How much are you paying for transfer fees?

[MikeInOr]

I was looking to buy a used 9mm from a private party on Armslist today. Price was good. I called the local pawn shop and they told me $25 + $10 background check. Met the seller there at which time they told us they are not allowed to do private party transfers despite what the lady told me on the phone an hour earlier and despite being an FFL.

Called two other places from their parking lot. The other places wanted $50 + $10 background check. (Redmond Oregon) This seemed way excessive for 10 minutes of paperwork!!!!

Is everyone paying $60 for private party transfers?

Read More

 

[Kruel J]

No way. @LuckySG does it for $20 if I remember right. A Cut Above Pawn in Aloha is $25 and Adaptive Firing Solutions in OC is $20.

Don't know about the Redmond area....

 

[LuckySG]

Lots of local gun shops are tired (in their voiced opinion) of supporting the big online shops, and would rather have you buy from them so they are jacking the transfer fees. I don't know why private transfers get muddled in with FFL sales, my online group will not be happy until all of us charge $100 a transfer and put the final nail in Buds.

You will find however there are plenty of us that are here to connect people with guns and as long as you remember to harass the place (or person) you bought from (not the shot that did the transfer) we will make state mandatory transfers as inexpensive as possible.

For the record you are not buying a minute of my time with the fee I charge ($20), an appropriate amount for a transfer would be $50 or more, you are simply paying for 20 years of cold storage and $10 to the state. I do the transfers as a public service.

 

[CLT65]

The local gun shop here does $25 transfers too. I see it as a public service too; there's no way the meager $15 they get out of it could possibly make it worth their time. I appreciate it and try to support and promote them every chance I get.

 

[MikeInOr]

Centwise in Redmond told me the $25 transfer fee I was quoted over the phone was for a FFL (out of state) to individual transfer and it is not leagal for them to do individual to individual transfers... even though I specifically said individual to individual twice when I was talking to them on the phone. The guy I was buying the pistol from was going to buy the pistol from told me he was going to turn around and buy an AR from them. Now they have two gun collectors that will never set foot in their store again.

$60 ($50 + $10) from GunTraders and Black Rifle both also in Redmond seemed ridicolous. Luckely Bend is close by... I will have to see if any gun stores there understand the impact of good will in a retail establishment like Luckys. Before this I really liked the guys at Black rifle... I don't see ever going there again.

P.S. I look at Bud's prices... add credit card fees... shipping fees... transfer fees and then I can usually find what I want some place locally for pretty close to the final cost without the hassle.

 

[Kruel J]

Lots of local gun shops are tired (in their voiced opinion) of supporting the big online shops, and would rather have you buy from them so they are jacking the transfer fees. I don't know why private transfers get muddled in with FFL sales, my online group will not be happy until all of us charge $100 a transfer and put the final nail in Buds.

You will find however there are plenty of us that are here to connect people with guns and as long as you remember to harass the place (or person) you bought from (not the shot that did the transfer) we will make state mandatory transfers as inexpensive as possible.

For the record you are not buying a minute of my time with the fee I charge ($20), an appropriate amount for a transfer would be $50 or more, you are simply paying for 20 years of cold storage and $10 to the state. I do the transfers as a public service.

This guy is for real. I know from personal experience.

 

[CLT65]

Centwise in Redmond told me the $25 transfer fee I was quoted over the phone was for a FFL (out of state) to individual transfer and it is not leagal for them to do individual to individual transfers

That's odd; I wonder why it would not be legal for them to do a transfer? Unless there's some legality that I'm not aware of, I'd be tempted to suspect that either they just didn't want to do it, or they are confused about the law. I'm no expert, so I could be easily mistaken as well...

 

[MikeInOr]

That's odd; I wonder why it would not be legal for them to do a transfer? Unless there's some legality that I'm not aware of, I'd be tempted to suspect that either they just didn't want to do it, or they are confused about the law. I'm no expert, so I could be easily mistaken as well...

I got the impression from them that they were full of it. I have never purchased anything from them but among my friends they don't have a very good reputation. When choosing a FFL with the seller we chose them because he had purchased from them in the past. I got the distinct impression he will not be purchasing from them in the future. So they didn't really loose my business but they did loose the sellers business.

 

[Ruger Rich]

There's a lot to consider here. I go in gun shops often, both independent and big box, trying to keep track of the market and just snooping around. I much prefer doing business with independent. The conversation is often more informative and real. But sometimes the independent shop is busy and it's easy to understand they would rather spend their time selling a new gun than doing paperwork for two guys walking in off the street. However, there is some benefit to the shop owner, and that is he has a two people in his shop spending a few minutes looking around waiting for the paperwork to process. About a half year ago I was one of those two guys in a shop waiting and while waiting I made an impulse buy on a trail cam. Which I'm pretty sure I could have got on-line cheaper.

