FFL Transfer Fees

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Boy, I'm glad someone started a thread on this. There haven't been any here for at least a week.

I don't know if that would be such a great idea in practice. No, you can't live on transfer fees. But transfer fees get people in your shop. They give you the chance to sell other things like ammo, holsters, magazines, nreplacement stocks, and other extras. They give people the chance to look at YOUR guns and maybe buy one, or keep it in mind for later.
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You get people who are geared to buying the lowest possible price. Ergo if your targets/ammo/accessories are 50 cents higher than WalMart or some online place they won't buy from you.
To heck with them.
I charge $40 plus the TICS. That's what I think my time and service are worth. Any less than that isn't worth it to me. Regular customers get them for much less and multiples for free.
 
Up here in Orlando, that was pretty much the story too. Most shops stopped doing transfers altogether, a few had ridiculous transfer fees. One would transfer anything he could not order for $35. Then a shop opened that would transfer anything for $30, even if he has it on the shelf. He get my business.

Then I found a gunsmith that will also transfer for $30, and a pawn shop up the street that does the same. Call around and ask.
 
Here we go again. First off, most transfers that are done in the shop where we work are for guns we could have gotten for the customer anyway. He's buying elsewhere, making someone out of state money and asking us to handle the paperwork. Many times, the final cost is more than it would have been had he asked us to get him the gun.
Second....there is time and paperwork involved. We have to fax a FFl to the sender. We have to have a 4473 filled out, called in ($2min charge to us), and kept on file for ten years. We have to log in the gun, call the guy when it arrives (except for the anal retentives who sit at home watching the tracking numbers and want us to open up before normal store hours on the day the gun is supposed to arrive). Then, finish the 4473, log out the gun, and listen to some of these clowns complain when the gun isn't exactly what they expected. $35 doesn't seem too bad to me for the time and aggravation involved.
A friend who runs another shop asked me when we were going to go to $50 cause he'd then go to $75...."I'd rather you did them", was what he said.
All in all, the time involved in a transfer from collecting the information from the buyer, checking the 4473, faxing the ffl, receiving, unpacking, logging in, calling customer, finishing 4473, logging out, cleaning up the packing, represents at least a half-hour.
 
Used to pay $15 in VA now pay $10 in WV.

If they are charging you more than $20 in most areas they are charging you too much. IMHO
 
Here we go again. First off, most transfers that are done in the shop where we work are for guns we could have gotten for the customer anyway. He's buying elsewhere, making someone out of state money and asking us to handle the paperwork. Many times, the final cost is more than it would have been had he asked us to get him the gun.
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Sorry but blaming the customer for your shops lack of sales skill is weak. If you have better pricing than the source of the gun you are transfering it is not the buyer who has a problem its your shop. Every customer in your shop should know howe competitive your pricing is. You should be informing your customers about what you can do for them vs complaining. For new guns I often give the local shop a shot at the sale. I will pay a little more to buy local but in the end tax is often the deal killer. 6% on $800 is $48. That 6% is hard to make up. I feel your pain but jacking up the price of transfers is not the answer IMHO.

99% of my transfers are used guns. Your shop is never going to beat what I can get on the forums from another private seller. The rise of private sales via classifieds and places like gun broker are a direct result of gun shops historically under paying for used guns they take in trade. Only a fool trades a gun in at a shop. They will give you 20% to 30% less than a private buyer and often mark it up 20% higher than a private seller will let it go for.

