FFL Holders are rip-off's ????

i too charge $50 for transfers.here is my reasoning.

1.i must send a ffl to the dealer in a envelope that cost money. a printer that eats ink to make a copy or the ffl.sometimes the ffl recepiant does not always get the first ffl so you have to send another ffl out.
2.the state of tn charges us $10. for nics ck.
3.i have to retain the 4473 for a period of 20 years which takes up space.(after a few years this really adds up)
4.you have to understand its not just the writting it down that takes time.it takes the collecting of the money,the sending offf the ffl the amount of time it takes to receive the gun and log it in the book and then another 10 to 20 min of time preparing the 4473 and calling it in.then you have to log it out.
5.the atf is getting in a nasty habit of tracing guns both at random and for when crimes are commited with guns(ie your gun gets stolen).this can take 10 min to several hours of locating records and faxing the info to the tracing center.(the call is not toll free)i average about 4 hours a week just doing traces for the atf.most of them are where guns get stolen out of the owners cars or homes then either recovered or used in a crime.
6.i have found customers over the years that have tried to beat the small markup on guns by buying out of state or directly from wantabe wholesalers.a local dealer that has a vested interest in his store is entitled to a fair profit!!!most retailers dont even make $15 % on new guns.

7.$40 dollars for all of this service is a bargain.

many times if i have a regular loyal customers
that want somthing tranferred in that i do not stock i have no problem doing a courtesy transfer.

do your self a favor.quit trying to save a buck everytime you want a gun and build a relationship with your dealer.it pays in the long run.

ed
 
My FFl charges a percentage. If I do the leg work (ie: find the gun on line and pay for it) he charges 5% of the wholesale price. If I ask him to find one, and he does the work, he charges 10%.
Seem fair enough to me, and a good way to go about it.

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Knee deep in brass, still shootin fast!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gunmart:

do your self a favor.quit trying to save a buck everytime you want a gun and build a relationship with your dealer.it pays in the long run.

ed[/quote]

I would agree with you if it were saving a buck.

The problem in my area is that even getting a new gun that is availible is like pulling teeth. It is very trying when to get the gun you want you have to call the factory direct and talk to sales people there. Then go to a gun shop and get them to send a signed FFL to the correct location. Then you have to call the factory again to see if the dealer actually sent the FFL like they said they did.

I have spent up to $3000.00 in one day at a single gun shop and still they lose orders, say they can't get things that they can, etc.

I also get two or so people a year that come to me looking for recomendations for gun shops. One friend/client I have now spent over a thousand dollars in one day at a small mom and pop gunshop (which is one of the best in a 2 or 3 hour driving distance from where I live--this friend drove 1.5 hours to get his stuff at this shop) and wants to spend another $1200.00-$1500.00 with the same shop but they are dragging their feet. Even with cash in advance!!!

Are my experiances non typical? I have checked on over half of this state trying to find one decent gunshop that would take my money and get my the stuff I want in less than a months time.
 
Let me get this straight.

Some of you folks want the dealer to send out his FFL, take delivery of your gun, do whatever paper work is necessary, put up with your BS and complaints, listen while you brag about buying ammo and supplies out of SGN or at K-Mart, and then not charge for transfer on some "bargain" gun he has in stock at only a few dollars more than you paid?

Talk about cheap.

Jim
 
Personally, I would never ask my dealer to order something that he already carries. In my mind, that would be an insult to a shop that has done right by me in the past. The only times I've asked him to do a transfer is when he doesn't carry it or doesn't know it exists, like my FMP receiver from Inter Ordnance.

The way I see it, if you ask a dealer to do a transfer, while you do the legwork, he's getting a gauranteed profit, with no overhead and no selling.

I guess it boils down to finding a dealer with whom you like to deal, then patronize.
 
It's got nothing to do with being "cheap" or even trying to "save a buck". None of the local gun shops have ever heard me complain (well, not much anyway :) ) nor do I subject them to my "BS".

The simple fact is that, even in a large city (I live in a medium size city) it is impossible for any dealer to carry every brand/model of gun available. This makes finding the gun you want via the net or other media (like Shotgun News) necessary. Especially if your local shop gives you that "You don't want that gun...it's junk...you need this one we have in stock, instead" line.

