As an FFL holder, I'm curious about how you charge for transfers. If you charge say $20 for a transfer, is that per transaction or $20 per item? For example, if a person bought 3 lowers, would you charge $20 for the transaction or $20 per lower? Thanks in advance.

I'm not an FFL but I pay $25.00 per receiver on the transfer fee.  Two weeks ago I got 10 stripped receivers and my FFL charged me $15.00 each for a  total of $150.00.  I got a discount since I bought 10 receivers.  It would be nice if it's $20.00 per transaction.

556man

The guy I use (a  team member here) charges $20 + $5 for up to three firearms.  

I charge a flat $10.00, no matter how many items.. It only takes a few minutes, and it's free money..

I don't belive in robbing folks, and don't get pissed like soo many dealers do for a customer buying from the net..

My shop is in Northern Panhandle of West Virginia if anyone needs a xfer..

Charging per item is not ripping anyone off.  If they are a regular customer or a customer is doing a high number of lowers like someone here mentioned above then you could give them a deal....   but for a standard I would state $20 per item.  It is definitely not unfair.

Most FFLs in Memphis charge $50....      my dealer that I deal with is $20 per item.

Quoted: Most FFLs in Memphis charge $50....      my dealer that I deal with is $20 per item.

I'm near Memphis.. Have any good connections?

Meb,
My dealer charges 20% or $20 (whichever is greater) per item.  I've never had a problem with it, and is a decent deal for this area.

-Forest

One dealer around here has a sliding fee based on the price of the item. The higher the price, the larger the fee. Personally, I think that is bullshit. Considering the FFL did not pay for the item and has no money tied up in it, I will only deal with a fixed price transfer. Another dealer will charge a flat $20 for up to 3 or 4 (can't remember) items. That is the deal.

Not an FFL but in my area it is a pretty standard rate with the guys i use.

1 Gun or Firearm, $25.

1-3 Lowers (yes they are each considered a firearm) though I usually do 3 for $25. The reason it is 3 is there are 3 blanks on the 4473 for the serial numbers so that means only 1 form has to be filled out.

If i get 4-6 total thats two forms, $50.

Our shop charges $20.00 per item transferred, theoretically, however we DO give a substantial discount for multiples. Price of the item is immaterial.

Boss figures $20.00 is reasonable, since we have to mail a signed copy of our FFL to the sender, log the item in and out of the FFL book AND our computer system, plus doing the NICS check.

All of which are processes done by employees on the clock. Not quite "Free Money" but we do make a small profit on it.

We ARE a business, afterall.



Lonny

I charge $10 for 1-3 items then add a little for additional items.  As long as the items are from the same seller.

The guy at the pawn shop I got my gun transferred through didn't charge me a dime.  He just asks that you keep him in mind if you ever need anything he has.  Just as a goodwill gesture (since it was the first time I had been there) I bought a $50 bolt action 22 rifle.  That wasy I won't feel as bad when I keep going back to get free transfers.....   :)

Wes

I charge $20 for transfers and $5 for each additional gun. NFA transfers are $50.

I don't mind paying for an FFL holder to do a transfer; but I do mind paying a gouged rate. I know you guys are running a business and your time and service is money. And it's appreciated.
Exactly how much time does it take to complete the paperwork if you have all your ducks in a row and everything at hand? 10 minutes per transfer, if that? At $25 a pop, that's equivilent to $150+/hr. to do paperwork. A little too high for my taste. If I buy one, sell one that's $50 extra on top of buying something that I probably didn't get a good deal on in the first place.  I'd gladly do business with coltshorty14 if I was in his area, and Chevytuff19's guy would probably get a good chunk of my return business.

The place I work for does $20 for the paperwork, plus the $2.00 the State gets for the NICS check.  That's $20 for as many weapons as we can squeeze on the forms.  We're gun nuts ourselves and have played the transfer game too many times.  Anything more than $20 or $25 just seems like too much.
Scott

my guy charges me $15 and doesn't give a rats ass how many are involved.  

If you buy the firearm from me it's cost($7), if not it's $25(per firearm). NFA transfers are $50.

Although my rates seem reasonable, I can tell you there is a lot involved in maintaining an FFL, if it were not for competing FFL's in the area I would charge more.

Quoted: 1-3 Lowers (yes they are each considered a firearm) though I usually do 3 for $25. The reason it is 3 is there are 3 blanks on the 4473 for the serial numbers so that means only 1 form has to be filled out.

You can transfer ALL (i.e. 1, 4, 10 , 120) the firearms at one time using a single form 1...  Just add a separate piece of paper listing all of the required informaiton and staple it to the 4473...

The directions even mention this.

mark
[email protected]

Some things to think about:

Insurance: Does your dealer pay for fire/theft insurance, just in case your firearm is stolen or burnt up?  Cost is roughly $10 for $1k of insurance for 1 year.  An M16 worth $10k means that the dealer needs to spend $100 for 3 or more months.  The dealer is spending at least $33 ($100/3 months) just for insurance, more if he has to wait for 6 or 8 months before transfer is approved.

