Dealer charge for ordering gun?

A

AR BLACK

New member
What is a fair fee for an FFL dealer to order me a gun from out of state? One local guy told me $35, I thought this was way too high. (I was expecting $10 - $15. I was gonna order an Enfield for $60.)

My buddy used to have an FFL and he would of done it for just the cost of the forms, stamps (a few bucks max) - AND he would get the pleasure to hold/shoot/fondle the new acquisition.
 
Good evening, AR BLACK,

Your buddy probably was a hobbyist who wasn't really in business and didn't have to pay the rent, feed the family, etc. from gun shop profits.

I have found that most dealers base the charge on the amount of paperwork and mainly on whether the person is a good regular customer or a "one shot" who wants a freebie.

You can shop around, but in any case you should get the charge settled up front, so there are no surprises when the dealer is holding your rifle hostage.

Jim
 
AR,
The local gun stores around here usually charge about $25 to handle a transfer. It's like anything else in a free society, they can charge what they want to and you can shop around for the best price.
I lost a sale to another gunstore 35 miles away because the customer could save $10 on a $500 firearm. That's business.
Cat
 
I have a local FFL who charges me $20.00 per transfer. Some of the local gunshops will not even offer to do a transfer.
 
For the time & effort required to recieve the package, book the gun in his bound book, and do the yellow sheet/NICS check, I would think $20-$25 would be fair. This, of course, assumes that the customer has pre-paid everything and the dealer has not had to tie up any funds in ordering the gun.

The dealer's effort is the same whether you're ordering a $150 Makarov or a $2,000 Browning shotgun, so charges based on a certain percentage of the purchase price are groundless and stupid. A flat fee is the only way to go (and if that makes it impractical to order a $60 Enfield, then so be it).

Also, it is poor form to ask a dealer to order a particular firearm for you if he already has one in stock. You should also not expect anything extra in the way of 'value-add' dealer services on a bare-bones special order deal. If the gun doesn't work, then YOU can send it back for service.

Rosco
 
The $10.-$15.....would be nice but the last time I paid that little was in 1979 on a hi-power shipped from maryland to elpaso tx., since then the costs have averaged the $20.-$25 dollars everyone else has mentioned...not an overly large increase in 20 years.....fubsy.
 
Thanks guys, I guess $35 was not that far out of line. I'm a cheapskate, was probably dreaming about $10 FFL fees.

So is this what is gonna happen when they pass a Federal law that all transfers must go thru a FFL - an additional $25-$35 charge......
 
And by putting the burden on the FFL holder (so that HE has to charge something), the feds don't even have to call it a tax!

Grump.
 
Mine charges $10 per gun, but you have to do all the work. You find the gun, you mail the M.O., you provide an addressed stamped envelope for him to mail the FFL, you make all phone calls. Some people want to pay $10 and just say find me a whatever, let me know when it gets here. That costs more.
 
The last time I did a special order, I handled all the paperwork, paid the seller up front and my dealer just did the paperwork. He charged me $10 plus tax on the $10 to do papers on two AR15 lowers. I knew that was a pretty good deal and below the going rate. I have since moved and while I'd like to find this kind of a deal again, I'm not expecting it.

------------------
Dorsai
Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal
weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the
monarch of all he surveys.
-- Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle
 
My local dealer charges a flat rate of $15 per transaction, regardless of the number of firearms transferred during that transaction. However, he makes it up on retail sales, range and firearm rentals, and consignment fees. All of my transfers have been prepaid at the point of origin for both cost and shipping. All he is out is the receipt, record keeping and the phone call for the instant background check. OTOH, he gets a whopping 20% commission for consignment sales! YMMV in your locale. Support your local gun dealer, unless of course he is an irrepentant pustule on the derriere of society.

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Mykl
~~~~~
"If you really want to know what's going on;
then, you have to follow the money trail."
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
A.R. Black - The cost of an FFL went up from $10 per year to $200 per year after Herr Klinton came in. That, and a lot of sneaky stuff like contacting local zoning boards, took about 80% of the FFL's out of business, so now there is less competition for the remaining dealers. Hence the increased price.

I wouldn't take on the liability again for anything, BATF is just looking for an excuse to nail any and all FFL's for some technicality and then fine or jail you.

For the razor thin profit margins nowadays in the gun business, it is surprising to me that there are any dealers left at all. Don't begrudge the guy his $35, he's not getting rich in the gun business, guarantee ya.
 
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