First time buying "firearm" online

[trigga]

I just purchased a few lowers from PSA. I've never bought a firearm online before but have always wondered how it works. I know it has to ship to an FFL and looked into it but when I ask around for what local places charge as a transfer fee, it wasn't worth it. It was anywhere from $25-$60 each. The further you went out of the city, the better.

There are a few firearms that I had wanted but could never find locally, especially now. A buddy of mine goes through a local FFL and told me he doesn't charge for long gun transfer and I believe like $10 for handguns (federal background). What in the whiskey tango?! Didn't know there was such a thing. I looked the guy up and spoke to him today. Yep, no charge. He told me to make the purchase and ship it to him (PSA has him in their database). When it arrives, he'll contact me to go do some paperwork and that's it.

Sorry if I'm a little late in the game but it's amazing what places charge for the same firearm sometimes. Given the current situation and what people are willing to pay for things locally, I think I'll stick to online shopping now that I know. I get it, support your local business. First glock magazine I bought back online in 2007 was $15. Local shops had it for $35-40 at the time. There is no reason to charge that much but hey, they have it then and there if you're willing to pay for it.

 

[trigga]

which reminds me, years ago when Keltec came out with the PMR 30 and the KSG, I've seen it on the internet but have yet to see one in real life. A buddy of mines says he has them both (and he does because I shot his PMR 30). I asked him where he found them, he told me online but paid a premium for it. I guess it would be the way to go. Years after I finally saw a PMR 30. They wanted $900 for it.

 

[FROGO207]

I'll support the local guy if it is a "reasonable" amount more. I think 25% is a max and over that I go for on line. Having it in hand and able to inspect a firearm is worth at least that premium. Also transfer fees tend to be all over the spectrum. My guy is $ 15 or free if I buy it from him. So theres that.

 

[Lo-Profile]

I always check my LGS and ask if they can get it before ordering anything online.
I bought two lowers because they couldn't get them. A couple weeks later they had some.
I always go there first.

 

[hemiram]

My current FFL charges me $25 a transfer, and if I'm doing more than one, he doesn't charge me for the extras. I had one guy back about 15 years ago that only charged $10, but he was out there in the Twilight Zone, and totally messed up everything by sending guns I sold to the wrong buyers. What a mess. Happened with another guy too later on. He got $20 a pop, and he eventually lost his FFL due to "shenanigans".

 

[Deus Machina]

The local FFL has to fill out, file, and store the paperwork. A lot of work? Not really, and that's good profit on the time, but it has to be done right and $25 is the cheapest for anything fun out of the shop.
I'll balk over $50, but $25 or so is fine by me, since it's required anyway.

 

[earlthegoat2]

As a business owner, I am unsure how that FFL can do that for “free” but I suppose you should take advantage of it while you still can.

 

[ejfalvo]

While I prefer to purchase at my LGS, I've purchased a few firearms online. All went through different local FFLs - without any problems. My advice is to call around and ask each FFL their transfer price - Locally it ranges from $25-$50 - and sometimes depends on who answers the phone.

 

[The Last Outlaw]

I have bought quite a few firearms online. My FFL is the cheapest around here, 20 bucks per transfer. Only downside is he doesn't have a shop, so there is nothing to look at while he does the check. Usually just play with his cat, lol. Other guys around here are 35 and up, I can't justify paying that.

 

[Tirod]

There is no reason to charge that much

There is a reason, however, the economics of business isn't taught in schools. They can charge whatever they think the market will bear.

By buying online you can cut out the LGS and their markup, but it's just the final one in a long chain of transfers. First, the manufacturer gets orders for firearms in quantities of 1,000 by distributors, who then sell either directly to or thru major retailers to the small gun shops in town. Each takes their markup to make money to pay to keep the doors open. No profit, no store. With that in mind, a Colt sold on contract to the US DOD is less than $700. That is a direct sale of a specific model. If it went thru a distributor and retailer, they would mark it up, and it is, for a long time we saw the almost identical rifles (no auto switch) selling for $1,100. There is a reason to charge that much - they are fronting your purchase and then waiting for you to come in to buy it.

Everything made in the world sold thru a distributor gets marked up at least twice. There are manufacturers who sell direct to the public, they take the extra markup for themselves, and often do not get any support from the distributor/retailer and aftermarket because of it. Glock does that - direct sales to larger cities and agencies - which keeps a lot of almost big enough bidders from even bothering. Glock wont give them their bid price and even if they did, markup would put the smaller guy over. He can't win, in a number of ways. Glock isn't alone in that, it's what all the major manufacturers do. If I bid a commercial construction job in the day, Schlage locks required and couldn't get the lowest discount, it was because the area rep already had cut a deal for some other local supplier to get that job. Dog eat dog in that business.

