Benefits for doing transfers for foreign nationals

[Xringshooter]

I am located just a few miles from the Penn State University main campus (University Park) and I am pretty well known by the foreign national students as the gun dealer who will take the time to do firearms transfers for them. They come into the US on an F1 visa which allows them to get a hunting license and to buy firearms.

I make a some money on the transfers and/or special orders (and they aren't afraid to spend dad's money). Then when they graduate, many times they come back to me to sell the guns they bought (on consignment), or to do a private party transfer, or to sell outright to me.

Just had one of these happen, student has graduated, is leaving the state in less than two weeks so was looking to sell his Glock (G-19 Gen 4, 3 magazines, hard case with everything that came originally, 1 extra Glock 32 round magazine, and a Glock branded soft carrying case.)

I did the transfer to him originally in mid Dec. 2014 and by the looks of it has never been shot (no wear on the feed ramp, no wear on the magazines, can still see the original grease from the factory when you remove the slide). Many times them getting firearms is sort of a "status" symbol or something like that but I do have a few that are really serious about the firearms they buy and shoot, but apparently not this time.

We talked a bit and consignment was out, he wanted to sell it as quickly as possible. He said make him an offer. I told him I'd give him $250 right now. He accepted!! I paid him and he and his girl friend left.

I think I did ok.

I think I am going to Cerakote it a two tone color and then decide if I want to sell it or not.

[Brad Phillips]

Bought back an unfired pistol at a lowball rate. Twice the money on one gun? Good job?

[dougader]

Yes it was a good deal. Graduate took the deal and the dealer has enough room to make a profit and stay in business another day. It's the American way.

It gets my goat when people begrudge your right to make a profit while they do their jobs and get paid. I've had attorneys try to talk me into a lower price when I was selling them guns at - literally - $25 over my cost. NEW guns. So it's ok for them to bill out their clients at $250 - $400 an hour, but I can't get $25 for a special order and all the paperwork for my little business?

[choctaw]

Yes it was a good deal. Graduate took the deal and the dealer has enough room to make a profit and stay in business another day. It's the American way.

It gets my goat when people begrudge your right to make a profit while they do their jobs and get paid. I've had attorneys try to talk me into a lower price when I was selling them guns at - literally - $25 over my cost. NEW guns. So it's ok for them to bill out their clients at $250 - $400 an hour, but I can't get $25 for a special order and all the paperwork for my little business?

So you never try to negotiate for services/goods you need? Or is it just irritating when someone does it to you?

[Xringshooter]

Wow, didn't really expect it to go this direction.

Here's some background info I maybe should have included but didn't feel the need to as the post was a bit tongue in cheek about how some of the "well to do" people who come to the US operate:

This customer purchased the gun on line (Bud's Gun Shop.com) and had it shipped to me to do the background check/transfer, I did not sell him the gun originally so I didn't "buy back" the gun (so to speak). For the work involved I charged him my normal $20 transfer fee. Of that $20, the state of PA gets $2 so I net $18 for paperwork, etc. that takes, for the foreign nationals, about 1/2 hr. I do not charge any storage fees for the time I receive the firearm until it is picked up or for taking the time to explain how the gun operates, how to use the magazine loading tool, how to take it apart to clean it, how to (in MANY cases) to SHOOT THE GUN. If they are a first time gun owner, they also leave with a packet I have made up with the basics of shooting, firearms safety, PA state firearms laws, and other shooting information.

I figure that if I do all that, that they may become a regular customer while they are going to school here and return for things like cleaning supplies, accessories, etc. Many do, and many have done repeated transfers through me, always at the $20 per firearm rate.

This customer, after getting this gun, never came back to my shop for anything. Just one day he sent me an email telling me about his departure and him wanting to sell the gun before he left.

ANY gun dealer, ANY is going to make a "low ball" offer when someone asks them what they would pay for it. In many cases the seller has done homework and knows (or thinks they know) what a fair market price would be, maybe he did not. Before I made my offer I explained the different ways the gun could be sold to get him the most out of it. I told him up front that I couldn't offer him what he could get on the open market and offered to sell it for him and send him the money after taking my consignment fee. I told him that it might take some time to get it sold. He said no, he wanted to sell it as quickly as possible. That is when I offered what I did and he never blinked an eye and never made any counter offer. He said yes, I asked him if he wanted a check or cash and he said if I could pay cash he would like to do it that way.

I paid him, he was happy, we shook hands and he and his girlfriend left (btw driving a Range Rover).

Speaking for myself only, I do try to negotiate for services/goods at times and I am not surprised to have people negotiate with me. However, if I consider the cost of the service/goods to be fair, I'm not going to try to get a lower price, I realize they have to make a profit. Many of the foreign nationals try to barter with me with firearm accessories they have bought and no longer want or need and some times I will deal with them if I know I can sell the parts quickly and get the money to cover the original bill.

[Wheelguns 1961]

You sound like a good and caring business owner, Xring shooter. There is an X-ring shooters supply near my home in Delaware.

[Xringshooter]

Thank you for the kind words, I really do try to do right by my customers.

I think I remember that place from when I was stationed at Dover AFB and was shooting competitively with the Delaware Law Enforcement Marksmanship Association (DLEMA - pronounced dilemma). We shooters knew where just about all the gun shops were in DE. It's up near the university of DE isn't it, just off 273?

