Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmandue
If local shops hate doing FFL's why do they advertise that they will do it and offer the service? Customer service? If I use the range to do the FFL I will be going there to practice and spending my money with them.
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I am sure any local brick and morter FFL will have no problem taking your money for a transfer. The big retail gun shops/ranges typically charge "retail" for transfers though. Just like Randy above, the FFL I use runs his biz out of his house. I can be in and out in under 5 minutes if I choose (but usually stay longer to chat/hang out). He charges me $10 per transfer, which covers up to 5 guns at a time. With most of the local gun shops, the wait could be closer to (or over) an hour, depending on how busy they are. Then, you get to pay $40-$60+ for the transfer while being subjected to gun-store employee "attitude" in many cases.
So, you may want to shop around for FFLs. If anything, just verify that whichever one you use accepts private-party shipments.
That will save you the added fee/hassle of requiring items be sent
from an FFL, should you find something being sold by an individual/non-FFL.
I've shipped plenty of guns to CA FFLs from AZ as a private individual, with nothing more than a copy of my ID, description/SN of the contents, and the buyer's contact info in the package. Never had an issue.
As mentioned earlier, just remember that GB is simply an auction site. It's basically the eBay for guns, but it is not policed as well as eBay. If you are dealing with an established and active member with A+ rating, chances are you will be OK.
It's a lot better than it used to be, but it got the nickname "Gun Joker" for a reason, so just be smart. I had a couple issues early on, and the buyer protection is basically useless.
Also, be mindful about shipping and/or CC fees. It's a common practice on GB not to disclose an actual shipping price as well as adding CC fees to the final winning bid amount. Best to get clarification on that stuff beforehand.
And, be sure to read the fine print as there are a ton of sellers that simply have a blanket "no shipping to CA" policy.
Oh, and if you haven't stumbled across it already, the CalGuns forum is a pretty good resource.
