FFL fees and other taxes question

[ohbythebay]

I did speak to them before

And I did know the $50 transfer fee and tax - no one ever said anything about a 10% surcharge.

It was only after I gave them a heads up to expect delivery Friday...I spoke to one guy I know add again he reiterated, tax and the FFL. I had to call them back for something, spoke to person number 2 and he asked what I bought and how much I paid.

I told him and he said "We normally charge a 10% fee on guns that come in that we also sell and have in stock". I told him no one ever said that and that person 1 did not say it. He said " Well he should have. I wont charge you since you didn't know but that is our policy". I then asked him why and he said that most gun dealers do that, its common practice. NOT

Okay. So my due diligence was there. Had they told me that before I bought online, I would have contacted a different FFL and screw trying to drive business (the FFL fee) to my own gun range. I do everything I can to support local business but if they try to screw me, they are done.

 

[oneounceload]

If they charge $50 for a transfer fee, they're already signaling they're not interested in being a transfer type shop, they want to sell what they're carrying on the books.

Of course, they spent money bringing in inventory and then folks go "showrooming" and go to Bud's or somewhere else on line and then complain about their fee to sell it to you. Inventory carrying costs are very real; many states also tax a store's inventory; don't forget about all that overhead, including web sites, yellow page ads (price them sometime), O'Care, taxes, insurances, etc.

They need to move inventory to recoup money spent and keep the cash flowing. They don't have a large enough margin on most guns to start with; accessories are where the margins are.

 

[Swing]

I've never paid more than $20 on the transfer for a regular Title I firearm. I have seen some charge as much as $65, but I walked. So, the $50 seems high and the 10% additional fee, imho, is utter bullplop. Thoughts? Find another FFL.

 

[mgkdrgn]

The WA state tax thing is real ... blame your legislature, not your FFL.

the 10% thing is because you are using an FFL that really does not want to do transfers. Vote with your feet and find one that does.

And yes, I am an FFL.