I had the manager of one local shop tell me that the model of gun I wanted (which he didn't currently have in stock, but he had one previously) was discontinued. That was BS, because I went across down and another shop told me they could order one.

As I said in my previous post, I buy new guns locally, when they'll let me. But, I certainly do not feel the least bit bad going elsewhere to find a used or, sometimes, new gun I want and having it transferred.
 
Ok, I need to say something here.

Any FFL holder that agrees to do a transfer should get paid for his time & trouble - no doubt about it. And I guess the states charge different amounts for doing the NICS check, plus there is the cost of the phone call, sending the FFL copy, keeping the records, etc.

The FFL holder does (& should be able to) charge whatever he/she wants to do the work. But as a consumer, it is your (our) responsibility to shop around. In my state (Pennsylvania), all transactions - even private - must go thru a FFL holder. A few weeks ago I sold a handgun; the local gunshop charged $20 to do the transfer which I thought was reasonable, but not a bargain. The last time I bought a gun, the dealer had a speaker phone & a recording indicated he was charged $2.00 for the call - so I guess that is what it costs here. The whole ordeal didn't take 30 minutes & most of that was the buyer filling out the forms; so he is getting $40 an hour. Not a bad income & not a bad price; & not extreme in either sense. However, he did not have to send out a copy of his FFL either.

$50 for a transfer? Again, I don't know what the costs involved are but I would shop around. If you can find reputable, friendly FFL holders that are charging less and are convienient to your location, I would check them out. You might check the on-line auction & classified sites, they sometimes have directories of FFL holders that are willing to do interstate transfers.

To me, $50 for less than 30 minutes of work seems high - but again, I may not have all the facts. I know I would definetly shop around. If the best you can do is $45, then I guess $50 is not bad. But if you uncover multiple sources that will charge $25 - $40, you might want to investigate.

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work"
Thomas Alva Edison
 
Asking a shop to order something that he has in stock is without question "insulting"

I wouldnt dare do such a thing. But i did.

I wanted a new sig. I went to my local shop (who claims they will match or beat any price)and asked how much. He had the best price locally. $490

I pulled out an advertisment i had and asked him how can these guys be selling it for so cheap($399) He said, "I have no idea, I cant do that"

I asked him if i would be insulting him by asking to do the transfer, he said "not at all" so we did. (FFL transfer fee, $50)

Well, after 3 weeks and about $50 worth of expenses.(had to overnight the FFL 3 times, Driving to the shop etc.)I got my gun. Now lets do the math.

Cheap gun $399
FFL transfer $50
Shipping/gas/phone bills $50
Total $499

Never again will I buy a gun that my local dealers can order for me. I since then have established a great relationship with them and have only dealt with them exclusively.

Support the local mom and pop shops and the little guy. In most cases it costs about the same in the long run. and it feeds the family. Even if it is a bit more expensive, I would rather pay the extra and support a small business other than a mega-store owned by a buncha rich guys in suits who know nothing about guns.

Tim :)



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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones. U.S. Marshals:::
 
DMSC:

Bear in mind that not all shops have accounts with the same distributors. It is distinctly possible (although not necessarily the case in your example) that one shop orders from one or two large, high-turnover wholesalers exclusively, while the other shop has accounts with a larger variety of distributors, some of whom may still have merchandise in stock that is officially 'discontinued'. Never be afraid to 'turn on' your shop to new wholesalers, just because we're behind the counter doesn't mean we know everything. If the sales staff says they do, by all means find another shop, because you as a customer deserve better.

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"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
 
FFL Holders can be ripoffs. I recently stopped by a well known Austin shop that I used to spend a lot of time actually spending money in (several handguns + ammo, accessories and gunsmithing services) in the last 10 months). They have this laundry basket with odds and ends marked "make an offer". In the basket was a norinco 30rd AK magazine in very poor condition. More than half the finish was completely gone, and the areas that were not blued had rust with deep pits. So I made an offer: 5 dollars. The owner laughed in my face and _accused me of trying to rip him off by falsely claiming I found his mag in the discount basket_. NEVER AGAIN will I darken their door. He tried to tell me it was worth 15 dollars, which is amusing as I can buy NEW GERMAN mags in the wrap at another well known shop in Austin for that exact same price. Not to mention the dreaded gun show or SGN for 9.99. Too bad I have a C&R.
 
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