Are dealers ripping us off on transfer fees?

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  • Bang1964

    Active Member
    May 3, 2013
    168
    Ellicott City
    All of the experts dont have a clue BB. They havent worked in a shop, or likely owned a small business.

    I have operated my small business for 20+ years. Bottom line I look at my P&L I don't increase my prices unless it is permanent. I don't try to squeeze extra dollar out of my customers. When I absolutely have to increase my prices they are well informed. Also in my business i make sure i am the last one to increase prices, it kills business to go first. You always get the one or two complain about the increase and to the ones I know I can't explain to I just tell them My yacht need to be overhauled and they just laugh. I don't use nickel and dime excuse. That seems to make it worse.
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    I have operated my small business for 20+ years. Bottom line I look at my P&L I don't increase my prices unless it is permanent. I don't try to squeeze extra dollar out of my customers. When I absolutely have to increase my prices they are well informed. Also in my business i make sure i am the last one to increase prices, it kills business to go first. You always get the one or two complain about the increase and to the ones I know I can't explain to I just tell them My yacht need to be overhauled and they just laugh. I don't use nickel and dime excuse. That seems to make it worse.

    Do you sell rainbows and unicorns?

    Its apparent Gun Dealers are just evil monacle wearing mofos.
     

    iHasCrabs

    Ultimate Member
    May 17, 2011
    2,790
    Blue POint Crab House
    Do you sell rainbows and unicorns?

    Its apparent Gun Dealers are just evil monacle wearing mofos.

    Gun dealers are the devil...but I'm already a step below gun dealers cause I'm in the food service industry(apparently thats where dealers go after they go out of business) and I had to raise all my prices to make less money this year.
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    Gun dealers are the devil...but I'm already a step below gun dealers cause I'm in the food service industry(apparently thats where dealers go after they go out of business) and I had to raise all my prices to make less money this year.

    You sell the most evil and delicious food products. :D

    I honestly hope me defending my profession did not offend you at all. I dont not think I am one iota better than people in the food industry. I just cant support my family as an employee of a burger joint as Edhallor claimed I would be one day.

    I would have loved to have been a Chef instead of an I.T. Guy/Gunsmith. I just never gave it a chance.
     

    w2kbr

    MSI EM, NRA LM, SAF, AAFG
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 13, 2009
    1,128
    Severn 21144
    LOL...oh yea..plowing through 'Atlas Shrugged' is all the Ayn Rand anybody needs.....

    And yes,
    quote: Profit is NOT, has never been, and will never be a dirty word. Unquote.

    BUT...unfortunately it slips all to easy into "Profiteering"....

    R
     

    Norton

    NRA Endowment Member, Rifleman
    Staff member
    Admin
    Moderator
    May 22, 2005
    122,856
    LOL...oh yea..plowing through 'Atlas Shrugged' is all the Ayn Rand anybody needs.....

    And yes,
    quote: Profit is NOT, has never been, and will never be a dirty word. Unquote.

    BUT...unfortunately it slips all to easy into "Profiteering"....

    R

    Profiteering is only immoral if its done by means of compulsion. Otherwise it is a voluntary agreement amongst consenting parties.
     

    El_flasko

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Nov 16, 2008
    7,298
    Abingdon, MD
    For the life of me I cannot understand why people are so willing to bitch about the price that an individual charges to perform a service when they can just go down the road and use some other service provided.

    Shops will charge what they feel its worth to them to deal with the hassle.

    You don't like it then don't do business with them.

    This kind of sums it up for me. Do some dealers charge too much, probably. I go to the same dealers/IP's for convenience, local friendly service, and the comfort to know if there is an issue post-purchase, I can count on them for advice and honest repair. All of these things have value added. For transfers, if my local guys were way out of whack for whatever reason, I would honestly compare them against other shops within a certain range of my home, then decide if the savings are worth the extra drive and time expenses for me to continue. That's about it.

