What to look for when choosing an FFL?

[looney2ns]

For the first time, I recently purchased a gun online. When choosing an FFL, I picked one that was a preferred FFL on Budsgunshop website, close to me and had a lower ($20) fee. Here are a few things I learned.

1) If your FFL answers the phone with just a "Hello?" (as opposed to "Hello, X company"..or at least the typical "Gun Shop.." method of answering the phone), this should be a red flag.
2) If your FFL isn't there to receive the delivery of your firearm (at 2 in the afternoon), this should be a red flag.
3) If your FFL contacts UPS to hold the delivery they missed, but then doesn't pick it up the next day, this should be a red flag.

Unfortunately, I feel like I should have researched a little bit more. What things should be considered when deciding which FFL to use?

For me, the lesson learned is to make sure the FFL has regular business hours, THAT THEY ACTUALLY STICK TO. I've heard of FFLs receiving guns and then taking a long time to contact the customer for pickup, but what about FFL's who don't even receive the transfer?

Be sure to review the FFL on Buds website.

 

[17 squirrel]

Truth right there. I had told my husband guns are low margin from back when I was at a big box FFL. He didn't believe me until he saw what our distributors charge. You don't do it to retire rich. You do it to retire happy.

This response is nothing personal to anyone.
That's just not true, the last 15+ years has been the most profitable in the firearms business than ever. If you are in this business and in these last few years you did not get your 401 and kids college fund filled up, shame on you. Maybe if part time FFLs had a brick storefront and stocked firearms, ammo , Reloading supply's and all the accessories for the sport you would make a good enough living to do it full time.
It's just like ffls doing 20 dollar transfers on firearms that they can get and make 10 to 30% on. You all that do the super cheap transfers are the ones killing the true fulltime businesses. You cant run a profitable business when you make 20 bucks on a transfer. You don't see the shops that have been in business for 20+ years doing cheap transfers on any firearm that they can get and put on there shelf for sale. Why do part time and little gun stores cut there own jugulars ? Let's also look at the profit on used Guns. Dealer buys a used Glock 19 from customer for 300 bucks and he will blow it out within a few days at 400 to 425 dollars. That's a pretty good profit. Do you think that Sig that your customer bought from Buds for 1,150 bucks he only made 20 bucks on ? And you transfered it for 20 bucks. Who's the fool ? If all the dealers that had ffls stopped doing transfers for 20-25 dollars all of your business would be better off. The citizens have to have a ffl to buy new firearms. You buy a used gun for 40-60% of the value and resell it for 70-90%. Most gun store owners that never seem to grow even after being in business over 10 years and cry, I'm not making any money selling guns, needs to start running there business like its a business. Businesses need to make a fair profit, if you don't at best you will stay stagnat or at worst you will go out of business.
Like I said earlier, none of this is personal to anyone on this forum.
Don't say I don't understand this business, some of my family has been in the firearm business since just after WW2, I have done time behind the counter and in the office in this business. Other than family and a tight group of friends, you gotta run it like a business.
Flame away..

 

[TB1999]

I would never hide the fact that we're a small at home FFL from my customers. That doesn't mean that receiving their gun and doing the transfer isn't a priority. I don't know many people who could drop everything and run to the gun store at 2pm on a given day for a transfer unless it's their day off. We have set evening hours and are forbidden by zoning requirements from having walk in business of any type. If you don't want to use an at home FFL, don't. But don't demonize all of us. Some of us will bend over backwards for our customers.

I'm not demonizing anyone and I feel like you are being overly sensitive. There is definitely a place for a business like yours (and the FFL I used), however if I want my gun ASAP, you would not be my first, second or third choice. As an online gun buyer, it makes a difference to me whether my FFL will receive my gun and get it to me within a day or two..or if they will let it sit at UPS until the day before it is returned to the seller and then take an additional 3 or 4 days to contact me for pick up. That doesnt make me a bad guy and it doesnt make the FFL a bad guy. My OP was asking how to determine what type of service an FFL provides, not to bash anyone.

 

[jqunac]

I live in a small town without a gun store and have bought many guns til I'm about out of room and still do not have a go to ffl.

