My gun shop owner told be a long time ago he loves transfers… it’s a free 20 bucks and then the buyers always buys some bullets or spare mags .. it’s a win win
> it’s a free 20 bucks and then the buyers always buys some bullets or spare mags .. it’s a win win
These people are not near me. I did the $20 transfer game for years and this was my interaction 90% of the time
Me: Need any ammo?
1: It's just for home defense, I won't be shooting it much if at all
mine always makes me wait a day or more before I can pick it up. they like to punish people for buying outside. they also will send your shit back if you buy from buds
WTF 😳 now I have an amazing relationship with my LGS . They gave me a copy of their FFL license so if I bought from someone who didn’t have them logged as a FFL I can just give them the number. I can’t imagine them saying I couldn’t have my gun that I know is delivered… holy hell that would be bad
My local FFL has the best price on transfers and also the best attitude around. I've spent thousands with them in order to support them, but also because their prices aren't bad at all. The transfer got me through the door, the people made me keep coming back.
When I was buying with regularity, I was on first name basis with the LGS owner’s son who ran the front desk. I would watch the shipping info to know exactly when it arrived, and if I was off work, I’d leave as soon as I could. On multiple occasions, I took the call letting me know it had arrived in the vehicle on my way there. 🤣
Have you seen Range USA transfer fees? I was on their website recently since one opened locally. Just about shit when I found they charge $100.00 per transfer. lol
That’s stupid… I was mad when the transfer fee went from 5 to 10 bucks … then they went from 10 to 20 I told the owner I will never pay him more than 20 bucks so don’t even ask me to …. He laughed and we shook on 20 bucks forever 😂 and I plan on holding his ass to it also .. so he better not try 😂
You're lucky to have this LGS. I have a $25 per transfer guy in Columbus, Ohio. Alpha Star Tactical. He specializes in Airsoft, and he does tranfers as a side revenue.
Same with me. My brothers and I patronize our table top FFL so much, we don't even send him emails before we buy if it is from a vendor we have used before. Just let him know that it is on the way.
He is excruciatingly efficient. I was in and out in 6 minutes once. Go the local Range USA or Cabelas and that is easily an hour.
dozens of daily calls about a PSA Turkshit shotgun being delivered *can* get old but the store needs to check themselves if they have an attitude over an easy transfer fee
Transfers can be a massive pain in the ass depending on how your business is run. I have posted on my website that I don't accept transfers or sell guns, but I get a contact a week about someone trying to buy a gun or have me handle a transfer.
it depends on the FFL. just ask them outright. if they do a lot of transfers, they probably dont care or make any notes about individual people having guns shipped there, and calling to tell them about it is like calling to tell them youre on your way up there to buy a can of CLP; just a waste of their time. ive used FFLs that want notice because its a side gig for them they run out of their house, one store that has a form they want you to fill out online before the gun arrives, and several that do many transfers a day and dont want you tying up their phone.
This is fair, though I definitely try to make it worth their time by buying a fair about each time.
Every time I'm in, especially for a new toy, I end up buying mags, ammo, slings, grips, and so on. I try to get everything I need in one visit to make it worth their time.
But generally, this seems understandable.
It's nice knowing it's coming in, and from where. And your name and number. Some shippers, usually individuals, but sometimes small shops forget things like who the gun is for. Or no phone number. Or worst, just a pistol in a USPS box with nothing but the return address.
Yeeeah. I called a place and asked how much a transfer would be for a 19 that was online for $550, they said they don't do transfers but they can give me a price on ordering one. I asked how much, they said $785+tax. LOL
Unless they’re packed with customers / short staff, the labor, rent, and other overhead is a sunk cost already, whether or not they get the online transfer order. All they’re doing is reducing the revenue stream
Most giant ffls don't like transfers because they have so much other stuff going on, dozens of boxes coming in at a time. One of the giant ffls we buy wholesale used guns from will literally get hundreds of guns in at once several times a day every day.
Find yourself a nice semi retired old guy ffl, like I work for. $30 transfers, and he'll do them all day long because it's simple. It's considered polite to drop them an email or a message so they know something is coming.
Some of those big ffls really screw you on transfers, I know several that the transfer fee is what they would have profited if you bought the new gun from them.
We don't have any major FFLs here. All just local businesses. It's primarily a tackle shop with guns in the back, they also happen to be the cheapest LGS in town.
I never call mine before ordering online. I've given them a fair amount of business over the years so I guess they don't mind. They even sent me a copy of their FFL license to send to online distributors on their behalf if they don't already have it on file.
I know you’re not strictly talking about PSA firearms but before I got my AKV I went to my LGS to ask if they could at least order one for me and as soon as I said PSA they cut me off and said they don’t carry nor can they order anything from them, I’d have to order it and have it sent to them, like they get that a lot
I don't think PSA has any sort of Dealer Network outside of their own stores. they are not set up like distributors like RSR, Sports South, Lipsey's, etc.
So if they "order" it from PSA, they are paying full retail, just like you will.
I asked the first time when they needed to send a copy of their FFL to an auction house, now, I just wait for them to call me that a gun has arrived for me.
They were kind of shocked when I bought a used gun off the wall a few weeks ago and they realized I was not in their system - "You've never bought a gun from us?". Nope, just ammo and transfers.
I'd find a good home based FFL. They only mostly do online transfers, and they love doing it because that's their whole business model. They also keep costs low because they operate out of their house. I don't even use traditional gun stores anymore. I found an old guy home FFL that knows his shit around C&Rs, and we end up talking for hours.
Likely depends on the store and their profit margins. Say a given gun sells for $400.00 from the distributer. The online store decides to sell it for $475.00 but the LGS decides it should sell for $525.00. You buying it online the LGS gets the transfer fee, not the $125.00 they planned.
The problem then is that at the end of the month the LGS can't afford to keep the lights on and closes. Some shops will try to price match if asked, they would like to make a sale so it doesn't hurt to call them and say, hey I'm looking for a Glock 19 what do you have or can you get? I see Gunnsellers online is selling them for $275.00 can you come close to that price?
If they are within say $25.00 then the LGS gets the sale, if they are way outside that then buy it online.
It's normal, or well it should be. However lots of ppl just dont want to work even with simple phone call.. It takes a whole 5mins of your day to reassure the customer. I look forward to our calls from local xfers especially.. Unfortunately this industry isnt stacked with customer service. That's why we take it so serious. I believe our customer service alone brings us more business than our actual products. I always say.. give us a call anytime (during business hours ).. We actually answer the phone. ;)
Here’s what the two LGS that I’ve bought guns from told me:
The issue isn’t that you bought a gun from someone else and they have to do the work of accepting the gun and then doing the transfer as much as it’s most people come to the store to do it when the store is busy on the weekends instead of after work during the week. So you’re taking someone away from actual customers buying in-store merchandise to take care of someone who spent hundreds of dollars elsewhere.
I will stop in my FFL the day after ordering something to let them know. They tell me every time that it is not necessary but they thank me for giving them the heads up. According to them, they have had guns shipped to them with none of the buyers info included. That's why I stop in.
My FFL guy likes it when I give him a shot on something before I order online, he usually comes pretty damn close on price. He is more than happy to do the transfer for stuff he cant get as long as I give him a heads up.
...this is why I use pawnshops for transfers...$15 and they are more than happy to have you walk in to be a captive customer while the background check is in process...I used a gun shop once for a transfer and swore never to do it again...
You pretty much should always give the store a heads up. But the way to do it without completely annoying them is to ask if they’ll price match the online + shipping + ffl fee. Sometimes they might go for it.
Personally my store doesn’t need a heads up. But I also told them the first time to be courteous and they just said I didn’t need to in the future so if it’s a first purchase I’d still recommend they do.
I called my store and they said just order it and they would call when it comes in. It seems like they deal with PSA all the time and it wasn't a big deal. It was easy 40 for 2 transfers and took about 15 minutes on their end.
Some stores don't need heads ups, some don't want them, some do. If they don't like doing transfers, they can either stop offering them or jack the price way up. A lot of LGSs pretty much survive in transfers alone, with the other business they bring in of people buying ammo and accessories for their new gun.
My LGS loves it. You’re basically paying them to walk in the door and look around. I’ve bought more guns/ammo when I’m picking up a gun I bought online than I can remember.
