FFL transfers

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

stagpanther

New member
A local GS that received a rifle I ordered has told me that processing the FFL transfer takes a back seat to processing their own shipments and it could be 5 days before they process it--seems a bit long to me. Is this kosher?
 
I think thats called a hint...

A hint that they don't really want to do transfers.;)
The process of recording/receiving "their guns" vs "transfer guns" is identical.

But:
Did you contact them before you had a firearm shipped there?
Did you look for reviews?
Did someone recommend them?

While federal law requires the licensee to record the acquisition by close of business the next day, there is no requirement to complete the transfer in any particular time frame.

Five days?.....normally I would say that's a more than a bit excessive. But the last month has seen a huge uptick in firearm sales. I'm home based and have seen a 40% increase in transfers. It may be that your LGS is short staffed or restricted in their hours.

If you didn't contact that dealer before having a gun shipped to him.....you should have.
 
Five days is long, but the market is odd.

I had my bait shop FFL stop me as I had just come in his front door. "If it only came in a few days ago, I haven't gotten to it yet. Give me a few days."

It may have been the summer of 2016. My interior child, the one that was jumping up and down excited to get a new item, was painfully disappointed. The adult wrapper was happy he didn't give me a longer excuse.

The explanation you received seems gratuitously abrasive.
 
dogtown tom said:
A hint that they don't really want to do transfers.;)
The process of recording/receiving "their guns" vs "transfer guns" is identical.
Click to expand...

....but, the FFL is the one who initially opened themselves up to doing transfers. If they really don't want to do them, why don't they take themselves off the list? For the most part, transfers are pure profit and take very little time, and like you said, the record of acquisition must be done before the end of the day anyway. Seems like a way to drive more business away than to attract it.

JMTCs.
 
I'm comfortable with 2 days. After that, there needs to be a good reason... current challenges for the industry is a perfectly acceptable reason.

Your FFL should be up front about how their "normal" is being affected. Posting a message on their website would suffice for me for "notification", although might be an afterthough for a less media-savvy owner or somebody without a website.

Personally, I would never blindly ship an online firearms order to a local FFL without at least a trip to their website, even if I'd used them a dozen times... never know when their prices will change, services suspended cause the old man is taking a vacation, the store had a fire, went bankrupt overnight, etc...

The good news is also that you have options. If my kitchen-table FFl who charges $50 told me "5 days or whenever I get around to it"... would be the last time I used him. Local Mom&Pop who runs an FFL out of the back of his tropical fish store and does $15 for Military... 5 days no problemo!
 
If you didn't contact that dealer before having a gun shipped to him.....you should have.
Click to expand...
I did--they said no problem. I've spent many thousands of dollars over the last 15 years there--I pulled that out but to no effect. : )

I'll try again tomorrow--otherwise I'll have to wait til next week.
 
Last edited:
My local gun shop calls me when the gun arrives and within an hour I am home with the gun, transfer complete for $20.
 
I have never gone more than a day, and once picked up a pistol a half hour after it was delivered.

A couple of days I can understand, but what you got is excessive; not only the five day figure but the fact that they pretty much told you that yours was the least important item that they were handling.

I would look for alternatives next time, at least for transfers, and maybe for purchases.
 
I would look for alternatives next time, at least for transfers, and maybe for purchases.
Click to expand...
I do have closer alternatives. I decided to give them a go for an on-line purchase transfer since I buy receivers there fairly frequently. Lesson learned.
 
Basically, whatever the process was up to a month ago is no longer relevant. For the last 3 weeks or so we've been flat out trying to process our own orders and whatever we can scrounge to keep the racks and cases from being bare. Not full, mind you, but to feed the hoards that have been lining up for anything they can get. Then we got the order to work by appointment only. It is now easing a bit and we've been able to process the special orders. Transfers that were on the way are getting done, eventually, but it has been bedlam. We still aren't accepting new transfers and even try to avoid face-to-face transfers. Honestly, way too much time/work for the price. If you've got alternatives, more power to you, but not all LGS are open, and those that are are working under crazy conditions. Have a little patience, you're not the only one out there waiting impatiently for your new toy.
Don't forget, we're here in the shop trying to help you, not sitting at home with our wives who are pissed that we are going out in public.
 
That's one way of looking at it. Another way of looking at it is that they are so busy making a killing in a panic-driven buying frenzy their primary interest is moving their own double-price mark-up inventory. I fully get that, but then I would make that clear to the customers who could have otherwise saved time going elsewhere. Who's responsible for the rifle while it sits out back in their storage?
 
Can't run a dealer's business

My local gun shop calls me when the gun arrives and within an hour I am home with the gun, transfer complete for $20.
Click to expand...
That's great but most places, not the case. When and if you have communication problems with any dealer, it's time to move on; however, before you do, ask yourself where the problems are. …… :rolleyes:

Depending on what and how I buy, I usually deal with three dealers. All of my dealers will make contact within five days but can't count on that. I do know when the shipping FFL ships and I track that. ….. :)

Basically you only have control over what you say, think and do and have no say over how a dealer runs his business. …. ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
"Another way of looking at it is that they are so busy making a killing in a panic-driven buying frenzy their primary interest is moving their own double-price mark-up inventory. I fully get that, but then I would make that clear to the customers who could have otherwise saved time going elsewhere."

A. Neither we nor any of our distributors have raised our prices.
2. We have, but see #III.
III. There is no viable "elsewhere" in the area.
 
I didn't come here to get into a spitball fight with all dealers, I just wanted to see if this was unusual in other people's experience.
 
I'm comfortable with 2 days. After that, there needs to be a good reason... current challenges for the industry is a perfectly acceptable reason.
Click to expand...

There's really no reason for it to even take that long. As Dogtown Tom pointed out, the process is pretty much identical. Granted, I didn't appreciate people chasing the UPS truck in during peak times and demanding I log the gun in right now, but it's no great effort to have it ready by the next morning.

Anyone taking a month or more really isn't in the right business.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top