Picking up a shipped firearm from gun shop.

[PDXbiker]

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

I follow the tracking to make sure it got delivered to the shop. After tracking shows delivered the pawn shop I deal with has always called me within an hour.

 

[Jay Walk]

I showed up to Sportsman's in Vancouver unannounced and inquired about a BGC, it was recently completed and they handed over my new firearm without any drama.

 

[Lazyfaire]

An FFL must enter any incoming firearm into their "book", a record that shows any addition to the inventory in their shop, beit for shop inventory or for a customer-owned purchase. I had one here recently. The item shows as received at 11:30 on a Wednesday. I showed up on Saturday (they're closed Sun & Mon) to ask after it. Got a "we'll call you when its time for you to come and get it" attitude. Grrr. Talked to the nice person there and got a "the owner is out of town and he is the only one to enter anything". OK, I get that. Thx. Got 'the call' Tuesday at 11 am. So it was Tuesday noon until I could pick them up. Its amazing how just a bit of customer service can go a long way.

 

[RobMa]

The tone of the op's post says that he didn't take the FFL into account when he ordered the item, yes they charge you but they are still doing you a solid, just be a little more polite and it wouldn't be an issue. I mean these people are on our side right…

 

[Mikej]

The tone of the op's post says that he didn't take the FFL into account when he ordered the item, yes they charge you but they are still doing you a solid, just be a little more polite and it wouldn't be an issue. I mean these people are on our side right…

The pawn shops sure are. At least the ones that charge a minimal fee. The gun shops in Oregon, for the most part, threw us all under the bus by not petitioning the state government LOUDLY when they pass more restrictive gun laws. (about time to do it again with what's coming down the pip, are you listening?). I find that keeping the PAWN shops I've dealt with informed, and treating them with the respect they deserve, is the best way to do it. If we didn't have them, all you'd have is the gun shops charging double or more the price of the service we currently enjoy from pawn shops.

 

[Member 34319]

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.

It's a reply like this that makes me wish you guys were closer to me!

 

[Koda]

The pawn shops sure are. At least the ones that charge a minimal fee. The gun shops in Oregon, for the most part, threw us all under the bus by not petitioning the state government LOUDLY when they pass more restrictive gun laws. (about time to do it again with what's coming down the pip, are you listening?). I find that keeping the PAWN shops I've dealt with informed, and treating them with the respect they deserve, is the best way to do it. If we didn't have them, all you'd have is the gun shops charging double or more the price of the service we currently enjoy from pawn shops.

I havent met a local gun shop that wasnt pro gun, but how does a buisness petition the govt?

 

[whiskeybill]

The FFL does not have to provide this service. I know a few who don't take transfers for any number of reasons. If a FFL dealer does take transfers, and it irritates them, then maybe they should just stop providing the service. Then again, maybe they just have poor customer service skills, and they get irritated with everyone. One small shop I spoke with said that things can go south with the carrier, and then they're stuck in the middle of a squabble with the customer and the carrier. He stopped doing transfers for online orders. He's more than happy to do a face to face transfer.

 

[rabidmullet]

I had some things received by J&B today... they called and emailed me 15 min before I even got the email from UPS.



A couple months ago I had to take my wife to PDX early one morning. I live at the coast so I figured I'd kill 2 birds and pick up a transfer I had waiting at J&B's. I knew they weren't open yet so I was just going to wait in my car. When I got there I was surprised to see the lights were on and staff was there. Some dirt bag had thrown a rock through their door window and tried to rob the place. With everything they had going on they still took care of my transfer (through the broken window) before they opened so I didn't have to wait. I know transfers can be done elsewhere cheaper, but sometimes saving a couple bucks isn't the most important thing.

 

[FourTeeFive]

My local pawn shop ($20 transfers) just gives me a call when it arrives. Typically I just send him an E-mail ahead of time saying "I bought this and it is heading your way." I usually track it and know when he receives it. Been doing this for a while and no problems; he tells me if he's going to be closed or out of the shop for any time.

 

[ma96782]

I've found that it's better to have a "good working relationship" with the FFL that you plan to use.

So then......

Go and talk with your FFL. I like to talk FTF.
Ask about the transaction that you are planning to do.
Package coming from where (PVT or FFL's name, etc....)?
Find out what the fees will be and if a particular timeline will be in effect.
Yeah.....someone might just go on vacation, etc...
Ask about how they like things to be done.
Address on package.....attention who?
Invoice inside? Price? Yes or no, etc....?
Copy of sender's FFL included or DL (if PVT)?
Who is gonna call who when it's ready?
What happens if.......damages, loss package, etc....?

Lord this is a long list......anyway, you probably get the point.

Aloha, Mark

 

[clanhanson]

I transfer at a local pawn shop for $10 and never call ahead. My BGC also takes about five minutes and I'm out the door.

 

[DirectDrive]

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?

Probably best to call them first.
They may have something else going on.

Which leads me to one of my pet peeves....."Joy of Discovery"
Most FFL's feel the need to open YOUR shipment.
The rare (and top-rated) FFL's let you open your shipment.

The "openers" will give all sorts of excuses on why they have to open first.
These excuses are all false. They can check the SN after you open, inspect and then hand it to them.
This is the way.

Why is this a big deal ?
1) Because I paid for it and I want to break the seal.
2) I want to see how it was packed and what the firearm looks like the second it hits the atmosphere.
3) I want to know that my firearm isn't being unnecessarily handled by unauthorized people.

It should be a common courtesy. Demand your Joy of Discovery or go elsewhere.

/rant

 

[Pepe-lepew]

I always contact FFL's first to confirm the will do a mail order or private transfer and schedule when to pick up mail order transfers. I have a few I repeat use.