffl info aready on file from a previous persons trasaction from them.

 

[rjhans53]

Yep what he said. I've bought a # of guns threw gunbroker and have been satisfied with all of them. Transfer fees can very, mine is 20 bucks threw the dealer I use, there is one in town that quoted me 50 bucks, I don't use him but I have got a couple of buys on gunbroker that if i had to pay that much I would of, you just have to figure the cost in the purchase price.

 

[360]

I have bought from gunbroker, budsgunshop, and others. All transactions to date have been handled professionally, and honest. My FFL charges $15...a good man.

 

[latigo]

I always pay if not by Credit card a Postal Money Order the later gives you protection of mail fraud if something goes wrong most people do not want to incur a felony. Most credit card companies have some kind of protection also. That being said I have had nothing but good experiences buying from Gunbrokers and Auction Arms.

 

[singlesix]

Bought a pistol through Gallery of Guns and no problems. They have local dealers that will handle the transfers. If you are looking for a new gun I can recommend Gallery of Guns. Hassle free. Input your zip code and it will give you listing of Gun Shop that will handle the transfer.

 

[Cemetery-man]

I was looking at the list of dealers that accept guns through Gunbroker and one of them is a special order dealer only a few miles from me. He advertizes he can order just about any firearm and sell it cheaper than anyone else. Thought what the h--l and sent him an email. I'll see what happens.

 

[jfw46544]

Let us know who it is if he is cheaper.

I have transferred a couple of times using Granger Guns. Steve is a good guy and his prices are pretty competitive also. Probably 30 min. away from you.

 

[Naptown]

It works pretty well when trying to find something unique, rare caliber, or limited supply. Don't waste your time on standard glocks, xds, 870s, etc...

 

[Astrocreep]

To answer your questions:

1. I can't imagine a local dealer getting all in a huff about doing an FFL transfer (the process you are describing). He's making $25 or so for just making a phonecall or two and filling out a form. Plus, you will likely buy other stuff from him like ammo/leather/targets that he has in stock. If they do give you attitude, find another dealer.

2. what others have described is true.
Remember that the auction sites like gunbroker and auctionarms are not the only places to buy online! If you look hard enough, you will probably be surprised what you can find and for how much $$.

You don't necessarily have to visit your local FFL first. When I bought a rifle from atlanticfirearms.com, they requested the info and FFL# of my local dealer after I paid for it online with a credit card. They called my guy and mailed the rifle to his store.
Easy.

 

[tnek]

Done it many times both ways. I use Postal MOs or CC. My dealers are fine with it and it saves money on sales tax.

 

[Nizidramaniiyt]

If you talk to your FFL you can get a feeling of their attitude towards doing transfers. Some won't do it at all, but most will do it for some fee. One local shop charges $40 and says, "It's just better to buy from us." but another local guy charges $15 and seems to welcome the easy revenue.

If you want to buy from Gunbroker, just talk to your dealer and they will give you what you need (usually a signed copy of their FFL), then scan that or mail it to the seller you are buying from. They'll ship it to your FFL and they will then call you so that you can pick it up and get your background check at that time. If you are buying just gun parts that don't need to go through an FFL (like an AR upper), then you can have it shipped straight to your door.

 

[teddy12b]

Whenever I go into a gun store for the first time I ask about FFL transfer fees. Most will do it, but some won't. Some guys look at you like you just kicked them in the junk when you ask, but there's no way any gun dealer could stock one of every gun in every configuration out there. Whether they like it or not to an extent you're doing them a favor. On several occations the FFL dealer has told me I found the gun for a better deal than he can get them for, so I save a bunch of money and he gets the 20 - 25 ffl fee.

I buy online almost exclusively because I can save enough money to buy something else in the shop. As a curtesy for doing an FFL transfer I try to buy some ammo, or reloading supplies while I'm in there. I want local dealers to be open and stay open, but I don't want to get raked over the coals when buying something new.

 

[Barry in IN]

Something I posted quite a while ago at a forum I moderated that might be of help:

Buying Guns Online

I'm no expert at buying guns online. In fact, I had never done it at all until about three months ago.
But I have learned a few things along the way and thought I'd pass them on.
This is not about the legalities or how to find the bargains, but about little things that can help you get your gun quicker if you are the buyer, or get your money quicker if you are the seller. I've been surprised how easily some things have gone, and equally surprised at the problems that keep happening.

I was thinking that I wished I had known some of these things before I started doing this, so...

-Communicate. This is the most important thing.
Make everything clear, record it somewhere, and do it by multiple means. Some people like using the phone, others prefer email, some like letters.
If you send an email and don't get an answer after a day, presume they aren't an email person and try another way.
When you send payment, let them know it's coming.
If you are sending the gun, let them know it's coming.
If the gun is going to the local gunshop, let them know it's coming (even if you just picked up their FFL copy two days ago).
If you win an auction, contact them as soon as you can to tell them you when you plan on sending the funds, and to verify how they want it and where it is to be sent.
Do NOT just go by what is said in the auction. They could have put their address in the auction site's system five years ago, and moved twice since. They may have gotten bit by a bank check in the last month, and no longer accept them even though the listing says otherwise.
None of these things are your fault if you follow what it says, but it's a lot easier to make sure at first than to get into a squabble over details later.

