Safely transacting through shipping

Arjuna_ · Oct 27, 2022

Hi, looking for advice on conducting business between states safely. I'm planning on purchasing a firearms from a Washington resident, and he would be shipping from his FFL to mine. I'm wondering what/ if any security measures you take to ensure both parties are dealing in good faith. I am the purchaser, but I haven't bought from someone shipping before. Any advice on how to transact safely?

I've been scammed by private sellers before (unrelated to firearms) and am now much more cautious.

Any advice is appreciated!

Alexx1401 · Oct 27, 2022

Sadly you are pretty much taking the seller at their word. Do they have feed back from here? That will help but, someone here is going to send an FFL you choose a gun. If after you get it things are not what you were told? There is not much you can do other than take them to court.
You could speak to the FFL they are using here, ask them if they would "inspect" the gun and give you their opinion. They may want a few bucks to do this for you. If you decided to do this I would see if there are any reviews of the FFL sending the gun to see what if anything others are saying about them. Bottom line there is some risk here. Tons of these kind of transactions go great. Now and then one is not so great.

Arjuna_ · Oct 27, 2022

Alexx1401 said:
Sadly you are pretty much taking the seller at their word. Do they have feed back from here? That will help but, someone here is going to send an FFL you choose a gun. If after you get it things are not what you were told? There is not much you can do other than take them to court.
You could speak to the FFL they are using here, ask them if they would "inspect" the gun and give you their opinion. They may want a few bucks to do this for you. If you decided to do this I would see if there are any reviews of the FFL sending the gun to see what if anything others are saying about them. Bottom line there is some risk here. Tons of these kind of transactions go great. Now and then one is not so great.

Yes they have an active account here, it's 2 years old with good reviews. I'm thinking I'll just reach out to their ffl and have them provide a shipping/tracking number.

Alexx1401 · Oct 27, 2022

Arjuna_ said:
Yes they have an active account here, it's 2 years old with good reviews. I'm thinking I'll just reach out to their ffl and have them provide a shipping/tracking number.

The FFL sending the gun should of course send the FFL receiving the tracking and they can of course share it with you. Of course pay for insurance on the package in case they lose it. If there is a problem normally what it will be is the condition is not what the buyer was expecting. Dealing with someone who has good feedback you should not have that problem. So as long as the shipper does not lose the damn thing you should be good to go. That is also a small risk. If the shipper does lose the item. It does happen every so often. I have not had to deal with it but, have read many who said it happened to them. The stories make it sound like none of the shippers will just pay. The normal tale here is the shippers go out of their way to not pay. Odds are still WAY in your favor. How many millions of packages just get to where they are going daily. Sadly now and then one does go missing. So hopefully your deal will be great.