So I guess I'm a gun dealer

[Kingson]

I just got my 01FFL in Suffield CT and am trying to open a very small shop part time (as I have a full time job to pay my bills). I'm trying to build it up over time so that some day I can quite my full time job and support myself (someday way down the road). I'm still waiting on an alarm and phone service but that is coming soon.
I'm mostly going to try to sell over the internet, like on Gunbroker but I've gotten all the nessesary permits from the state so that I can do NICS checks. I'm set up with a couple of distributer so that I can get new stuff. So if people want to do transfers I can do that, or if the want a new gun I can give them a price on it.
I have a small inventory of guns right at the moment (mostly C&R stuff but a few newer things), if anyone want I can e-mail them with what I have. I'm new to this so bear with me if I don't know how to do everything all at ones, I'm still learning.
I've done alot of reading on diffrent chat borads as to what people want in a gun store. I'm going to try to be the gun store that everyone want to go back to because they got a good deal.
Right now I mostly going to sell used guns that I have bought and order new stuff for people that want it. Right now I don't have set hours to be open, the best way to contact me would be by cell phone or e-mail. My e-mail address is [email protected] and if anyone wants my phone # e-mail me and I will give it to you.
So I just thought that I would let everyone know that I'm out there.

 

[Shweboner]

Congratulations!

I too have recently gotten my license. Its been a long process, I personally had nothing to invest in the company. So what I worked with mostly was credit, I dealt in ammo & accys only for nearly two years until the business' account had enough to buy the FFL.

Now that I have the FFL, its going to be a longer process towards buying some inventory, but I will survive on transfer sales, and ordering. Not to mention the ammo, etc.

Your business will grow a lot faster if you are capable of investing in it.

If you have any questions let me know and I'd be happy to help. Trade ideas or whatever, we aren't exactly competitors being on opposite sides of the country. so drop me a line

[email protected]
www.kmguns.com

~Brian

 

[Kingson]

Thanks for the offer of help most people don't want to help out others now days. If I have any question I will e-mail you. I don't have much money to invest right now but like you I hope to build it up over time. It should be intersting because I have never done this before. But you have to start somewhere.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Where's your web site? Make it easy for me, and I'll do business with you.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Right now I don't have set hours to be open, the best way to contact me would be by cell phone or e-mail.

My local gunshop proprietor recently told me about another FFL whose license was not renewed because he did not have established hours. I'm not an FFL so I have no idea whether or not this is correct, but you might want to check on it before you get into a bind.

My guy said that the hours can be anything you wish them to be, like midnight to 1:00 a.m. on Sunday -- but they have to be posted and you have to honor them.

Anyone know if this is correct?

 

[Kingson]

Standing Wolf, no web site yet I'm starting off very small right now, When I get a little bigger I'm going to have a web site.

Hawkmoon that is a good point. I know that I will be around on Wed (it is my day off from work) so I guess I have one established day that I'm open

 

[waterhouse]

My guy said that the hours can be anything you wish them to be, like midnight to 1:00 a.m. on Sunday -- but they have to be posted and you have to honor them.

Anyone know if this is correct?

I don't know what the regulations actually are, but I was told this same thing by the ATF agent who interviewed me before getting my FFL. He said they were cracking down on people who ran their business "by appointment only" and that they needed some actual hours. The reason for this is that they are allowed to enter your business at any times during your "business hours" in order to check your inventory and paperwork.

And to get back on the thread, congrats on the new business. Selling guns isn't easy, but it sure is a lot of fun. Drop me a line if you have any questions.

 

[GT]

Congrats!

I live in New Preston CT.

Once I get my pistol permit (being processed as we speak) hopefully I can order from you.
Presumably you would be able to ship direct to me (being in CT) and just collect tax.


G

 

[feedthehogs]

Take it from someone who has a good friend who owns a gun store and also owns his own business.

Don't try to be everything to everybody. You will fail, and fail quickly.
You won't be able to buy at quantity to get the best discounts to compete with chain stores.
10% over cost, while it sounds good, will never support a full time operation and your hard work and long hours.

After all your in businees to make money and survive.

