Have an FFL for a year now. Low volume, basically exclusively transfers right now for minor profit.

Have a UPS box as my mailing address with ATF. No problems with it before, stuff comes in, I pick it up. Done.

A lot of times when a firearm comes in from dealers/distributors, it is addressed to the buyer (transferee) by name, and the address is my box. Sometimes it will have my business name and the buyer name as well.

Today the UPS store owner said that they will no longer allow me to pick up packages to the FFL that have an addressee other than the business name. Basically, a gun gets shipped to my FFL mailing address, with a name other than the business, and they will not release it. This has NEVER been an issue before. They state they will only release it to the name on the package, even though it is addressed to my box. There is NOTHING in the contract I signed about this and it has NEVER been a problem through about 50 firearms. The contract explicitly states they may only release packages addressed to that box to me. Obviously they cannot legally release it to anyone but me as then they would be handing over a firearm without going through an FFL. But this is what they state they will do from now on. If someone shows up to get a gun they will give it to them if their name is on it, is what they are saying. I explained that I can't control the name a distributor or dealer ships it under, but the box number and business name are correct but the name is different so they will release it to them only.  

Is this something I should elevate to the ATF? or eat my contract for the box (business account ~$250 a year in cost), and try to find an alternate address? I'm a home FFL and can't always be there to sign for stuff, so I need the UPS box for the signer on site, then I can pick up after work.

The ATF? They are not going to give a shit.

Till you can get this straightened out, I guess you need to make it clear to sender who they are sending it to, and what consequences will be if they do not.

i'm not an FFL

but why not direct peeps to address it to you
& On 2nd line "c/o buyer"


that is what i do

Just getting the address right after sending them an annotated FFL with the address highlighted and circled in green is trouble enough.

Actually to be honest with you, I am surprised that the UPS store is even doing business with you, a lot of them won't do business with FFL's or people who are shipping or receiving gun parts, I take all of my stuff to the main UPS office cause the local store won't touch it.

If your company name is on there and you are the Representative of the company or owner in this case, it's a legal entity that they must obey.



I would ask them for their attorneys contact information so yours can reach out to them about the legalities of denying a legal entity... maybe they will back off.



But personally, I would take my business elsewhere.

<------been using The UPS Store for eight years with not only zero problems, but such awesome service I jokingly call the staff my "Assistant Managers".

Your local UPS Store is following UPS policy. There is no UPS Store or UPS prohibition on a box holder RECEIVING firearms, but UPS policy (that franchisees must follow) prohibits shipping firearms FROM a UPS Store location. Neither UPS or the UPS Store have any policy prohibiting gun parts or accessories.

Since each UPS store is a franchise and not company owned, they are free to be assholes.

And that's a problem........it's bad business practice to put the buyer/transferees name on the package shipping label. Many carriers (USPS/FedEx/UPS) will release a package to the person who shows ID that matches THE NAME on the box.


Sounds like they have experienced what I did.

At least 4-5 times a year some nitwit will be following the online tracking of his package and on delivery go to my UPS Store and ask for "his package" or ask "whur is Hart Sports?". Typically this guy has never transferred through me or even contacted me prior to buying a gun off the internet. They just used the Gunbroker Find an FFL and picked me.

More than one has asked "Well, can I sign for it?.....it's for me." Thankfully, my UPS Store knows not to do that, but I'm sure it wouldn't apply to every UPS Store.

This has happened with USPS as well.........idiot seller ignored my shipping instructions and mailed gun to my home instead of my shipping address. Not only that but used the buyers name and my address on the package. USPS left the little 'sorry we missed you" note in my mailbox. The buyer, (who had tracking) went to the post office and showed his ID and the post office let him sign for it. He then called me to tell me he had the firearm and wanted to come over and do the "registration". I told him he had committed a felony and I wanted nothing to do with the transfer. "Well, what can I do?" I told him he should return it to the seller and have the seller mail it to the correct address. Yeah, that was expensive on both of them, but stupid should be expensive.




Then it's NOT YOUR PROBLEM, but the idiot shipper that puts any name on the shipping label other than the name and address as shown on your FFL. Your UPS Store will have three options if the box is addressed to your box# but doesn't have your name on it:
1. Notify you that a package arrived, and that you should come pick it up.
2. Return it to the sender. The sender will wonder why it was returned and will eventually figure out that the box is addressed incorrectly.
3. Wait for the person who's name is on the box to come in and pick it up. This will become a problem for your UPS Store as they likely won't have any contact info for that person.


