Safe way to buy firearm?

[bearcreek]

Scam...always a scam. If no FTF on Armslist, it’s a scam every time.

I've sold several guns on Armslist non FTF, so it's not every time. I wasn't scamming anyone. The buyer sent me the full amount and once I had the money in the clear, I sent the gun. That being said, I'd never buy a gun that way. They were just more trusting than I am.

 

[Riomouse911]

I'd either A) find a different FFL or B) Go with out, before I'd deal with jerk FFL's like that.

My FFL is a kitchen table dealer who asks the same thing; To receive the firearm from a FFL.

I don’t have an issue with his one request, he’s a great dude who doesn’t charge me 100 bucks for a transfer that a lot of them do.

I look at it this way: He paid the fees for the local business license, pays his insurance, paid the state and federal dealer license fees: he went through the hassle of the background checks and the site inspections from the ATF, state DOJ and city; he has to do the accounting and pay all the entities their quarterly piece of the proceeds he takes in; he has to be there to receive the firearm when it arrives, he has to catalog and retain all of the various invoices, forms, receipts and other paperwork associated with being a gun dealer... and most importantly; he takes the risk of public embarrassment or financial loss from an audit, suspension, fine or even jail time if things are done improperly.

All I do is pay for the gun, let him know to contact the shipping FFL, fill out forms when he lets me know it’s there and then write him a check when I’m all done.

An easy trade-off in my book.

Stay safe.

 

[Riomouse911]

Glad you're happy.

I am.
Stay safe.

 

[Robert]

Yup, post have been edited and or deleted to maintain civility.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...bbreviations-acronyms-and-terminology.370999/

 

[Cannibul]

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with what most other folks are saying...not every non-FTF transaction on Armslist is a scam.

The biggest red flag is that they said they CANNOT do a FTF sale...how is that possible even with COVID? Absolutely sounds scammy!

In your case, I would be extremely cautious. Ask for his FFL's information, then call the FFL and confirm that they'll be sending it out. Call the seller and have a conversation. Get a feel for who they are. Don't be afraid to ask prying questions about exactly what they plan to do, and why. After all, they're asking you for money up front.

If everything checks out, the FFL says "Yep, Joe is a good dude, we'll be taking care of shipping the firearm." And then you have a pleasant 5min phone conversation with Joe about guns and his last hunting trip, you'll probably be fine. If you get a weird feeling during any part of the deal, and the seller can't or won't do anything to fix it, just back out. No harm no foul.

I've sold a couple guns on armslist this way. Guy emailed asking if I would ship, I responded with my phone number and we came to an agreement over the phone after bs-ing and feeling eachother out.

Good luck!

The first thing I would do would be verify he's giving you good info and not his buddies cell number.

If he has to ship to an FFL then ask what FFL he's going to ship from. Tell him to call you from that FFL when he's ready to ship an you'll happily pay then once the FFL confirms that they have confirmed the firearms and readiness to ship.

See above.