First time selling rifle online (questions)

[Moosehunter]

What do I need to know about selling a rifle.
Have one to sell on here and just dont want to do everything wrong.
Thanks.

 

[hereinaz]

To sell. List your rifle, find a buyer, take money, ship to their FFL. Careful selling to states like CA, NY, WA that have stricter gun laws.

 

[Moosehunter]

So shipping is basic on my end?
As long as I'm shipping to there FFL.
Do I need proof of anything? Like that they are in fact certified?
Thanks!

 

[wind gypsy]

USPS will only ship long guns (I believe excluding "assault weapons") from a non-FFL.
I don't believe Fedex or UPS will ship from non-FFLs
Ship directly to an FFL and you can lookup FFL #'s to confirm they are actively licensed online.
You will need to include a picture of your govt ID and phone # with the gun for the FFL

I've sold maybe 4 rifles online so i'm no expert, but the above is the extent of what i've needed to know to do it. You'd be well served to lookup info from more solid sources.

 

[hereinaz]

FFL transfer requires your ID to take the rifle in and then buyer's ID and Form 4473 on their books. Send your ID to the FFL. Document the transfer on your end.

PayPal and other online payment companies don't allow purchases for firearms, so if the buyer puts in the description that it is for a gun it can get flagged and then they will hold your money, maybe never get it. If the buyer is good to go with good rep on forums, that's usually enough for me to accept PP.

I don't know any specifics about other states or anything, but that has been my process. If you have questions, have the buyer confirm with the FFL and send email to FFL to document.

I have shipped long guns by USPS and UPS. Pistols (AR 15 included) cannot be sent by USPS, they must go UPS or Fedex. If you try to ship through UPS store and disclose contents as you should, they will likely refuse. I have sent through my local shipping store, they just take the box cause I preprint labels. If you have a UPS hub, you can take the rifle there with a copy of the FFL and they should accept it.

In the end USPS is the easiest. I think you can even go online, enter dimensions, and then print your label. I would go to local shipping stores that do USPS and ship it priority to the FFL. Best practice is to require a signature.

Don't ship in a box that has markings indicating it is a firearm.

 

[TaperPin]

Another option is to take it to a local FFL and have them ship it to the buyer’s FFL. That’s commonly done, but there is the extra expense of paying the guy on your end. A local gun store will provide the box and send it off for something like $75 to $125 + shipping cost. I’m too cheap to do that, but if buyer is paying shipping they may not mind because there is sense of relief when a gun leaves the sellers hands to the FFL and is properly packaged in a real box.