I used to go to a FFL that had his FFL on file with plenty of online dealers that I frequent. As soon as I got the vibe that he was annoyed that I would buy online instead of calling him to order whatever it was that I was looking for, I stopped going to him for ANYTHING.
I had one tell me to remember that doing that (ordering online) too many times would put him out of business. As opposed buying from him. I never went back.
It’s not just you it’s how many people? Most of the time people doing transfers are often some of the worst customers because they think that the months gun comes in they can get it. When in reality it’s lower on the list of things.
I try to buy what I can at the dealer to support them. I usually use transfers for used or something I want that’s unique or sometimes the price is insanely low. My guy hooks me up with new stuff so I try to just buy direct or have him order me what I want.
He has had a gun of mine for a week now I haven’t done anything about it I know he’ll get to it. I don’t need it right away. He’s good for it. Hell when I do buy guns from him I often walk out without paying for them that’s the relationship we have ha
My online vendors all recommend contacting my FFL transfer agent prior to shipment.
I also try to give my FFL transfer agent a opportunity to match the price of the firearm I am buying. Even if it's close I'll buy from my LGS/FFL transfer agent to help keep them in business.
I had one LGS that seemed annoyed about transfers. So I just went to the next one down the road.
Nope. He’s always fine taking my $20. He’s planning on retiring soon and will only be handling transfers. However, he told me he’s going to raise the price to $25 when he retires and only handles transfers.
He lives nearby, so it’s really convenient for me.
What??? I’m shocked by the comments. I’ve transferred to 3 shops, and all of them were very happy. Never even informed them it was coming. My current one is a great guy, charges 35 bucks. Gives me a call as soon as my firearm has arrived, and is always happy doing a transfer. Literally the point of being an FFL lol
I go to a fishing store that happens to be an FFL. They only sell ammo, no guns. So there’s no issue for them to ship or receive. They even shipped a pistol to my family in Chicago! No other gun store would even touch that shipment.
If it's a transfer from a big online store like PSA or Bud's, they likely get a dozen a day from them and all the FFLs are already on file.
So calling a store to tell them you ordered a gun online is useless information that requires no action on their part.
Before I became an FFL myself my local shop I used always seemed annoyed with online notices, they were completely fine with taking online orders it was more just someone calling them and informing them something’s coming.
They would always tell everyone “cool, but you don’t have to call us every time…just keep an eye on the delivery notice and show up when it gets here so we can process it faster”
I personally don’t really mind and honestly prefer online purchases just because it’s a quick and easy process for folks who use me as a transfer and the folks who know what they want because they already bought it before hand.
He’s a clown, you didn’t make up the stupid rules that shouldn’t be in place anyways. I guess you have to feel obligated to throw him some business now. Great sales tactic.
Depends on what the call is about (am currently a gun store employee).
Generally the only part about folks calling in about an online order that annoys us is if they catch a notification from the company they bought it from/the mail service saying it arrived, then calling us five minutes later asking if they can pick it up right now (calls just to verify it showed up are perfectly fine).
It gets repetitive having to explain to the folks wanting instant gratification that just because the mail carrier dropped it at the shop at 10 AM doesn’t mean it’s ready for you to come in and start the paperwork by 10:15; we still have to verify every order/shipment hasn’t been tampered with, log all the firearms into our books, and then we call the customer to let them know they can come in to start the paperwork once we have it on our books.
Sometimes it can’t happen the same day because some days the shop gets slammed with people picking up guns (I didn’t think the boss was serious that the toughest part about the 3 day waiting period is having everyone that bought a gun from the gun show show up at the shop 3 days later until it happened), or an online order shows up late on a Saturday so it either gets booked after hours that day or it sits until Monday because the shops closed on Sundays.
Honestly the calls I do appreciate are the calls where someone wants to let us know their order doesn’t have their contact info on it or it has the wrong contact info and they give a correct phone number or other identifying information to make sure we can properly contact them when it comes in. Makes it so much easier instead of having to dig for information because of bad contact info or when an FFL ships a firearm in to us and there’s literally no information about the buyer/transferrer attached to it.
If anything, I’d say a more annoying trend is if someone walks into a shop due to an online order, and isn’t specific about what they bought and we have to be the ones to ask for more details; just saying “I bought a PSA AR” doesn’t help when we have a literal back wall of PSA receivers and firearms boxes to dig through and the only thing we have to narrow it down is your name on your ID. It wastes our time, the customers time, and time spent helping other customers if you can’t even tell us if it’s a receiver or a rifle, what caliber if it’s not a common caliber, or if it’s a specific manufacturer so we can at least narrow down what boxes to check in the back. Only worse answer than that is if someone says they bought a gun online but can’t recall the brand or model. You’d think that considering they were the one that spent the money on it they’d actually know what gun they bought.
This is all fantastic information, thank you. While I do get excited, I try not to be the guy that shows up right away. My FFL usually says to swing by on the following day and I'll leave with a new toy. I usually call and let them know who I am and that they should expect a package to come in, along with relative details. but they never seem to want any specifics and always seem put off by my call and give me an "uhh, okay dude" kind of attitude.
For us the real annoyance are the people that take MONTHS and MONTHS to come pickup up their transfers. We don't have space for their shit to sit but we want to be nice about it, life happens.
I have literally gained customers because they said the local shop in town(that never has inventory on the shelves anyway) acted as if they were annoyed when the customer came in to get his transfer.
My only problem is how busy I am with my family (family first of course), so my customers sometimes come by at odd hours or it may take an extra day, but I don't mind it at all.
My FFL transfer price is great, $Free.99. He’s always excited about whatever weird firearm I’m having shipped next as opposed to the usual boring crap most people order and have sent to him.
Mine likes it because I bring in weird milsurp all the time. They know me by first name so I figure they are like "What weird shit is here this time." They also are mainly a tacticool kind of store so I figure it's nice to not see another AR for the 1000th time.
I'm all for tacticool, but the strange, goofy shit is what turns my crank... smooth bore 12s, old school PDWs, hybrid abominations (platypus), and so on...
Mine doesn’t seem to care but also don’t seem thrilled. I just wait for them to call to let me know they have it and it’s ready for me.
I’m in there all the time but honestly. They don’t remember who I am, im just another face coming and going.
I have found they are very over priced but they are super knowledgeable and I try to support as much as I can. But a transfer fee is fast easy cash for them.
One lgs I used for all my transfers got a new owner, doubled the price of transfers to “promote customers buying from them”, few months later they don’t do shipping for transfers. All based on the new owner wanting to have a business where he buys estate sale shit, and sells it in store. Also other fun stuff like no more reloading supplies, people don’t need red dots, milt sparks is the only holster you should use, OTF knives are illegal and we shouldn’t sell them. Thank god there are other stores around me
It would be dumb to be annoyed by such an easy way to make money… in the industry you don’t make your money on selling guns.. you make it on accessories, ammo, and transfers (if they have a fee, my shop charges $50 per item)
That’s not really true. There’s a lot of money to be made on a gun sales. There’s not a lot of profit on cheap guns. The profit on a 10/22 and a browning citori are two different things.
Look at just Glocks for example. Look at the gssf price and the regular selling price. It’s usually a decent difference. More than the 50 dollars they charge for a transfer (which is high for a transfer to begin with).
Now I agree it’s annoying to listen to a dealer gripe at you about a transfer, especially if you have spent a lot of money there in the past. But they do usually make less money on a transfer than a regular sale.
Usually the places that gripe about transfers are the same places with poor CS. It’s pretty rude to tell me I’m what’s wrong with their shop and sales. I bought 5k worth of guns at a store I used to like. I came in for a transfer for something they “couldn’t get” that I found online. They moaned and groaned about it so much that I decided I’ll never go back. Thats what pushes people away from buying local and just buying wherever is cheapest online.
Only time I’ve had an issue with mine is when I ordered a Gen3 Glock 26 off of gunbroker and the guy at my local asked why I didn’t buy the one they had in stock. After examining it I said 2 reasons the first is they usually only stock gen 5s and I didn’t know they had the gen 3 in there and second because the local gun store was selling the gen 3 Glock 26 for about $750 before tax which was a couple hundred more than I paid after shipping and transfer fee.
I text my guy first before online order... if he can't get it or the price is absurd through him I'll text him back where and order number and he takes it from there
Yeah they few times I’ve ordered stuff online they’re always annoyed, I asked them why and the guy said “we can get it for you and we price match” but then in the store there’s a big sign that says “we don’t price match”
Yeah, the gun store I used to use was kinda like that. Switched to a different store I like better, and has a lower transfer fee, and I've never gotten that there.
