when buying a shipped handgun

[kennedyted]

say i purchase a handgun from a user on pafoa, say hes a few hrs away and we want to do shipping to local ffl, whats the usual? does the buyer pay the full price before the gun is even shipper or does the ffl that is being shipped the firearm inform us both when its arrived and then final payment is made?....im n ot inferring anything about anyone but it just seems weird to pay everything up front, or perhaps im an idiot ?

[thebearpack]

Standard procedure is to pay the seller in full and have your FFL send a copy of his license to him. Seller then ships to the FFL and you go and fill out the paperwork, pass PICS, pay the FFL for his services and take your pistol home. If I were selling, I would not ship anything until I had your cleared payment in hand. That's why you - as the buyer - want to deal with a reputable seller and pay in a way that will give you some recourse (postal money order with a signed delivery confirmation, for example) in case the seller never ships. An FFL won't act as an intermediary between the buyer & seller unless you make arrangements ahead of time and pay more for the additional service.

[bripro]

^^^^This^^^^

[Svickstc]

^^^^This^^^^

Yep, pay in full before ships to your local ffl...buy from trusted seller..

I know I would never sell a gun without having payment first

[kennedyted]

thanks guys im new to pa and handguns in general, i figured i payed shipping and once it got to my ffl he contacts us both and released gun on payment or something, guess i was way off. thanks for he replies and the teaching

[thundrr1]

If it's a private seller,,,,, make sure your FFL will accept a shipped weapon from an individual. Some won't.

[ItchyTick]

FWIW,

I would never buy a used firearm without ever having seen it or fired it.

Learned my lesson the hard way.

Buyer beware.

[TapRackNRoll]

FWIW,

I would never buy a used firearm without ever having seen it or fired it.

Learned my lesson the hard way.

Buyer beware.

Generally I agree. I have come across deals that I figured the reward justified the risk though.

[RUT]

>> it just seems weird to pay everything up front<<

But that's just the way it is. You must be new at this. :-)