Gun Transfer Charges

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I guess I am one of the lucky ones....My ffl "guy" while yes being a friend of mine (he is one of my holster dealers) he also LOVES doing transfers!!!...There are some around where I live that WILL NOT do a transfer.....he charges $10.00 if he only has to fill out the paperwork...IF he has to order it for you then it is 20%

He charges $5.00 for instore transfers between 2 customers..

Needless to say This is the guy I buy my weapons from and my reloading supplies..

Also I will say this...Try and get WAL-MART to do a transfer :fire:
 
Auction Arms has a help. Type your zip code and it will give you an FFL dealers list and their prices for tranfers. I found one that would do it for $20.00. Some would for as little as $10-15, but they were alittle far away.
 
My experience out here in CA is that a good deal on an out of state transfer is $40 total. I regularly see dealers that that charge $50+ in addition to 10% of the sale price.

My current guy charges $40 total. ($60 if you are a non NRA member.)
 
I've told this repeatedly but now there is a happy ending.....

Local gun dealer from which I have purchased a lot of guns, ammo and other stuff (also the only hardware store in town) did transfers for $20.00

Then they upped it to $30. then $40. The claim was that the "Management" ordered the increase.

Short time later they priced them at $85. Story seemed to be that the local ATF agent came in and told them to increase the price. The store said he told them "that we're (ATF) putting a stop to the internet gun trade"

I scour the large metropolitan area nearby. Seems to be a recurring story. Most are in the same $85+ range and telling a similar story about pressure from the ATF and lamenting the expense of filing paperwork for 20 years.

Finally found one that would do it for $35.00 I did a couple of transfers with him. At a later date I did another transfer and he screamed bloody murder that it was from an individual (as opposed to an FFL holder). Said he would not do any transfers from non-FFL holders. He would continue to do transfers but the seller must ship through an FFL holder.

At this point I figure I'm out of the gun buying business unless some dealer just happens to stock or have what I want. $85 and shipping plus it has to come from an FFL? No thanks.

Jump forward a year or so and visit with a friend that tells me the local pawnshop (new management) will do transfers for $20.00 ANd he is tickled to death to do them. Individuals? No problem. Recently had two guns shipped in from one seller and he did the transfer on both guns for $20.00. He doesn't even charge tax on the $20.00

[wipes away a tear] I'm so happy.

Smoke
 
I'm in a town that has quite a few gun sellers (I won't call them dealers anymore, because they refuse to deal). A friend introduced me to a jeweller that has an FFL.
He does a transfer for $30. Higher than I'd like, but when $transfer + $shipping is usually $50 to $100 less than local prices (before tax), I'll gladly give him a visit when I must order online.
 
A shop down the road from me charges $50. A shop across town charges me $20. I buy a lot of stuff now from the guy across town...at least $30 a trip. I can buy the, "small businesses can't compete with giants" story...but this is apples and apples.
 
I was at a shop today the guy wanted 19 % plus shipping. Anyone know of a good place around Pittsburgh , Pa. ?
 
I think I got ya'll beat. A guy in my IDPA club just got his FFL and is charging $5 for transfers. Better than the local range that wants $50.
 
Are they actually selling a gun? No.

However, they are getting essentially free money.
Click to expand...

That's one way to look at it. Another way to look at is is that every transfer they do is a gun they DIDN'T sell. Even if it's not something they stock, the money the customer spent on the gun that is being transfered is now NOT available to be spent on a gun in their store.

I've never worked in a gun store, but I have worked retail, and it's a harder way to make money then people realize.

Btw, personally, if I did own a gun store, I'd do cheap transfers as a way to attract customers, but I'd also track to see how many of them actually bought things from me at any point. I mean, if you do a bunch of transfers for people who never buy anything from you, are you really attracting customers?
 
I'd do cheap transfers as a way to attract customers
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Potentially a good point Trebor ... my FFL is only charging me $10 but ...... he has had good business from me and will again ... and he knows that.