Second....there is time and paperwork involved. We have to fax a FFl to the sender. We have to have a 4473 filled out, called in ($2min charge to us), and kept on file for ten years. We have to log in the gun, call the guy when it arrives (except for the anal retentives who sit at home watching the tracking numbers and want us to open up before normal store hours on the day the gun is supposed to arrive). Then, finish the 4473, log out the gun, and listen to some of these clowns complain when the gun isn't exactly what they expected. $35 doesn't seem too bad to me for the time and aggravation involved. A friend who runs another shop asked me when we were going to go to $50 cause he'd then go to $75...."I'd rather you did them", was what he said. All in all, the time involved in a transfer from collecting the information from the buyer, checking the 4473, faxing the ffl, receiving, unpacking, logging in, calling customer, finishing 4473, logging out, cleaning up the packing, represents at least a half-hour.
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I understand that your time is money. I think a lot of shops do not understand that a transfer is a opportunity to sell ammo, accessories and supplies which in the end have a much better profit margin than guns do. The other thing you are missing from your equation is that there is no variable cost for a transfer. Zero overhead. It is 100% profit against your fixed costs. Personally I think you are ripping people off. I refuse to buy anything from shops who charge what I consider to be guaging. Transfers are a way to grow your customer base which IMHO is missed by most shops. The attitude displayed in your post I think is a major factor driving people out of the local shop which is a shame.
 
Personally I think you are ripping people off. I refuse to buy anything from shops who charge what I consider to be guaging
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There is no such thing as ripping you off or price gouging - no one is FORCING you to do business there - if you don't like their prices, go elsewhere. If they are staying in business, then their business model is working for them
 
There is no such thing as ripping you off or price gouging - no one is FORCING you to do business there - if you don't like their prices, go elsewhere. If they are staying in business, then their business model is working for them
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I repsectfully disagree. Yes most transactions involve 2 willing participants in this semi-free market but that does not mean someone is not getting the short end of the stick.

I have always been lucky enough to have choices where I do my transfers but in many towns and states due to govt regulations the choices are few and far between and those businesses who are established take advantage of that reality.
 
Cheapest and friendliest place to do an FFL transfer in Miami is Interstate Armory, on SW 27th and US1.

The awesome thing about the place is they will log in to their distributors (Ellett/Acusport/RSR), look for the gun you want, and SHOW YOU THEIR COST. The normally charge a 10-15% markup, and that is very fair in the gun business.

I've consistently had them beat online prices, and now buy everything from them, even though Wal-Mart/Buds etc might be $0.80 cheaper. They have earned my business.
 
Sorry but blaming the customer for your shops lack of sales skill is weak.
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He isn't blaming anyone for lack of sales. As far as I saw he is not complaining about sales at all.
He is blaming customers for being stupid, transferring guns that they might have gotten at virtually the same price or less if they had just asked him instead of assuming every internet gun dealer is the lowest price on the planet.
What PapaG didnt say was that in some cases the difference in "price" is simply the sales tax that he must collect and that the customer cheats on.

I think there is a legitimate place for transfers. Someone who wants a Colt Python or T-series Hi Power may wait years before seeing one locally. With the internet and transfers he can have what he wants in days or weeks. But I don't think transfers are a legitimate thing when you are talking about new basically commodity guns like Glocks, Mossbergs, etc.
 
He is blaming anyone for lack of sales. As far as I saw he is not complaining about sales at all.
He is blaming customers for being stupid, transferring guns that they might have gotten at virtually the same price or less if they had just asked him instead of assuming every internet gun dealer is the lowest price on the planet.
What PapaG didnt say was that in some cases the difference in "price" is simply the sales tax that he must collect and that the customer cheats on.

I think there is a legitimate place for transfers. Someone who wants a Colt Python or T-series Hi Power may wait years before seeing one locally. With the internet and transfers he can have what he wants in days or weeks. But I don't think transfers are a legitimate thing when you are talking about new basically commodity guns like Glocks, Mossbergs, etc.
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Wonderful attitude... customers love being called stupid by the people whose jobs their $$$$ support. If the customer does not know what you sell something for it is not the fault of the customer. Sorry but you have this completely backwards. Customers are not there to educate the business the business is there to educate and serve the customer. There are ways to inform a customer about what you can do for them. Charging $50 for a transfer is not one of them.

