No one will ship my gun!

[American By Blood]

As PT said, go to the terminal. FedEx (my employer) happily ships firearms, but everything is a little different at the FedEx-Kinko's storefronts (which are not franchises, by the way). It may or may not be against company regs for those locations to accept guns, but most of the employees there will not want to deal with them and quite possibly won't even know how. They're primarily copy monkeys with rudimentary shipping knowledge. Heck, even some of their "shipping specialists" leave a lot to be desired. And don't even bother with the independent Mailboxes Etc. type places. All bets are off at those joints. Your best bet is with the pros.

I'm not a loyal company type guy, but I really must urge you to send your weapon either FedEx or UPS. The USPS is just so shady that I refuse to send anything of any value through them. Theft of mail by postal personnel is rampant in my area.

 

[Tharg]

Was buying a gun on here from a guy in Cali...

He actually shipped it to the pawn shop (a FFL) and they returned it to him because it was "too much hassle".

I called probably four or five places before i found one that would accept it.

Course - then i found a Gun Store in Longview that cared less... unfortunately for me - thats a good 2+ hour drive "now" ... sigh.

Guess i'll be lookin for another FFL if i ever manage to get play money again

J/Tharg!

 

[Dave Workman]

SeanSW:

because I ship lots of guns back to manufacturers...I do T&Es as a writer...I can tell you from experience that you better not even *think* about NOT notifying the desk clerk that there is a firearm in the box, even if that's not precisely what the law seems to say. Especially since you are shipping a handgun.

You need to tell them.

And yes, the overnight priority mail requirement is extortion, and the reason they do that is because the less time a gun is in transit, the less chance it will disappear enroute .

 

[gezzer]

Cosmoline no offens but ignorance of the law won't help in court

I'm not aware of any federal law requiring you to tell the front desk at FedEx that you're shipping an expensive firearm that would be very easy to take home with them. Now don't try to ship a short gun through the USPS--that would be breaking the law. But private carriers are another matter.

It is a federal requirment you notify the carrier thers is a firearm in the shipment and that nothing on the package notes there is a firearm in it.

Breaking Federal law is a big time NO_NO Please do not get caught doing it.

 

[gezzer]

Dave

And yes, the overnight priority mail requirement is extortion

There is no overenight requirment for firearms., IN fact they "recommened registered mail" but cannot require it. You are being ripped off by ignorant postal employess, enter a FORMAL complaint. Their remedeal traing session will open their anti/ignorant eyes. This is from a dealer who has gone this route.

 

[glove]

Shipping Guns

Just sent my S&W Mod. 686 back for some recall work. Sent it FedX overnight about a week and a half ago got it back today via. UPS overnight. Not one problem with either shipper and all on S&W dime.
Dave Z

 

[gezzer]

Wrong

If you're returning it to a FFL there is no legal obligation to notify them of the contents, only company policy.


Do with that as you will.

Please do not spread info that will get folks in trouble or JAIL.

 

[foob]

Oh well today I tried to ship ammunition through fedex. I always go to their main office.

Anyway they refused to ship my ammunition, after taking like 5 years to look for the company policy and finding nothing. I was like '***, this box of ammo came from UPS', so they said 'UPS is down the road get them to ship it'. Then I ask for her supervisor, and he says the same thing 'sorry we don't ship ammunition'. I'm like 'dude I just shipped a firearm a few days ago through here', and they are like 'sorry we only ship firearms from FFL to FFL, are you an FFL?', I'm like 'er... noooooo'.

Anyway, I walked down the lane to the UPS store and a nice lady helped me ship the ammo.

Anyway the story is you will always get ****ed up employees from Fedex/UPS and ****ed up supervisors of ****ed up employees, get used to it. Unless we can somehow effectively mass boycott one of the companies to get it to change, just going to live with it.

Long time ago I had bad service from UPS and never used it again, now it looks like I will have to switch back to UPS.

 

[carnaby]

Better than UPS or FedEX, just go to a dealer and ask them to ship it. My local guy charges $35 to ship a pistol to another FFL. They can ship USPS.

 

[Soybomb]

Wrong

Please do not spread info that will get folks in trouble or JAIL.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm in jumping to tell me I'm wrong, and it is excellent advice for anyone to check up any legal advice they receive via the internet, I would ask you to checkout your own advice and backup your claim by citing the code please.



An important addition though for those talking about overnight and priority mail, unless you have a FFL you can't ship a handgun via the US postal service be it priority, overnight, or carrier pigeon.