He has done more t'fers than I can shake a stick at but .. I will always be seeing him for various bits and pieces, as well as other gun purchases .. he has my loyalty. And has earned it.:)
 
The going price around here that I consider fair is $25. The place I use does it for $20.

Now I'm going on a rant:

A local shop has the nerve to charge $650 for a Glock, and then whine that everyone wants to buy off the net. Duh. His response is to charge 10%, minimum $65, for transfers. Meanwhile, the shop about 10 minutes away charges $20. So he drives customers away with his prices, drives them away with his attitude, and then thinks that he's going to get someone to pay him $65 (minimum!) for the privilege of doing business with him. HA!

Rant off.

I don't buy much off the net. I only buy guns that my dealer can't get quickly due to limited production or out of production guns. Take the ubiquitous Glock as an example. The best price you can find is usually around $480. Add $20 for shipping, and $20 for transfer, and you're up to $520. You can get them all day long locally for $510, plus tax. So yeah, you can save like $20 by buying off the net, but there's value in dealing locally.
 
There sure seem to be a lot of folks in the gun industry, in excess of most others, that think they're doing the customer a favor by taking their money and selling them something.
 
I understand several if not all sides on this issue. Why should a dealer use his assets (which include a sizable investment) to assist your buying from some one in competition with him. It has to grate on him some. It helps if you buy some of that over priced ammunition that he has in stock, or a holster that you have been wanting or something while you are in the store.

Now back when every Dick & Harry had an FFL things were a little different for those who didn't have the overhead of a store front.

OTOH, My dealers understandably don't stock the variety or number of models (both new and used) that are available on the net................and the prices before the net. whew!

I guess this is an issue with many facits depending on your position in the frey. Each side has a justifyable point of view.

PigPen
 
Usually I get all mine done through my brother (has FFL) @ no charge. last time I bought I couldn't wait so had another shop do the transfer. Asked a pert-timer and was told "I think around $25". Well, when I went to picjk it up, I was charged $50! After expressing my feeling about this cost they were told that I would never be a customer of that shop again. The kicker was that they had messed up the books and I saw it and told them about it. Wish I had let their error go unmentioned now.
 
Most of the stores around here charge around $35 and/or a percentage of the price of the gun for a transfer. Since I got my 03 FFL I am finding I can get good quality C&R eligible guns to fill specific needs and avoid price gouging gunstores altogether.

ZM
 
I charge $15 per long gun, $20 per handgun, and if its a new handgun that requires I make the 3 hour round trip to have the test gun fired ( with MY ammo ), thats another $15. I don't think thats too much to ask, especially since that is also covering the cost of a mandatory trigger lock, the sales tax I pay on my fee and also goes towards recovering the State and Federal dealer license costs I incur....
 
Gun Transfer Charges
I used my local dealer today for a transfer on an internet purchased used pistol. I was shocked when he wanted $40. To me, 5 minutes of paperwork is not worth $40. I understand you gotta keep the lights on, but...wow. I hadn't done one of these with him for awhile. Last time I did it was $25. I sold two pistols locally in the past month, and used him for the transfer. Cost? $25. He stated that since he was cut out of the loop ($) on internet deals, he charges $40 for the transfer as opposed to the regular $25. After a brief exchange, he agreed to accept my $25 this time. I think it is the last of my money he will get.
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Chuck, I know exactly what you mean, I live in the Pgh area and have been through the same thing. The last guy also charged me 40.00 to do a transfer and he is in the Pgh area. That was also the last 40.00 he'll get from me, I also noticed you are a member at ACRC( seen an add on the board) drop me a email sometime and we'll go shoot some rnds. Thanks John
Also sent you a PM
 
"tcsd1236
I thought that to ship a gun to New York they had to include a piece of "fired Brass"???
"
The law only applies to new guns and for quite a while after that law went into effect the guns were still arriving without the casing, in which case I had to/ have to make the trip to have the gun test fired and the case collected by the NYSP.
Even if the case is included with the handgun, I have to ship it to the NYSP certified mail, return receipt. Have you priced recently what that costs? I haven't been passing THAT expense along, which means I am basically making NO money on transfers of new handguns
 
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