Purchasing Handguns Online?

I buy alot of things online, but guns I never have, and I can't do.

I like to fondle them, take them apart, and really inspect before I buy. My gun-shops never complain. The price is a little higher, but I do bargain them down some.

I do buy ammo and accessories such as mags online though.
 
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I bought my Coonan online. They shipped it to my Local FFL. They charge $25.00 for the transfer fee or if you buy at least $50.00 of "stuff" they will do it for free... I bought 3 boxes of ammo :cool:
 
I almost always give my LGS a shot,,,

Like when I bought my CZ's,,,
I looked up the price at buds gun shop,,,
Then I asked him if he could match their selling price.

When he said yes I had him order them in for me,,,
I actually paid a bit more that way because of the sales tax,,,
But I do want to support his business as he's the only pawn shop-gun store in town.

He does understand when I do order from Buds or gunbroker,,,
He looks at the FFL fee as if it were found money.

Most of the time when I order from an outside source,,,
It's not because of price but because his distributor doesn't have the gun I want.

Aarond
 
I think for a lot of folks who don't live near an old school collector's shop, if you are buying an older piece online is the only way to go. But if I were buying a new current production piece I'd go with my local gun shop.
 
I bought a few from various stores on Gunbroker. No problems so far, saved a crapload of money too. No sales tax, and my FFL only charges $20. Win.
 
Sales Tax

The draw of not having to pay sales tax can be a pretty hefty one. Be aware that in many states you are required to pay your state's sales tax on any and all items purchased via mail/internet/etc. You are supposed to pay this when you file your state income tax. Check your specific state income tax forms to see if this applies to you. However, it is a statute that is quite hard to police so whether you choose to honor it or not is completely your call. Some shops, particulaly box stores, will run a "no sales tax" event several times a year. I try to watch for these events if I have a particular model in mind and can wait it out. Though I guess the gap between shopping at a box store and shopping on line is not all that wide.
Just something to be aware of.
 
FFL fees, deals....

Some forum members here are posting FFL(federal firearm license) transfer fees of $20/25.00 etc.
Places in my metro area have been charging $45.00-$50.00 for each purchase since about 2004. :(
It somehow jumped from $25.00 to $50.00 and a few local shops have even cut handgun sales due to "straw purchases" or fraud/abuse. :(
A few sales clerks or show staff act you just kicked their dog too. Those nitwits I just avoid if I'm looking for a new online purchase.

Clyde
 
Some forum members here are posting FFL(federal firearm license) transfer fees of $20/25.00 etc.
Places in my metro area have been charging $45.00-$50.00 for each purchase since about 2004.
It somehow jumped from $25.00 to $50.00 and a few local shops have even cut handgun sales due to "straw purchases" or fraud/abuse.
A few sales clerks or show staff act you just kicked their dog too. Those nitwits I just avoid if I'm looking for a new online purchase.
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I love my local FFL they don't charge you if you buy at least $50.00 of stuff from there store at the time of the picking up of the gun.
 
Yea, well I love my local FFL since they charge $15 for an incoming trasnfer no matter what...because it's a hardware store. :D

They just don't ship guns out :(

Bud's has become the high point for what I'll pay...just tack on 15 to their shipped, cash discount price and it destroys what any local stores will charge.
 
Davidson's Gallery of guns

I was recently shopping LGS for a decent transfer rate as i was shopping for a new Ruger on gun-broker as they were $80-105 cheaper than my LGS when i came across a small gun shop in my area and he told me to shop Gallery of guns for what i was looking. I ended up purchasing the gun thru gallery of guns-gun genie. There price was with in 15 bucks of the best i could find on GB and it was a very smooth transaction. you buy it on line with a deposit and the dealer had it the day and i paid him the rest and out the door i went with my new gun and it had Davidson's free lifetime replacement guarantee. When i picked the gun i wanted and hit the quote button i got about seven local shops all with there bid price, tax, out the door total. so you know exactly what the bottom line will be. I got to inspect the gun and approve it (most on GB were no return)before we did any paper work which i liked allot because I'm a hands on guy and like to see what i am paying for. i was very happy with the process and i am supporting local business.

Thats my story but i haven't read much about them on here
 
I love supporting local shops. The last three guns I have bought have been from a local guy who sells on Gunbroker. He doesn't have a brick and mortar shop but an office so his overhead is very low which means I save money.

I have tried supporting full gun shops in the past thinking that if I do business with that same LGS I could build a relationship. Well, that has never worked out for me. I used to live down in AZ and spent a fair amount of money at a well known LGS in Phoenix. Over the course of 5 years I would buy my ammo and guns from this shop but never once was I treated like a regular or made to feel any more welcome than the next guy. So I tried a different LGS. Same story.

If a business owner doesn't go out of their way to recognize a regular client then they are either too big or have they have poor employees.

I now shop online and if a LGS can match the price I'll pay the tax to buy local but I have found that they usually will not match online prices only other local shops. So be it. I don't think it's fair that the local guy has to charge tax when the online guy doesn't so I'll pay tax all else being equal to shop local but I won't pay more in base price.
 
One of the problems with auctions is,,,

Not knowing the retail price of the gun you are bidding on.

Not 15 minutes ago I was searching gunbroker for a S&W Model 686 Plus,,,
I found 2 items that already had bids for more than the new retail price.

This is actually common,,,
It's not the first time I have seen that.

In fact I almost did it myself bidding on a Model 442,,,
I made the mistake of thinking it was a discontinued model,,,
When I discovered my error I found I had bid $40.00 more than for a new one at Buds.

I was very nervous until someone outbid me,,,
In that case I'm glad to have not won the auction.

Aarond
 
To buy online you do need to know the current market price for what you are looking for. I agree that Bud's, for new, is a good place to start. Used is another ball game since condition and scarcity play a role. I've bought many guns online and have never been unhappy. I have also sold many and have always made sure they got what I stated in my ad. Not everybody is like that but if you check out the feedback and the guy seems legit with more than 2 or 3 feedbacks chances are you won't get burned. The feedback is there for a reason. Use it.
 
Screw that, they tax my paycheck before I even get, that's quite enough IMO. Damned if I'm gonna volunteer to pay more.
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Whether you think it is enough or not is irrelevant - it's what the LAW says, and most with sales taxes - have a provision for use tax you a legally required to voluntarily submit. Since it is currently hard to enforce, it goes uncollected - but more and more states are requiring internet e-tailers to collect their state sales tax - THAT will start to put a crimp in many internet sales areas
 
Because it is so hard to enforce, I see a tax for any internet purchase that goes into a central fund and distributed to each state by population percentage. It sucks if you don't pay now but they have to come up with a way to pay for this new credit line they signed the other day. If anyone thinks we aren't the ones who will pay then they are fooling themself.
 
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