The below is more of a worst case, but you would be surprised how many crazy things occur.

Work involved for transfer:

1) Send certified FFL to dealer who is sending gun.  Cost for copying FFL, stamp, envelope, time to label envelope, verify person sending firearm is FFL by going to ATF FFL ezCheck site.
2) Gun arrives from sender.  Add to A&D book.  Did they include new owners name anywhere?  Did we have to call sender?  Did sender give us phone number?  Do we have to look it up?  Did sender provide information about themselves for A&D book or FFL?
3) Notify buyer that gun has arrived.  Leave messages on 3 different phone numbers.  Send an email.  Buyer says he will come next week.  Does not come.  Call again.  Goes on for 2-3 weeks.
4) Buyer arrives.  Have buyer fill out 4473.  Have them fill in box 2 with county (they did not read instructions), point out that they MUST make a choice on 13.  Have to explain what a nonimmigrant alien is (even we did not know until new forms came out).  Get required identifying documentation and find that it has expired and they moved.  Ask for something else, they have a town issued swimming picture ID and a car registration, so good to go.
5) Call NICS/POC.  Provide information.  Buyer is delayed.  3 Business days from today.  Wait for NICS/POC to call back.  They finally call back early on the 4th business day saying all is OK.  Contact buyer at 3 phone numbers and email.  Says he can't make it for 3 weeks, as he is out of town until then.  Buyer forgets and has to be called/emailed again.  Comes over fills out section 22/23 on 4473 and finally is on his way.
6) Find gun in A&D book, finish 4473 and put required TTSN in book.  Finish sales receipts in computer.
7) He rested!  

mark
[email protected]

I hear ya there Troy, am in the PRC as well.  One shop in the east bay charges $75 to do a transfer.  I called the guy on it as they are not allowed to charge more than $25 or $30, there was a website that stated this was per code, will have to go back and find it, he says that is BS as it is not a transfer, but a dealer to dealer transfer.  Needless to say, this place does not get any of my business.

More and more, I realize I really need to move to a free state.

If you live near SE Michigan, I know a guy who does transfers for $15 per item.  Email/IM me for info.

Quoted: I hear ya there Troy, am in the PRC as well.  One shop in the east bay charges $75 to do a transfer.  I called the guy on it as they are not allowed to charge more than $25 or $30, there was a website that stated this was per code, will have to go back and find it, he says that is BS as it is not a transfer, but a dealer to dealer transfer.  Needless to say, this place does not get any of my business. More and more, I realize I really need to move to a free state.

There is no law that says what a dealer can and can not charge for transfers.

Quoted: 1) Send certified FFL to dealer who is sending gun.  Cost for copying FFL, stamp, envelope, time to label envelope, verify person sending firearm is FFL by going to ATF FFL ezCheck site.

If the seller is a private party there is NO requirement that you send a copy of the receiving FFL dealer. They can, as you pointed out, check at the ATF site.

Also, there is absolutely NO requirement that the sender must send the firearm from a FFL on their end. So, the receiving FFL does NOT have to check the ATF site. This is one of the biggest misconceptions people and some FFL dealers have, it is PERFECTLY legal for the sender to not send it from a FFL. In case you do not believe this, go to the ATF website and read it for yourself.

I manage A hardware store in St Johns Mi and do transfers for $20.
I don't agree 100% on the transfers being free money. It does cost to keep the lights on and pay employees. We couldn't survive on transfers alone.

Edit to add do we have a list of FFL's by state on this site?

Quoted: Also, there is absolutely NO requirement that the sender must send the firearm from a FFL on their end. So, the receiving FFL does NOT have to check the ATF site. This is one of the biggest misconceptions people and some FFL dealers have, it is PERFECTLY legal for the sender to not send it from a FFL. In case you do not believe this, go to the ATF website and read it for yourself.

For the record, some state's (well, NY at least) do require dealer to dealer. There has also been trouble with a county here or there with oddball ordinances for verifying where a firearm came from. Some dealers also do it as a store policy so they can actually verify where the gun came from.

And yeah, if a gunstore is located somewhere, they have other expenses. They don't just open for the ten minutes you take up with your transfer, so you're not paying them for "10 minutes".  Not that the fee should be too high, but it's part of business just like anything else.

Quoted: Quoted: I hear ya there Troy, am in the PRC as well.  One shop in the east bay charges $75 to do a transfer.  I called the guy on it as they are not allowed to charge more than $25 or $30, there was a website that stated this was per code, will have to go back and find it, he says that is BS as it is not a transfer, but a dealer to dealer transfer.  Needless to say, this place does not get any of my business. More and more, I realize I really need to move to a free state. There is no law that says what a dealer can and can not charge for transfers.

