Posted: 4/22/2007 5:33:19 AM EDT
| I have read a few posts down about the charges for transfers. People looking for a fee for around $30 instead of the [normal] $75 to $100. My question is how much paperwork and time do they spend with transfers. I see at the point of sale with documenting,calling for the backround check takes, and Ill be generous 15 minutes. But they complain that its 5 hours of paperwork. Does anybody know how much work in time it takes to process a transfer? Also whats with the two prices one for new and one for used guns. Gun store owners on L.I. really have a problem, they treat their customers like shit. Sorry to say I buy everything related to guns and reloading on the web. I would love to support the local guy but the local guy seems he doesnt want my business. Rant over |
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They also have to log the gun in, if it's a small operation, be there when Fed Ex / UPS delivers, or risk it being left at the door, THEN being stolen. Any smart FFL in NY has $1M/$3M insurance. If all a FFL does is sell guns (no ammo, parts or other services) that's gonna be good $8-12 hundred a year, depending on location, since most FFLs in the downstate region CANNOT operate out of a location coded for residential occupancy. Given the above, they need safes. At least two very big ones, and two other so-so small ones. The big ones are gonna be $3k a pop, the small ones $1-2 hundred a pop. If you amortize the cost of the safes over 10yrs (life of the typical lease) it's $500/yr. You'd like to have a camera system, and a central monitoring alarm. The installation for this can be free with service, but you get the bottom of the barrel this way. A well installed system (4 cameras, disk based system + alarm that does smoke/fire/intrusion) will set you back $2500. Over 10yrs that's $250 / yr. Central monitoring will also be around $200 /yr. If you are the single occupant of a business dwelling, chances are, you are eating the entire portion of the property/school taxes. In my neck of the woods, a 20,000 sq ft business on 1/4 acre pays anywhere from $48-$100k year. My place (before I bailed) in Yonkers [I WAS NOT A FFL]...I had 1250/2000sq ft on one of two floors. My % of the property taxes was about 35% of $18k a year, or about $6000/yr Then there's rent. Bled out of you in units of $$$/sq INCH.  Again, my non FFL rent for 1250 sq ft three years ago was $2500 (included $5k yr in taxes).I had to pay for garbage pickup, I needed true POTS (plain ol tel service), as my credit card processing and alarm did not like VOIP (still "young" back then). So I needed THREE phone lines (voice, fax, credit card/alarm). What else? You should be "incorporated". There is a minimum ($100) NYS corporation tax. I needed a sign permit, an alarm permit, I needed internet access. Self employed, or paid by the corp? Gotta pay the big kahuna of all taxes - social insecurity. I could go on... So, for a TWO ROOM operation, selling guns and transferring guns BECAUSE YOU LOVE GUNS, you're gonna get broke mighty fast, or charge exorbitant fees for services or high prices for guns. Then of course, some FFLs are genuinely scummy. 'Drew |
I charge $15 for a long gun. $20 for a used handgun and a new handgun is an additional $15 on top of that. Why the additional fee, you ask? Well, new handguns require that I submit a shell casing to the NYSP. If the gun is supplied with the casing, I still have the additional expense of mailing that certified return receipt. No shell casing is a 3 hour round trip to the nearest NYSP location for submitting the gun for a test fire ( which has to be done with MY supplied lead-free ammo, BTW). If you ask me, the extra $15 isn't even covering the cost of travel and the value of my time, but I still do it. Five bucks of the cost of any transfer is the cost of the gun lock which I am required to provide with every transfer. Tax is also built into the amount I charge for the transfer, not added on top of it. Some FFLs wont even send outa copy of their FFl without having the envelope and postage supplied by the guy wanting the transfer. As far as time expanded..,..well...you've got the bound book entry, the P form for the receipt of the handgun and the transfer of the paperwork, the bound book entry for the sale/ transfer, the multiple sales form if there is more than one handgun in 5 working days...maybe 15 minutes is a little short..lets call it half an hour. The only thing I can think of that takes anywhere near 5 hours would be sales tax time. I don't think my rates are unreasonable...but I still get people calling me who want ME to be calling all over the country trying to get THEM the best price for what they are looking for. Thy'll quibble over the wholesaler I've selected because the shipping for one will add an extra $5 in shipping cost. It really DOES get that petty with some of them. |
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$15 bucks, that's a great deal. I wouldn't fuss with it for that price, $25 is the bottom and the firm price. It is fair. The time for paperwork is roughly 20-30 minutes and yes there is extra stuff, communications back and forth with the buyer, possibly with the shipper, etc. I am not being rude but the people who beat me up for the cheapy transfers can go elsewhere, no problem. I put personal attention to my deals, big or small and see them through thoroughly to make things easy and comfortable for the buyers. That is worth more than the extra $10 to the people who loyally use me. The big stores around me charge $45-$50 for long guns.....and still treat you like a dirtbag. |