Why do many FFLs dislike receiving incoming firearms from private parties?

[fredoesway]

Question in title.

it is Illegal in oregon for an FFL holder to receive a firearm . from an individual in another state. they can only recieve from another FFL in state to state transfer. how do i know this? from buying multiple guns online. Ace buyers in albany are more than happy to do this transaction for $30.( may be higher now)

and yes i do buy from them whenever they have what i like. i have also referred customers to ace buyers.

 

[bcp]

About 5-10 years I was in a shop that had a transfer fee sign posted. The fee was much higher if it was a NEW gun he could have ordered for you.

Bruce

 

[gmerkt]

In years gone by, my impression was that some stocking dealers had the idea that "mail order" transfers cut into the profits that might come from a direct sale out of their own inventory. To them, it was a form of competition. Here I'm speaking of pre-internet, pre-Gunbroker and so on. These days, that kind of commerce is pretty normal. In my experience, over time stocking dealers have become less resistant to the practice. It's bread and butter for the transferring dealer I've used.

And speaking of stocking dealers. During this same time, it seems to me that many have reduced the inventory that they are willing to carry on the books. Which reduces a retail customer's choices. Which in turn pushes customers more towards ordering from afar. It costs money to stock a store. Yes, the dealer can place the order but a lot of buyers now otherwise know there are ways to save a bit of money.

I am a particular customer. When I get the notion to buy a firearm, it's nearly always a specific make, model and caliber. I don't go into a dealer, look around, and get sold on whatever might be in the racks. If I want a Winchester Model 70, that's what I'm gonna buy. No sales clerk is going to persuade me to buy a Savage Model 110 just because that's what he happens to have in stock. Yet there are some customers who aren't locked into a certain gun and they can be can be "sold."
The transfer fees from private transfers were, to some extent, an unexpected source of business for dealers. The state created a market for dealer services where it didn't previously exist. I remember when I-594 passed here in Wash. state, dealers were not unhappy. "All that extra paperwork" translates into revenue for dealers when private transfers come in.