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Im selling a Smith & Wesson revolver on Gunbroker.com and was wondering if anyone else has ever used Gunbroker. I know that I need to send it to a FFL if it sells, but what is the best way to ship it, and what kind of legalities do I need to look out for? I listed it as 'No sales to California' to avoid that whole mess, but what about if someone from say, New Jersey, or Illinois or some other liberal/socialist area wants to buy it? I guess I just need to do whatever the FFL says is legal there right? What kind of trouble can I get into if I were to sell it to someone who turns out to be shall we say shady? Im not saying thats what I intend to do, I just want to have all my bases covered is all. Since its a nationwide website, I cant require the buyer to be a CHL holder or LEO, even though thats who I would prefer to sell it to.

By the way, its listed somewhere on page two of this topic if anyone is interested. Its a nice 329PD in .44 magnum.

Yes you need to ship it to an FFL. The problem you will run into is finding a carrier to ship it. Since you don't have an FFL most places won't allow you to ship a handgun without an FFL. You need to find a transfer dealer and let them ship it since they can do it by any carrier including USPS.

Ship UPS or Fedex. If you are not an FFL you cannot use the Post Office. Anyone can ship to a FFL if they will accept it. Make sure you have a copy of the FFL before you ship it.

Thanks Yall

If you have a friendly dealer who does transfers you might ask them about shipping it for you. Even if they charge an additional fee, the total may be less than shipping it yourself and the buyer shouldn't have any problems with their dealer accepting it. In my case it's also a lot easier to drop something off at the gunstore and hand him some money than dealing with higher-priced carriers on my own.

Good Luck, & Enjoy!

If you ship it UPS or Fedup, then it has to be overnighted and can get very expensive. An FFL can ship through the Post Office much cheaper and is usually worth the "fee" they charge to handle the transaction.

You also get the comfort of knowing that the FFL will only ship it to a verified FFL.

we had a guy try to ship a gun to us that was not an FFL and the ATF told us that would be a felony because it was from out of state if its instate you can ship to the FFL but if it crosses state lines its going to have to go from FFL to FFL

but if it crosses state lines its going to have to go from FFL to FFL

This is not true. Anyone who can legally own a firearm can ship across the State lines as long as it is going to an FFL. There are a lot of false information out and even some of the FFL's do not know. It is almost funny. It is like they all go to different schools.

I'm working on a buy tonight.

I asked the seller to inquire about going FFL to FFL so we could use the mail.

I was informed that his dealer charges $50 for a transfer.

I suggested he ship directly to my FFL and we would split the shipping.

Mike1951 wrote:I'm working on a buy tonight.

I asked the seller to inquire about going FFL to FFL so we could use the mail.

I was informed that his dealer charges $50 for a transfer.

I suggested he ship directly to my FFL and we would split the shipping.

Another good point is FFL to FFL can take several days. If you are impatient it is quicker to have the private party ship to the FFL.

carlson1 wrote:

but if it crosses state lines its going to have to go from FFL to FFL

This is not true. Anyone who can legally own a firearm can ship across the State lines as long as it is going to an FFL. There are a lot of false information out and even some of the FFL's do not know. It is almost funny. It is like they all go to different schools.

if thats the case why would the ATF lie to us when we called to find out

lunchbox wrote:

carlson1 wrote:

but if it crosses state lines its going to have to go from FFL to FFL

This is not true. Anyone who can legally own a firearm can ship across the State lines as long as it is going to an FFL. There are a lot of false information out and even some of the FFL's do not know. It is almost funny. It is like they all go to different schools.

if thats the case why would the ATF lie to us when we called to find out

You will find many government agencies will tell you things that they would prefer to happen vs. the actual law.

Just think of it this way, if you send your pistol back to the manufacture in another state (who is an an FFL/manufacturer), it is not required to be shipped BY an FFL. Same goes for selling; it is the responsibility of the seller/shipper to make sure it is going to a fully licensed FFL in the other state.

If you are shipping to an FFL, you can verify their license on the ATF website. Sent an Izzy to Florida awhile back. Deal seemed a little too good to me (full asking price + shipping), but all the paperwork checked out and the money cleared, so off she went via UPS. It was going to be oversized, so the nice UPS lady even let me break it down to fit a smaller box. Then spent 20 minutes stuffing packing around it to keep it safe in transit.

Glad no other customers came in until we had most of the weapon boxed.

Great folks there at UPS.

Per UPS Website
You can only ship your package that contains a handgun from UPS daily pickup accounts or through UPS Customer Centers (counters at UPS operational facilities). Note: Handguns are not accepted for shipment through UPS Internet Shipping, UPS Drop Boxes, or UPS On-Call PickupSM, or at The UPS Store® or any third party retailer.

lunchbox wrote:
if thats the case why would the ATF lie to us when we called to find out

Why would the ATF lie? Good question... per ATF Website

"A nonlicensee may ship a firearm by a common or contract carrier to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, Federal law requires that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm."

"nonlicensee" - that's you
"common carrier" - that's UPS
"licensee in any State" - that's an FFL where you're sending it

ATF also states that "handguns are not mailable"

Well, the gun sold. I shipped it to an FFL via FedEx. I had a signed copy of the recievers FFL, and I told the lady at FedEx it was a handgun she didnt even ask to see it. I showed it to her anyway, and asked if it needed to be shipped with the firearm, and she said no. She even carried it (in a case) to the back to find a box to ship it in. Funny thing is, it shipped on Friday overnight signature verification and didnt get there till yesterday, and the gun shop is closed on Monday. Cost was $87.00 total. What a deal

Seems like it would have been easier just to ship it to the buyer. Of course the ATF needs to justify their existance, I guess. Im sure this whole law concerning shipping has prevented some crime from happening somewhere.