The only way my friend makes it is he made a niche from the other local stores by stocking reloading supplies. That is where he makes 60% of his profit. Without that he would have gone under a long time ago.

He also started while working a full time job in 94'
His wife ran a very low inventory store a few hours in the afternoon and he came in after work till about 9 at night and the weekends till he retired and went full time 3 years later.

He still struggles to this day but has gotten away from the 10% over costs attitude and trying to make all people happy as he gets calls wanting to price a dozen guns. After spending time doing the leg work, 95% of the time they don't buy because they are tire kickers who see a new gun in a magazine.
Now if you want gun prices, you have to come into the store, no phone quotes. After he quit that his bottom line never changed because as I said most never came in the store to buy anyway.

A lot of lookers out there with no money to buy. They waste peoples time dreaming of things that will never happen.

 

[TarpleyG]

Standing Wolf, no web site yet I'm starting off very small right now, When I get a little bigger I'm going to have a web site.

I think you need to reconsider. You can post up a website with just a couple of pages for less than $100 and no, you don't need to be an expert. Go to www.godaddy.com and do some research on their offerings. I think they even offer a canned website you can customize for your business. If nothing else, it gves your customers a place to look up your info.

Greg

 

[hotpig]

I have been do this for the last seven years. I do have a small shop behind my house that I share with my wife's Flower Business. I am in Illinois so I do not waste inventory money on pistol and pistol ammo. I do sell them on Gunbroker to the guys in the free States. I have a little nitch in the market by selling a lot of Winchester Ranger ammo.

I tried gun shows buy rarely make enough to pay for the table. They are more of a social event and flee market than anything else. I tried a web site but it really did not pay for itself either. Guys want to buy now and have the ammo or whatever the next day. I do have credit card processing so it did not hurt me when Paypal started closing accounts on gunbroker. It did tie up about 4500.00 that I had in that account. They will not let you close or move money from your account until they feel like it. They have up to 120 days before they give it back to you. I was lucky since it was a small amount they let me have it back in a few days.

Gunbroker sales are pretty much at cost if you want to be competitive. If I sell one box of Winchester Ranger to a customer and they pay by credit card I may only make a few cents on the deal after paying gunbroker and Link point card processing. I might make 20.00 on a gun sale if I am lucky. I can make a little more on walk in gun sales but I have not had one other than transfers in months.

I do not charge credit card fees or advertise locally because, I do not want to. My customer base is made of repeat customers and word of mouth. I will never be able to run a shop like this but I believe that the internet will kill almost all gun shows and gun shops by the end of the decade.

Maybe things are different in the gun friendly states. In my state I just concentrate on my little nitch and it helps pay for my hobby. Besides I can never compete with Wally World prices anyway.

 

[tuna]

Where are you going to be opening in Suffield? I'm just North of you, and am always on the lookout for a new store.

 

[JeepDriver]

I believe that the internet will kill almost all gun shows and gun shops by the end of the decade.

I fear you are right. I work part time in a family owned gun shop / indoor range. I've only been there for 1 1/2 years, but I've seen more and more people having guns shipped in and transfered. We have people coming in always trying to beat us down on the prices because they saw it on the internet for a lower price.

We charge anywhere from $35 to $55 for a transfer (MD has more paper work then a 4473 plus a 8 day waiting period)

I think the only thing keeping people buying new gun from us is Maryland's stupid balistic finger printing program as well a the internal lock BS.

 

[ruger270man]

I think if you put an ad in the phone book for cheap transfers.. like $15, that would draw in some business..

I'm always looking for a cheap transfer..

 

[Shweboner]

Kingson, Getting a website is basically nothing

You should get something going just to direct people to.
Even if people acnt buythings thru the website, they can still see what you have or offer.

Check out mine, its basically a free site and I paid $30 for a domain name that just redirects to my free site and I get an email that redirectsthe same way, example

My website is: www.gunshop.s5.com but you can get it by typing www.kmguns.com

my email is [email protected] but you can get me at [email protected]


Its pretty easy, especially if you have a digital camera.

I just wish I had more time to update my site, and more inventory to update it with

Good Luck