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FFL Transfer Fees raised

17K views 127 replies 108 participants last post by  Ranger566 
#1 ·
Walked into my LGS last Saturday to pick up a pistol I purchased on GB.com.

This sign was posted by the cash register--------------"Effective immediately, FFL transfer fees are being raised from $25.00 to $45.00, plus an additional $2.00 handling fee."

Because I've let them handle my purchase transfers for so long, the store owner gave me a break and let me pick this one up at the old rate.

Anyone else got this good news yet?

I live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Steve
 
#104 ·
The shop I use does it for free. Ill buy from him if he has it or can get it, but if I have to get it on line he transfers it for me. Most of the stuff ive bought there I could get a little cheaper online, but I understand he has to keep the lights on and I would rather support local business if possible.
 
#107 ·
Assuming delivery/pickup at your place of business, I'd guesstimate that a complete transfer- customer calls to make arrangements, you fax your license to the sender, you verify the SN and log the gun in, call the customer to come pick it up, customer fills out paperwork, you fill out paperwork, call NICS, hand the gun over, and log it out of your book- you have a solid 30+ minutes. invested in the process. That's excluding any extraneous calls from the customer or issues that come up.

In a retail business, you do have overhead, employees, etc. If you could make a full time one man business on nothing but transfers, you would still have some overhead, but not much. I don't think ATF issues FFLs for transfer only businesses though.....
 
#108 ·
In my area, the lowest is $10 and the highest is $30. In any case, it is easy money for the FFL as they spend about 5 min of their time on it as they wait on other customers while you fill out the forms. I really have no other choice as the guns I get transferred are ones you never find in a LGS. The $30 shops are always my last choice to buy anything at as I believe you should support the shops that take care of the customer. YMMV
 
#109 ·
I have to use 2 different sources because my LGS (closest) will not accept a shipment from an individual, only from an FFL even when the shipper will enclose a copy of their DL and in one instance the seller was an LEO and he still would not touch it and he will charge $25.

My other source is about 15 miles from home and they charge $15. and will accept shipments from individuals with a DL copy and is on file with CDNN, Century etc. I always ask if they have what I am wanting at the time as I would buy it there and if they do not have it they are glad to do the transfer
and the charge is $15.

Sales are slowing down as the Obama 'Frenzy' is subsiding and ammo is available on line so they have to make $ where they can
 
#113 ·
The LGS isn't the only one who has an FFL. Charge me $50. for a transfer & I'll get my own FFL and do $15.00 transfers for my friends. It's not rocket science.

The FFL who does my transfers is very reasonable, plus he's a nice guy. He's smart enough to know that if he doesn't get to do my transfers he makes no money at all on my purchase. He often will provide me with the best price I can get on a firearm if I talk to him first. A good guy to do business with.

Interesting also to note that with the increased prices of firearms, the sales tax savings often exceeds shipping costs.
 
#114 ·
Bought my first gun as a resident of PA. Found a small shop very close to me that charges $35 for in-state transfers & $50 for transfers shipped to them. Luckily the fellow I purchased the gun from knew of a little shop 20 miles from me that charges $20. For a small shop he had quite the inventory.
 
#115 ·
Lucky you guys are not in Kommiefornia. We get charged at least where I live a 7.25% sales tax on the gun, $99.00 FFL chg, and a $35.00 CA. DROS Fee. All collected by the FFL for the state or they do not transfer in CA.

One of my Browns was $218.72 & the other was $336.61, a shotgun I purchased was $75.00 FFL fee.
 
#117 ·
I'm pretty sure that the USSC has ruled that sales tax shouldn't be charged, unless the seller has a facility the state that's charging the sales tax. The FFL who's doing the transfer isn't the seller.

Chances are, though, nobody in Kalifornia would go to the expense of challenging the Kalifornia law...just too expensive.
 
#116 ·
PS, I forgot the SSE (single shot exemption) fee was also part of the Brown CA fees above
That is where if you purchase a gun not on the CA approved list you can for a price have the gun changed to a single shot SSE, basically a parts swap and then changed back after purchase. But even this costly loop hole goes away next January 2015 and you can only ship to CA what is on the CA approved list. Now you ask why don't I move, my wife is ill, we are old, and all the grandkids are here.
 
#120 ·
The FFL I use here is a LGS/pawn. They only charge $25. They tell me they love transfer business because it's pure profit to them. It doesn't take much time at all (so he tells me). They do sell guns too but their inventory isn't large, and they a ton of other pawn business. I think to date I've done 10 transfers there and prior to that I had never walked in the door before. Now I drop in every few weeks to check out what they have in stock. So far I haven't bought a gun from their regular stock but it's only a matter of time til they get something I want/need.
 
#124 ·
I'd like to see every FFL holder figure out what their bottom line transfer price should be and and set their normal transfer fee $5 higher than that. If a transfer recipient can produce an NRA card then they should give him a $5 discount. Remember they wouldn't be charging non NRA members more, they would be giving them a discount. The NRA is fighting for all FFL holder's job security.
 
#126 · (Edited)
What's a small shop to do?

While the internet has made finding whatever you're looking for almost instant , it's killing the small independent gun shop.

You buy guns online from other dealers and expect your local FFL to do the paperwork for nothing? And if the gun ain't right , you ask them to get involved in the return fight.

If you're buying a gun that is not generally available , well , that's one thing. But if you're buying a gun the shop you're asking them to receive is a gun they normally stock and sell at a comparable price , that ain't right. I'm sure that by the time ya figure S&H and transfer fees , a deal could be made.

You buy your ammo , accessories and everything else online or from Cabela's , Bass Pro , Walmart.

Why not ask Walmart to do a receive/transfer?

By 'you' , I don't mean the OP or anyone here in particular.
 
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