    As for Chad, he is of the highest caliber (pun intended) and I value his advice immeasurably as he has spent a good bit of time answering questions for me in the past. I would do the same for him, and based on his reputation I would never hesitate to use his gunsmith, master-gunsmith, or Yoda-gunsmith services if needed. I don't care what his title is in life or on his business card, the proof is in the pudding imho.


    To the OP, shop around some more and see if you can find a better price. I wish you well is your search and hope you find a fair deal :):thumbsup:
     

    rj1974

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 31, 2011
    11,207
    Edgemere , md.
    Gun dealers are the devil...but I'm already a step below gun dealers cause I'm in the food service industry(apparently thats where dealers go after they go out of business) and I had to raise all my prices to make less money this year.

    Oh you evil bastards and your market prices :rolleyes:


    Jacked fees every year and catch limits being cut back and everything else you guys get screwed with should not effect my crab cake price dammit ;)
     

    dleary13115

    Member
    Jan 10, 2011
    56
    Baltimore County
    to answer the OP's question: it's an unequivocal yes.

    I have had guns transferred to me in multiple states (active duty .mil) and it is muuuuch less elsewhere. I am in VA right now, and the local gun store will do a transfer for $15.
     

    scouse

    Member
    Mar 6, 2013
    468
    Havana on the Severn
    I cant answer for other shops because I dont know what they pay for the following:


    Attorney Consultation/Retainers
    Income/Business/Property Taxes
    Rent/Property
    Safes/Secure Storage
    Data/Paperwork Backup
    Labor Costs
    Bank Loans
    Insurance
    Medical Insurance/Unemployment/Disability/Benefits
    Utilities
    Supplies
    Advertising
    Business Licenses
    Business Services


    To claim a business is price is gouging without knowing a business owners expenses/investment is unfair and dishonest to the core.

    To say nothing of the liability factor.
     

    gmhowell

    Not Banned Yet
    Nov 28, 2011
    3,406
    Monkey County
    to answer the OP's question: it's an unequivocal yes.

    I have had guns transferred to me in multiple states (active duty .mil) and it is muuuuch less elsewhere. I am in VA right now, and the local gun store will do a transfer for $15.

    VA to MD comparison is particularly useless. How long does a VA FFL have to store guns, on average, before handing them over to the customer?
     

    Robert

    Having Fun Yet?
    May 11, 2011
    4,089
    AA County, MD
    Some threads have me :facepalm:. There are always people who don't understand value, and I understand that, but to complain about the cost AFTER the service or sale has been agreed on IS hard for me to understand.

    I will say it's hard for most employee's to understand the high cost's of running a business in MD, so it's reasonable the public wouldn't.

    The bottom line is we all have a choice.

    Service --- Price --- Quality ( You Can Only Pick 2 )
     

    jhcrab

    Active Member
    Jun 28, 2012
    499
    Howard Co.
    I know of shops that had to rent storage space to be able to safely store the firearms. Theres an incurred cost and risk with that. Some simply stopped taking transfers, some raised the rates to slow the volume due to the volume/space issues.

    MD Compliant Locks have been VERY hard to find recently. Some MD dealers here were even offering to buy them second hand or buy them from sources that dont give any dealer or quantity discounts.

    Last year half of the dealers probably didnt think they would be out of business soon either.

    Your points are valid however now that many FFL's are reducing their quantity of stored gun's and the need for extra storage space is eliminated, shouldn't the fee's go back to somewhere near the prices that were being charged before SHTF? In my case the fee has nearly tripled. I am hoping that my FFL will reduce the fee in due time.
     

    w2kbr

    MSI EM, NRA LM, SAF, AAFG
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 13, 2009
    1,128
    Severn 21144
    Profiteering is only immoral if its done by means of compulsion. Otherwise it is a voluntary agreement amongst consenting parties.

    But, the engine that drives "profit" at any level is a "compulsion" to succeed, obsessive compulsion is the genesis of "Profiteering"......Morality is a whole different issue.