 

[DuneHopper]

BGC around here 10.00 & 25.00 Transfer.
( if SB941 applies to you )

 

[Argonaut]

Transfers are such a PIA for dealers. They are loosing money at 20.00 just by what labor costs. My little local pawn shop charges 30.00 but I always give him 50. I appreciate his service and the way you illustrate that is by tipping people. I have seen him take 30 min of dirrected time to do one and then have to store the gun until it finnaly clears in a few days and that doesn't take into account the risk of making a mistake and loosing your licence or getting fined. A shop couldn't keep its doors open by just doing 20.00 transfers even if they had lines waiting for the service out the door. Even Cabela's automated system takes a fair amount of time for a trained employee to finish. There was a large Sporting goods dealer I used to know well and deal with in Fresno (Herb Bauer) 25 years ago. He charged 100.00 for a transfer exactly for the reason stated by LuckySG. He wanted you to buy firearms through him not from some on line wholesaler. The store was owned by a single guy and was auctioned a few years ago. He wanted to retire and no one wanted to pay what the store was worth to buy it, This was a major store, nearly the size of a small Cabela's. The reason for closing the doors was the pressure on profits brought by online sales. People (in the gun department) would come look at a gun on his shelf, then go home to buy it on line. So........if you want services like being able to handle the actual gun you are interested in buying before you lay your money down, you need to support the retailers that allow you to do it. Otherwise they will go away.

 

[MrElectric03]

I rarely buy online anymore unless it's something I can't find in a LGS. I just transferred a couple pistols from my father in law and had to hunt to find a store that would accept an out of state transfer not shipped from an FFL. Even that was a $40 fee but I didn't mind. It actually brought me in Tom a store I hadn't yet been into but will definately be stopping ata again. Also when I do a transfer I don't go if I'm in a rush and always tell the employees if they need to help someone else while I am getting things filled out to go ahead.

 

[CLT65]

A lot of "gun people" are notorious cheapskates. We'll spend hours or days looking around for the very best "deal" just to save a couple dollars. It must be frustrating for dealers to do business with some of us.

What does a guy do? We really need the brick-and-mortar gun shops, and to stay in business they need to make a fair profit. On the other hand if you tell people you don't do transfers, or charge a high price for them in hopes of influencing them to just buy from you instead, the vast majority of people will just find someone else who will do them cheap. A friend of mine told me how he found a good deal on several AR lowers and went in to the LGS to ask about transferring them (he had done cheap transfers before). The guy told him no, because he had a bunch of the same thing on the shelf and wanted to sell them instead. Whether or not that is reasonable is beside the point, because my friend just found someone else to do the transfer, didn't buy anything from the local shop, and won't go in there at all anymore because he was offended.

 

[Kurt82]

However, there is some benefit to the shop owner, and that is he has a two people in his shop spending a few minutes looking around waiting for the paperwork to process.

I have done a few transfers in the last couple months. I paid no more than $35 including the BGC and both times I spent over $150 on other things in the store. I bought a couple complete Thor targets on one trip and found a great deal on a Aimpoint red dot while waiting on paperwork at another shop. It pays off in the end for shops to have cheap tranfers. I have done a few out of town and had no idea where to go, so I just started calling around every shop and whoever was cheapest got my business. Everytime the cheapest shop has had the best customer service and it gets two people into your shop that possibly have never been there before.

 

[CLT65]

I rarely buy any guns anymore, but I have noticed that the LGS here is really barely higher that buying online. Maybe I could save $20 by buying that $400 gun online, paying shipping and transfer and all. A lot of cheapskate gun people (myself included in years past) would spend significant time, effort, and angst to save that magical $20. Not anymore, not for me. It's well worth an extra $20 to just walk into a store and pick it up. The LGS provides a valuable service and needs a fair profit to stay in business.

If I find a bargain somewhere, either online or private party, and can save $100? Well that's different, and I appreciate that the LGS is willing to do the transfer for so cheap.

 

[thorborg]

I usually use A cut above Pawn @ 25 bucks whenever possible albeit you will spend your savings many times over in gas driving from Redmond.
Fortunately for me the last two purchases (not transfers) I paid nothing: the first was @LuckySG I'm not sure why, just living up to his moniker I assume, but I'll take it none the less. Then, @ "The Gun Broker" in Tigard, on my pre ordered, much maligned, but I'm still liking, P365, they said because I was a veteran!. (both within the last year)
Thank you kindly!

 

[Argonaut]

At least give good guys a chance to meet the prices. I rarely buy new guns, mostly classics and antiques these years so I buy a lot of guns that need transferred in. I as a business owner appreciate quality service as I know what it is to make a payroll and cover the rest of the bills. It is tough......and add to that all the anti gun pressure these guys endure every day from governments and just people they need to be well compensated for there service to encourage continued support to our activity.

 

[LuckySG]

That's odd; I wonder why it would not be legal for them to do a transfer? Unless there's some legality that I'm not aware of, I'd be tempted to suspect that either they just didn't want to do it, or they are confused about the law. I'm no expert, so I could be easily mistaken as well...

It is the same, sorry they are missing out.

 

[MrElectric03]

Good point. I also always look for something else to buy. Pawn shops are best because there is always a cool guitar I dont need or tool I can use...eventually. Even in a gun shop if they do a $20 transfer how about a spare mag to go with that new gun, some ammo or targets.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i have a few FFL buddies. one of them doesnt charge me to transfer.