-Pick your battles
And speaking of getting into squabbles over small details- think if it is worth it before you get into them.
Most people don't do this on a regular basis and may not know the laws or rules which sometimes change daily, so they err to the safe side. If they had to do something one way three years ago and the regs relaxed since, it's hard to convince them of that and often not worth trying.
Example: It was once the reg that the FFL copy you sent had to be signed, and in BLUE ink. Now it isn't, and you can even fax or email them. But that happened in the past few months, and some people may not be aware of it. If they ask for that (and some will) it's a lot easier to just have your dealer sign it in blue ink when you pick it up than it is to get into a long distance discussion over it.
Another example: I bought an antique that wasn't made within 20 years of the cutoff date for antiques so did not need an FFL. But they asked for an FFL anyway, and it was easier to pick one up than to mess around with the guy.

-Label everything you send.
Please.
This works both ways- buyer and seller.
When paying for a gun: Write the gun make and model, and auction listing number if there is one, on everything you can on a note and send it with the payment or any communication. Write it on the side or back of the FFL copy. Put it in the memo section of the Cashier's Check or Money Order. Enclose a note telling what you are sending, what for, and where it's going, and to whom. You might staple or tape that to the check so it's hard to miss. Write some identifier on the outside of the envelope, like the auction number ("GB 1234567890" for Gunbroker auction number 1234567890).
You may be buying from a guy who is selling just one gun privately, or a shop that sells a hundred a day. Either one needs to make sure they can link your payment info with the gun easily.
If you send it by regular mail, you can get delivery confirmation for something like 80 cents. Get it.
If selling: When you ship the gun, make sure the gun shop receiving it can tell who it is for.
Gun shops are extremely busy right now, and even in the slowest of times they can't know what every customer has coming in. If they can't even keep up with working the counter now, they sure can't keep up with what Joe or Bill or Bob have coming sometime. Among their daily deliveries, they have sales like this, repair shipments, returns, plus their own stock. A guy can come in every singe day asking if his ____ came in yet, but if he doesn't ask the same clerk every time, they won't remember it with all the business they have to handle right now.
Getting it to the right shop may meet your minimum obligation, but a minute's extra effort can save a lot of trouble for a few people on the other end.
Address the box to the buyer's name in care of the gun shop. Or, enclose a note or invoice. Just put a piece of masking tape on the barrel and write their name with a Sharpie. Do something.
Best of all- Get the tracking number to them when you sent it, so they know when to expect it.

-Expect trouble of some type anyway.
No matter what you do, it will happen. I just got off the phone with a place because the note I sent with my payment was lost and they assumed they got a check from me "with no explanation". That note was only one piece of info of many I sent. After talking to them, they looked at the back of the FFL, the corner of the check, and the lower LH corner of the envelope, and found what they needed was there all along and in several places.
I also had one envelope take a couple of weeks to arrive, and when it did- was open and empty. I was lucky and nobody had tried to cash the Cashier's Check before I found out and went in to cancel it.
I'd suggest that a week after you put the payment in the mail, you contact the seller to ensure they got it. I think that is a good length of time so that the seller won't think you are pestering them, but soon enough that you might be able to stop a swiped check.
Also, of about ten guns I've bought this way in the last few months, four have arrived with no identification at all, so the shop didn't know who they were for. After the first time, I always asked the seller to make sure it is labled for me because of the gun shops being busy. I think everyone has seen that and can understand.
Or, I thought they could. I mean, it's just a gun. Just throw it in the mail. What the heck. I keep seeing that happen, anyway.
I don't have a better suggestion for this, but be aware that it seems to be a problem.

All in all, online gun buying has made it a lot easier to find what you want. I have looked for some guns for years at shops, shows, and trade papers, but found them in minutes online.
But there are few little things the buyer and seller can do that add up to making it go a lot easier.

 

[Chondro788]

I bought an AK through GunBroker, everything went fine, but I bought mine from someone in Indiana, so I picked it up and didn't have o deal with the FFL stuff, and I got to check out the gun before paying.

 

[SigSense]

Think I bought four/five guns via out-of-state dealer or private seller to my local FFL. Always went smooth and no hiccups. Best part is NO tax.

 

[teddy12b]

Think I bought four/five guns via out-of-state dealer or private seller to my local FFL. Always went smooth and no hiccups. Best part is NO tax.

+1 on the best part being no taxes. I've come across guns in local shops that were fairly priced, but by the time you add tax it was just too much.

 

[Mgderf]

Bought a pistol through Gallery of Guns and no problems. They have local dealers that will handle the transfers. If you are looking for a new gun I can recommend Gallery of Guns. Hassle free. Input your zip code and it will give you listing of Gun Shop that will handle the transfer.

This^

I've made more than satisfactory purchases from, GunBroker, Auction Arms, GunAmerica, and Davison's Gallery of Guns

What has not been said here yet is this,

Any gun you purchase through Davison's Gallery of Guns carries a Lifetime Warranty, Backed by Davison's, regardless of the manufacturers warranty!

You also need to check their website for a Davison's dealer near you. Find a gun you want, put a down payment on it online, and pick it up at your local dealer in mere days, OR, make payments on it to your local dealer!

I cannot say enough good about Davison's!

 

[Flitmob]

Ammo?

Where is the best place to buy ammo online?

 

[hickuleas]

For ammo purchases I have great dealings with widener's of Tennesee.