    OTOH: Voluntary agreement amongst consenting parties is "business as usual"

    R
     

    clandestine

    AR-15 Savant
    Oct 13, 2008
    37,031
    Elkton, MD
    Your points are valid however now that many FFL's are reducing their quantity of stored gun's and the need for extra storage space is eliminated, shouldn't the fee's go back to somewhere near the prices that were being charged before SHTF? In my case the fee has nearly tripled. I am hoping that my FFL will reduce the fee in due time.

    MD gun shops have a tough road ahead of them. You are correct but shops are going to lose a ton of sales and they may have to raise fees/services to make up for the incoming Oct 1 legislation. Each business owner will have to make tough decisions and ripping people off is not what they are looking to do.
     

    sgt23preston

    USMC LLA. NRA Life Member
    May 19, 2011
    3,995
    Perry Hall
    Some threads have me :facepalm:. There are always people who don't understand value, and I understand that, but to complain about the cost AFTER the service or sale has been agreed on IS hard for me to understand.

    I will say it's hard for most employee's to understand the high cost's of running a business in MD, so it's reasonable the public wouldn't.

    The bottom line is we all have a choice.

    Service --- Price --- Quality ( You Can Only Pick 2 )

    Sgt Preston here...

    You are absolutely right...

    We all do have a choice...

    Always ask the price first & if you don't like it, don't use their service...

    You can shop around as much as you want to...

    But don't complain about a price after the fact...

    This thread has turned ugly...

    It's time we all tone it down...
     

    Chewyk78

    Member
    Mar 6, 2012
    23
    Baltimore, MD
    Jeez, everyone is so angry all of a sudden.
    Lets not begin referring to Atlas Shrugged as a bible or anything, but lets also recognize that people are in business to make money. This is a service that FFLs are not obligated to provide to their customers at all. Have FFLs raised transfer prices? Well, yes they have... However, everyone in the state that wanted to purchase a regulated firearm has bought three since January, so perhaps the increase in rates is not completely unwarranted.
    In the most basic sense, the supply of transfers, while a service, is not unlimited. Only so many transfers can be performed per hour, day, or week with current staffing levels. Since the demand for transfers has increased, so has the price. Remember all of those ARs on GB that were bid up over 2k? Imagine what a transfer would have cost in a real time auction setting with a line of customers out of the door of your favorite FFL in mid March! You are probably still getting a deal...
    We, as buyers, are free to shop around for a better rate for a sevice, right? Now I know that it is not easy to switch to a new FFL, or go to an FFL that is out of our way, but we could shop around for a better price. I have stuck with my FFL even though he increased his rates by 60% because he is my guy, has never disappointed me, and convenient to my home. He has a small shop and he clearly has storage issues and is working a ton of hours, but if his rates do not revert soon, now that purchases are beginning to drop off and the 8 day release questions have been settled, I will begin to shop around. No hard feelings towards the guy, but I want to make sure that i am getting the best value for my dollar.
     

    edhallor

    Active Member
    Feb 23, 2010
    749
    Aberdeen
    No offense Ed but on this point you're barking up the wrong tree and continueing down that path is only going to result in a hurt feelings report.

    I've seen Chad's work and will vouch for the "Master Gunsmith" title......I think you'll find dozens of others that will do the same.

    For the life of me I cannot understand why people are so willing to bitch about the price that an individual charges to perform a service when they can just go down the road and use some other service provided.

    Shops will charge what they feel its worth to them to deal with the hassle.

    You don't like it then don't do business with them.
    I cant agree more, I did not start the Oh Lordy and the I make more money than you will ever see. Those comments were demeaning and deserved a response. A response that was tempered with fact not biases conjecture.

    I've spoken to the Poster before and can only assume he had a past encounter that went badly. I hold no animosity but he seems to have wide mood swings, he may in fact be an above average Gunsmith but it gives him no right to demean another's profession. Nough said.

    Try this link,

    http://www.gunbroker.com/FFL/SearchForFFL.aspx?st=Zip Code&sv=21001

    Eddie O
     

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