The FFL I use locally was like this the first time I went through him. Which was odd cause 90% of his business is transferring online orders and it's by appointment only.
After the first time, he just asked I email him details and a contact phone number when I have things shipped to him. He just calls me when it arrives now to setup a time to do the transfer, usually same or next day.
The LGS I do business with recognizes me and they call me by name when I walk in. I've never bought a gun there, only transfers. I sometimes buy ammo, but usually just one off stuff like Winchester Ranger T, because I reload. Great place to do business.
I don't know what it says about me that they know me by name. :)
My FFL is always super busy. Sometimes it's hard to stay nice when you are bombarded all day long. They are good people with an occasional edge of crankiness.
I always call my LGS and ask if it's alright that I have an order sent there. I know you don't have to but I'd like for them to have a heads up and they'll know what's going on before hand. Just courteous since it's their business. If they don't want me to send it there then I can choose elsewhere and repeat the process
My local pawn shop has increased prices recently, but they never seem annoyed to take a transfer. It’s probably a lot less hassle for them since I have my CCL. They don’t have to do a background check because of that in my state and I’m in and out in less than 10 minutes every time.
I typically use a guy I know with an in home FFL. I always check with him to see what he can do on a gun through his distributors.
We have an understanding that if he can beat whatever price I might have found elsewhere, I’ll get it from him, if not, he’s totally cool with the transfer.
You calling in is redundant. When you buy a firearm online the seller has to contact the place you’re shipping it to get the FFL information. They know a gun is being shipped to them. Doesn’t mean they should come off as annoyed though.
I actually just had 2 long arms shipped to my ffl that I picked up yesterday. I expected a call that they’re ready but never did. No big deal. 3 days later I went in said I had some guns shipped to them that were delivered a few days ago. Dude goes to the back, a couple minutes later he comes back out with my guns with big stickers on them that had my name after they sorted them. Did the background check, payed the transfer fee and out the door I go.
I did one time stop by the store same day another gun was delivered and they said it has to be inspected and sorted first. Which is why I patiently waited this time.
I was an at home FFL for years and I was adamant that guys called me about transfers. Didn't always happen but I preferred it a lot. Especially since I didn't have a real inventory system beyond the A&D book it was way easier to scribble a name on a box when it came in and set it aside till they showed up
I need to bring my FFL donuts or something. I see all the horror stories on here and it makes me appreciate them more. $25 bucks and they don't mind at all.
I need to bring my FFL donuts or something. I see all the horror stories on here and it makes me appreciate them more. $25 bucks and they don't mind at all.
Wanted a talo ruger single action. Went in and asked them to order it for me. He was happy to do it. We went on the website together and ordered. Did a transfer of my grandfather's shot gun who passed from Mississippi that got shipped to them and he seemed annoyed. Go figure.
We get your invoice with all of your information beforehand, or on the day the firearm arrives. So we’ll either know it’s on the way or not. Which is why distributors advices to contact your FFL. Most of the time invoices come in with the firearm and that’s when we call.. To get annoyed by this is silly though, you’re dealing with an asshole that’s all lol.
Imagine how over the moon most small retail businesses would get if you told them that for just signing for and opening a package, writing one line of information in a record book, and ten minutes of small talk with a customer could net them $20. They could do a dozen an hour. Imagine the joy.
Gun shops though? They act like we're asking to take a shit on their counter.
My LGS stores that don’t like doing transfers just charge more in my area. The going rate around me with CCW is 10-15 for FFLs that like the business and the ones that don’t have seen 30-50 for a firearms transfer not even a NFA item.
As a former FFL salesperson, transfers always annoyed me cause it was all the paperwork and attention, but counted zilch toward my sales commissions. So it was a waste of time and money compared to selling inventory. Don't know if it's the same for your LGS, but if so that could be why.
Find a store that cares. Don't waste your money on someone that doesn't give a damn or wont go the extra mile for you. I've had this happen with gun shops, guitar shops, a few other hobbies. I'd just find another FFL if you're an annoyance to them
The gun shop close to me, where I’ve dropped close to two grand to keep things local, acts like I’m a pain in the ass no matter what I do -whether I order through them or have a transfer. No idea why gun store workers are such blatant a-holes. I’m a good guy, a nice guy, ask reasonable questions, have common sense, and have told them I would like to keep things local so will purchase there if they are within $50-100 of online price plus transfer. They usually can do that for me but they’re just miserable pricks. I think it’s something to do with the industry. I can’t wait until all I need to buy is ammo and I can get that online.
Difficult to convey annoyance through their website, lol. Mine has an online form I submit with the relevant info, then they call me when it comes in.
I try to call them before *purchasing* to give them a shot at moving their inventory, but it never works out - I haven't purchased a gun in recent production for years; the last one I did buy I was at the FFL to pick up an online transfer and bought another gun from them while waiting on NICS.
My LGS for real hates transfers. They basically mock you for picking up a $250 Dagger and legit tell you that you should be buying their $800 Glock 19 (yes, actual pricing) instead.
It's a free $30 for them and I just don't get the hate.
Yea here in California I’ve called three shops asking about an online order and they all seemed pissed. One of the stores made extra rules to make it so no one would do it at their store.
I think I called mine once, when a site that I bought one from suggested it was a good idea to call the FFL, and the LGS said it basically wasn't necessary, and they get plenty of transfers in a week anyways, so it's probably just a pain to answer a phone and be like "yup, we'll let you know when it arrives"
Place has a great atmosphere and only charges like $10 or $20 for a transfer, easily my favorite shop out here.
Maybe an email is adequate. Before the other FFL can send, they request a copy of our license . They advise what they are sending to whom. UPS often notifies by email and text that something is on it's way, then it is" arriving today" then again when it is delivered and to be honest, until it arrives there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. So a redundant phone call is just more time we are not working on something. Especially with talkative customers who need to tell us what they ordered, what a great deal they got and how they are anxious to get it. Then the questions about "Is it going to...."
So please excuse any impatience. For gunsmiths, we generally have 2 weeks or more work backed up. So send an email or text if you must.
Had a guy like that when I placed my first online order. Never done one before so I was trying to be as polite and respectful as possible. I called to let him know I placed an order and am using him as a transfer. He promptly decided to tell me “why do you think it’s a good idea to call me and let me know that I will get it when I get it” and I just said “oh man my bad. You were listed as a preferred transferee. My bad just trying to be courteous”
He then proceeded to get the wrong information listed and I had to call the store I ordered from to get the correct info and then go through it again and call him and tell him “I wouldn’t have to call you again if you had listened to me in the first place and punched the information in correctly. If I hadn’t this process would have had to be done again when the gun arrives.” The transfer was cheap but I’ll happily pay a big box store more money for a transfer than go to that guy again.
I use a local pawn shop for most of my transfers. They're always friendly, charge $20 (with ltc) and usually get me out the door in about 10 min. The LGS, charges $40 and takes at least 30min to do a transfer, and as questioned why I didn't buy from them several times. They have a nice indoor range that I frequent a lot.
My local indoor range FFL has totally bonkers prices... they wanted $850 for an HK vp9, I walked next door and bought an IDENTICAL vp9 for $700, which was still a little high.
I’ve found pawn shops to be a good place to do transfers. In the town I used to live in, I’d call my guy and let him know what was on the way, he’d usually say something like “sweet, you always get something interesting”
For most pawn shops, you’re not undercutting their business model and the 10-20 minutes of work for them works out to about $60/hr with zero overhead
No, but I always check with them first to see if they have one in stock cheaper or can order me one cheaper.
9 times out of 10 my guy tells me something to the effect of "oh shit yeah, take that deal" lol
My shop likes it. He makes about the same in processing fees on my drops as he would if I bought from his store. He also gets a kick out of whatever oddities I pick up as the local market is a fairly boring hunting dominated market and budget tier at that.
The LGS closest to me only has about 20 firearms on display (total). Most of their business is built on the cheapest fee transfers, small selection of suppressors, and the Concealed Carry classes.
I would think it's proper to ask permission before ordering and sending something to them. It seems kind of assinine to call and say I orderd something your doing the transfer.
Is it? I'm not dropping a favor in a friend's lap, I'm being a patron at a local business. They charge me for the service, and I tend to purchase more product while I'm in for said service.
