When you have the ffl ship a firearm for you and he charges a fee + shipping, does he take responsibility if something happens to the firearm or gets lost?  Whether or not he insured the package?  Just wondering if its worth paying the fee to have an ffl ship a rifle.

Depends on the FFL.   Some will some will not.   You have to talk with them.

Why don't you just ship it with insurance?

unless the receiving FFL demands it be sent to him  by a FFL in your state ( and some FFLs do require this type of transfer).  it's just way  simpler and much more easier  for you to ship the firearm to the FFL.

in my opinion, it's simply not worth paying  the extra money (fee)  to have it shipped by a FFL.    the ATF doesn't require it, so why jump that hoop when you don't need to?

the only due diligent on your part, is to check his 01FFL  number on the ATF EZ check ( you don't need a physical copy of his license, thought it would be nice to have), and mail it to the business address that is on the  EZ CHECK. then just screen capture that webpage. print it out. that  along with the copy of the shipping invoice is proof enough you followed the law.

in all the times I shipped  a firearm, I shipped it myself and added the shipping and insurance to the price of the firearm ie. SHIPPING AND INSURANCE INCLUDED. that way the person who is buying the gun  knows up front the total cost.

now, some folks are so cheap that they may  decline to pay the few bucks extra  for insurance. which I have not that happened to me yet. but if they did, I would just deduct the insurance cost from the total, and write back,  when they send me the money to include a handwritten letter declining the insurance and have their signature notarized. that will  cover me, if the gun got lost, damaged etc.... .

Never shipped a firearm other than a rifle or shotgun have ya?

Go on....

FFLs can ship handguns via USPS. Us peons cannot. UPS and FedEx require handguns to go through their overnight service. It's expensive.

Are you obligated by law to TELL UPS or FedEx there's a handgun in the box?

yes I have, shipped a pistol before. after doing the check of the FFL, took it to FED EX and shipped it to the FFL. the only thing different between shipping  a rifle and a pistol,   as a non-FFL holder, you can't ship the pistol  by USPS.

now this is me, but when I ship something to somebody, be it a rifle, handgun, a box of chocolates I don't like  going  through a third party. I trust  myself more that I personally put it on the counter, saw the label put on it, got a shipping invoice  and saw it go down the "rabbit hole", rather then trusting someone else to do it
YMMV :)

Thanks for the replies, I have shipped many a firearms in the past, I always over insure, just incase.  The reason I was asking was because damn ups almost gave me a heart attack on monday, the tracking said delivered yet I was in my driveway waiting for my package all morning including the time it was supposedly delivered.

Long story short, I ended up getting the package, it was delivered at the wrong house several blocks away.

So basically I was just wondering if someone like an ffl who does more business with ups if it would be easier for them to deal with ups incase of an insurance claim.

This last ups scare made me feel uneasy about shipping.

No.
But failure to follow the carriers policies means you get nada for theft, loss or damage.
The only time Federal law requires notification to a common carrier is when shipping interstate nonlicensee to a nonlicensee. (and that itself is a felony)

So.........how much did you pay to ship that handgun via FedEx?
In your post above you wrote that it wasn't "...worth paying the extra money..." to have it shipped by an FFL.

I'm an FFL and ship handguns 3-5 times a week for less than half of what FedEx and UPS charge........so where the heck do you get the idea it's "extra money"?

USPS/UPS/FedEx all have that same problem......and it doesn't matter if you are a dealer or not.
They treat every claim the same.

"Machine parts" is an acceptable description in my experience.  Get signature confirmation and you're covered for loss regardless of what's in the box if it fails to arrive.

No sir, that would be insurance fraud.
Nearly every common carriers tariff (shipping policies) clearly describes what level of service is required (Ground, 2nd Day, Overnight, etc) and that you have to declare to them that you are shipping a firearm.

"Machine parts" is not the same as "firearm". Like it or not, when you hand over your package you are agreeing that your shipment abides by their tariffs.

Well, food for thought.  Guess I should be glad I've never had a problem.  They never asked if it was a firearm and never laid out their policies (verbally nor via pamphlet) at the time of shipping but ignorance is rarely accepted as an excuse.  Not trying to commit fraud, I only ever used the "machine parts" dodge to avoid having to drive out to one of their shipping hubs as I've heard some people have to do when the UPS store finds out it's a gun.

then you must  not  charge a single red cent for a customer to have a firearm shipped by you, they just pay the shipping and that's it. well, that is a good deal.

FFLs here (Cleveland area)  charge 20-30 bucks ON TOP of the shipping cost to have a firearm shipped by them.

It's cheaper for handguns.  UPS and FedEx require they go overnight so shipping is $80-90.  USPS they can go priority 2-3 day in a flat-rate or regional rate box so even with insurance + transfer fee it's a good bit cheaper, but non-licensees can't legally ship a handgun USPS.

You would be wrong.
I charge $10 + actual shipping/insurance/adult signature......rarely does the cost to mail a handgun exceed $45 total.

And even if you are paying $30+ shipping/insurance/adult sig its still waaaaay cheaper to have that dealer ship USPS Priority Mail than go FedEx Overnight or UPS Next Day.

An $800 handgun shipped from Cleveland, OH to Los Angeles, CA with full insurance and adult sig:
Shipped USPS Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box runs $31.
Shipped UPS Next Day medium box runs $103
Shipped FedEx Overnight medium box runs $96

So.......even with a dealer charging a $30 fee to ship the gun you would save $35- 42.

Maybe that's the reason so many folks recommend having your FFL ship a handgun for you.

****Maybe you should shop around for a better/cheaper FFL. Often the dealers who charge high transfer fees aren't really all that excited to accept or ship guns they didn't sell you. Find a kitchen table FFL.

I charge $15 plus actual mailing charges. I use priority mail.  I create and print the label up when the customer brings me the gun so they see what they're paying for.  USPS provides me with free boxes, I charge whatever ULINE charges me if they need a rifle box.  I usually have plenty of packing material, peanuts or bubble wrap from all the transfers that come in (no charge).  I also do GunBroker ads for customers.  Same deal.  they pay the auction fee and my $15;, buyer pays the shipping.

I charge $15 plus actual mailing charges. I use priority mail.  I create and print the label up when the customer brings me the gun so they see what they're paying for.  USPS provides me with free boxes, I charge whatever ULINE charges me if they need a rifle box.  I usually have plenty of packing material, peanuts or bubble wrap from all the transfers that come in (no charge).  I also do GunBroker ads for customers.  Same deal.  they pay the auction fee and my $15;, buyer pays the shipping.