I was looking at PSA for a new lower, too, had the page saved and they weren't selling out after a short time. We've turned a corner on this panic. I stopped by a local gun store and just looked in the case as I was on my way to another FFL I've bought from to get their info on shipping it to them. The LGS and 17 Design lowers in the case, SAME PRICE. I rarely see PSA level pricing on a stripped lower, inspected it, and was impressed. 17 Design is from OKC 4 hours down the road, selling to local dealers apparently, and on top of that even offers an integral folder, along with billet, too.

That left me with this: Order from PSA, pay an FFL fee plus shipping, and likely have a "take home price" of over $99 to get it, or, buy what I had in my hand, for $81 with tax no other fees. About a $20 dollar savings. No FFL fee, no shipping.

Why would I not, for a product of equal or better quality, already in town? Online only has better pricing if you can get a substantial discount which erases the FFL and shipping costs, which are a negative in the equation. Anderson does that, PSA, no, not so much any more. There are others now, and they may well be on the shelf a few miles away, as I discovered. I fully expected to see lowers in the case but not under $100. It can happen, much like finding a P365 in stock at a major sporting goods retail chain in town - the only ones in 45 miles according to the gun searches I performed. And it was their normal competitive pricing, along with my choice of a box of 9mm and they had magazines in stock, too. They even offer a discount when you use their charge card, which amounts to tax, but still worth it.

I've gone from online only, to local only lately, and it's helped as my previous FFL passed away. I was going to create another relationship where I could buy and ship to them. If my LGS stores keep it up, I won't bother,I will pay less, and be happy.

YMMV.

 

[upptick]

As a business owner, I am unsure how that FFL can do that for “free” but I suppose you should take advantage of it while you still can.

Indeed. Any for-profit business that is providing a particular service "for free" must be making up for it somewhere else. Personally, I prefer to just see the mark-up so I don't feel like I"m being taken advantage of in some clever way. Regarding FFL fees, here in my part of California the going rate seems to me around $65-110 per gun....

 

[Spats McGee]

It's worth something to me to be able to handle and inspect a gun. I also like to support local (non-chain) businesses when feasible. The question, then, becomes what's 'feasible.' One local shop charges $35 to transfer any firearms I buy online. I also have to figure in shipping. So then it's down to "Online price + shipping + $35 transfer" vs. "Store price + value of handling + value to me of supporting local business."

 

[Dale Alan]

No matter what you pay it's much cheaper and less hassle than getting your own FFL . My son owns a shop, if we don't know the person already we judge the fee by the attitude and personality of said "customer" . If we had no warning of a shipment or the person is rude, we add a "stupid penalty" and tack that on also . Moral of the story , either get your own FFL or pay the fee .

 

[Speedo66]

If that FFL is providing you that service gratis for multiple “firearms”, I’d say he deserves a nice gratuity.

Cash, ammo, or determine if he imbibes a certain alcoholic beverage.

It’s good karma to be nice to people who are nice to you.

 

[mmb617]

As a business owner, I am unsure how that FFL can do that for “free” but I suppose you should take advantage of it while you still can.

I'm very leery of anything that's "free" because it's been my experience that nothing is really free. Sometimes the cost is hidden but it's always there.

My LGS charges $30 for transfers from online sales and $10 if you buy the gun from him. He says that with the profit margins on gun sales being thin he makes close to the same either way.

If I find something online that he doesn't have in stock I tell him what I can get it for online and ask how close to that price he can get it for me. Sometimes he can get close enough for me to give him my business and sometimes he'll say buy it online as he can't come close to that price.

 

[hso]

doesn't charge for long gun transfer and I believe like $10 for handguns

WOW! That's cheap. He must be doing it as a loss leader to get other business on the good will.

do some paperwork

It will be the same paperwork as you would do in an gun store.

 

[SSN Vet]

I used to pay $10 from my favorite "kitchen table FFL" who has since passed away.

Now I pay $20 from another guy who does it as a side business to his real business. He does it to generate enough traffic to justify having his license, which he uses to own dealer sample full autos.

 

[CapnMac]

If I really, really want something, I'll go to my LGS (who are really ok on transfers) and ask them to see what the best deal they can do it directly. Sometimes that's a better deal than I can get online plus transfer. Sometimes it's not. That's life. Never hurts to ask.