Second time my first ffl, a store, did a transfer he let me know how he resented doing it by saying he and some others were going to start charging $75 a pop.

My second ffl, home, told me he only answered the phone because he thought I was someone else but he did the transfer, now he doesn't answer the phone when I call.

Third attempted ffl, home, never sent a copy of their license to the seller thereby delaying the sale. I then called, not sure I can say buy they are great and in Galveston, they completed the transfer flawlessly. I only wish they were closer I'd use them every time.

Next 2 transfers were by a local guy, home, who told me last time he was dropping out of the game because of cost and inconvenience.

Last transfer was to a shop in a town where I intended to travel so it was no big deal. It was not a bad experience.

From now on I'm going to Galveston, I've always intended to do more business with them. I would like to have a home town ffl but it has been a hassle to find one who is professional.

 

[LoriW]

I guess what I meant was, not that the particular hours matter, but that you are not conducting gun sales within your advertised hours. This is how one FFL explained it to me. Is that correct or no?

I don't think they'd mind too much. After all I can sell at a gun show and doubt I'd have a problem. Haven't tested that though

This response is nothing personal to anyone.
That's just not true, the last 15+ years has been the most profitable in the firearms business than ever. If you are in this business and in these last few years you did not get your 401 and kids college fund filled up, shame on you. Maybe if part time FFLs had a brick storefront and stocked firearms, ammo , Reloading supply's and all the accessories for the sport you would make a good enough living to do it full time.
It's just like ffls doing 20 dollar transfers on firearms that they can get and make 10 to 30% on. You all that do the super cheap transfers are the ones killing the true fulltime businesses. You cant run a profitable business when you make 20 bucks on a transfer. You don't see the shops that have been in business for 20+ years doing cheap transfers on any firearm that they can get and put on there shelf for sale. Why do part time and little gun stores cut there own jugulars ? Let's also look at the profit on used Guns. Dealer buys a used Glock 19 from customer for 300 bucks and he will blow it out within a few days at 400 to 425 dollars. That's a pretty good profit. Do you think that Sig that your customer bought from Buds for 1,150 bucks he only made 20 bucks on ? And you transfered it for 20 bucks. Who's the fool ? If all the dealers that had ffls stopped doing transfers for 20-25 dollars all of your business would be better off. The citizens have to have a ffl to buy new firearms. You buy a used gun for 40-60% of the value and resell it for 70-90%. Most gun store owners that never seem to grow even after being in business over 10 years and cry, I'm not making any money selling guns, needs to start running there business like its a business. Businesses need to make a fair profit, if you don't at best you will stay stagnat or at worst you will go out of business.
Like I said earlier, none of this is personal to anyone on this forum.
Don't say I don't understand this business, some of my family has been in the firearm business since just after WW2, I have done time behind the counter and in the office in this business. Other than family and a tight group of friends, you gotta run it like a business.
Flame away..

No flame here..I agree, run it like a business. It's the people who don't run it like a business that make the rest of us look bad (and I don't mean just at home FFL's. How many Gander Mtn bashing threads are there out there because associates couldn't or wouldn't act like a professional?)

I'm not demonizing anyone and I feel like you are being overly sensitive. There is definitely a place for a business like yours (and the FFL I used), however if I want my gun ASAP, you would not be my first, second or third choice. As an online gun buyer, it makes a difference to me whether my FFL will receive my gun and get it to me within a day or two..or if they will let it sit at UPS until the day before it is returned to the seller and then take an additional 3 or 4 days to contact me for pick up. That doesnt make me a bad guy and it doesnt make the FFL a bad guy. My OP was asking how to determine what type of service an FFL provides, not to bash anyone.

I tried not to be overly sensitive but your OP rubbed me the wrong way. We've put a ton of work into getting our business set up, over a year before we ordered our first gun, so we could make it as successful and professional as possible. I apologize if I read it wrong but the OP felt like a don't ever ever ever use an at home FFL post. If I was wrong, again, I apologize. All I was trying to say was don't judge us all because of some random FFL picked off of Bud's list. I can't guarantee a transfer the same day as I receive a gun. But that's the goal we're working toward.

 

[Woobie]

LoriW- thanks for correcting my misconception.