The part I highlighted in your post is why I think so many smaller guns shops are failing. Their attitudes are not changing with the market. The semi-free market in this country allows people to choose who and where they buy products. Why is buying a gun from your store is legimate but buying one from say Alaska is not? Again this is the exact attitude that is driving customers to the Bud's of the world. Too many local stores have your sense of entitlement to the local market. I hate break it to you the market is now global and its not going to shrink anytime soon.
 
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Wonderful attitude... customers love being called stupid by the people whose jobs their $$$$ support.
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People need to be called stupid when they do stupid things. Buying a gun from an internet dealer and paying more when the local dealer might sell the same thing and give all kinds of after-sales service is stupid. It is what happens when customers treat every business like WalMart.
But while you're at it, why not tell us what a transfer ought to cost, what a new gun ought to cost, how much profit we should make on any one thing, and how much we should allow on trade ins.
 
People need to be called stupid when they do stupid things. Buying a gun from an internet dealer and paying more when the local dealer might sell the same thing and give all kinds of after-sales service is stupid. It is what happens when customers treat every business like WalMart.
But while you're at it, why not tell us what a transfer ought to cost, what a new gun ought to cost, how much profit we should make on any one thing, and how much we should allow on trade ins.
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Your logic is flawed. If it is stupid to pay more to an internet dealer the wouldn't it be equally as stupid to pay more to a local one. You have already made the statement that you think purchasing a Gen 4 Glock online at a discount is not a legitmate sale which implies you think people should pay more then necessary at their local shop. The other thing you do not factor into your pricing considerations is that your $40 transfer is skewing the cost comparision.

Sorry but I have gotten more support from my #1 online dealer than any local dealer I have ever delt with. What after sales service does your shop offer which would warrant me paying extra? The few times I have gotten a defective gun via transfer or at the local all either of them did was instruct me to send it back to the factory and get service there. Both stated that if I needed further assistance they would be there to help but it was unnessary. The reality is that the consumer is free to do what they believe is in their best interest.

Again I personally would never buy anything from any store whose sales staff considered me stupid. I would have a major issue with you and your boss if you said that to my face. I personally have paid more for products that I could have gotten locally to avoid particular merchants because I did not like them or their business practices. As a consumer it is my right to choose who profits from my $$$. It is also your right as a business to charge what you feel is correct.

I am not telling you what to charge because I have no vested interest in your sucess or failure but what I am telling you is that informed consumers do not like to be called stupid and that when you are charging more than an informed consumer is paying in your market place. By doing this you maybe putting your business in jepoardy. IMHO. There is way too much consumer info out there on places just like this. I bet the OP now knows he can get a better deal on his transfer and several resources to find that better deal.

Hopefully he also knows he can always ask his local dealer to match a price. If you search my history on here you will see I always advocate checking price with your local dealer. Often you can get close enough to make it worth doing but on a lot of products this is not the case. Simply because you are local does not entitle you to local business. You have to be competitive. Attacking the customer is not going to get you anywhere.
 
Your logic is flawed. If it is stupid to pay more to an internet dealer the wouldn't it be equally as stupid to pay more to a local one. You have already made the statement that you think purchasing a Gen 4 Glock online at a discount is not a legitmate sale which implies you think people should pay more then necessary at their local shop. The other thing you do not factor into your pricing considerations is that your $40 transfer is skewing the cost comparision.
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Reading impaired?
My point was the local dealer can often supply the gun for the same price, sometimes even less. But people assume the online dealer charges less. That is frequently the case only when state sales tax is factored in, a sales tax the buyer is obligated to pay in either case but conveniently forgets to when he buys online.
 
I repsectfully disagree. Yes most transactions involve 2 willing participants in this semi-free market but that does not mean someone is not getting the short end of the stick.

