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[ArfinGreebly]

Shop In My Area

One of the shops around here has a variation on the transfer policy.

They charge $50 to transfer a new gun that they have new in stock.

If it's a trade or a unique gun or a used one -- basically if it's something they don't carry or have on the rack -- they'll charge $25.

They'll do the transfer on a new one, but in order for it to make sense for you, you'd have to save enough on the purchase to cover whatever the shipping is, and the $50 transfer fee. If you're saving $200, then you're fine. If you're only saving $100, then shipping + $50 will pretty much eat that up.

I asked them about a pistol I wanted to buy. They quoted me $480 (which is below MSRP), but I had already seen one "unfired" for $470 near where I work. When a new store opened, I asked them. No hesitation: $420.

I had to drive an extra five miles for that.

The new store is aggressively going for market share. They're willing to give up a dollar or ten in order to get referrals. I've already promoted their store here.

Their prices may go up next year. Oh well.

That gives me several months to get my 1911 and a few Saigas.

 

[evan price]

THis one gun shop, I was wanting to have some FAL uppers sent in for rifles to build...I keep hearing about these $15 Xfers people talk about so I was hitting up places to find the cheapest (turns out the guy up the road from me charges $25, and is the cheapest, and is a real cool guy besides!)

Anyhow, I ask this One Fancy Gunshop (that seems to cater to the high-end shotgun crowd) how much for a trasnfer, he asks, what sort of gun? I ask why he wants to know? He syas his transfer fee varies: If it is a gun he keeps in stock, or can get from his distributor, his transfer fee is the difference in price between what YOU paid for it and what HE would sell it for. Basically, you're going to pay his retail markup for a transfer fee!
I asked him what he charges for something he wouldn't keep in stock, like a collectible gun. He says, depends on what it is worth, typically 10% of the value of the gun (according to the Blue Book).
Since I already knew I wasn't gonna use this guy I tell him I am buying some FN-FAL uppers from Century.
Before I can even finish, he tells me he doesn't want any "machine gun parts" sent to his shop. Now I'm messing with him, I said, these are semi-auto only, and he says, No, I don't want your type around here and hangs up on me.

Lol...

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

One gun shop I know charges $75.00 for a transfer. So let me translate for you. He doesn't like to do transfers. Another gun shop charges $50.00 Still too much.

 

[JWarren]

The shop I use is one of the 10% shops. Actually, they are a 20% one, but charge me 10%.

I've never thought I was getting a bargin, but I like to support the local guys, and they are very helpful to me.

I don't HAVE to get the lowest price possible. Sometimes, it is a matter of good relations in your community. After all, I own a business not far from these guys.

We don't have a lot of selection in our area for gun shops, anyway. There is a large shop in a nearby town that did one transfer for me for $75 flat. I didn't like that, but I was less thrilled at the crappy attitude I was given like I was some kind of criminal.

At least the local guys LIKE seeing me come in the door.


-- John

 

[MaterDei]

At least the local guys LIKE seeing me come in the door.

I'm sure they do!

 

[sansone]

I charge $15 for transfers. no tax, I'm happy to get you into my store. special order guns 10% over cost. if your special order gun is over $500 the mark-up will never be over $50 even on a Bushmaster. again:happy to get you into my store

 

[JWarren]

I charge $15 for transfers. no tax, I'm happy to get you into my store. special order guns 10% over cost.

I mis-wrote what I was trying to say. My local shop does 10% over cost for special orders, not transfers. I haven't done any transfers with them, but every gun I've bought has been a special order.


Sanson1, glad to hear that you are happy to see someone come in. That goes a long way to seeing them again.

-- John

 

[Stump Water]

A transfer should never involve sales tax, you have already bought it, you just need to transfer it. That shop owner is retarded.

No, he's not. He's abiding by state sales tax law (as long as the sales tax charged actually gets turned in to the state).

 

[trueblue1776]

No, he's not. He's abiding by state sales tax law (as long as the sales tax charged actually gets turned in to the state).

Sales tax on what? It's none of his business what you paid for the gun.

 

[Richard.Howe]

Just go elsewhere. I've encountered the "10% plus sales tax" FFL transfer dummies before. There is no shortage of people who will do reasonable transfers in your area.

 

[woof]

At least in Ohio they do have to charge sales tax on the fee itself, but not on the gun. There is no reason why he should even be aware of what you paid for the gun. If a transfer ever tries to charge you sales tax on the gun itself, I'd file a complaint with the state tax dept.

 

[porterdog]

Use this link to find a transfer dealer. Mine is $15 per; no fussing ever.

 

[gregthehand]

I had a guy tell me $45 one day and I told him that if he didn't want to do the transfer just tell me he didn't want to do the transfer. Then he went off on something like he doesn't make money because he can't sale guns for whatever reason. I told him what the market will bear is what it will bear and his business needs to evolve with others! He got mad, I left. Oh well.

 

[Rufus Pisanus]

Well, if they guy (=second FFL) gives you so much BS and quotes $35 but adds the small print etc etc I would just check on some of the websites that have been mentioned for a better FFL in your area. I generally pay $35 for rifles and $45 for handguns (more because of the MD BS on handguns) and I could probably pay a bit less elsewhere but I really like the guys and they treat me well so I am happy to "subsidize" them.

 

[welldoya]

I once asked a pawnshop owner if he would accept a pistol for me and he said he would be cutting his own throat. His prices are outrageous so he won't be getting any money from me through firearm sales and he also won't be getting the $25 for the transfer fee so how would it be cutting his own throat. Some people just don't think.

 

[Detritus]

thanks to the Internet and places like GunBroker, Gunsamerica, Auction Arms, etc. it seems to me that you could run a part-time mom-and-pop business doing just transfers

many many others have had that same thought and used it to retire on, if you say do a "dealer search" on Davidsons for example, the odds are that ant least one listing, and in some zip codes 3 out of four of them will be "The tool shed in back of Jim and Sarah's retirement castle" on the lake. and Jim is doing transfers and Special Orders for a fixed fee, to make traveling money. of course just like "regular" gunshops, there are a number of guys like this that are charging " X% of cost/value or $30 which ever is higher"

 

[RLsnow]

aah, imagine if you could simply send it in the mail *sigh*

 

[Linkinlog]

My FFL is right down the street and charges me $20 for transfers. He does this from his home, not a store front.

The local Carter's Country wants $75 to do transfers. The other local gun store wanted 10% of the price of the gun + tax.

Needless to say, I'm happy I found my FFL. I used the gunbroker link, which was posted above, to find him.

 

[000Buck]

Yep, proabably about 1 in 10 ffls are a retired guy who does transfers for spending money and someone to talk to guns about. Call a bunch and find one of those guys, it is alot better than the $50 + 10% or whatever else garbage. In DFW, Elk Castle and CTD both charge $50 + tax for a transfer, I stopped shopping at both after hearing that.