They won't care about your UPS Stores business policies, but you should be sure that your UPS Store knows that giving that firearm shipment to someone other than a licensed dealer is a violation of Federal law. It's a felony.



I wouldn't.
It's a horribly bad business practice for a firearm shipment to be addressed to anyone other than the actual licensee. That's not your fault.

And that is exactly what they are doing, being assholes.

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna go talk to the manager next week and let them know that releasing any guns to anybody but me is gonna cause headaches later on that won't be my problem. Contract says they can only release to me. I've explained the issue with senders addressing things correctly, but I guess I will revisit it.

Don't much feel like changing my mailing address with ATF and all the dealers I'm on file with, so will get this sorted out.

Wasn't sure if the ATF gave a shit or not. Good to know.

UPS store here refuses to ship ANY firearm parts.

And .....................how the fuck do they know?
Are you telling them what's in the box?
Are you having them pack the box?

No UPS or UPS Store policy requires you to notify them when shipping anything other than items on the prohibited list (and gun parts or accessories aren't prohibited)
Place gun parts in cardboard box.
Weigh box.
Measure box.
Print online shipping label at UPS.com .........choose your level of service, insurance, signature on delivery, etc.
Tape shipping label to box.
Take box to UPS Store, hand the box to the clerk and say "It's already labeled! Thank you!" ......and go on your way.
Never in eight years has anyone at any of the eight UPS Stores within six miles of me asked "What's in the box?"

I don’tship through them. I ship through the fed ex store next door.

fedex manager told me his staff (college kids) are uncomfortable receiving firearms and not to have shipments held there. Hence the UPS mailbox.

My county went 50/50 blue/red last election and is a college town. Pretty anti gun. I heard there is an ordinance prohibiting gun shops in city limits but I’m in the county so didn’t bother to check. USPS in town: some clerks will ship a firearm, some refuse when it is declared as a firearm.

Where is this?


Well, being that it's perfectly legal to ship firearms via USPS I would raise hell with the local postmaster.
Refusing to accept a lawful shipment because of personal views can get a postal clerk fired.

i try telling this to the buyer every time. and 9/10 they dont do it or "forget" to tell the seller or whatever.

I've already filed complaints because the carrier was holding ATF siq req mail and making me pick up at post office. That led to damaged packages with gun sounding return addresses. That led to more complaints to USPS, and the purchase of the box. Box solved all my problems until now.

True Post office transaction "I'm mailing this and declaring firearm and here is form 1508" "you can't ship a firearm through us! you cant be here with a firearm"
me.... pissed off and leave. Come back, new clerk "how much insurance you want?"

I said fuck it and don't go there anymore. All ATF mail goes to mailing address now.

City is San Marcos. As above, i'd heard there was on ordinance but I'm not in the city so didn't bother looking into it. Did a quick zoning search and didn't see anything so probably bs.

i know around here a lot of small FFL's use storage centers to run the ffl out of. shit gets dropped off at the counter and i assume they would call saying you have a package. seems to work well for the 2-3 ffl's i have messed with the past few years.

One here demands to know whats in the box. Fed Ex is a block away and all they asked was "its unloaded?". We do have a UPS hub just south of town.

Is the UPS Store the address on your FF License?  That would be odd, since the address needs to be where you maintain your records, right?  Or, did you list this as a separate location, and have your home as the main address?

This type of setup is something I have wondered about, if I were to get an FFL, as I don't want the general public knowing where I live, but not sure I can avoid that.

Ups store is the mailing address on my license. Separate from my premise address.

Wasn’t a problem to set up at all.

Each FFL shows two addresses:
Premises address (where you conduct business)
Mailing address

ATF doesn't give a rats ass where you receive firearm shipments....as long as it offers "safe and secure receipt of the firearms". Basically they don't want boxes of guns being left on the doorstep. This could be your licensed premises, the FFL mailing address or any other location the licensee chooses, even one not shown on the FFL.
More than a few home based dealers use a UPS Store to receive the firearms and put that address as the mailing address.

If you plan to use your home as your licensed premises you cannot avoid the public knowing where you live. That address will be published online by ATF and by every "Find an FFL" website there is.

I have a cut and paste response that I send to everyone shipping me a gun.
Basic information type stuff.
Come up with something similar that covers this issue so you don't have to worry about it.