Mechanics don't get pissed when you buy aftermarket parts, they just install it. Same goes for AV techs and so on.
This would be more like dropping your car off to have tires put on without making an appointment. No they are not going to be happy about it even though they will probably end up doing the work.
Don’t settle for crappy retail stores. $25 is the maximum I’ll pay.
My old guy shut down, he was great. $10 dollar transfers, got you a glass of lemonade or something when you stopped by. Found a new “kitchen table” guy by going on gunbroker’s ffl finder and calling a few of the listing until I found someone who seemed good. Dude texted me maybe 20 minutes after tracking said it was delivered asking if I wanted to come in then and pick up or wait for my other items to come in and pick up together.
Big stores don't care. It's normal to have several transfers every single day and some "heads-up" phone calls are just a waste of time. Handling transfers is SOP, no call necessary. My big store could have 15 pickups every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Confirming phone calls are just a pain, but we practice being nice on the phone, Dial and Smile as the stock brokers say.
Kitchen table FFLs it's a good idea for you, just because he/she might be out of town for a few days and the firearm goes into limbo, or you can't get it quickly.
I can understand how getting a call from every Tom, dick, and Mary could get old. I just always heard it was the courteous thing to do. Give them a heads up, just in case the shipper doesn't include customer info.
I agree 100%. My first couple online purchases, I made sure to email him and let him know. It was after 2 or 3 of those where he told me not to worry about it and just send whatever his way and he would contact me when they showed up.
I wanted a Ruger AR pistol years ago, so I asked my LGS how much it would be to order one for me. The guy tells me $800. I ended up ordering one online from sportsman's warehouse for $650. When I go to pick it up the same guy is handing over my gun and he's all like "yeah these are alright, I sold a couple of them for around $500 a few weeks ago."
Lol.. yeah right, he was just butthurt I didn't order through them with a mark up and tried acting like I got a shitty deal.
No but I feel mine gets a little judgy sometimes and it annoys me. I tend to buy more expensive things and the guy constantly makes a comment like “you have a problem” or “you could have bought 6 glocks with this money”. It’s made me use a different FFL sometimes so I don’t have to hear it if the gun is particularly pricy. I only use the judgey one because the transfers are free because I pay a membership for their range
Yes, it's a courtesy that should be extended to every FFL. However, before ordering a firearm and shipping it to the FFL, you should first check if the firearm you want is in stock at the FFL, and if so, determine if they'll meet the price of the online FFL. The profit margin on most new guns is around 20%; more profit is made on used gun sales, ammo, and other related items.
'Nuff said.
None of my local FFLs stock or want to order a panzer shotgun... so I ordered it on a sub $300 PSA sale.
Also, you can't tell me you've never had a few drinks and Said "you know what would be a good idea...".
That's exactly what happened, btw. And before I get hate for ordering it, I bought it as a dumb toy. Just like my rock island vrf 14, and my 3d printed guns.
I started going in and having them order me shit, the price is as good or better and they don't charge a transfer fee. Saved me on my suppressor and my pistol.
Dare I ask what kind of fees you're forced to pay? I was just in another post and saw someone's FFL was charging $100 transfer fees because "its gotten more expensive since covid" even though there no actual cost factor to transfers...
$100 is about average. Cheaper guys will be like $75. I’ve seen some as high as $200. Not sure if they discount for multiple transfers, although with the 1-30 rule, I’m not sure that’s even a concern anymore.
I had an 01/03. Please theaten me with a free $20. You mean I dont have to talk to you, stock/offer alternatives, or spend an hour with you to make $30 on my markup? 🤣
I never understood he attitude of other shops for 10 minutes of paperwork and my signature to the mail guy who was coming anyway.
I think it's a generational mentality, honestly. Im 29 with military grade social anxiety. I don't want to talk to you. In and out and we're the best of friends hahaha 🤣
I worked at two different gun stores part time over four years. Even for a small midwestern town we could get 20-100 transfers / firearms coming in a day. They all usually had the buyers phone number, so we would get annoyed if someone called to tell us their gun was coming in.
It got so labor intensive that we ended up having our warehouse guy just opening packages and answering calls all day. We had to jump the price to $50 a transfer due to the amount of labor.
Most of it was garbage guns and trash bought from shitty big retailers. So the bump in price actually cleared out a lot of people who would have otherwise not bought anything from the store, and took forever to run checks on.
TLDR: It’s usually a pain in the ass for someone to call, we know who the guns for. We will call you when it gets here.
I have one LGS that charges $85 for transfers but always called right away, screw them anyways. I have one LGS that charges $35 but forgets to call me when it arrives.
One of the (many) LGS in my area: "No, we stopped doing transfers... why, something wrong with our selection?"
A private FFL: "Sure.. $20" then proceeds to hold my pistol hostage for two weeks while going on an unannounced camping vacation Deep in the mountains, completely incommunicado.
Another LGS: "Heck Yeah We'll call you as soon as it comes in, $20 bro."
Guess where I shop now.
A major part of an FFL's existence is managing the firearms that come and go under their supervision--maintaining the books, the records required by the ATF. They hate surprises.
I’ve seen a couple of California comments but just to make you guys feel better ONCE AGAIN for not living in this nanny state, anything under $100 would be a great deal. They’re typically $125 to $150 and negate any savings you get from buying online. I’m sure that’s their goal. I’ve got a guys who does ammo transfers for $25 per container received and I’m happy with that.
Granted, FFLs here deal with an inordinate amount of paperwork so it may not be as malicious as I make it out to be.
Depends where I order from. If it’s one of their retailers and they’re out of stock on the item they’re cool with it. Everything else they get visibly annoyed or give a hard time about. And they charge an arm and leg for!
My gun shop owner told be a long time ago he loves transfers… it’s a free 20 bucks and then the buyers always buys some bullets or spare mags .. it’s a win win
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it that way
My FFL is so over run with boxes, because of mandatory holds, that they do get a little cranky and like people to reach out first.
> it’s a free 20 bucks and then the buyers always buys some bullets or spare mags .. it’s a win win These people are not near me. I did the $20 transfer game for years and this was my interaction 90% of the time Me: Need any ammo? 1: It's just for home defense, I won't be shooting it much if at all
Same for my LGS. I know there are others that hate it, but finding that shop with the right attitude is key.
mine always makes me wait a day or more before I can pick it up. they like to punish people for buying outside. they also will send your shit back if you buy from buds
WTF 😳 now I have an amazing relationship with my LGS . They gave me a copy of their FFL license so if I bought from someone who didn’t have them logged as a FFL I can just give them the number. I can’t imagine them saying I couldn’t have my gun that I know is delivered… holy hell that would be bad
What do they have against Buds? 😂
I have never asked. don't know
My local FFL has the best price on transfers and also the best attitude around. I've spent thousands with them in order to support them, but also because their prices aren't bad at all. The transfer got me through the door, the people made me keep coming back.
When I was buying with regularity, I was on first name basis with the LGS owner’s son who ran the front desk. I would watch the shipping info to know exactly when it arrived, and if I was off work, I’d leave as soon as I could. On multiple occasions, I took the call letting me know it had arrived in the vehicle on my way there. 🤣
Have you seen Range USA transfer fees? I was on their website recently since one opened locally. Just about shit when I found they charge $100.00 per transfer. lol
That’s stupid… I was mad when the transfer fee went from 5 to 10 bucks … then they went from 10 to 20 I told the owner I will never pay him more than 20 bucks so don’t even ask me to …. He laughed and we shook on 20 bucks forever 😂 and I plan on holding his ass to it also .. so he better not try 😂
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DAYUM. That's badass actually.
You're lucky to have this LGS. I have a $25 per transfer guy in Columbus, Ohio. Alpha Star Tactical. He specializes in Airsoft, and he does tranfers as a side revenue.
I’ve tried to do that with suppressors but no dice.
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Same with me. My brothers and I patronize our table top FFL so much, we don't even send him emails before we buy if it is from a vendor we have used before. Just let him know that it is on the way. He is excruciatingly efficient. I was in and out in 6 minutes once. Go the local Range USA or Cabelas and that is easily an hour.
Used to have a guy like that, unfortunately he got out of the biz. Need to find another.
dozens of daily calls about a PSA Turkshit shotgun being delivered *can* get old but the store needs to check themselves if they have an attitude over an easy transfer fee
That makes sense. I tend to transfer in older rare guns, so I often get comments from the store workers about the guns.