I would tend to agree with you, but this came up via search.


http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/pubfaqs.htm



13. How much is the Dealer's Record of Sale (DROS) fee?

The State's DROS fee is $14.00 which covers the costs of the background checks and transfer registry.  There is also a required $1.00 Firearms Safety Testing fee and a $5.00 Safety and Enforcement fee.  If the transaction being processed is a dealer sale, consignment return, or return from pawn, the dealer may impose other charges as long as this amount is clearly shown as a "dealer fee" and not misrepresented as a state fee.  In the event of a private party transfer, the firearms dealer may additionally charge a fee of $10 per firearm transferred.  

When settling on the purchase price of a firearm and before completing the transaction, you may want to ask the dealer to disclose and identify any and all fees he/she is charging to complete the transaction.  

(PC Sections 12076, 12082, and 12806)  

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14. I want to sell a gun to another person, i.e., a private party transfer.  Am I required to conduct the transaction through a licensed California firearms dealer?

Yes.  Firearm sales must be conducted through a fully licensed California firearms dealer.  Failure to do so is a violation of California law.  The buyer (and seller, in the event that the  buyer is denied), must meet the normal firearm purchase and delivery requirements.  "Antique firearms," as defined in Section 921(a)(16) of Title 18 of the United States Code, and curio or relic rifles/shotguns, defined in Section 178.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations that are over 50 years old, are exempt from this requirement.  

Firearms dealers are required to process private party transfers upon request.  Firearms dealers may charge a fee not to exceed $10 per firearm for conducting a private party transfer.  Example:  

 a. For a private party transfer involving one or more handguns, the total allowable fees, including the DROS, safety, and dealer transfer fees, are not to exceed $30.00 for the first handgun and $26.00 for each additional handgun involved in the same transaction

b. For private party transfers involving one or more long guns, or a private party transfer involving one handgun and one or more long guns, the total allowable fees, including the DROS, safety, and dealer transfer fees, are not to exceed $30.00.  The dealer may charge an additional dealer-service fee of $10.00 per each additional firearm transferred.


(PC section 12072(d))  

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I think it only right to pay for a transfer, afterall time is money. However, one thing dealers need to realize is that by doing transfers it gets bodies in your store. Granted, charging $20 to $30 per transfer won't make you rich, it will however increase your chances of selling other items such as accessories, scopes, ammo, you get the picture. If I were a dealer (again, used to have FFL) I would not do transfers for guns that I had in stock. That is not right, IMHO.

A word of advice given to me by another business owner, "make friends out of your customers, not customers out of your friends." If by doing transfers it gets more bodies in the store, it can only help.

I charge $20 per item.  If there are multiple items to be transferred per visit I would consider a discount, especially if the customer has a CHL so I don't have to do the NICS checks.

My FFl charges $25 for a transfer.

If you don't want to pay the $20 fee most FFL dealers charge then just get your own FFL. It pays for itself quickly. Then you can charge others $7 per transfer or whatever. It's quite easy to get an FFL now.

Rats

After much searching, I finally found a guy that will do them for $15 per item.  I think Warrem at Ameetec Arms will give even a better deal than that, but I'd need to transfer a lot of stuff at one time to motivate myself to make the hour and forty-five minute drive.

I charge $7. bucks per firearm/receiver.  If you tried to charge 10 to 20% around here you would have 0% buisness.

My transfers are free, but NFA transfers are $50

The first couple of deals i did with my local FFL holder, he charged me by the item.  After that, he started charging me per transaction no matter how many receviers or complete guns i got.  It pays to be a regular at your local shop as a deccent owner will give you deals and discounts.  

$20 isn't a bad deal, all things considered.Many shops in my area charge $40+ .Ouch
Gunsamerica or gunbroker has a link that lists FFL's and their transfer fees.Looks like some are kitchen table dealers (non stocking) who make most or all their money on cheep transfers,might be something to
look at if you are being slammed by your local shop

I get $15 per yellow form unless you do multiple handguns.

NFA is $ 75. per item do to the long storage and paperwork / hand holding.

Quoted: If you don't want to pay the $20 fee most FFL dealers charge then just get your own FFL. It pays for itself quickly. Then you can charge others $7 per transfer or whatever. It's quite easy to get an FFL now. Rats

True its easy enough but if you figure up your initial licensing fee 200-300 cant remember now your time of from work getting finger prints then meeting with the ATF interview. At 7bucks a pop its a mighty slow return on your money. Then if you think you can build ar,fal, and sell them wrong  you have to pay FET on them if you do or just do the 20 years if you get caught not paying it.
For a home dealer or small gun shop there is very little profit if you are competitive on price.
Most places you dont get a real price break until you buy 15 thousand at one time or 25 guns.
If you don't believe me get your ffl and you will find out.