about the fee for gun transfer

efeng9622

efeng9622

Member
Joined
May 14, 2005
Messages
460
Location
Maryland, USA
FFL dealer makes transfer ( private sales) ,normally they will charge about $50 + $10 check background ,this fee buyer should pay or seller only pay a little, right? but how much the police barracks do transfer?

Thanks.
 
The transfer fees charged by FFL's vary widely. Your guy seems high. I'm working with an FFL here in northern Virginia that charges $25 (including calling in the background check). That said, I've paid fees of up to $65 in the past.
 
efeng9622 said:
FFL dealer makes transfer ( private sales) ,normally they will charge about $50 + $10 check background ,this fee buyer should pay or seller only pay a little, right?
Click to expand...

That's between the buyer and seller to work out.

but how much the police barracks do transfer?
Click to expand...

Police departments don't have FFL's and don't do firearms transfers.
 
I paid $50 before to transfer a gun on a Virginia FFL on 2017.but I think $50 should be higher.
 
Last edited:
efeng9622 said:
FFL dealer makes transfer ( private sales) ,normally they will charge about $50 + $10 check background ,this fee buyer should pay or seller only pay a little, right? but how much the police barracks do transfer?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
As others have stated, work the terms out with the buyer. I have brought and sold in private sales, and sometimes the cost is split or the buyer pays it. The fee is typically only $20-$25. $65 is robbery IMHO.

There are dozens of FFLs in my area all who charge from $15-$60 per gun for a transfer with the average being $25. Most people who are paying the top end 9 times out of 10 just haven't done their homework or shopped around. The others live in an area were their LGS has a monopoly.
 
Re: police departments. If we're talking about transfers to police departments (like when a new gun is adopted), I'd guess that they don't pay for transfers. The LGS probably wants to get the police department's business. Not just the department, but the individual officers as well.
 
efeng9622 said:
I paid $50 before to transfer a gun on a Virginia FFL 0n 2017.but I think $50 should be higher.
Click to expand...
I live in VA, and I've done litteraly dozens of transfers between 2016-2019 pre Covid. I can almost guarantee there was an FFL around thar would have done it for half that price... You're in MD which is a gun friendly state, so $60 might be the norm in that market. I'd still shop around and call a few more local shops if I were you.

I use Bud's Gun Shop's FFL Search which will often have transfer fees listed. I then call the shop with the lowest price to confirm. That, or I'll search for local gun shops in my area vua Google, and call them to ask their fees. Lastly, I might look up all registered FFLs that are in my area, and do some cold calls... Always ask them about the details and any associated fees in case something goes wrong as in the buyer or you are rejected or delayed for any reason. Once I find a good and the least expensive shop, I stick with them.

I have one shop I go to for simular transfers that's $15 each, and another one that will transfer up to 3 firearms at once for $25.
 
FFL'S here charge 10-50.00. Quite a spread in fees. Some charge the higher end for internet transfers. The 2 that charge 10.00. Is the same price for all transfers. The one i had my lower done at. I don't think he liked i bought it from PSA. He said you know i sell AR'S too. When i told him my build cost under 400.00 he shut up.
 
Last gun I bought was back in February. Local FFL couldn't find what I wanted from his distributors but I found one at Midway USA. They shipped it to the FFL and I paid him a $35. transfer fee. Seems fair because he had to do all the NICS stuff on me and all the other record keeping associated with him transferring any firearm.
 
My local FFL charges $25 unless he has your LTC on file then he charges $20. My range that I have a membership at charges $45.
 
CoalCrackerAl said:
FFL'S here charge 10-50.00. Quite a spread in fees. Some charge the higher end for internet transfers. The 2 that charge 10.00. Is the same price for all transfers. The one i had my lower done at. I don't think he liked i bought it from PSA. He said you know i sell AR'S too. When i told him my build cost under 400.00 he shut up.
Click to expand...
:rofl:
 
My dealer's posted fee is $30 for long guns, $35 for handguns, and $10 for ammunition transfers. He won't take more than $30 from me no matter how many times I've tried to pay full price.
 
kwb377 said:
That's between the buyer and seller to work out.
Click to expand...
Actually, agreeing on a transfer fee is between the buyer and the FFL. The seller has nothing to do with this part of the transaction. The way the typical Gun Broker deal works is that the buyer pays the seller the price of the gun, shipping, sales tax, etc., and supplies the seller with the name and license number of the FFL to receive the shipment. When the seller ships, his involvement is over. In the meantime, the buyer has worked out the arrangement with the FFL, including the fee that will be paid.

Gun Broker maintains a data base of FFL's, listing their locations, hours, and the fees that they charge. It's therefore easy for buyers to comparison shop among FFL's.
kwb377 said:
Police departments don't have FFL's and don't do firearms transfers.
Click to expand...
In Virginia, the State Police act as the point of contact for NICS checks. They also are required by law to set up tables at gun shows, to run the required background checks for transfers between unlicensed individuals.

The OP may be referring to a similar situation in Maryland. The OP is unclear whether he's talking about a mail order purchase through Gun Broker, or a local face to face transaction. It may well be that if this is a FTF transaction, the parties could go to the State Police barracks and have them run the background check. I'm not that familiar with the Maryland procedures.
 
Always call the shop ahead of time. Prices labeled online may not be correct. Getting someone at the store is faster and easier than asking people online. My LGS charges $25. Last time I went in they were all so happy about a Barrett that came in the shop, they forgot all about my transfer fee on a handgun.
 
Around here, it depends on if they know you. When I first moved here everyone wanted $45. Now that I have bought things at the stores and made myself known, it's only $20. We never have to pay for the NICS check. One guy will still charge you higher because he wants you to buy through him.
 
I had a guy who charged $20, and most of the time, multiple guns were still $20. He decided to totally "retire" from the gun business and now I use a store and he chages $25 and has done a 2 for 1 deal a couple of times. $50 and up is insane for the time and effort spent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Reasonable FFL Transfer Fees
2 3 4
Replies
84
Views
15K
BhmBill
B
S
  • Locked
Calif. Law limits dealer's fees - how would you interpret this?
Replies
9
Views
941
ServiceSoon
S
E
  • Locked
Questions about transfers
Replies
3
Views
352
Roccobro
R
J
  • Locked
FFL Transfer Fee to Ship Out?
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
KY DAN
K
C
  • Locked
How Much Would You Pay for Home Delivery of Brand New Guns?
Replies
17
Views
801
Robert
Robert
Back
Top