I have always been lucky enough to have choices where I do my transfers but in many towns and states due to govt regulations the choices are few and far between and those businesses who are established take advantage of that reality.
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You said it yourself - WILLING participant. The value for that service is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it - no more, no less. If his price, whatever he charges, isn't worth it to you, then do not participate. The customer is the one who ultimately determines what the value of any goods or services are
 
Reading impaired?
My point was the local dealer can often supply the gun for the same price, sometimes even less. But people assume the online dealer charges less. That is frequently the case only when state sales tax is factored in, a sales tax the buyer is obligated to pay in either case but conveniently forgets to when he buys online.
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Can you get me a

SS Colt 80 series NIB for $760 OTD?

Blued Colt for $710

FNP9 USG for $410

FN45 USG for $560

Sig SP2022 for $410?

CZ82 for $150?

Springfield EMP 9mm for $1075?

BHP MKIII for $710

Sales tax depends on the state. You are assuming your state law applies to all 50. LOL

What I love is your attitude. Again what you are displaying is why so many people do not care about the LGS because this is the level of service, courteous and attitude too many display.

Did you or did not state that you think it is illegitimate to transfer current guns? Let me remind you. You stated...

I think there is a legitimate place for transfers. Someone who wants a Colt Python or T-series Hi Power may wait years before seeing one locally. With the internet and transfers he can have what he wants in days or weeks. But I don't think transfers are a legitimate thing when you are talking about new basically commodity guns like Glocks, Mossbergs, etc.
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Why are they not legitimate? It seems like you are arguing that one should only transfer a gun you cannot get. That is absurd. If I am ignorant if I over pay an online dealer more than a local one than doesn't the same logic hold true going the other way. In my book overpaying anyone is stupid. Take it a step further if someone has no idea that you can buy a gun via transferring it from an out of state FFL and only shops at the local store and ends up paying too much are they stupid too? That is the way it used to be. These days the market is opening up and the mini monopolies of the past are devolving. This is good for consumers and for business who are willing to adapt.

I love the fact that the only people who have come in an justified $60 transfers are FFLs. LOL
 
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PapaG: We have to have a 4473 filled out, called in ($2min charge to us), and kept on file for ten years.
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Uh.......nope. Try twenty years.

All in all, the time involved in a transfer from collecting the information from the buyer, checking the 4473, faxing the ffl, receiving, unpacking, logging in, calling customer, finishing 4473, logging out, cleaning up the packing, represents at least a half-hour.
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Good lord man, you're giving away all the secrets to the big $$$$$ that you can earn by doing transfers!

It's all gravy......all the dealer does is sign the form and make a phone call to the FBI. It only takes five minutes.;)

While my customers only see the "front end" of their transfer, they rarely ask how much time is spent packing, unpacking, chasing down missing FFL's & shippers ID, misaddressed packages, shippers who can't figure out how to open an attachment in an email, and all the other little things that go into being a gun dealer.

I've had one guy call and ask if I did free transfers.......sure i do, for me.:D
 
Back on topic...

I think that $10 to $30 depending on market (not CA or other states where IIRC there are excessive DOJ Fees) is fair. I also think that it is smart to check with your local dealers to see what they can do for you. If they go out of business there will be no one to transfer the guns you buy from other sources.

That said I only support business who I think deserve my money. Sometimes that is online dealers sometimes its the local shop sometimes its the guy local from the classifieds. YMMV
 
I think that $10 to $30 depending on market (not CA or other states where IIRC there are excessive DOJ Fees) is fair.
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Why do you think that? Maybe $5 is fair. Maybe it ought to be a free service. After all, it doesn't cost the dealer anything. If he does it for free he'll get all kinds of people who might, just might, find other things they want.
 
I believe this because that is what I consider fair and based on the responses here so do a lot of my other consumers. I have yet to see an non-FFL state they consider a fee over $30 reasonable.
 
I believe this because that is what I consider fair
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In other words, no answer.
But hey, if you can find someone willing to do it for that price, then go for it.
 
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