Shipping a rifle... UPS Hub???

Status
Not open for further replies.
Trey Veston

Trey Veston

Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,702
Location
Idaho/Washington border
Sold a couple of rifles and was just going to ship them via my tiny Post office in a town of 1200. However, went to the post office 100 yards away and the Postmaster had no idea how to ship a firearm.

After reading on his computer for a few minutes, printed off some pages and handed them to me and told me to research it.

I've been told that it would be cheaper to go through UPS. But I keep getting told that firearms have to be shipped from a UPS "hub".

I go to the UPS site and punch in my zip code and don't see anything called a "hub".

Nearest zip code with people is 83843. Anyone know where in my area I need to take my rifle??
 
I think I found what they refer to as a "hub"; the UPS Customer Center? Tried calling but closed on Saturday. Their website also says must be shipped in a new corrugated shipping container. I was planning on shipping one rifle in the original box it was shipped to me in, and the other in a hard plastic rifle case. No idea if either will be OK, though.
 
Trey Veston said:
I think I found what they refer to as a "hub"; the UPS Customer Center? Tried calling but closed on Saturday. Their website also says must be shipped in a new corrugated shipping container. I was planning on shipping one rifle in the original box it was shipped to me in, and the other in a hard plastic rifle case. No idea if either will be OK, though.
Click to expand...

As long as it's a decent box it should not be a problem. I shipped a hand gun back to Ruger a couple of years ago and I just used a regular box
 
Many towns have several places where you can drop off packages for UPS. But they are independently owned and none of those places will accept a firearm. A hub is the place where they load the Brown trucks. Luckily for me there is a hub in my county. Albeit on the opposite side of the county from where I live. If I have to use FedEx the closest hub is about 70 miles away.

I'm pretty sure a rifle can still go USPS as long as it is going to a FFL. I know it used to be that way. It has been a while but I've used USPS in the past to ship a rifle. Handguns have to go UPS or FedEx. Not a federal requirement, but UPS requires overnight shipping on handguns. Maybe rifles too.

The local UPS hub has odd hours for accepting packages. Just 2-3 hours in the early AM and 2-3 hours in the late afternoon. At least the last time I used them.
 
I would also file a complaint with the postal service. No excuse for them not knowing how to ship a firearm. I live in a town of 900, and have never had a problem shipping USPS>
 
Trey Veston said:
I think I found what they refer to as a "hub"; the UPS Customer Center? Tried calling but closed on Saturday. Their website also says must be shipped in a new corrugated shipping container. I was planning on shipping one rifle in the original box it was shipped to me in, and the other in a hard plastic rifle case. No idea if either will be OK, though.
Click to expand...
A Customer Center is indeed a hub. Shipping using UPS can be done in any container so long as it is in good shape. I recently sent out guns and ammo using FedEx and previously used boxes. I have done the same with UPS.
 
You can get pristine rifle shipping boxes, although finding one locally and not having to buy five from Brownells or 15 from Uline might be difficult.
And it is still a long skinny box weighing 10 lbs, which is kind of a giveaway even if it doesn't have that original Winchester label.
 
Frank Ettin said:
I suggest not using any shipping container that could telegraph that it contains a gun.
Click to expand...

Regulations state that all markings indicating that it is a firearm must be covered. Which I'll do for the Marlin box. Planning on covering it with an extra layer of cardboard. But, any worker can look at the shipping label and see that it is going to a gun shop in Texas and is a long, skinny box.
 
Trey Veston said:
Regulations state that all markings indicating that it is a firearm must be covered. Which I'll do for the Marlin box. Planning on covering it with an extra layer of cardboard. But, any worker can look at the shipping label and see that it is going to a gun shop in Texas and is a long, skinny box.
Click to expand...
It might be cheaper to have a FFL dealer ship it, but I don't know much. I'm a dealer.
 
Dale Alan said:
Best idea yet . A UPS "HUB" may be many miles from you . Also, A Hub is not a UPS store . A Hub is where the brown package cars are .
Click to expand...

Well if we're gonna get technical, think of a wagon wheel and at the center would be the UPS Hub which is a facility designed to sort packages via the spokes to UPS Centers and other Hubs served by that Hub. A Hub may or may not contain Center(s) from which the package cars (delivery vehicles) are dispatched. UPS Centers are what support the services of the customer counter. One of the largest UPS Hubs in the Midwest would be CACH (Willow Springs Exit off the 294) which contains no Center(s) and consequently no Customer Counter.

Where was I? Oh yea, if you go to UPS.com and create a free account, you should be able to find the nearest Customer Counter to you.
 
IMAhobbyist said:
Well if we're gonna get technical, think of a wagon wheel and at the center would be the UPS Hub which is a facility designed to sort packages via the spokes to UPS Centers and other Hubs served by that Hub. A Hub may or may not contain Center(s) from which the package cars (delivery vehicles) are dispatched. UPS Centers are what support the services of the customer counter. One of the largest UPS Hubs in the Midwest would be CACH (Willow Springs Exit off the 294) which contains no Center(s) and consequently no Customer Counter.

Where was I? Oh yea, if you go to UPS.com and create a free account, you should be able to find the nearest Customer Counter to you.
Click to expand...
If you want to get that childish, have at it . BTW, I retired from UPS . I worked at a HUB. .
 
I've shipped a bunch of long guns via USPS. Keep the length of the box as short as feasible (to minimize the cost) and pack the gun securely (to help prevent damage). No problem, just follow their instructions and drop it off as if it's any other package. Mine typically cost about $40-50 or so to ship, IIRC.
 
I shipped a rifle through USPS and the attendant on site had absolutely no idea either. She was very uneasy at first and was quite sure I was trying to commit a crime but she went and got a supervisor who didn't even blink and was like "yeah, he's good to ship, the rifle is going to an FFL holder, yada yada, etc...

I was kind of surprised that she hadn't been informed, seems like something that would have or should have come up in her training. You know, the specific do's and dont's of shipping a firearm.
 
To my knowledge, usps won't ship firearms. I shipped one the other day but yes, you have to go through a UPS customer service center, not a ups store. I was told most don't have the license to ship firearms.

I was told fedex does it also but I don't have experience with them.
 
Pahonix said:
To my knowledge, usps won't ship firearms. I shipped one the other day but yes, you have to go through a UPS customer service center, not a ups store. I was told most don't have the license to ship firearms.

I was told fedex does it also but I don't have experience with them.
Click to expand...
An individual can ship a long gun via USPS, but not a handgun. A dealer can ship longguns and handguns but must fill out a form for each gun and have a copy of their FFL on file with the Post Office. I have shipped hundreds through Fedex and USPS.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
UPS Hub in Illinois refuses to ship ammo!
Replies
23
Views
2K
Zundfolge
Zundfolge
Trent
  • Locked
Shipping Question
Replies
9
Views
398
SSN Vet
SSN Vet
S
  • Locked
Shipping Firearms via UPS
Replies
2
Views
479
twoblink
T
A
  • Locked
Anyone shipped a rifle via UPS lately?
Replies
22
Views
2K
bonza
B
N
  • Locked
Another UPS saga - I don't think they want us
Replies
17
Views
1K
outdoorman63
outdoorman63
Back
Top