celtickh
Member
I am interested in posting my rifle for sale,i'm not a ffl dealer.What i was wandering is how much,and whats the process for shipping.Thanks
question about shipping?
- Thread starter celtickh
- Start date
- Status
tetralaw
Member
I've only bought but from that experience, this is what I gathered.
You have an FFL and buyer has an FFL. The buyer will give you all of his FFL's information and you take that and your gun to your FFL. Your FFL will ship to buyers FFL, then your buyer picks it up. Payment by the Seller and Buyer each to their respective FFL's. (You pay your FFL at drop off and buyer pays FFL at pickup). I would expect to pay 20-30 on a normal basis. Any more and I would shop a little longer for an FFL at least to compare. You're area may charge higher.
You have an FFL and buyer has an FFL. The buyer will give you all of his FFL's information and you take that and your gun to your FFL. Your FFL will ship to buyers FFL, then your buyer picks it up. Payment by the Seller and Buyer each to their respective FFL's. (You pay your FFL at drop off and buyer pays FFL at pickup). I would expect to pay 20-30 on a normal basis. Any more and I would shop a little longer for an FFL at least to compare. You're area may charge higher.
kingpin008
Member
While that's generally correct, here's a clearer breakdown of the process:
First, as long as it's legal in your state, you have the option of a Face-To-Face sale. Basically, in a FTF sale you meet the buyer somewhere, ask if they're a felon or otherwise prohibited from owning firearms, and if they say no, you take the cash and they get the gun. However - this only applies to residents of the same state. There is no way to legally conduct a FTF sale between residents of different states.
If you decide to sell it online and are looking to ship, you can do so in two ways:
1st, is the FFL-to-FFL route. Basically, after the sale you take the rifle to a FFL on your end, and they ship the gun for you to the buyer's FFL, who then comes in and fills out the form and receives the gun. Depending on your locality, a FFL may charge anywhere from $15-$100 for this service - shop around before you put your rifle up for sale.
Or, if the buyer's FFL is willing to accept shipments from non-FFL holders you can ship the rifle directly to them, where they will then transfer it to the buyer. This can be somewhat cost prohibitive at times, so the first option (FFL-to-FFL) may be your best choice. If you do decide to ship it yourself, you may do so using USPS (for rifles/shotguns only!) or a contract carrier such as FEDEX or UPS.
In any case, do a little research & shop around for the best price you can get, whether it be transfer fees from a FFL or straight shipping, and include it in the asking price of the rifle when you put it up for sale. This will save you and the buyer the hassle of last-minute shipping/transfer fee suprises, and make things a lot easier to deal with.
Good luck!
First, as long as it's legal in your state, you have the option of a Face-To-Face sale. Basically, in a FTF sale you meet the buyer somewhere, ask if they're a felon or otherwise prohibited from owning firearms, and if they say no, you take the cash and they get the gun. However - this only applies to residents of the same state. There is no way to legally conduct a FTF sale between residents of different states.
If you decide to sell it online and are looking to ship, you can do so in two ways:
1st, is the FFL-to-FFL route. Basically, after the sale you take the rifle to a FFL on your end, and they ship the gun for you to the buyer's FFL, who then comes in and fills out the form and receives the gun. Depending on your locality, a FFL may charge anywhere from $15-$100 for this service - shop around before you put your rifle up for sale.
Or, if the buyer's FFL is willing to accept shipments from non-FFL holders you can ship the rifle directly to them, where they will then transfer it to the buyer. This can be somewhat cost prohibitive at times, so the first option (FFL-to-FFL) may be your best choice. If you do decide to ship it yourself, you may do so using USPS (for rifles/shotguns only!) or a contract carrier such as FEDEX or UPS.
In any case, do a little research & shop around for the best price you can get, whether it be transfer fees from a FFL or straight shipping, and include it in the asking price of the rifle when you put it up for sale. This will save you and the buyer the hassle of last-minute shipping/transfer fee suprises, and make things a lot easier to deal with.
Good luck!
celtickh
Member
Thank you i really appreciate it!I'll get some prices from my local ffl dealer.
loadedround
Member
I thought that I might help you save some money if shipping to an FFL dealer out of state. Very few people are aware that it is perfectly legal for an individual to ship a long gun(rifles and shotguns only) via the USPS. Their prices including insurance if wanted is approx. half of what UPS charges for the same shipment, but w/o the hassle. Your FFL dealer must be willing to accept a shipment from an individual however.
As has been said, if you find that your local FFL's are charging an arm and a leg to assist you with shipping, there is absolutely no legal problem with you shipping it straight to your buyers FFL yourself. However, for reasons known only to themselves, some FFL's will not receive firearms from private parties - so if you are going to do this, ensure you state clearly on your ad that it is the buyers responsibility to ENSURE their FFL will receive a shipment from a private party.
As mentioned by Paul above, if you are shipping within the same state (and state law allows - make sure you double check), you can ship the firearm direct to the buyer; no FFL required. If you do this, I would recommend you get a copy of the buyers drivers license proving age and residency, and also ask for a simple statement from them stating they are not a convicted felon or are otherwise prohibited from owning a firearm as proof you carried out your due diligence.