 

[FROGO207]

I figure it takes on average one hour to contact the shipping FFL with his paperwork, take in a shipped gun, do that paperwork, deal with your BGC and associated paperwork. That is what it costs him in time so he needs to be paid for it. My guy needs sales to keep his numbers up so I usually ask him what he can get it for. Often he beats internet prices and I pay no transfer fee.
The bottom line is to know what you want and what your best prices are before you ask. This just makes sense to me.

 

[trigga]

As a business owner, I am unsure how that FFL can do that for “free” but I suppose you should take advantage of it while you still can.

This FFL was referred to me by two close relatives. They have done several transactions with the guy in the past couple of years. He's doing transactions from home and on the side and not a business. I did confirm with him that the recievers (long guns) were free of charge. Other than that cheapest transfer I could find was over an hour and thirty minutes away for $25 per transaction. Average around here is $50.

 

[ACES&8S]

A few online, everything from Pythons to Egyptian Enfield, never got a bad deal yet but like others have
said Local Dealer plus hands on is always better. Plus if you have a good relationship with your Local Dealer
you will not get burned unless you are blind to the cost + who your friends are.
I hesitate to get into any bidding, only did it one time. I much rather have a Buy Now Price anytime.

 

[Tirod]

I've done the bidding route, and for the most part, you do your homework up front. Search for completed sales, and discard all the relisting which clogs up auction sites. IIRC GB is now asking a fee for that, hopefully the $1,500 Gen 3 Smith Autos will slack up. With a set of completed sales where a gun actually changed hands, it's simple math, what was the average price and how are is condition in that set? A bunch of LEO trade ins will be lower for all the road rash on the outside of the holster, a collection of NIB or never fired much higher. With that price range in mind, you then search the current listings using a few diffferent descriptions to include the outliers - some folks use the 'street name' for the product rather than the official model number and you get different search results for that. You then enter the initial bid or the one dollar over, and wait.

From there, it's either bid at the last second, a very common tactic, or, in the last hour. GB restarts the clock if in the last 15 minutes or so, for another 15. Since you aren't going to overbid, put in that price you are willing, and then just stand back. I'd say half the time I lose, but oh well. I have gotten some firearms for less than LGS retail, and out of production were generally fair price based on condition and rarity. Those have gun up since. These tactics have worked pretty well for watches, too, and in the post Xmas bill paying season I've picked up some for initial bid - nobody had discretionary funds to even try. You buy the seller once the merchandise is acceptable, location, shipping etc and any wonky policy or unusual issue makes it a no go. I've learned my lesson both online and in forums, which are not exempt from having rude or exploitative buyers. I now sell thru a flea market for that.

In THIS market, 2020-21, high demand has really changed things up, there are some asking MSRP or higher, others at retail locations with corporate controlled price structures can be very lenient. It's just one item in a large store and long term customer satisfaction is important, so, unlike some BIG BOX they stick to their listed price and sell them all when they get them. For many, the firearms aren't the bulk of their profit, it's more a "loss leader" to sell the ammo, accessories, hunting gear, clothing, supplies, camping gear, etc. Add discount for their credit card, too. A very friendly customer oriented policy very much like the Big Box used to have back in the day. You look for those retailers and avoid the scalper gun stores exploiting their customers for every penny, and life is good.

 

[lysanderxiii]

For new stuff, i see no reason to try and cut out the local guys. When you factor in shipping and the transfer fee the price is usually close, and for an extra $20 or $30 I can walk out of the store with it, instant gratification.

For odd ball, used stuff, you buy it where its available.

 

[trigga]

Finished the transaction this morning, fairly pleasant fellow to deal with. I have not bought a firearm since 2016? I did finally last fall with my Henry H001 and Ruger Wrangler and recently a couple of month ago. Seems like all the big box stores are going digital and submitting the background checks online. I've had to wait as little as 30 minutes to several days. Never has this been in the past. Yes I understand it frees up time and there are more buyers.

With this new FFL he called it in and the background was instant. I was out the door in less than 10 minutes. And yes, he did not charge me for any transfer fee for long guns. I did ask about handguns and it's $10 per transaction which is standard. I told him I may be ordering a few handguns online in the near future and he told me I know the process now. Wow, the experience was a lot easier than I had thought. Probably will be doing more online purchase if I do find some good deals. I already have some in mind.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

I've only purchased a handful of guns online and each time it was through Davidson's Gallery of Guns.