Let's get real. Some dealers charge outrageous rates for transfers for the purpose of discouraging customers from doing special transfers. Understand the distinction between a transfer and when you come to the dealer to do a special order. You tell me you'd like a DSA hole puncher, I'll look in the book, mark it up $20 + 10%, take the full payment, and call you when it gets here. (that's my standard rate for stocking too).
What fantasy life are these FFL dealers living that they only have to spend 20 minutes doing a transfer. Transfers involve me sending my FFL, coordinating with the 'customer', the wholesaler, and the shipper. Logging the gun in and out. Doing the 4473, the background check making my home available to the 'customer' and being available for the shipment which is 'adult signature only'. Then I have to deal with the BS session. Not that I'm not one for conversation, but I've had to cut people off before saying, "I've got to go!" after a half hour or hour of conversation the 'customer' always wants to engage in. For my day job, I get reimbursed about $36 an hour. Not all that is mine, but that's what my labor is worth to the company. So, you're paying me $20 for my 2 or 3 hours of work? That's about $80 short in my opinion.
Now, when I buy ten or fifteen firearms at a time from the wholesaler and sit at a gun show table (that I've paid for), I'm actually spending significantly less time with the customer, wholesaler, and shipper and yet the expectation is that you would pay MORE for the gun since it's stocked? How absurd is that?
Let's talk liability. You pay for the gun up front, right? I have insurance, have to pay more because I deal in firearms. Anybody tried to get insurance for your business when you sell FIREARMS!? I also have a home that I have to keep clean and 'open' for business, inspections, and scrutiny by the Federal Government. If I make a mistake on my books, I can lose my license, be sued, be jailed. Look at that outfit in Tacoma where the "DC Sniper" actually STOLE his guns from. They were liable because they had mistakes on their books. More like guilt by association.
Beyond this, there is the very concept that my time is not worth the money it's worth. I'm not working minimum wage here and that's about what you're willing to pay me for. There are kitchen table dealers out there who're willing to charge less. More power to them. Just realize that you are taking them for a ride most of the time.
Now, you've paid for the gun up front, I have the gun, and you don't pass the background check. It's happened only a handful of times for Transfers, but I got burned on the first one. Customer had a restraining order, so he says, but it was expired. I explain that it's okay, but he'd have to fight that and get back with me. He wants his money back, ALL OF IT! So, I'm stuck with a Browning 1895 that's almost impossible to sell in Alaska and somebody of questionable reputation demanding a full refund?
That settled, I made it clear to every subsequent transfer that the $20 fee and 20% of the cost of the gun were non-refundable. I explained that this was a "Liquidation fee" in case they flaked out and I was stuck with a gun that now I had to work twice as hard to sell a second time.