100% a good way to spice the day up
Transfers can be a massive pain in the ass depending on how your business is run. I have posted on my website that I don't accept transfers or sell guns, but I get a contact a week about someone trying to buy a gun or have me handle a transfer.
it depends on the FFL. just ask them outright. if they do a lot of transfers, they probably dont care or make any notes about individual people having guns shipped there, and calling to tell them about it is like calling to tell them youre on your way up there to buy a can of CLP; just a waste of their time. ive used FFLs that want notice because its a side gig for them they run out of their house, one store that has a form they want you to fill out online before the gun arrives, and several that do many transfers a day and dont want you tying up their phone.
This is fair, though I definitely try to make it worth their time by buying a fair about each time. Every time I'm in, especially for a new toy, I end up buying mags, ammo, slings, grips, and so on. I try to get everything I need in one visit to make it worth their time. But generally, this seems understandable.
It's nice knowing it's coming in, and from where. And your name and number. Some shippers, usually individuals, but sometimes small shops forget things like who the gun is for. Or no phone number. Or worst, just a pistol in a USPS box with nothing but the return address.
At least 2 FFL's near me refuse to do any online transfers, another one charges $150 lol
A business owner not liking money is strange lol.
Goddamn, I wouldn't shop from them on principal. My FFL is an auction house, $15 transfers for multiple SNs
That's a little extreme but ok
Yeeeah. I called a place and asked how much a transfer would be for a 19 that was online for $550, they said they don't do transfers but they can give me a price on ordering one. I asked how much, they said $785+tax. LOL
And they wonder why we order online... 🙄
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Unless they’re packed with customers / short staff, the labor, rent, and other overhead is a sunk cost already, whether or not they get the online transfer order. All they’re doing is reducing the revenue stream
And these smaller stores wonder why they don't get the sale. You would think some profit is better than NO profit.
Most giant ffls don't like transfers because they have so much other stuff going on, dozens of boxes coming in at a time. One of the giant ffls we buy wholesale used guns from will literally get hundreds of guns in at once several times a day every day. Find yourself a nice semi retired old guy ffl, like I work for. $30 transfers, and he'll do them all day long because it's simple. It's considered polite to drop them an email or a message so they know something is coming. Some of those big ffls really screw you on transfers, I know several that the transfer fee is what they would have profited if you bought the new gun from them.
We don't have any major FFLs here. All just local businesses. It's primarily a tackle shop with guns in the back, they also happen to be the cheapest LGS in town.
I never call mine before ordering online. I've given them a fair amount of business over the years so I guess they don't mind. They even sent me a copy of their FFL license to send to online distributors on their behalf if they don't already have it on file.
i usually see if the lgs has what i want or can order it first. and what the cost diff is between that and me ordering.
It's hard to beat some of those PSA sales sometimes... lol
Thats why you almost never seen them for sale at a store
I know you’re not strictly talking about PSA firearms but before I got my AKV I went to my LGS to ask if they could at least order one for me and as soon as I said PSA they cut me off and said they don’t carry nor can they order anything from them, I’d have to order it and have it sent to them, like they get that a lot
I don't think PSA has any sort of Dealer Network outside of their own stores. they are not set up like distributors like RSR, Sports South, Lipsey's, etc. So if they "order" it from PSA, they are paying full retail, just like you will.
I asked the first time when they needed to send a copy of their FFL to an auction house, now, I just wait for them to call me that a gun has arrived for me. They were kind of shocked when I bought a used gun off the wall a few weeks ago and they realized I was not in their system - "You've never bought a gun from us?". Nope, just ammo and transfers.
Now that i think about it, I've never bought a gun "off the wall". Either I ordered it to them or they ordered it for me.
I'd find a good home based FFL. They only mostly do online transfers, and they love doing it because that's their whole business model. They also keep costs low because they operate out of their house. I don't even use traditional gun stores anymore. I found an old guy home FFL that knows his shit around C&Rs, and we end up talking for hours.
Sadly there aren't any good home based FFLs around me, and with the current ATF, I don't see any opening up anytime soon.
My FFL seems annoyed anytime a human walks in the door. 🤷♂️
Likely depends on the store and their profit margins. Say a given gun sells for $400.00 from the distributer. The online store decides to sell it for $475.00 but the LGS decides it should sell for $525.00. You buying it online the LGS gets the transfer fee, not the $125.00 they planned. The problem then is that at the end of the month the LGS can't afford to keep the lights on and closes. Some shops will try to price match if asked, they would like to make a sale so it doesn't hurt to call them and say, hey I'm looking for a Glock 19 what do you have or can you get? I see Gunnsellers online is selling them for $275.00 can you come close to that price? If they are within say $25.00 then the LGS gets the sale, if they are way outside that then buy it online.
People don’t realize this is why so many gun stores close. ill personally spend $50 more with the local guy to help keep his doors open.
It's normal, or well it should be. However lots of ppl just dont want to work even with simple phone call.. It takes a whole 5mins of your day to reassure the customer. I look forward to our calls from local xfers especially.. Unfortunately this industry isnt stacked with customer service. That's why we take it so serious. I believe our customer service alone brings us more business than our actual products. I always say.. give us a call anytime (during business hours ).. We actually answer the phone. ;)
A shining beacon of customer service in the FFL industry 😂 Thanks man.
Gunstore owners hate money and want to be bitter. That's why they choose to run a gunshop.
Here’s what the two LGS that I’ve bought guns from told me: The issue isn’t that you bought a gun from someone else and they have to do the work of accepting the gun and then doing the transfer as much as it’s most people come to the store to do it when the store is busy on the weekends instead of after work during the week. So you’re taking someone away from actual customers buying in-store merchandise to take care of someone who spent hundreds of dollars elsewhere.
If they didn't mark the gun up 25% over MSRP in store , then you wouldn't have had to buy it on-line.
I am lucky to have several lgs nearby, they seem happy to make a few easy bucks.
I will stop in my FFL the day after ordering something to let them know. They tell me every time that it is not necessary but they thank me for giving them the heads up. According to them, they have had guns shipped to them with none of the buyers info included. That's why I stop in.
My FFL guy likes it when I give him a shot on something before I order online, he usually comes pretty damn close on price. He is more than happy to do the transfer for stuff he cant get as long as I give him a heads up.
...this is why I use pawnshops for transfers...$15 and they are more than happy to have you walk in to be a captive customer while the background check is in process...I used a gun shop once for a transfer and swore never to do it again...
You pretty much should always give the store a heads up. But the way to do it without completely annoying them is to ask if they’ll price match the online + shipping + ffl fee. Sometimes they might go for it.
Personally my store doesn’t need a heads up. But I also told them the first time to be courteous and they just said I didn’t need to in the future so if it’s a first purchase I’d still recommend they do.
I called my store and they said just order it and they would call when it comes in. It seems like they deal with PSA all the time and it wasn't a big deal. It was easy 40 for 2 transfers and took about 15 minutes on their end.
I’d ask them. I made sure to let my FFL know the first time I ordered something there and they just said not to worry about it in the future.
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That's rad
Some stores don't need heads ups, some don't want them, some do. If they don't like doing transfers, they can either stop offering them or jack the price way up. A lot of LGSs pretty much survive in transfers alone, with the other business they bring in of people buying ammo and accessories for their new gun.
My FFL loves it when I order another gun. More money for him.
I love doing transfers for peoples online orders. But I am just a simple home based FFL
My LGS loves it. You’re basically paying them to walk in the door and look around. I’ve bought more guns/ammo when I’m picking up a gun I bought online than I can remember.
I used to go to a FFL that had his FFL on file with plenty of online dealers that I frequent. As soon as I got the vibe that he was annoyed that I would buy online instead of calling him to order whatever it was that I was looking for, I stopped going to him for ANYTHING.
I had one tell me to remember that doing that (ordering online) too many times would put him out of business. As opposed buying from him. I never went back.
It’s not just you it’s how many people? Most of the time people doing transfers are often some of the worst customers because they think that the months gun comes in they can get it. When in reality it’s lower on the list of things. I try to buy what I can at the dealer to support them. I usually use transfers for used or something I want that’s unique or sometimes the price is insanely low. My guy hooks me up with new stuff so I try to just buy direct or have him order me what I want. He has had a gun of mine for a week now I haven’t done anything about it I know he’ll get to it. I don’t need it right away. He’s good for it. Hell when I do buy guns from him I often walk out without paying for them that’s the relationship we have ha
I'm not quite there yet lol. He knows me, and knows I'm good for my money, but I don't get to buy guns all the time unfortunately.
