ship a handgun to manufacture from FFL

[lsadfjlakjdfwalk]

I tried to ship a handgun to manufacture for repairs. UPS/FedEx only allows air/express service for non-FFL holders and USPS doesn't accept handgun from non-FFL holders. FFLs can ship ground or USPS with their account that gives good discounts.

Called several gun shops thinking that they will charge me shipping and a $10 fee if not free.
Central Texas Gun Works $30 + shipping (they only ship next day)& insurance => making it about $75
Red's Indoor Range => they made it sound like I was doing something highly illegal, not doing it
Storied Firearms => $45 + shipping
Academy Sports & Outdoors => they ship firearm returns for free, if it was bought from the store

Is this greed or something else? AFAIK this involves no paperwork for the FFL. All they need to do is to print out a shipping label, stick it on the box (already properly packed) and put it into the outgoing shipping pile for the carrier to pick up. With the "transfer fee", I can totally ship it myself with air/express, or shipmygun.com (a division of BudsGunShop.com) for cheaper.

Btw which FFL in south Austin other than listed do transfer for a reasonable fee ($20 or lower)?

Red's Indoor Range => $50, the most expensive I have ever heard...

 

[Charlie]

Not sure, but it seems there is a little "greed" in there somewhere.

 

[MikePotts]

Get the manufacturer to send you a shipping label, should go smoothly after that.

 

[Davetex]

Get the manufacturer to send you a shipping label, should go smoothly after that.

This

 

[zx9rt1]

^^^^Exactly This^^^^
Stick the label on it and drop her off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lsadfjlakjdfwalk]

Not all manufacturer does this. In my case Hi-Point, the company contracted for repairs did not offer this option. Instead they send back a free mag as compensation.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

There is more to it than the FFL just slapping a sticker on it. They must log it in books as receiving it and then disposition it once it ships. Depending on FFL it's either pretty easy or takes a while depending on set up and who's authorized to handle log book. Shipping with insurance and adult signature through USPS is generally about $23 to $25 for most handguns depending on method (overnight is considerably more). So for one to charge $35 to $45, including shipping cost, that's pretty reasonable as you're paying for their time.

Many manufacturers will provide shipping label, but not all.

Sent from some where out there.

 

[TheDan]

Btw which FFL in south Austin other than listed do transfer for a reasonable fee ($20 or lower)?

Central Texas Gun Works has the cheapest in the area. $15 if you have a CHL. $7.50 if you are also a veteran.

 

[lsadfjlakjdfwalk]

There is more to it than the FFL just slapping a sticker on it. They must log it in books as receiving it and then disposition it once it ships. Depending on FFL it's either pretty easy or takes a while depending on set up and who's authorized to handle log book. Shipping with insurance and adult signature through USPS is generally about $23 to $25 for most handguns depending on method (overnight is considerably more). So for one to charge $35 to $45, including shipping cost, that's pretty reasonable as you're paying for their time.

Many manufacturers will provide shipping label, but not all.

Sent from some where out there.

With a shipping account/contract, there is a significant discount for frequent shippers. AFAIK at least 20% off UPS with no quantity requirement at all.

When I talked with the stores, they even admitted they weren't required by law to do any paperwork. They basically make up a fee on the spot because this isn't already on the price list.

Why would an FFL do the extra paperwork that doesn't benefit them?

 

[sidebite252]

I shipped a pistol to Tarus through FedEx. No issues at all. Did everything as was supposed to be. Not loaded! Sent to them. Repaired and they ship it back to me.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

With a shipping account/contract, there is a significant discount for frequent shippers. AFAIK at least 20% off UPS with no quantity requirement at all.

When I talked with the stores, they even admitted they weren't required by law to do any paperwork. They basically make up a fee on the spot because this isn't already on the price list.

Why would an FFL do the extra paperwork that doesn't benefit them?

This, sadly, is not true... Any of it.

