So you’ve found a gun online for a great price, way cheaper than your local big box store like Bass Pro or Sportsman’s Warehouse. But now what? You want to know how to buy guns online and need to understand the process before hitting the “buy” button. We’re here to walk you through the process of an FFL Transfer for an online purchase.
To order a gun online, you simply add it to your cart and go to checkout, just like any other online site. On the checkout screen, there will be an option to select a registered FFL dealer to send your gun to. While you can ship accessories straight to your house, firearms will require an FFL transfer. Often the website you’re checking out at will have a list for you – but what happens if you want to use an FFL that’s not listed?
You can get in touch with that FFL and ask that they send a copy of their license to the site you’re buying from. This will allow the seller to stay in compliance and ship the gun to where you want it to go. Now they can process your order and send your new gun out.
The FFL Transfer Process
Once it gets to the dealer, they’ll need to log it into their inventory. This is a big step that people don’t recognize, and can be a source of frustration for the customer – after all, you got the delivery notification and want to get what belongs to you. Totally get it, but federal law requires us to put information on the gun into our Acquisition and Disposition Book, which you can think of as an inventory log for guns. Because the gun delivered to your dealer, they must record it as an acquisition – manufacturer, serial number, caliber, and a couple other details. Once that’s done, you can initiate your transfer.
This will include an ATF Form 4473, and if you ordered a handgun will likely require an additional form from the state. Once those forms are complete, the dealer will run a background check (again, it’s a federal requirement). Most run through a national database, but there will be some exceptions. For example, we operate in Mechanicsburg, PA and instead of the national database are required to run your check through a state service. Once that comes back with an approval, you get your gun and a copy of your paperwork, and you’re on your merry way!
Considerations
A couple key things to keep in mind, to help with your decision. When buying guns online, you have to consider the cost of shipping – which can be anywhere from free to upwards of $40 depending on who you’re shopping with. There’s also the transfer fee. Most FFLs will charge a transfer fee of around $30-50 depending on whether you bought a rifle or a handgun. They will usually then charge you an additional $5 for the cost of running a background check. At The Freedom Dispenser Company, we charge $25 for an FFL transfer, and that includes the cost of the background check. Similar to many other FFLs, we will also waive the transfer fee if you buy a gun through us and have it shipped to the store (or if it’s one we already have on hand).
It’s worth it to check out reviews and to compare rates of your local FFLs, and settle on one with a price and service you’ll be happy with. If you’re in the Mechanicsburg PA area, or anywhere close, we’re more than happy to help you out with this – we have both normal business hours and are available outside of those on certain days by appointment.