 

[Dannyboy]

Why does the minimum wage employee at the counter need to know what is in the box?

Ha! I'd bet money that the 37 year employee that works the customer counter in my center makes a hell of a lot more than you do.

 

[PT-Partners]

Something I have to add here. I also ship a lot and get a a lot shipped to me.

Every, and I repeat, every time there is an issue or lost or late the someone in transaction or service tried some kind of save money, discount service or scheme in shipping the firearm. No insurance. Send the slide in one package, send the frame in another. Third party service. Do not say it was a gun. Do not required an adult signature at the receiving end. Do I want to save $1.95 on my $500 to $5K heirloom because I did not want to pay for adult signature at the other end or have it tossed in a pile with the rest of the 1000 packages. Not everyone is honest so keep a papertrail and insurance. Or whatever.

Folks you do get what you pay for up front or in the end.

Discounts are for a reason and your undying gratitude has nothing to do with it.

As with American By Blood mentioned the TERMINALS, I have learned from my "DUHs." At the Terminals, either UPS or FEDEX, is where the senior employees and most experienced are, and usually on day shift. When there is potential for an issue always get the floor manager and be civil.

It also appears the better service is a bit regional. UPS in my area. One of my clients in New York City is FEDEX. Probably from the guy in charge of that area and what his/her management style.

The gunsmiths, one man shops, and smaller shops I deal with as with I now all have accounts and since then the "issue" level is almost nil. Some of the larger shops or suppliers change accounts regularly as most of the time it will be the "best price" game until damage and loss exceeds the so called "best price" saving.

But from learning from mine and others "whoops" "DUHs" and "Best Price" games. The question is save a few dollars and something that costs 20 to 30 times that amount.

All business survive on this. Best Price, Best Product, Best Service. Pick Two.

Again I hope this helps a bit.

 

[Deanimator]

You may be misunderstanding them.

I recently shipped an S&W Model 29-2 to S&W TWICE (a nightmare better left for another time).

When I shipped it the first time, I used Fedex. You have to take it to an actual Fedex office, not some satellite in a Kinkos or something. It has to go "next day" because that's the only way they can track it.

The second time I shipped it, they sent me a UPS shipping label. You can't go to a UPS store or whatever. You have to go to the actual UPS terminal. Again, it has to go "next day". The reason for this is that before that requirement was imposed, UPS personnel stole so many guns it was getting totally out of hand. Only the "next days" are tracked end to end. The shipment also has to specify "adult signature". Of course that sometimes means "any convenient carbon unit", from your crack addict neighbor to the wino in the gutter.

 

[Deanimator]

It is a federal requirment you notify the carrier thers is a firearm in the shipment and that nothing on the package notes there is a firearm in it.

There was a guy on www.smith-wessonforum.com who bought an S&W revolver from a guy on Gunbroker. He had it shipped to his gunsmith/dealer.

To make a long story short, the gun ended up missing in action. The intended recipient raised a stink, there were bad ratings on GB exchanged, etc. In the end, the gun was found in the dealer's yard. Turns out the ninny who shipped the gun, neither shipped it "next day", nor informed UPS that it was a gun. Instead he packed it in a Girl Scout cookie box and described it as "sporting goods". UPS left it on the dealer's front step. It just so happens that the rotweiler next door loves Girl Scout cookies. He smelled the residual cookie odor and carried the box in the woods where apparently deciding it wasn't cookies after all, he left it. Walking around the yard, the gunsmith found the mostly intact box and gun.

 

[Jim K]

Remember, though, that USPS does require notification on firearms shipment and that it is illegal for anyone but a licensed dealer or licensed manufacturer to ship a handgun via USPS. And since postal regulations have the force of federal law, illegal means illegal, not just a violation of company policy.

I did know a fellow who made custom cartridge cases. Empty, they were legal to ship by USPS, but he got tired of arguing with clerks. So he marked the package "Seals for high pressure pumps." (Absolutely true, right?)

Jim

 

[TX1911fan]

Dannyboy, I'll take that bet. How much do you want to put on it?

Again, from reading the ACTUAL code, it is not a legal requirement to notify the shipper that hte package contains a gun if you are shipping it to a dealer, manufacturer or other FFL. It may be a FedEx or UPS requirement, and if you don't comply, you may not be able to collect on your insurance if the package goes missing.

To sum up, it seems to me that if the gun is worth more than $100 (about the price of gas and shipping charges), then it would be smart to go to the depot, tell them it's a gun, ship it overnight and get it insured. If you don't care, and you are shipping it to the manufacturer or an FFL, then keep your mouth shut and ship it from wherever you please.

