Inconsistency between FFL's (charges, service, etc)

[124gr9mm 859]

More of a rant than anything else, but I had a seemingly simple/direct transaction that I needed to complete, but I got three very different responses from three different FFL's.

I needed to send a pistol back to a manufacturer for repair.  It was on my dime (the manufacturer wasn't sending a prepaid label) and I didn't want to go through hoops with FedEx, so I wanted to go through a FFL.  Also, the manufacturer may need to replace the pistol, so I'd need to do a transfer, permits, etc. instead of just getting a repaired one back.

First FFL was one of the largest/most popular gun shops in my area.  I called and asked if they could ship the pistol for me.  They said yes, but without a prepaid label from the manufacturer they would need to charge me gunsmithing time so they could call the manufacturer and get their address.  They would then charge me to ship it and then I'd pay the actual shipping charge.  Easily over $100.  For the transfer (if they were replacing with a new gun) it would be $90 plus NICS fee $15.

Second one was a FFL who works out of his home.  He said I should just mail the pistol myself.  I should get a flat rate box from the post office and send it directly.  He said they only ask if you're sending explosives, not firearms!!!  This option could land me in jail (or at least in a lot of legal trouble).  For the transfer (if they were replacing with a new gun) it would be $45 with NICS included.

Third was a local business who also does FFL service.  They said they would do it for $20 plus actual shipping (which likely wouldn't exceed $30).  For the transfer (if they were replacing with a new gun) it would also be $45 with NICS included.

I went with option 3.  Professional, reasonably priced for the area and very little chance of me getting in trouble if the gun gets lost in the mail.

 

Again, more of a rant than anything else, but shooting is an expensive hobby as it is, so it would be nice if there was some consistency with charges for transfers, fees, etc, etc.

 

[jackandjill 683]

Supply & Demand. 

[1563621 388]

Educated Consumer! Shop around!

[10X 3,296]

12 minutes ago, jackandjill said:

Supply & Demand. 

Supply and Demand is what lead the third dealer to set a price that is reasonable in this market.  

The first dealer (I know just who that is) made a business decision that they don't want to be bothered with transfers, hence the quote for twice the market price.  There is no demand for $105 transfers, they just want you to go away if you aren't buying something they have in inventory.

The second dealer was just ignorant.

[tattooo 220]

You could have sent it back yourself through fedex or ups but no handguns through the post office. Some FFL transfer prices are ridiculous but like the previous poster it is intentional to deter transfers.

[124gr9mm 859]

1 hour ago, 10X said:

Supply and Demand is what lead the third dealer to set a price that is reasonable in this market.  

The first dealer (I know just who that is) made a business decision that they don't want to be bothered with transfers, hence the quote for twice the market price.  There is no demand for $105 transfers, they just want you to go away if you aren't buying something they have in inventory.

The second dealer was just ignorant.

I agree.  #3 was great to work with.

First question dealer 1 asked was if I had purchased the gun in question at their place.  I said that I bought 2 guns from them last year, but this wasn't one of them.  Felt like they tuned out at that point.

FFL #2 was an older guy. Very nice, but gave dangerous advice.

[Matthew Lutz 56]

I would have shipped it using Shipmygun.com. Easily the cheapest method I've found for shipping any firearm. In the event that the manufacturer needed to send you a new gun, you could just give them the name/address of whatever FFL you want to receive it for you and do the transfer.

I sold a pair of handguns to a guy in NY and shipped them both in the same box using shipmygun.com and it was less than $30.

 

[124gr9mm 859]

2 hours ago, Matthew Lutz said:

I would have shipped it using Shipmygun.com. Easily the cheapest method I've found for shipping any firearm. In the event that the manufacturer needed to send you a new gun, you could just give them the name/address of whatever FFL you want to receive it for you and do the transfer.

I sold a pair of handguns to a guy in NY and shipped them both in the same box using shipmygun.com and it was less than $30.

 

I wanted to do that, but the manufacturer wasn't listed on their website.  There's an e-mail address where you can have the manufacturer send their FFL information, but I had no idea how long that would take, so I went to FFL #3.

Actually I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed meeting the guy face to face and getting to know him a bit.  It will make it easier if I need to do a transfer in the future, or if I buy something online, etc.

Plus I like supporting a local guy with a smaller operation.

[diamondd817 826]

Alright, who are they?

#1 = RTSP

#2 = ?

#3 = Sounds like the old True Value Hardware in Lincoln Park?

I had an FFL tell me they had to ship handguns overnight by law (even though I knew they could ship standard/priority USPS) = FSS