ATF requires 30 day hold on shipped firearm?

NdIndy

NdIndy

New member
Ok, am I unaware of something in regards to shipping a gun? I sold a pistol on GB, shipped the gun using shipmygun.com. It went Fedex overnight to the buyers FFL.

FFL has told the buyer it showed up 'damaged', but didn't say what the damage is. I have no idea if they reported a damaged shipment when they received it. According the the buyer the FFL told him that the couldn't give him or even SHOW HIM the gun for 30 days. So mystery damage and he's not even allowed to inspect it to see what the damage is.

I don't ship guns often but I've never run into this before.

soooo, help?
 
Sounds suspicious to me. I would call the ffl myself and find out what's going on. What kind of feedback did the buyer have on GB? What state was it shipped to?
 
Might be a state law about him not getting the gun for 30 days. You should be able to contact the FFL and find out any information since you are technically still the owner of the firearm. Also, any damage claim will need to be filed by you.
 
It's Arkansas. I've been googling everything I can, and I'm getting nothing. The FFL is saying it's ATF so I've spent more time looking for federal than state. But damage + no transfer + no inspection = all kinds of red flags for me.

The buyer emailed me, the FFL told him there are scuffs and scratches along the pistol grip and sides. It was wrapped in plastic and packed in foam. The box would have had to be noticeably damaged before anything could have gotten to the gun.
 
kinda sounds like the ffl you sent to has got something fishy going on.

no reason in the world they cant show the pistol to the buyer. as far as that goes it would be up to the seller to go after you for damages. not the ffl.

good luck.
 
It sounds like a complete scam. I think you and the buyer should contact the local police or Sheriff's Department tomorrow. They may try to blow it off as some sort of civil issue. It is not. Since the FFL is not allowing the buyer to even see the gun, DEMAND a crime report alleging theft. Don't take no for an answer and keep complaining right up the dept chain of command if necessary. At some point an officer will go to his store and find out what's going on. I would also reach out directly to the local Atf office. They are his regulatory agency and can Rattle his cage if necessary. Good luck.
 
Smells like a scam. No such ATF rule or law.

Who is the receiving FFL? How did you come across the FFL and get their info? Did you do the FFL E-Z Check yourself? Do you have the FFL contact info to contact them yourself?
 
Maybe the buyer got denied.
I saw this once and the seller didn't want the gun back or to refund the money.
FFL got stuck in the middle so ATF took possession of the firearm.
 
Originally Posted By: jcs271It sounds like a complete scam. I think you and the buyer should contact the local police or Sheriff's Department tomorrow. They may try to blow it off as some sort of civil issue. It is not. Since the FFL is not allowing the buyer to even see the gun, DEMAND a crime report alleging theft. Don't take no for an answer and keep complaining right up the dept chain of command if necessary. At some point an officer will go to his store and find out what's going on. I would also reach out directly to the local Atf office. They are his regulatory agency and can Rattle his cage if necessary. Good luck.

sadly with the shutdown, i dont think anyone at the local ATF office will be able to assist.

as others have mentioned - i'd go stright to the FFL first, be polite but firm, etc - and then if you dont get a satisfactory answer from the FFL, contact the police.

since you're in florida - you're in a two party (or all party) consent state. if you wish to record the call you'll have to inform them prior to things starting. thats why every call you get from a customer service line, etc has that "this call may be recorded for quality and training purposes"

i would suggest that you DO use a recording app and just be up front about it. if they get all wonky about being recorded - i would be on the phone to the sheriff twice as fast . If they've done nothing wrong i cant see any FFL having a problem with the call being recorded since you're just trying to establish the facts.

best of luck getting this sorted out.
 
as a follow up - i hope you insured the package for the full value of the firearm.

any major carrier standard shipping normally gives you $100 worth of coverage but anything beyond that is on the shipper. this applies for ups/fedex for sure, i havent checked on USPS for a while. make sure you know what your coverage is before you ship your package, no matter the carrier or the service (ground, overnight, etc)


and just for a note - because i found out the hard way years ago - shipping insurance isnt for the receiver/buyer - its for the SHIPPER. so if you're ever selling anything online - list that the package WILL be insured if its worth more than $100 and then add that shipping + insurance is either included or extra depending if you're feeling nice.

If youre sending something and it gets damaged in shipping and you dont have insurance to cover it - you end up with a broken/damaged item, and your buyer/receiver gets their $$ back.

so while who pays for it is between you and your buyer - at the end of the day the coverage is there to protect YOUR interests, not theirs.


HTH
 
there is no such federal requirement, so something is squirrely. Time to call the FFL and get his side of the deal.
 
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