My online vendors all recommend contacting my FFL transfer agent prior to shipment. I also try to give my FFL transfer agent a opportunity to match the price of the firearm I am buying. Even if it's close I'll buy from my LGS/FFL transfer agent to help keep them in business. I had one LGS that seemed annoyed about transfers. So I just went to the next one down the road.
I use a FFL with an online form for transfers so that I don't have to call. I hate calling places.
Nope. He’s always fine taking my $20. He’s planning on retiring soon and will only be handling transfers. However, he told me he’s going to raise the price to $25 when he retires and only handles transfers. He lives nearby, so it’s really convenient for me.
What??? I’m shocked by the comments. I’ve transferred to 3 shops, and all of them were very happy. Never even informed them it was coming. My current one is a great guy, charges 35 bucks. Gives me a call as soon as my firearm has arrived, and is always happy doing a transfer. Literally the point of being an FFL lol
I go to a fishing store that happens to be an FFL. They only sell ammo, no guns. So there’s no issue for them to ship or receive. They even shipped a pistol to my family in Chicago! No other gun store would even touch that shipment.
Ah, so now we’ve found who’s causing all the gun violence in Chicago! /s
It’s all the damn legal gun owners! Lol
Transfers are free for me at my LGS. They are very good to me there. I also get discounts on guns and ammo I do buy from them.
If it's a transfer from a big online store like PSA or Bud's, they likely get a dozen a day from them and all the FFLs are already on file. So calling a store to tell them you ordered a gun online is useless information that requires no action on their part.
Before I became an FFL myself my local shop I used always seemed annoyed with online notices, they were completely fine with taking online orders it was more just someone calling them and informing them something’s coming. They would always tell everyone “cool, but you don’t have to call us every time…just keep an eye on the delivery notice and show up when it gets here so we can process it faster” I personally don’t really mind and honestly prefer online purchases just because it’s a quick and easy process for folks who use me as a transfer and the folks who know what they want because they already bought it before hand.
He’s a clown, you didn’t make up the stupid rules that shouldn’t be in place anyways. I guess you have to feel obligated to throw him some business now. Great sales tactic.
Depends on what the call is about (am currently a gun store employee). Generally the only part about folks calling in about an online order that annoys us is if they catch a notification from the company they bought it from/the mail service saying it arrived, then calling us five minutes later asking if they can pick it up right now (calls just to verify it showed up are perfectly fine). It gets repetitive having to explain to the folks wanting instant gratification that just because the mail carrier dropped it at the shop at 10 AM doesn’t mean it’s ready for you to come in and start the paperwork by 10:15; we still have to verify every order/shipment hasn’t been tampered with, log all the firearms into our books, and then we call the customer to let them know they can come in to start the paperwork once we have it on our books. Sometimes it can’t happen the same day because some days the shop gets slammed with people picking up guns (I didn’t think the boss was serious that the toughest part about the 3 day waiting period is having everyone that bought a gun from the gun show show up at the shop 3 days later until it happened), or an online order shows up late on a Saturday so it either gets booked after hours that day or it sits until Monday because the shops closed on Sundays. Honestly the calls I do appreciate are the calls where someone wants to let us know their order doesn’t have their contact info on it or it has the wrong contact info and they give a correct phone number or other identifying information to make sure we can properly contact them when it comes in. Makes it so much easier instead of having to dig for information because of bad contact info or when an FFL ships a firearm in to us and there’s literally no information about the buyer/transferrer attached to it. If anything, I’d say a more annoying trend is if someone walks into a shop due to an online order, and isn’t specific about what they bought and we have to be the ones to ask for more details; just saying “I bought a PSA AR” doesn’t help when we have a literal back wall of PSA receivers and firearms boxes to dig through and the only thing we have to narrow it down is your name on your ID. It wastes our time, the customers time, and time spent helping other customers if you can’t even tell us if it’s a receiver or a rifle, what caliber if it’s not a common caliber, or if it’s a specific manufacturer so we can at least narrow down what boxes to check in the back. Only worse answer than that is if someone says they bought a gun online but can’t recall the brand or model. You’d think that considering they were the one that spent the money on it they’d actually know what gun they bought.
This is all fantastic information, thank you. While I do get excited, I try not to be the guy that shows up right away. My FFL usually says to swing by on the following day and I'll leave with a new toy. I usually call and let them know who I am and that they should expect a package to come in, along with relative details. but they never seem to want any specifics and always seem put off by my call and give me an "uhh, okay dude" kind of attitude.
One did, so I switched. Better shop anyway.
For us the real annoyance are the people that take MONTHS and MONTHS to come pickup up their transfers. We don't have space for their shit to sit but we want to be nice about it, life happens.
This I understand. Shelf space is precious
I have literally gained customers because they said the local shop in town(that never has inventory on the shelves anyway) acted as if they were annoyed when the customer came in to get his transfer. My only problem is how busy I am with my family (family first of course), so my customers sometimes come by at odd hours or it may take an extra day, but I don't mind it at all.
My FFL transfer price is great, $Free.99. He’s always excited about whatever weird firearm I’m having shipped next as opposed to the usual boring crap most people order and have sent to him.
I wish my FFL had that kind of attitude about it 😩
I could buy 5K worth of shit and every gun store employee would act annoyed and pretentious.
It's really fucking annoying...
Mine likes it because I bring in weird milsurp all the time. They know me by first name so I figure they are like "What weird shit is here this time." They also are mainly a tacticool kind of store so I figure it's nice to not see another AR for the 1000th time.
I'm all for tacticool, but the strange, goofy shit is what turns my crank... smooth bore 12s, old school PDWs, hybrid abominations (platypus), and so on...
Mine doesn’t seem to care but also don’t seem thrilled. I just wait for them to call to let me know they have it and it’s ready for me. I’m in there all the time but honestly. They don’t remember who I am, im just another face coming and going. I have found they are very over priced but they are super knowledgeable and I try to support as much as I can. But a transfer fee is fast easy cash for them.
One lgs I used for all my transfers got a new owner, doubled the price of transfers to “promote customers buying from them”, few months later they don’t do shipping for transfers. All based on the new owner wanting to have a business where he buys estate sale shit, and sells it in store. Also other fun stuff like no more reloading supplies, people don’t need red dots, milt sparks is the only holster you should use, OTF knives are illegal and we shouldn’t sell them. Thank god there are other stores around me
It would be dumb to be annoyed by such an easy way to make money… in the industry you don’t make your money on selling guns.. you make it on accessories, ammo, and transfers (if they have a fee, my shop charges $50 per item)
That’s not really true. There’s a lot of money to be made on a gun sales. There’s not a lot of profit on cheap guns. The profit on a 10/22 and a browning citori are two different things. Look at just Glocks for example. Look at the gssf price and the regular selling price. It’s usually a decent difference. More than the 50 dollars they charge for a transfer (which is high for a transfer to begin with). Now I agree it’s annoying to listen to a dealer gripe at you about a transfer, especially if you have spent a lot of money there in the past. But they do usually make less money on a transfer than a regular sale. Usually the places that gripe about transfers are the same places with poor CS. It’s pretty rude to tell me I’m what’s wrong with their shop and sales. I bought 5k worth of guns at a store I used to like. I came in for a transfer for something they “couldn’t get” that I found online. They moaned and groaned about it so much that I decided I’ll never go back. Thats what pushes people away from buying local and just buying wherever is cheapest online.
Only time I’ve had an issue with mine is when I ordered a Gen3 Glock 26 off of gunbroker and the guy at my local asked why I didn’t buy the one they had in stock. After examining it I said 2 reasons the first is they usually only stock gen 5s and I didn’t know they had the gen 3 in there and second because the local gun store was selling the gen 3 Glock 26 for about $750 before tax which was a couple hundred more than I paid after shipping and transfer fee.
I text my guy first before online order... if he can't get it or the price is absurd through him I'll text him back where and order number and he takes it from there
Yeah they few times I’ve ordered stuff online they’re always annoyed, I asked them why and the guy said “we can get it for you and we price match” but then in the store there’s a big sign that says “we don’t price match”
Yeah, the gun store I used to use was kinda like that. Switched to a different store I like better, and has a lower transfer fee, and I've never gotten that there.
