using an FFL

[fendermallot]

So I've noticed that an FFL charges a fee + tax. Does the fee just cover their time/effort or do they have money coming out of their pocket that that pays for? Just curious. I have a friend who has his FFL and he told me to let him know when/if I get a gun as he'd "hook me up". or something to that effect.

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[biggie24420]

+tax? hmmmm I always just pay $10 transfer fee per item and the $10 for background check. I never asked what the transfer fee was for, but I would assume it's a fee for them going through the process of doing what they have to do as a FFL lol. Since you are in Aloha.... I go through Ryan Judy Sporting and he is partners with Willamette Valley Arms.

 

[fendermallot]

I have a personal friend who used to be a dealer and still has his FFL. I didn't ask what his fee would be, if any, but he offered to do it But thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep them in mind.

 

[gearchecker]

My FFL only charges $10 per transfer. He only charges actual shipping costs too.
It used to be free for his regular customers, but he had to start charging again to help pay for some very expensive medical expenses he's occurred. I've always added some extra money to the tab when he did any shipping for me.
Even if he charged us $25 I'd be more than happy to pay it. There is no sales tax in Idaho or Michigan for a "Service" so I've never had to pay sales tax on any transfers.
Once you find a really good dealer to do your transfers you'll learn to appreciate all the little extra stuff he may do without charging for it.

 

[DinhRose]

Most FFL prices are over $20 because they have to collect the $10 bg cost, lets ignore the friends/family hook ups for now, so the remaining amount is for their time and effort in aiding you. It does cost money to become an FFL but i don't think it was that much. However, being ffl allows you to more than just take outer state transfers on guns so who knows.

 

[G1GRANDEUR]

Just a fee for processing (labor). They gotta make money some how other than selling a firearms. And since you live in OR, there should be no tax.

 

[Unka-Boo]

Just a fee for processing (labor). They gotta make money some how other than selling a firearms. And since you live in OR, there should be no tax.

Yup....it's a business....always amazes me how many people can't grasp that concept.

 

[ragermack]

I've got a friend who has an FFL and he doesn't even drink expensive beer!

 

[fendermallot]

My friend used to be a vendor here, I guess. But him and Joey had a falling out and he was banned (I can totally see it too, he can be a bit of a know-it-all prick). Oh, and he doesn't drink at all... which is sad since I make some badass hard cider!

 

[Bam]

If you pay more than $10 an item + $10 background fee you are getting robbed.

I still laugh when I think how some of the big names charge upwards of $40+ for a FFL transfer. Than there are a few grease balls that will charge you more, because you didn't buy from them and bought it else where for cheaper than they would sell it for.

 

[twoclones]

If you pay more than $10 an item + $10 background fee you are getting robbed.

Just phoned Hole in the Wall in Kennewick, WA and they quoted $50 plus sales tax for handgun transfer

 

[gearchecker]

Go to gunbroker.com and look up the FFL dealers list for Washington. There must be a few hundred listed in WA alone. Surely you should be able to find one that'll do the transfer for much less money. Looking at a WA map, Kennewick is big enough I guarantee there is more than one FFL dealer there. Call every gun shop, every pawn shop, and every gunsmith in your area and ask them what they'll charge. Find one that friendly and not pushy and get to know them. It'll pay off in the end. Gunsmiths are generally lower priced than gun dealers.

Best wishes,
Gearchecker

 

[Joey Coyote]

Gearchecker is right. Definitely call around. Although the lowest I have found in the Pierce/King county area is $20. In WA though, you will have to pay a "usage tax" that the FFL is required to charge based on the selling price or value of the gun being transferred. That is unless you can show proof that the original purchaser of the gun paid sales tax on it.

 

[twoclones]

Go to gunbroker.com and look up the FFL dealers list for Washington.

Thanks for the tip! I hadn't looked there yet

 

[NCW Ray]

Belong to a Gun Club? Some have member(s) that are FFL's and do them for members at a reduced or even Free fee.

 

[Straight Shooter]

In Oregon the state police do the back ground checks and they charge the FFL $10 per transfer. Anything above that is to cover labor and overhead. A simple single transfer can take 20 minutes to over an hour.

 

[gearchecker]

I also have my CWL, so there's no background check done on me anymore. My FFL never charged for a BG check either.
Idaho doesn't require BG checks seperate from the feds.
I don't understand Oregon would charge for a background check. They're already done at the federal level.
Does Oregon require a state or local level BG check as well? We need universal gun laws.
It's ridiclous trying to figure out each states gun laws just to cover your own butt all the time.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Oregon doesn't reconize the free federal NICS. Not thorough enough. It was explained the Oregon check uses 5 different databases. A CHL means nothing in Oregon. I have people delayed all the time. I had one was delayed 10 days while they retrieved paper records from the FBI over an incident from 1963. The guy had never been delayed before and had bought at least 20 more guns over the years and now some of those old records are being fed into the electronic data bases are now causing delays.

 

[gearchecker]

I understand. The differences are amazing from state to state. As long as I'm following the law I'm good to go. thanks for the update. It clears up some of the questions I had.
Regards,
Gregory

 

[FMJ 911]

What's the deal with a "Home FFL"? does it really help? could I run a side business using it?