Picking up a shipped firearm from gun shop.

[FA9]

Ever went to your FFL of choice unannounced to pick up a firearm that you ordered online without them calling you first?

I did this once before and they were kind of irritated is it wrong that I did that? Also I didn't show up near closing hrs(showed up 2hrs before closing).

Is there a process or something that they have to do before calling to come pick it up? I got notified from ups at 10am that my firearm got delivered and I'm tempted to go down again unannounced.

Thoughts?

Read More

 

[Sandurz]

I did that before and they do get annoyed. Mainly because it's in their receiving warehouse and they didn't have time to process it yet. They have a procedure of checking the firearm into their system first before they can hand it off. I wouldn't think anything is wrong in doing so, just expect a slightly longer wait time.

 

[solv3nt]

Ever went to your FFL of choice unannounced to pick up a firearm that you ordered online without them calling you first?

I did this once before and they were kind of irritated is it wrong that I did that? Also I didn't show up near closing hrs(showed up 2hrs before closing).

Is there a process or something that they have to do before calling to come pick it up? I got notified from ups at 10am that my firearm got delivered and I'm tempted to go down again unannounced.

Thoughts?

I had an issue with Threat Dynamics a few years ago. Legally, they have a deadline to add the firearm to their books from when they receive it. It seriously takes two minutes for them to write it into their books. They don't make much money on transfers, so they don't like them as much. But in reality, it's free easy money that only takes a moment for them to compete the required paperwork.

Personally, I'd look for a different FFL.

 

[Aero Denezol]

They have to log it into their book, which they legally have to do within 24 hours. And which takes all of 3 minutes.

I never wait for an FFL to call me. That's a good way to go to the back of the line for a long time. Yes, they are almost always annoyed.

I don't do many transfers here but I usually let customers know I've received something within the hour.

 

[User 1234]

Look at it from their perspective. They may have received a dozen guns for different customers. They need to open the box, log it into their A&D books and then schedule pickups.

 

[Lilhigbee]

Common courtesy would dictate letting the gun shop know what's coming and who it is for. My friend gets a few guns a week with no mention of who they are for. He puts them in a pile in the corner and when the purchaser comes in he gets to dig through the pile looking for whatever they ordered. I suggested he put them out for sale and let the new owner find it on the shelf. He's more tolerant than I am.

 

[solv3nt]

Common courtesy would dictate letting the gun shop know what's coming and who it is for.

I suggested he put them out for sale and let the new owner find it on the shelf.

Yes, you should be notifying the FFL before the shipment. That said, if your friend did place the firearm on the shelf and someone bought it, he would be in serious hot water with the ATF, as it is not his firearm.

 

[Lilhigbee]

Yes, you should be notifying the FFL before the shipment. That said, if your friend did place the firearm on the shelf and someone bought it, he would be in serious hot water with the ATF, as it is not his firearm.

I didn't mean for him to sell it, just to let the new owner find it there. I do disagree with you on ownership. If you receive something unsolicited you aren't under any obligation to do anything particular with it. There is no contract or understanding between the shop owner and the person who ordered it if they don't at least tell him it's coming. Dirty trick?? Sure!! Illegal?? I don't think so.

 

[po18guy]

This is where the law is an bubblegum. Back when I had a $10 FFL, everything I ordered was for a particular customer. Before legally selling a firearm was legislated into a complete annoyance, it was simple. Since crime increases after each gun law is passed, it seems that our esteemed legislators simply want to make it annoying and expensive to exercise a right.

 

[solv3nt]

Illegal?? I don't think so.

Regardless of what he does, contact the owner or sends the gun back, according to the ATF, it is not his.

 

[nwslopoke]

I call beforehand to eliminate problems later. Once a PSA gun showed up way early. I know, but the shop called me right away. Better communication shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Koda]

I wouldn't go down unannounced. Ive always received a call it was ready to pick up. Ive also always called, each time before buying to ask if I could use them and to give them a chance to find the gun first. I would call them in advance and ask if they can let you know when it comes in, they will probably mention it has and get it ready for you.