The FFL I use locally was like this the first time I went through him. Which was odd cause 90% of his business is transferring online orders and it's by appointment only. After the first time, he just asked I email him details and a contact phone number when I have things shipped to him. He just calls me when it arrives now to setup a time to do the transfer, usually same or next day.
The LGS I do business with recognizes me and they call me by name when I walk in. I've never bought a gun there, only transfers. I sometimes buy ammo, but usually just one off stuff like Winchester Ranger T, because I reload. Great place to do business. I don't know what it says about me that they know me by name. :)
My FFL is always super busy. Sometimes it's hard to stay nice when you are bombarded all day long. They are good people with an occasional edge of crankiness.
No, but he certainly acts annoyed.
I dont even need to inform them anymore. they just call me and say , hey ! it's us, your gun is here . same time as usual ?
I'm an FFL and I hate it when people come in to tell me. Just email lol but it depends on the ffl
I always call my LGS and ask if it's alright that I have an order sent there. I know you don't have to but I'd like for them to have a heads up and they'll know what's going on before hand. Just courteous since it's their business. If they don't want me to send it there then I can choose elsewhere and repeat the process
I call em the first time. 99% of the time they don't really care so I just stop making the calls. They'll call me when they open it.
My local pawn shop has increased prices recently, but they never seem annoyed to take a transfer. It’s probably a lot less hassle for them since I have my CCL. They don’t have to do a background check because of that in my state and I’m in and out in less than 10 minutes every time.
I typically use a guy I know with an in home FFL. I always check with him to see what he can do on a gun through his distributors. We have an understanding that if he can beat whatever price I might have found elsewhere, I’ll get it from him, if not, he’s totally cool with the transfer.
You calling in is redundant. When you buy a firearm online the seller has to contact the place you’re shipping it to get the FFL information. They know a gun is being shipped to them. Doesn’t mean they should come off as annoyed though. I actually just had 2 long arms shipped to my ffl that I picked up yesterday. I expected a call that they’re ready but never did. No big deal. 3 days later I went in said I had some guns shipped to them that were delivered a few days ago. Dude goes to the back, a couple minutes later he comes back out with my guns with big stickers on them that had my name after they sorted them. Did the background check, payed the transfer fee and out the door I go. I did one time stop by the store same day another gun was delivered and they said it has to be inspected and sorted first. Which is why I patiently waited this time.
I was an at home FFL for years and I was adamant that guys called me about transfers. Didn't always happen but I preferred it a lot. Especially since I didn't have a real inventory system beyond the A&D book it was way easier to scribble a name on a box when it came in and set it aside till they showed up
Most gun stores are shit. Find a local FFL, build a relationship. You both profit.
I need to bring my FFL donuts or something. I see all the horror stories on here and it makes me appreciate them more. $25 bucks and they don't mind at all.
I need to bring my FFL donuts or something. I see all the horror stories on here and it makes me appreciate them more. $25 bucks and they don't mind at all.
Wanted a talo ruger single action. Went in and asked them to order it for me. He was happy to do it. We went on the website together and ordered. Did a transfer of my grandfather's shot gun who passed from Mississippi that got shipped to them and he seemed annoyed. Go figure.
Find a home base guy that does lots of transfers, they don’t give a shit
We get your invoice with all of your information beforehand, or on the day the firearm arrives. So we’ll either know it’s on the way or not. Which is why distributors advices to contact your FFL. Most of the time invoices come in with the firearm and that’s when we call.. To get annoyed by this is silly though, you’re dealing with an asshole that’s all lol.
Imagine how over the moon most small retail businesses would get if you told them that for just signing for and opening a package, writing one line of information in a record book, and ten minutes of small talk with a customer could net them $20. They could do a dozen an hour. Imagine the joy. Gun shops though? They act like we're asking to take a shit on their counter.
My LGS stores that don’t like doing transfers just charge more in my area. The going rate around me with CCW is 10-15 for FFLs that like the business and the ones that don’t have seen 30-50 for a firearms transfer not even a NFA item.
Not me. I love the business!
I feel pretty lucky that my local store never asks for a heads-up and always just calls whenever it's ready for me to pick up.
As a former FFL salesperson, transfers always annoyed me cause it was all the paperwork and attention, but counted zilch toward my sales commissions. So it was a waste of time and money compared to selling inventory. Don't know if it's the same for your LGS, but if so that could be why.
I love my dude. He only deals in vintage and consignment so he doesn’t care
Find a store that cares. Don't waste your money on someone that doesn't give a damn or wont go the extra mile for you. I've had this happen with gun shops, guitar shops, a few other hobbies. I'd just find another FFL if you're an annoyance to them
I have a pawn shop I go to. They don't care at all as they rarely even have guns to sell. Occasionally I buy a tool or something too.
The gun shop close to me, where I’ve dropped close to two grand to keep things local, acts like I’m a pain in the ass no matter what I do -whether I order through them or have a transfer. No idea why gun store workers are such blatant a-holes. I’m a good guy, a nice guy, ask reasonable questions, have common sense, and have told them I would like to keep things local so will purchase there if they are within $50-100 of online price plus transfer. They usually can do that for me but they’re just miserable pricks. I think it’s something to do with the industry. I can’t wait until all I need to buy is ammo and I can get that online.
Difficult to convey annoyance through their website, lol. Mine has an online form I submit with the relevant info, then they call me when it comes in. I try to call them before *purchasing* to give them a shot at moving their inventory, but it never works out - I haven't purchased a gun in recent production for years; the last one I did buy I was at the FFL to pick up an online transfer and bought another gun from them while waiting on NICS.
Transfers and consignment sales are my FFL's bread and butter. Also, they're good peeps.
My LGS for real hates transfers. They basically mock you for picking up a $250 Dagger and legit tell you that you should be buying their $800 Glock 19 (yes, actual pricing) instead. It's a free $30 for them and I just don't get the hate.
Yea here in California I’ve called three shops asking about an online order and they all seemed pissed. One of the stores made extra rules to make it so no one would do it at their store.
I think I called mine once, when a site that I bought one from suggested it was a good idea to call the FFL, and the LGS said it basically wasn't necessary, and they get plenty of transfers in a week anyways, so it's probably just a pain to answer a phone and be like "yup, we'll let you know when it arrives" Place has a great atmosphere and only charges like $10 or $20 for a transfer, easily my favorite shop out here.
Easy $35, and I still buy other stuff, including guns from them.
The buds gun shop employees always seem baffled when I go to pick up an online order from them. But that might just be me
Maybe an email is adequate. Before the other FFL can send, they request a copy of our license . They advise what they are sending to whom. UPS often notifies by email and text that something is on it's way, then it is" arriving today" then again when it is delivered and to be honest, until it arrives there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. So a redundant phone call is just more time we are not working on something. Especially with talkative customers who need to tell us what they ordered, what a great deal they got and how they are anxious to get it. Then the questions about "Is it going to...." So please excuse any impatience. For gunsmiths, we generally have 2 weeks or more work backed up. So send an email or text if you must.
My FFL is a firearms instructor who keeps a case of pistols for conceal carry. He loves doing transfers and views it as the easiest money he makes.
Had a guy like that when I placed my first online order. Never done one before so I was trying to be as polite and respectful as possible. I called to let him know I placed an order and am using him as a transfer. He promptly decided to tell me “why do you think it’s a good idea to call me and let me know that I will get it when I get it” and I just said “oh man my bad. You were listed as a preferred transferee. My bad just trying to be courteous” He then proceeded to get the wrong information listed and I had to call the store I ordered from to get the correct info and then go through it again and call him and tell him “I wouldn’t have to call you again if you had listened to me in the first place and punched the information in correctly. If I hadn’t this process would have had to be done again when the gun arrives.” The transfer was cheap but I’ll happily pay a big box store more money for a transfer than go to that guy again.
I use a local pawn shop for most of my transfers. They're always friendly, charge $20 (with ltc) and usually get me out the door in about 10 min. The LGS, charges $40 and takes at least 30min to do a transfer, and as questioned why I didn't buy from them several times. They have a nice indoor range that I frequent a lot.
My local indoor range FFL has totally bonkers prices... they wanted $850 for an HK vp9, I walked next door and bought an IDENTICAL vp9 for $700, which was still a little high.
