Out of State Private Party Purchase

[drainpipe]

I have a buddy in Florida who is looking to get rid of his Smith and Wesson M&P9 and I just happen to be looking for one of those... along with everyone else in the state of Minnesota. From what I understand, we HAVE to go through an FFL dealer to complete this transaction because the sale is over state lines. I went to Bills in Robbinsdale to find out what that would run and I was told we'd have to do an FFL in and FFL out, each running about $55 a piece for a total of $110. That sounds pretty high. The guy working behind the counter told me I could just write up a bill of sale with the serial on it instead of doing the FFL, but I don't think he caught that this was an out of state transfer.

Anyone know if I need to go through FFL, and if so, is there someone who has better FFL rates in the Robbinsdale area? Or should I suck it up and pay the fee? I talked my buddy into $475 (+ shipping and FFL fees) with 3 ten round clips and a trigger job --even after FFL this is still a good deal right?

[Cuda66]

You do need to go through an FFL.

Arnzen Arms in Eden Prairie does $20 transfers.

[justinvan]

I know it has to be shipped TO an FFL... but I did not think it had to come FROM an FFL. I could be very wrong about this as I am NOT an FFL. And $55 is nuts for a transfer... I never pay more than $20.

[jdege]

The guy working behind the counter told me...

Just an aside: it's not generally good practice to get your legal advice from "the guy working behind the counter".

You're much better off trusting to "some random guy on the internet"

[LarryFlew]

Only needs to come from FFL if receiving FFL requires it but in many cases it is cheaper for your buddy to go through FFL anyway. He has to ship overnight FedEx or UPS while an FFL can use USPS flat rate priority

[drainpipe]

The guy working behind the counter told me...

Just an aside: it's not generally good practice to get your legal advice from "the guy working behind the counter".

You're much better off trusting to "some random guy on the internet"

That's why I checked the ATF website when I got home and everyone knows if its on the internet it has to be true.

Just to be clear, I'm not saying Bills gives bad advice.. I think he was correct if this were an in state transfer and he would have saved me a ton of money if it was. Everyone I've dealt with at Bills in Robbinsdale has been great, and I didn't expect to get much more than a price on a Saturday when that place is jammed full of customers.

[cabindriver]

Find an FFL.
http://www.gunbroker.com/FFL/DealerNetwork.aspx

[s4s4u]

I went to Bills in Robbinsdale to find out what that would run and I was told we'd have to do an FFL in and FFL out, each running about $55 a piece for a total of $110.

Come on up here, it costs $25. I'll make a point of never shopping at Bills in Robbinsdale as that is BS.

[adoptedson]

drainpipe, The guy at Bill's was wrong. They charge $50(+tax possibly)for an incoming transfer. The person shipping it would be responsible on his end for any outgoing transfer fees from his FFL. I'm unsure if Bill's requires it to be shipped from an FFL or not. But as others have pointed out, there are cheaper options out there for an incoming transfer. I just wanted to clarify that the guy at Bill's was mistaken.

[bstrawse]

A private party can ship a firearm to a FFL in another state. Some FFLs will only receive from an FFL. Just find one that doesn't require that.

B

[45Badger]

Assuming $20 FFL fees on both ends, and almost $20 for insured priority mail, you are left to decide if you want to overpay by $60 (or if your buddy wants a haircut) on a pretty common gun. He can ship direct to your receiving FFL, but will be nailed by higher costs imposed by UPS/FEDEX.

My "rules of thumb" for buying guns from out of state-

Minimum market price/value of gun is $750. I have not broken this rule in 10 years.
I bought for 10% below market. I only break the 10% below market rule if I am 100% sure I will never sell the gun.

Either screw your buddy or don't bother. The necessary transaction fees eat up value quickly on low price guns.

[s4s4u]

Another thing to consider is sales tax. If you buy a $500 gun from a store you will spend nearly $35 in tax. If you buy from an individual that same money can go towards transfer fee so it may be a wash depending on the value of the gun. I never worry about fees on the seller's end as that is their concern. It is cheaper to ship through an FFL as they can use the postal system, rather than the thieving UPS.

[BigDog58]

I just purchased a rifle for my wife from someone in Iowa on Armslist. I use Arnzen Arms to handle my FFL Transfer and they charge $20 up to five guns. All the seller had to do, was to make certain he included a copy of his Drivers License and my contact information in the box and he shipped it directly to Arnzen (it was a Rifle not Pistol, might be a little different process but I doubt it). Call Arnzen Arms in Eden Praire for more details

[drainpipe]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I reached out to Arnzen and they only charge $20 for FFL. It sounds like the best thing to do is have my friend find an FFL in Florida and have them ship to Arnzen otherwise shipping will be over $60 due to the restrictions placed on unlicensed persons shipping handguns. After all these charges I'm getting pretty close to the price of a new gun.

[Dill]

I've used Fed Ex a couple times to ship to an FFL, and they charged around 25$. It had to go 2nd day air.