 

[ilostmypswrd]

I never use a gun shop anymore, I do all my transfers at local pawn shoppes always so nice and helpful.

 

[po18guy]

It would not actually hurt to visit the shop first, determine their willingness to do the transfer, shop around and maybe buy something to show that you are not a hit and run transfer. Even though they offer transfers, they are a business and do enjoy repeat customers and plain old gun talk. If they know you or remember you from retail sales, the transfer is more likely to go smoothly.

 

[solv3nt]

My shop calls me as soon as it comes in the door.

 

[J&B Firearm Sales Inc.]

I can't speak for other dealers of course but generally here's the timeline for how we handle transfers:

We have a transfer form on our website (https://jbfirearmsales.com/firearms-transfers/) that we ask customers to fill out when they're setting up a transfer. Not only does the website answer a lot of questions, but it gives us the notice to send off our FFL to another dealer if they don't already have it on file, and more importantly if a mystery gun shows up we can track down who it's for.

Once the package arrives we:
- Unbox package / verify SN #
- Incoming transfer form (internal document that our staff doing the books use to log it in)
- OSP FICS stolen check / FFL EZ-check
- Contact customer to let them know it's here
- Label gun/box/accessories and store in one the safes

In fair sailing weather this should take roughly about 5-10 minutes per firearm to do, longer if contact info is missing and we have to figure out who it's for/how to get a hold of them. Or even longer if the dealer decided to wrap it up in ten layers of bubble wrap & tape that's buried under a mountain of packing peanuts.

Lately with how busy sales have been a curveball is when we're slammed with customers already in the shop. Customers wanting to make a purchase, coming in to pick up transfers, asking general questions, the phone ringing off the hook, etc. can't be just left hanging. As a smaller shop that generally only has 3-4 staff members on shift if UPS/FedEx/USPS all drop off multiple packages (including not just transfers, but often a lot of shop inventory as well) and we're buried in bodies in the shop at the same time it's not unreasonable that it could occasionally take up to an hour or sometimes even longer to get everything processed.

In cases like that we really appreciate it when customers wait for us to call them, but of course I understand the excitement of wanting to get your firearm ASAP.

From having been on both sides of the counter my humble two cents would be to give it ~ 20-30 minutes after having received a delivery notification, and if you haven't heard anything yet then giving your dealer a call just to check in.

Another thing that's been frustrating lately is we've had a few cases where a delivery driver scanned an item on the truck but then failed to actually bring it in. This has led to a few customers showing up or calling assuming their transfer has arrived even though it hasn't. Generally when that happens the shipment either shows up later that day, or sometimes the next day, but I do think it's always a good idea to verify with your chosen FFL that an item is actually physically there before driving over, no matter what the tracking says.

One thing I also highly recommend doing if you haven't done so already is saving your preferred dealer's # to your contacts. We do get a lot of transfers where someone's voicemail is either full or not setup, and in the age of robocallers it's pretty common for folks to ignore calls from #s they don't recognize.

 

[titsonritz]

I call my gun dealer and let him know I have stuff headed his way. For example, if I order a receiver from Primary Arms I will forward the comfirmation email to the dealer, deal calls when or emails when it comes in. I would not just sent him something without a heads up and, yes, I believe it is common courtesy to do so.

 

[TTSX]

You need to form a relationship with a specific FFL. The one I use doesn't mind if I just show up for my transfer. They know who I am and more often than not plunk down the 4473 as soon as they make eye contact with me and grab the box with my gun. It's a very friendly, yet business like transaction. Of course, I always let them know what's coming and they usually let me know when they receive it. It's all about your relationship with your dealer

 

[joken]

I had a one-man shop chew my arse for doing that once. I told him that I bet there was a day when he wished to hell he had some customers. He and I became good friends after that and some of the finest guns I own came from him. He is no longer with us and I miss the grumpy basturd.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I do mine at Ace and nice as pie one time the internet went out and the guy at the gun counter used his phone to do the BGC !