Gun Dog Forum

Has anyone ever bought a gun online? I am looking for a turkey gun and I see some good deals online but I don't know about shipping a gun thru the mail. If you have bought a gun online any suggestions.

They have to be shipped to a dealer.

Done a few deals on Gunbroker and all went well.Check with your FFL to make sure he will receive from a private party if needed.
Your correct, lots of good deals online.

Its super easy. Just have your FFL dealer fax the shipper a copy of their actual FFL. Then pay the transfer fee when you pick up the gun.

Luckily for me CDNN is located in town so no shipping....just a $20 transfer fee.

Bought my Beretta from budsgunshop.com, went easy, others have said how to do it.

JWP58 wrote:Its super easy. Just have your FFL dealer fax the shipper a copy of their actual FFL. Then pay the transfer fee when you pick up the gun.

Luckily for me CDNN is located in town so no shipping....just a $20 transfer fee.

You will also have to pay for shipping, and some dealers will charge you a fee for doing the paperwork.

gsp3333 wrote:Done a few deals on Gunbroker and all went well.Check with your FFL to make sure he will receive from a private party if needed.
Your correct, lots of good deals online.

+1. I had a deal fall through on Gunbroker because I couldn't find a dealer in the area that would receive from a private party.
It IS perfectly legal - only the receiving party needs to have an FFL, I even called the ATF and verified that - but almost every dealer I found thought otherwise and wouldn't work with anyone that didn't have one.

Now when I'm on Gunbroker, I stick to sellers that have lots of feedback. They are pretty much always licensed.

Got my Beretta O/U there for $800, barely used. My brother picked up a Keltec 380 for less than $200. There are some very good deals out there, especially if you're patient.

Birddog3412 wrote:

JWP58 wrote:Its super easy. Just have your FFL dealer fax the shipper a copy of their actual FFL. Then pay the transfer fee when you pick up the gun.

Luckily for me CDNN is located in town so no shipping....just a $20 transfer fee.

You will also have to pay for shipping, and some dealers will charge you a fee for doing the paperwork.

Of course you'll pay the seller a shipping fee. And the fee you'll pay the dealer who recieves it is a TRANSFER FEE...

I have bought three guns from Gunbroker. a Savage 110, mossberg 935, and a TC omega. Also a Nikon monarch rifle scope. It is great as long as you do your home work. Look at the seller see how they are rated. I looked around on the site and always get one cheaper than myfriend who is a FFl dealer says he can get me one.

Yes, have purchased many rifles, handguns, and shotguns online all with good results so far, knock on wood.
The key is to know what you want and to know that item well and to know what it is worth to you. Many online offerings have been 'customized', a nice way of saying screwed around with by previous owners. Stocks may have been shortened, barrels shortened, sights replaced, etc etc. Again, know the gun you are seeking. It's key to ask the seller as many questions as necessary. Ask for additional pics if you need them. Clarify inspection period, shipping details, etc. If you are the winning bidder then you will need a dealer with an FFL to receive the shipment for you. I believe Gunbroker offers a list of FFL dealers available in your area. If you are in an area with a number of gunshops then ask around yourself about their FFL fee, it can vary (around here) from $20 to $50! This affects the overall 'value' you are getting with the online deal. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, I may be able to answer.
Dan

Also, check state laws regarding paying tax.

I ended up paying $200 tax on a Fox my dad sent me for Christmas (good present, eh?). Shipped from MN to WA. Even tho it was a gift, I had to pay it.

Still, heck of a deal!!!

Karen

How did they find out it was shipped as a gift?

+1 to buying on line without any difficulties. I bought from CDNN last year. And back in the 90's I bought from out of state dealers without any problems from dealers advertising in Shotgun News, or whatever the tabloid was back then. Had to use an instate FFL, of course, and don't remember him charging me sales tax, but that was a very long time ago.

One caveat--you are in a wood lottery, if you care about how pretty the stock is. So, keep your expectations reasonable, and rememberthat the picture in the ad is probably the prettiest one in stock (or may even have upgraded wood).

I've bought at least 6 guns from CDNN and through small dealers on gunbroker. Never had a problem with any of them. But like apachecadillac says, you don't really know what kind of wood character a gun is going to have unless you see photos of the actual gun you're buying. With CDNN, it's a lottery, I can say. They were a decent company to work with, but there's something to be said for seeing a shotgun before buying it. But with the various handguns I've bought, there isn't much personal character to them to worry about that. Generally, they all look the same.

I have purchased from both Gunbroker.com, Auctionarms.com and Cabellas Gun Library. No issues on any of the transactions. For the areas I have been in I usually get charged $25 for using the dealers FFL to receive.

If an o/u shot gun is taken apart can it be shipped through fedex or ups if done in different shipments so no single shipment contains enough to make an operable firing gun?

I can't say for sure, but I think it's just the receiver that is the part that can't be shipped from seller directly to buyer. And breaking up the parts and shipping them separately would probably be more expensive than having the buyer find a local FFL to handle the transaction. I'm not sure any legit seller would ship directly anyway. They would be liable for any legal issues.

Now, if you're asking about shipping a gun without actually selling it.. say, to use on a hunting trip in another state.. that would be a different story altogether. I don't remember the regulations about that exactly, but I recall something about it needing to be sent 'overnight delivery', and only certain shipping companies will ship firearms.