[Wheelguns 1961]

That is the one!

[RED BEAR]

glad to hear you help anyone that is allowed to buy a gun to do so. and as far as i am concerned once a gun leaves the store it ain't new anymore. you did the kid right by offering to buy the gun from him. after all you are a business and have to turn a profit to stay in business.

[Brad Phillips]

Sorry. My reading comprehension missed the transfer part. That is what I get for jumping without looking ?

I guess the $250 for an unfired G19 and extras threw me. Yes, once bought it would be used, I get that. But, an as new unfired G19 runs around 400 around here.

You do seem like a gun buyer who cares and is treating people right, again my apologies for jumping on you, Sincerly, Brad Phillips

[GhostHawk]

A few times in the last couple of years I had occaison to try to sell a gun, local gun shop, pawn shop, etc.

Normal seemed to be aprox 1/4 to 1/3 of what they figure they can sell the gun for.

So for a 600$ Win 94 from 1944 a 150$ offer was the best I got.

Seems to me you had a customer who wanted to sell in a hurry, and who took a fair offer.

If he'd wanted to post it on Gunbroker and do the work could he have doubled his money?

Possibly.

A fair deal is when both walk away with a smile on their face. Period.

Seemed to me like that happened here. No judgement required. Certainly won't get any from me.

I just wish you were closer, ND is a long way from Penn.

[NyFirefighter357]

A transfer runs $75-125 here.

[RED BEAR]

my god i changed gun stores because they went up to 35 dollars. the one i use now is $25 could get it done for $10 if i drove across town. there are some around ere that try to gouge you for basically doing nothing. i realize that they are a business and have to make a profit but there are limits.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I stopped going to one store because they wanted to charge me $50. I deal with a small lgs that appreciates my business, and always tries to give me a fair deal. Transfers are $20, but free if you buy from him.

[dougader]

So you never try to negotiate for services/goods you need? Or is it just irritating when someone does it to you?

Sometimes I do, yes, if there's clearly room to negotiate, but I don't try to scam more pennies off an already fair price. What gets me is how people who would never give you a discount think nothing of trying to get a discount from everyone else they run across.

I love how when it's someone else's job, it's "basically doing nothing" but your job demands the going rate or no deal. When my FFL expired I didn't renew it. I had enough of skin flints.

A dealer's paperwork isn't doing nothing. It has to be done right or you can lose your license or even be charged with a crime. Some BATFE agents have no sense of humor... and now with so-called Instant Check programs through NICS, etc, the process takes even longer. How about dealers just charge by the hour, especially when the backlog through NICS or the state police is running several hours.

I won't pay $50 for a transfer, either, but complaining or begging for a discount when it's already $10 - $25 is penny-ante BS IMO.

[Four-Sixty]

$20-$25 for a transfer is a bargain. After running a small business I decided I'd never do it again just because of all the time you spend on accounting and paying taxes.

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Alot of us on the non-owner end of the business forget about the time and money involved when we are not around......the kind of time that costs more money than it seems worth when we are buying or using services.

[Xringshooter]

Brad Phillips: apology accepted, no harm, no foul.

Ghosthawk: typically, most dealers will try to determine at what price can they sell the firearm the fastest. They then offer between 50%-75% of that value to the seller, the higher percentage if they know they can turn it very easily. But first they will always make a low ball offer to see what might happen. I know I can probably sell the Glock and it's accessories quickly for $450 (Buds sells them new, no extras, for $506), so my offer was to be $225-$360 so I offered on the low side of the scale.

I honestly do tell people who are looking to sell a firearm not to sell it to a gun dealer if they want to get the most out of it. If they want to sell it fast and don't worry about getting as much for it as they can, then I say sell it to a gun dealer. Or I tell them to put it on consignment at a gun shop. The seller, not the gun shop dictates the selling price and when sold the gun dealer collects his commission.

[TheGrimReaper]

Yes it was a good deal. Graduate took the deal and the dealer has enough room to make a profit and stay in business another day. It's the American way.

It gets my goat when people begrudge your right to make a profit while they do their jobs and get paid. I've had attorneys try to talk me into a lower price when I was selling them guns at - literally - $25 over my cost. NEW guns. So it's ok for them to bill out their clients at $250 - $400 an hour, but I can't get $25 for a special order and all the paperwork for my little business?

+1 takes turning a profit to keep the lights on. My only grip is when one guys like that then tries to sell more than MSRP on a USED gun. Difference in making a profit and trying to rip someone off.

[Handloader109]

I do laser engraving. Part of the business is work on firearms. I offer $20 transfers as there are several guys close by that are that or maybe $25. Lowball store went belly up this spring. He was a $20 store. But there are plenty more around.

Guys, $20 for at the least a half hour of your time WITH the customer is cheap. And that doens't include time it takes to log the gun into your book when you get it, log it out when sold, DO the above ACCURATELY including going over the stupid 4473 to insure no errors. And calling NICS to check. AT the minimum.

Those in the socialist states have even more work and yep, I'd be charging $35-50. OH, you want to buy and sell the gun directly to customer? That $20 for 4473 transfer is MORE than difference in dealer cost and Bud's price on a LOT of guns. (revolvers and real specials are different you might make a hundred, or maybe even a Benjamin plus a Jackson or two.) Margins are REAL thin. Internet is not a local firearms dealer's friend.