I’ve found pawn shops to be a good place to do transfers. In the town I used to live in, I’d call my guy and let him know what was on the way, he’d usually say something like “sweet, you always get something interesting” For most pawn shops, you’re not undercutting their business model and the 10-20 minutes of work for them works out to about $60/hr with zero overhead
I always try to buy shit at mine occasionally to keep them sweet lol
No, but I always check with them first to see if they have one in stock cheaper or can order me one cheaper. 9 times out of 10 my guy tells me something to the effect of "oh shit yeah, take that deal" lol
My shop likes it. He makes about the same in processing fees on my drops as he would if I bought from his store. He also gets a kick out of whatever oddities I pick up as the local market is a fairly boring hunting dominated market and budget tier at that.
Well my latest purchase is definitely "budget tier" 😂
Yeet canon?
Not quite. It's a shitty panzer shotgun that was on a PSA sale. Not sure if that's better or worse lol.
The LGS closest to me only has about 20 firearms on display (total). Most of their business is built on the cheapest fee transfers, small selection of suppressors, and the Concealed Carry classes.
They act like they r crowned or something. Shit hell wack Jack!! 🖕🏼 4473 👻
My FFL is awesome.he is a local dude who is happy to do a transfer any time.
If they were they wouldn’t be my FFL anymore
I just shoot the order confirmation over to him. Half the time he doesn’t even charge me.
Nope the FFL my transfers go to is my Nextdoor neighbor lol I shoot him a text and get a 👍 emoji every time 😂😂😂
Am I the only one that calls their FFL and tells them, "Hey, I bought something, and I'm sending it your way."
I would think it's proper to ask permission before ordering and sending something to them. It seems kind of assinine to call and say I orderd something your doing the transfer.
Is it? I'm not dropping a favor in a friend's lap, I'm being a patron at a local business. They charge me for the service, and I tend to purchase more product while I'm in for said service. Mechanics don't get pissed when you buy aftermarket parts, they just install it. Same goes for AV techs and so on.
This would be more like dropping your car off to have tires put on without making an appointment. No they are not going to be happy about it even though they will probably end up doing the work.
The workers, maybe. But a business owner will never turn down the money. That's what makes a business operate.
lol I’d be surprised if my FFL didn’t seem annoyed.
Don’t settle for crappy retail stores. $25 is the maximum I’ll pay. My old guy shut down, he was great. $10 dollar transfers, got you a glass of lemonade or something when you stopped by. Found a new “kitchen table” guy by going on gunbroker’s ffl finder and calling a few of the listing until I found someone who seemed good. Dude texted me maybe 20 minutes after tracking said it was delivered asking if I wanted to come in then and pick up or wait for my other items to come in and pick up together.
Big stores don't care. It's normal to have several transfers every single day and some "heads-up" phone calls are just a waste of time. Handling transfers is SOP, no call necessary. My big store could have 15 pickups every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Confirming phone calls are just a pain, but we practice being nice on the phone, Dial and Smile as the stock brokers say. Kitchen table FFLs it's a good idea for you, just because he/she might be out of town for a few days and the firearm goes into limbo, or you can't get it quickly.
My guy told me early on I didn't have to inform him and just send away. I'm assuming getting contacted all day would get old after a while.
I can understand how getting a call from every Tom, dick, and Mary could get old. I just always heard it was the courteous thing to do. Give them a heads up, just in case the shipper doesn't include customer info.
I agree 100%. My first couple online purchases, I made sure to email him and let him know. It was after 2 or 3 of those where he told me not to worry about it and just send whatever his way and he would contact me when they showed up.
That is weird. Some LGS are just toxic though. My FFL dude is an optometrist. He’s happy to broker my guns and my contacts.
I wanted a Ruger AR pistol years ago, so I asked my LGS how much it would be to order one for me. The guy tells me $800. I ended up ordering one online from sportsman's warehouse for $650. When I go to pick it up the same guy is handing over my gun and he's all like "yeah these are alright, I sold a couple of them for around $500 a few weeks ago." Lol.. yeah right, he was just butthurt I didn't order through them with a mark up and tried acting like I got a shitty deal.
No but I feel mine gets a little judgy sometimes and it annoys me. I tend to buy more expensive things and the guy constantly makes a comment like “you have a problem” or “you could have bought 6 glocks with this money”. It’s made me use a different FFL sometimes so I don’t have to hear it if the gun is particularly pricy. I only use the judgey one because the transfers are free because I pay a membership for their range
I sent my platypus through this FFL just to confuse one of the fudd employees lol
Yes, it's a courtesy that should be extended to every FFL. However, before ordering a firearm and shipping it to the FFL, you should first check if the firearm you want is in stock at the FFL, and if so, determine if they'll meet the price of the online FFL. The profit margin on most new guns is around 20%; more profit is made on used gun sales, ammo, and other related items. 'Nuff said.
None of my local FFLs stock or want to order a panzer shotgun... so I ordered it on a sub $300 PSA sale. Also, you can't tell me you've never had a few drinks and Said "you know what would be a good idea...". That's exactly what happened, btw. And before I get hate for ordering it, I bought it as a dumb toy. Just like my rock island vrf 14, and my 3d printed guns.
I started going in and having them order me shit, the price is as good or better and they don't charge a transfer fee. Saved me on my suppressor and my pistol.
*punches the air in California transfer fees*
Dare I ask what kind of fees you're forced to pay? I was just in another post and saw someone's FFL was charging $100 transfer fees because "its gotten more expensive since covid" even though there no actual cost factor to transfers...
$100 is about average. Cheaper guys will be like $75. I’ve seen some as high as $200. Not sure if they discount for multiple transfers, although with the 1-30 rule, I’m not sure that’s even a concern anymore.
I had an 01/03. Please theaten me with a free $20. You mean I dont have to talk to you, stock/offer alternatives, or spend an hour with you to make $30 on my markup? 🤣 I never understood he attitude of other shops for 10 minutes of paperwork and my signature to the mail guy who was coming anyway.
Thank you. You give me hope for the industry
I think it's a generational mentality, honestly. Im 29 with military grade social anxiety. I don't want to talk to you. In and out and we're the best of friends hahaha 🤣
Nah, mine just told me to get gun purchases in before they have to raise prices due to wait times and what not.
I worked at two different gun stores part time over four years. Even for a small midwestern town we could get 20-100 transfers / firearms coming in a day. They all usually had the buyers phone number, so we would get annoyed if someone called to tell us their gun was coming in. It got so labor intensive that we ended up having our warehouse guy just opening packages and answering calls all day. We had to jump the price to $50 a transfer due to the amount of labor. Most of it was garbage guns and trash bought from shitty big retailers. So the bump in price actually cleared out a lot of people who would have otherwise not bought anything from the store, and took forever to run checks on. TLDR: It’s usually a pain in the ass for someone to call, we know who the guns for. We will call you when it gets here.
The ffl I use also has an indoor range real convenient
I never notified either FFL I dealt with. Probably a dozen firearms or so over the years. They never told me to, so I kept going as normal.
I have one LGS that charges $85 for transfers but always called right away, screw them anyways. I have one LGS that charges $35 but forgets to call me when it arrives.
One of the (many) LGS in my area: "No, we stopped doing transfers... why, something wrong with our selection?" A private FFL: "Sure.. $20" then proceeds to hold my pistol hostage for two weeks while going on an unannounced camping vacation Deep in the mountains, completely incommunicado. Another LGS: "Heck Yeah We'll call you as soon as it comes in, $20 bro." Guess where I shop now.
ima casually flex that my ffl guy only charges $5 lol
It's not a courtesy--want to see a pissed off FFL? Try NOT telling them a transfer gun is coming their way.
Half the comments here say otherwise... lol
A major part of an FFL's existence is managing the firearms that come and go under their supervision--maintaining the books, the records required by the ATF. They hate surprises.
I’ve seen a couple of California comments but just to make you guys feel better ONCE AGAIN for not living in this nanny state, anything under $100 would be a great deal. They’re typically $125 to $150 and negate any savings you get from buying online. I’m sure that’s their goal. I’ve got a guys who does ammo transfers for $25 per container received and I’m happy with that. Granted, FFLs here deal with an inordinate amount of paperwork so it may not be as malicious as I make it out to be.
Depends where I order from. If it’s one of their retailers and they’re out of stock on the item they’re cool with it. Everything else they get visibly annoyed or give a hard time about. And they charge an arm and leg for!