Shipping back to Manufacturer

[twobanger]

I tried a search but I guess I stink at it...and sorry for a first post like this.

Is it legal for me to ship a gun back to the manufacturer to get work done or do I have to use an FFL for that too? From what I understood, as long as I used UPS or FedEx its okay, but the local packing supply place said I had to use an FFL.

Thanks in Advance

 

[jasont]

Yes you can legally ship your gun back to the factory without an FFL. Go to a real UPS or FedEx location and you should not have a problem. A lot of the private shipping places either don't know the rules or just don't want to do it.

 

[navyguy]

If it is for warranty work, the manufactuerer should send you a UPS tag. Otherwise, you will be paying the overnight shipping rates. Figure around $60 for a hand gun. Sometimes it it cheaper to have an FFL ship it for you even though they charge a fee. They can ship USPS, for about $10.

 

[Ranger60]

As stated, use a real UPS or FedEx location, not the "mall mailer" and it will be OK, they may ask you to open the package, verify it is unloaded, and they will reseal it. However, you will pay the overnight rate.

 

[JKTex]

Just to cut to the chase.... You can ship direct to the manufacture but as stated, you can only ship via common carrier and currently only UPS and Fedex will accept a hand gun from a non-FFL and it has to ship overnight.

The manufacture will ship directly back to you.

You MUST declare it as a handgun and they will open to check it but as stated, will reseal it.

You can only use a true UPS or Fedex hub. ie. at the airport of one of their major hubs that have a customer counter. UPS Stores cannot accept them.

You can try an FFL if you want to save money, but most won't want to bother as they won't make money by packing and shipping it unless they charge you a fee that makes it worthwhile.

The manufacture will give you the address to ship to. It will/may be different as the name cannot make it apparent that the address is a gun manufacture. No markings on the package can disclose what is in the package. For example, Kimber used KMI as the company name.

 

[twobanger]

If it is for warranty work, the manufactuerer should send you a UPS tag. Otherwise, you will be paying the overnight shipping rates. Figure around $60 for a hand gun. Sometimes it it cheaper to have an FFL ship it for you even though they charge a fee. They can ship USPS, for about $10.

I found this out the hard way. A local FFL charges 30.00 to do it, FedEx charged 65 to overnight it.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[JKTex]

I found this out the hard way. A local FFL charges 30.00 to do it, FedEx charged 65 to overnight it.

Thanks for the responses.

Keep in mind, if the FFL ships it for you, it will ship back to the FFL. Hopefully the FFL won't charge you anything more, but at least be aware that it must be shipped back to whoever shipped it to them.

 

[navyguy]

Keep in mind, if the FFL ships it for you, it will ship back to the FFL. Hopefully the FFL won't charge you anything more, but at least be aware that it must be shipped back to whoever shipped it to them.

I believe that is not an ATF rule, but rather dictated by the particular manufacturer. Sig for example used to ship the gun back to where you directed them to, and if no information given, it would go back to the address they had on record. There was a guy on another forum that got into big trouble because Sig shipped his pistol back to him at his work address, even though it was sent to them from a dealer for warranty work. They had his work address on file, because he had ordered some catalogs and had them shipped to his work. Guy on the dock opened the box, and next thing he was in the HR office doing some explaining. Sig has since changed their rules, and will ship back to the address the gun came from, unless specifically directed to ship to the owners primary residence.

I'm not sure how other manufacture handle this. Would be good to ask.

 

[JKTex]

I believe that is not an ATF rule, but rather dictated by the particular manufacturer. Sig for example used to ship the gun back to where you directed them to, and if no information given, it would go back to the address they had on record. There was a guy on another forum that got into big trouble because Sig shipped his pistol back to him at his work address, even though it was sent to them from a dealer for warranty work. They had his work address on file, because he had ordered some catalogs and had them shipped to his work. Guy on the dock opened the box, and next thing he was in the HR office doing some explaining. Sig has since changed their rules, and will ship back to the address the gun came from, unless specifically directed to ship to the owners primary residence.

I'm not sure how other manufacture handle this. Would be good to ask.

Not sure that's correct. Thye might have made a mistake, but recently a custom builder that did work on one of mine said he had to ship to the address it came from. It makes sense since that could give someone a legal loophole to sending a handgun somewhere that it otherwise could not go. But who knows.