Reasonable FFL Transfer Fees

[ASG]

Hi Everyone,

What do you all consider to be reasonable for FFL transfer fees? A dealer around here wants $50 to do a transfer and I think that is a bit high. Can anyone tell me how much of a fee goes to the ATF for acquiring a firearm? Thank you.

ASG

 

[stevekl]

I paid $15 for a recent transfer.

You can find a list ffl transferers in and around your zipcode here:
http://www.gunbroker.com/user/DealerNetwork.asp

I wouldn't pay $50 unless it's the only dealer in town.

And how much of the fee goes to the ATF? that's a good question.

 

[berettaprofessor]

To my knowledge none of the fee goes to the ATF (unless you count whatever portion of your dealer's FFL licensing fee you covered with your purchase). The rest is all for the dealer's time and efforts.

Different people value their time differently and it is a capitalist society.

Shop around.

 

[NonConformist]

They can charge what they want but here everyone wants like $40-$45 dollars and IMO thats ridiculous for the 3 minutes of work that goes into a transfer

I only pat $25 as I am a known customer to my FFL

 

[shovel66]

Marine Base

I live near a Marine base here in Virginia that has a gun department at the PX. Their total fee for transfer from any other FFL is $15. Some of the other local shops are $20 and some others more. Here there are also part-time FFLs that don't have a shop and work out of their house/garage and will do a transfer by appointment only. I've not gone to them, but their fee is also $15-20.

Hope this helps and you find someone more reasonable.
Shovel

 

[spwenger]

As Far as I Know...

...none of the fee that an FFL charges for a firearm transfer specifically goes to BATFE; the licensee pays BATFE a fee for his license and that's it.

In the small town where I live, one dealer charges $20 for a transfer and another charges $40. The one who charges $40 told me that he intentionally charges a high fee to encourage people to buy firearms he already has in stock.

Back in the pre-Clinton days, when kitchen-table FFL's were more common, some charged as high as 10% of the price paid for the firearm but that was considered the upper end of the scale.

 

[chupacabrah]

$25 at my local dealer

 

[CB900F]

ASG;

Personally, I consider any fee to be too high. That's because I consider the legislation that requires transfer between FFL's to be an infringement. Anything that impede's an individual's right to obtain or possess a firearm is an infringement and as such is specifically mentioned as being verboten in the second amendment.

However, dealing with the world we live in, if you can't do a F-T-F, then they appear to be a necessary evil. There are reports of $15.00 transfers, usually by private individuals who are also FFL's. It's possible to obtain a list of all the FFL's in your state. Simply call around to those nearest you & ask what they charge. The private FFL holder will almost always beat the price of a business establishment for the cost of the transfer fee.

You used to be able to get that list from Shotgun News. There may be places you can get it online now, but I don't know of one.

900F

 

[7.5-Swiss]

In the past I've paid $20 - $25 for transfers, I recently found a dealer that will do it for $15, pretty good deal - although he did try to charge me state sales tax on the firearm purchased in another state...I'm not sure how many suckers he gets with that one.

I would say $50 is way too much.

 

[Pilot]

$15 at my local guy. It used to be $10 until recently.

 

[Bubbles]

We charge $5 for a Title I transfer, $25 for a Title II transfer.

 

[mgkdrgn]

They can charge what they want but here everyone wants like $40-$45 dollars and IMO thats ridiculous for the 3 minutes of work that goes into a transfer

If the only thing you were paying for was his time ... but there are also a -lot- of upfront and monthly fixed costs involved in running =any= business. The money to pay those has to come, in part, from every transaction the business makes regardless of how long the transaction takes.

And when -that- is covered, there is this thing at the end called -profit- that allows you to stay in business and do other nice things, like eat.

For those of you that think your FFL charges too much, feel free to go get one yourself. The application fee is only $200, right? How hard can that be? Oh, and don't forget the business premises, gun safe, surety bond, security system, local business licensee & permits, insurance ....

 

[Jaybird78]

$48 MFD at my local guy

A total ripoff, guess that is why I shop around and don't spend all my nickels in one place.

 

[texas bulldog]

the highest i've paid was $25. lowest was $6. after that, i'd have to be pretty desperate to pay $50.

 

[VARifleman]

They can charge what they want but here everyone wants like $40-$45 dollars and IMO thats ridiculous for the 3 minutes of work that goes into a transfer

It's more than that. They have to log it, and then keep the paperwork in order for the next 20 years.

Around here the standard is 30 bucks.

 

[dogmush]

My guy charges me $30. I like the shop and the folks, and don't begrudge him the money to recieve and do the paperwork for me. $50 might be more then I want to spend.

 

[Speedo66]

Here in metro NYC I've been quoted $50, $75, and one place in the Bronx, Olinville Arms, wanted $100 to transfer a shotgun.

I understand business' must make a profit, but for a transaction that takes less than 5 minutes and involves no investment in stock, I find that repugnant.

 

[Rokyudai]

About $45 and a deal if it's a volume transfer.

 

[proud2deviate]

Best I've had around here was $10. The worst was $35.

 

[Rmart30]

$ 20 here is what I pay.......been quoted as high as $50 for 5 min (usually less) of work Im not paying $50

 

[Bartkowski]

For me to call it reasonable it has to be $25 or below. Anything more is to much.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

You used to be able to get that list from Shotgun News. There may be places you can get it online now, but I don't know of one.

Right Here is the online version
I think anything over $25 is unreasonable, except for Title II.
They are free to charge whatever they want, and customers are free to find someone else.

 

[SCKimberFan]

1 store charges $20. A couple of others are $35. Guess which one I use...

 

[TexasRifleman]

Here in metro NYC I've been quoted $50, $75, and one place in the Bronx, Olinville Arms, wanted $100 to transfer a shotgun.

Don't some states charge dealers for a separate background check?

Seems like I've read that before on here somewhere, that might explain the higher cost in some areas.

 

[Defensory]

$50 is indeed too high.

Call around to all the dealers in your area. You should be able to find one who'll do it for half that.

$25 is the most I'd pay.