Whichever way you ship, make sure you adhere to the carriers shipping requirements - policies can be found on their websites. Good luck!
nalioth
Member
You do not have to ship from an FFL dealer.
Please consult the laws, not "what folks do".
Shipping a gun - who, how, where, when and why has links to the law, not anecdotal stories of how folks do it 'their way'.
Please consult the laws, not "what folks do".
Shipping a gun - who, how, where, when and why has links to the law, not anecdotal stories of how folks do it 'their way'.
kingpin008
Member
Nalioth - if you read my post, you'd see that I (as well as others) already mentioned that you don't have to ship from a FFL dealer. A section of relevant law was quoted as well. Why bother reiterating what's already been said?
nalioth
Member
The link is valid for anyone who is interested in shipping any firearms any where in the USA.kingpin008 said:
It contains a lot more than "a section of relevant law", and should be useful for anyone who finds this thread in the future.
You see, we're not only answering the OP, but the future folks who find this thread through a search.
hanno
Member
nalioth,
The info at that link is not 100% correct. It says for example:
"For an FFL holder, a pistol (or rifle or shotgun) can be shipped FFL to FFL, FFL to the factory, or FFL to the gunsmith, via the US Mail."
That is not correct as a matter of law. Only manufacturers and bona fide dealers can mail handguns and then only between themselves.
See 18 U.S.C. 1715
Note: There are some other extremely limited exceptions in the statute for mailing handguns but they are not relevant to this discussion.
The text on that site says "FFL" but that is not what the controlling federal statute requires. This is important because a Collector of Curios or Relics License holder has a 03 "Federal Firearms License" but is not allowed to use the USPS for handguns.
The info at that link is not 100% correct. It says for example:
"For an FFL holder, a pistol (or rifle or shotgun) can be shipped FFL to FFL, FFL to the factory, or FFL to the gunsmith, via the US Mail."
That is not correct as a matter of law. Only manufacturers and bona fide dealers can mail handguns and then only between themselves.
See 18 U.S.C. 1715
Note: There are some other extremely limited exceptions in the statute for mailing handguns but they are not relevant to this discussion.
The text on that site says "FFL" but that is not what the controlling federal statute requires. This is important because a Collector of Curios or Relics License holder has a 03 "Federal Firearms License" but is not allowed to use the USPS for handguns.
Last edited:
kingpin008
Member
Nalioth - Point taken.
nalioth
Member
Thanks for the catch (fixed on my end). It's ironic that the same sentence is here in THR's sticky, too.hanno said:
CelticKH,
Keeping in mind the relevant link and info, I find it cheapest to use FedEx Ground. A 30-30 to an FFL in Wisconsin from WA (a long way) was only $18 insured. They beat USPS and UPS by a wide margin on price and service these days in my book.
Keeping in mind the relevant link and info, I find it cheapest to use FedEx Ground. A 30-30 to an FFL in Wisconsin from WA (a long way) was only $18 insured. They beat USPS and UPS by a wide margin on price and service these days in my book.
i am one of the ffls who will receive guns from non ffls. anyway be sure to send a copy of your drivers lic with the gun. i think that is one of the big reasons some ffls will only accept guns from a ffl, is non ffls not putting a copy of their id with the gun. we have to log down where the gun came from and a return address don`t cut it.
nalioth
Member
Heaven forbid it matches the address on the ID . . .JD0608 said:
That is a business decision on y'alls part (not to accept the return address as "where the gun came from")
A stupid one, IMHO, because it's so easy to get a scan or copy of a DL if a miscreant wants one. . .
I think it's a wise business decision, and I for one could not in good faith expect an FFL across the country to receive a gun from me without a valid ID.
The BATF or a local LE agency is going to judge an FFL who's in a tight spot - let's assume the gun ends up in a high-profile shooting - by the standard of if they used reasonable judgment in determining who they received a gun from in their book. Having been duped by a faked or stolen ID is excusable. Reading a scribbled address on an package and trusting that it's legit is not going to cut it.
dogtown tom
Member
It may not make ATF happy, but there is no law saying a "scribbled address" is unacceptable.
An ATF compliance inspection will not verify the authenticity of the "received from" line in the bound book. There is no ATF regulation requiring a DL copy or any other document- just the name and address of the person from whom you acquired the firearm. ATF regulations do not even require the shipping dealer to enclose his FFL. It is done (by most) as a courtesy.
It is solely a business decision for a dealer to require a DL copy (or an FFL) when receiving a firearm. Neither is required by Federal law.
I agree with dogtown tom. And surely there should/would be greater onus on the receiving FFL verifying the buyer/new owner, as opposed to the seller?
That said, if a receiving FFL wants a copy of my DL, I'll happily oblige. The ones that irk me are the 'We only do business with other FFL' ones.
That said, if a receiving FFL wants a copy of my DL, I'll happily oblige. The ones that irk me are the 'We only do business with other FFL' ones.
- Status