If you are super large and do a lot of shipping, and receiving IS NOT included in that, (like wholesalers/manufacturers or large online retail presence i.e. Bud's or even large chain/corporate owned shops i.e. Cabela's, Academy, etc.) you can negotiate with shipping companies to get better rates. Maybe the distros and manufacturers get that much of a discount, but for even large gun shops it doesn't equate to that much of a discount. Most will see about a 5 to 10 % discount, if negotiated. Most gun shops, locally anyway, do a lot more receiving than shipping.

If you talked to FFLs and they said they aren't required to do anything by law they are either idiots, just don't know, or are knowingly breaking the law. ANYTIME, ANY FFL takes "possession" of a serialized firearm (possession being best described as FFL retains firearm without owner being present for any length of time), they must, with no exception, record it in their log book. There is no exception to this BATFE law, whether they hold that gun for 5 minutes waiting for carrier to arrive, to 5 months for a gunsmith to work on a firearm.

Sent from some where out there.

 

[benenglish]

If you talked to FFLs and they said they aren't required to do anything by law they are either idiots, just don't know, or are knowingly breaking the law. ANYTIME, ANY FFL takes "possession" of a serialized firearm (possession being best described as FFL retains firearm without owner being present for any length of time), they must, with no exception, record it in their log book. There is no exception to this BATFE law, whether they hold that gun for 5 minutes waiting for carrier to arrive, to 5 months for a gunsmith to work on a firearm.

I wonder if any USPS route is so reliable that an FFL could say "We'll slap a label on it but you have to sit in the corner and hand it to the carrier."

Just a thought experiment.

 

[lsadfjlakjdfwalk]

This, sadly, is not true... Any of it.

If you are super large and do a lot of shipping, and receiving IS NOT included in that, (like wholesalers/manufacturers or large online retail presence i.e. Bud's or even large chain/corporate owned shops i.e. Cabela's, Academy, etc.) you can negotiate with shipping companies to get better rates. Maybe the distros and manufacturers get that much of a discount, but for even large gun shops it doesn't equate to that much of a discount. Most will see about a 5 to 10 % discount, if negotiated. Most gun shops, locally anyway, do a lot more receiving than shipping.

If you talked to FFLs and they said they aren't required to do anything by law they are either idiots, just don't know, or are knowingly breaking the law. ANYTIME, ANY FFL takes "possession" of a serialized firearm (possession being best described as FFL retains firearm without owner being present for any length of time), they must, with no exception, record it in their log book. There is no exception to this BATFE law, whether they hold that gun for 5 minutes waiting for carrier to arrive, to 5 months for a gunsmith to work on a firearm.

Sent from some where out there.

https://upsconnect.com/

Sign up at get 20% off air and 10% off ground... It really isn't that hard.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

https://upsconnect.com/

Sign up at get 20% off air and 10% off ground... It really isn't that hard.

I wish it were that simple, but it isn't. Appreciate the link, but it's "up to 20%*" so it's not automatically 20% and there's that little asterisk thingy meaning, damn, fine print - terms and conditions. My posts are 100% accurate, from personal experience. I have business accounts with UPS, FedEx, and USPS... I'm also an FFL.



Sent from some where out there.

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

I wonder if any USPS route is so reliable that an FFL could say "We'll slap a label on it but you have to sit in the corner and hand it to the carrier."

Just a thought experiment.

I have no problem handing package to carrier, do all the time, but if my business name is on the label, that gun is in my books. I don't trust anyone enough.

Sent from some where out there.

 

[benenglish]

I have no problem handing package to carrier, do all the time, but if my business name is on the label, that gun is in my books. I don't trust anyone enough.

No, what I meant was the customer sits in the corner holding the package until they hand it to the carrier; i.e. the FFL never, by any definition, takes possession.

However, I get what you're saying.

 

[oohrah]

I've shipped direct to two different manufacturers through UPS and Fedex without an FFL. Why do you think you need one? And they shipped direct back to my door.

 

[Charlie]

You don't need an FFL. Because they can ship USPS it "could" save some money.