 

[Dave Workman]

gezzer:

The overnight priority is a company requirement, and if you don't play that game, you don't ship. Period.

They do this, as Deanimator noted, because prior to this, employees were stealing too many guns. And now we're paying for the privelege of not getting ripped off by the shipping company. There seems to be something wrong with that, don't you think?

Alas, tht's the way it goes.

 

[Alex45ACP]

Here's what I did when I needed to ship a couple of handguns.

I took them apart and took the frames to a UPS store. The 17 year old kid behind the counter didn't care because they were just frames.

Then I boxed up the rest of the parts (slide, etc) and took them to the UPS center. Under "description", I put "sporting equipment".

 

[Car Knocker]

Alex45ACP,

What purpose did this serve?

 

[Glock_10mm]

Most of the people I've dealt with on gunbroker, seem to ship to FFL via UPS.

You can legally ship a long gun via USPS to the dealer and back to the owner directly. Handguns do not qualify (except antiques and modern black powder replicas). As for UPS, they must be fully assembled and shipped directly from a UPS outlet (not UPS Store as they are franchises), also you can ship via any method including ground (cheapest). They can also be shipped back to you in this case without violating anything as long as it is adult signature required and the owner of the gun is receiving it (handgun or longgun). The only snag is some states have rules that are different that the US law so check it out before just going ahead. Fedex requires overnight shipping on handguns, and all guns have to be disabled/disassembled for both ways of transit. I dont know about long guns and fedex.

Check local laws before doing it. But dont ask the UPS clerks as they dont understand their own rules well, and always err on the side of caution instead of pulling out the manual and actually following it. Just check their gun policies online. Also make sure the box is not marked as firearm as it is not required and is likely to be stolen if it is! UPS is the least expensive and probably best way (assembled) to ship a handgun!

Lastly, USPS term of 'antique' is not the same as BATF so check it out if ever you are shipping an antique handgun.

 

[Heavy Barrel]

Everything I ever shipped or recieved was shipped from a UPS terminal,next day air.I have "never" had a problem.

 

[RioShooter]

What's so hard to understand?

TX1911FAN wrote:

Again, from reading the ACTUAL code, it is not a legal requirement to notify the shipper that hte package contains a gun if you are shipping it to a dealer, manufacturer or other FFL. It may be a FedEx or UPS requirement, and if you don't comply, you may not be able to collect on your insurance if the package goes missing.

You're absolutely correct. I don't understand what's so confusing. However, your explanation is easier to understand than the actual code.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Law and how to do it.

Soybomb posted the correct reason for sending and receiving. Pretty simple if you are so worried about it, don't send it. Plus, I always insure it.

The provider is requesting that you tell them. Simple. They might have a certain rule as to how they handle the firearm, "ie:extra security so it does not get lost".
I figure they must lose a package once in awhile, but if it is a firearm they really would like to make sure it is not lost.

The only way you can do it "right" is to notify the ffl dealer in advance. Find out how much they charge and "pay the freight".

I have a dealer that charges $50.00 to handle and $25.00 to process the DROS. He is the only one who will do it in the area. That is an extra $75.00 on top of everything else. But if you have found that item that you want or need, that is what you will do.

Most dealers figure if they have the gun you will buy it from them, if not you will have to pay them the "vig".

If the people selling the firearm tell you different, "they are suspect". I try to deal with the local shop, if you don't, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. IMHO
HQ

 

[Geno]

Three Options

First option: UPS requires that you ship it from a HUB, not from a drop-off or sub-station.

Second option: A pistol/revolver, etc, is only a "firearm" when it is fully assembled and in functioning order, as was described to me by Kimber and by my FFL. If in the non-functioning condition, you can ship it regular delivery.

Third option: If your firearm is under warranty, you really new to ask for a pick-up tag and have the company pay the shipping. Kimber does this on a regular basis. They should also pay the return shipping.

Doc2005

 

[Vic]

UPS/USPS...

USPS actually read the regulations and allowed me to ship long arms to an FFL which is legal. UPS refuses to ship ammo/guns/anything firearms related for me (including parts as small as a firing pin). I go through my dealer, I never use UPS and request that my suppliers DO NOT use UPS. MidwayUSA likes UPS...I do not. It's getting tough to ship stuff like ammo, brass, primers,powder, etc, but not impossible yet. My dealer ships USPS, we've never had a problem and I insure them and use Priority Mail for handguns (3 days delivery is normal).