multiple firearms and FFL fees

[Warsaw Pact]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[rwilson452]

It's totally up to your FFL. I would suspect they may be more willing to deal if you picked them up at the same time.

I have two rifles coming to my local FFL (I ordered them online). It so happens by chance both rifles will be arriving the same week. I am wondering if it is normal for a gun shop to charge you the FFL fee per gun or can they do "two for one" considering it should only be one NICs check?

I'd like to go and just pay $30 once. That second $30 could be beer money. However, on the other hand I don't want to come off sounding cheap.

Anyone have any advice or experience with this? Thanks!

[protectedbyglock]

My ffl actually suggested that if I buy multiple guns within a week or so, that I get him to transfer them all within 24hrs so I can save on the fees. He only charges $12, too, which is how I got to know him REAL well.

It wouldn't hurt to ask them. Just give them a call and say "Hey, I was wondering if I can transfer them both under the same check and save some money".
The worst they can do is say no.

[dogngun]

Depends on the seller.
Last summer, for my 60th birthday, something I didn't think I would ever see, I bought 5 handguns at the same time from the same dealer.
The SOB charged me a $25 background check fee for each gun, even though they made only 1 phone call covering all 5, and spent a lot of cash as once, and had been a regular customer for nearly 10 years. I later returned 2 of the 5 because they did not work, and got a trade value for the price, but not the fees.

mark

[Dredly]

Its 100% up to the dealer. I would have asked him before shipping the guns to him.

Whats amazing is that doing transfers is almost 100% profit. I think the background check actually costs like 3.00 from PICS and I think the ATF is like 5? (correct my numbers if I'm wrong

[reels18]

The FFL that I used to transfer my lower charged me 50 bucks. When asked why so much, he stated he would have charged me the usual 30 if I had ordered from his shop.

I told him that I had inquired at his shop about ordering a Colt lower. I was told by one of his employees it was not possible. They could not get a lower from Colt. Bottom line, it still cost me 50 bucks.

In all fairness, the locals do deserve to make a profit. How much of a profit is determined by the customer and the dealer. The dealer sets the price and the customer determines if he will spend his money in that shop.

In this case, the dealer lost more than the twenty bucks he gouged out of me.

No hard feelings on my part. 20 bucks was a cheap price to learn that lesson.

[c.sander]

i think its nuts for someone to charge $30 for a PICS check if you buy something from them, everyplace around me charges $5 for a check when you purchase from them

[32 Magnum]

The Fed firearm form(4473) has space for 3 firearms. If more are purchased then another form must be used.
The State handgun form (SP 4-113) has space for ONE handgun. Multiple handgun purchases must be logged individually on this form and each form requires a separate approval number from the PICS - so if you buy 5 handguns at one time, the dealer must make 5 phone calls - one for each as each handgun sale requires a separate record of sale. What he charges is up to him, most dealers will cut you some kind of deal for multiple purchases made on the same day.

[GunLawyer001]

Whats amazing is that doing transfers is almost 100% profit. I think the background check actually costs like 3.00 from PICS and I think the ATF is like 5? (correct my numbers if I'm wrong

Depends on how you define "profit". You're using up time that he could be spending doing something else.

I'm not a gun dealer, but I sell my time and knowledge. What you pay me per hour is not "100% profit" even though I'm not investing in merchandise for the shelves, since all of my income (and all of a gun seller's income) goes into the pot for overhead, salary, taxes and expenses. Same as a good auto repair shop, do you expect them to fix your car for the cost of the parts, or do you figure that they are entitled to be paid enough for their time so that they cover their overhead and make a profit, too?

[32 Magnum]

Gunlawyer has hit the nail directly on the head. I work part-time in a gun shop and make the PICS calls. The average time on phone is 10 minutes, plus the time it takes to fill out the forms and watch over the customer as he fills his parts out. The dealer has to log in and log out every firearm that passes through the shop, whether he sold it from inventory or it was a face to face transfer or an internet transfer. He is required to maintain records of sale for at least 20 years for the state and for ever for the Feds for every piece logged in and out. There is telephone time involved and there are handling issues involved - we receive the pieces, store them (sometimes for a week or two before the "customer" has the time to pick it up.) The shop has overhead costs, including huge amounts of liability and casualty insurance. I don't work for free. We charge 5 bucks on a PICS for a gun purchased from us; 25 for a face to face transfer and 40 for an internet transfer, when we had in stock or could have ordered the same piece for the customer. Gun dealers are in business to make money - and most of the time not much considering all the head aches involved. The phone call is just the tip of the iceburg in record keeping and reporting requirements. Multiple gun sales require filing of special forms to state and local LE agencies and every sale has to be reported to the State Sales tax office. Record retention takes up a huge amount of space, etc. Transfer costs are not all profit.