Shipping handguns at USPS

[Flyboy73]

I just read in shotguns news, that in order to ship handguns via the USPS it needs to go 01 FFL to 01 FFL. However i have had a few 01 FFL ship to my C&R FFL. What gives with this?

Also i have heard that UPS charges around 40-50 to ship a handgun. But SARCO told me they can ship a Handgun UPS overnight super saver for around $23. And CIA shipped a handgun and charged me $12.

Is there some reason why we all can't ship handguns with the super saver rate?


Brion

 

[Canuck-IL]

Only an FFL can ship a handgun by postal service - period!

You can directly ship a handgun to an FFL (dealer or manufacturer) via UPS or FedEx. By corporate policy, not by law, they gouge the shipper by mandating overnight services - this began when UPS employees were stealing the guns and FedEx figured they may as well jack the rates as well.

You have to ship from a company office as the franchises (Kinko's and such) are not supposed to handle firearms ... some do, some don't. Even at a company depot, take a printed copy of their shipping policy as some station managers don't know their own rules....at the counter, it has to be declared as a firearm and the package cannot be marked as a gun.

If you've shipped a gun for repair, a manufacturer can return it directly to you...any other case and it has to go through an FFL. If Sarco is getting a better rate than you can, I suspect their volume might get them a corporate break.

/Bryan

 

[Gator]

However i have had a few 01 FFL ship to my C&R FFL. What gives with this?

I am assuming you are talking about C&R eligible firearms, but even so, if they sent it USPS they screwed up. On the other shipping questions Canuck-IL has it exactly right.

 

[svtruth]

Bought a King Cobra

used, from the LGS. It had light primer strikes. Called Colt, they said send it UPS. LGS said, get a USPS box, put it in and send it overnight. I did. Colt sent it back FedEx Ground.
Just my b$.02.
Good luck.

 

[BigBlock]

If you can't use the post office, don't use UPS. They will charge you twice as much as Fedex, take longer, and are more likely to ruin your package. UPS is worthless.

 

[.cheese.]

bear in mind, in some states certain C&R guns are not officially considered "firearms", so that might have something to do with it.

 

[Gator]

...in some states certain C&R guns are not officially considered "firearms"

Huh? I have never heard that one before. In any case, the shipping regs are Federal, not State, law. Longarms are OK, but not handguns for USPS.

 

[SunRunner]

I think the whole thing is a crock especially when returning your handgun to the manufacture for work. In December 2006 it cost me $45. FedEx to ship my Colt Commander to Colt for some repair work under the service contract plus some customization while it was there. They paid the return freight and gave me a pretty good deal on the custom work but then 160 rounds later the detent plunger tube came loose from the frame. Colt requested I send it back for them to repair. It cost me another $50.00 FedEx this time for standard overnight. Colt did promise to reimburse me for the freight. Regardless of who pays the bill I still think it is a rip off. That’s a total of $95 I put down and probably another $60 they’ll pay in return freight just because both UPS and FedEx can’t control employee theft. For this we have to triple pay the price. This is amount is getting close to 15% the value of the gun. Just seems to me this is wrong.

In contrast, it was legal for me to ship just the slide/barrel via USPS to Kahr and that only cost $9.00. The whole gun probably would not have cost over $12.00 but that would not have been legal. I really don’t’ understand why anyone can’t just return a firearm to the manufacture for repair via basic freight.

 

[rocinante]

I just shipped UPS ground. I disassembled the pistol and labeled it as gun parts. The way I see it if it is unloaded it must be a 'wink' law kind of like mexican border security. Like someone else said it is policy not law as far as I know.

 

[Flyboy73]

I understand that only a 01 FFL can ship it through the Post office. But post office don;t seem to mind sending from a 01 FFL to me C&R. But i read in shotgun news you can't, but alot of 01 donlt seem to have a problem sending from 01 to C&R.

As far as UPS why do they charge a person 40-50 for a handgun overnight, but a company IE sarco overnight $23 bucks.


Brion

 

[DMK]

However i have had a few 01 FFL ship to my C&R FFL.

I have too. Quite a few C&R dealers have shipped C&R handguns to me via USPS.

The problem is the USPS regs specifically state that for a handgun, the sender must be a 'dealer', not just an FFL (which a C&R is, it's a class 3 FFL). I don't think the USPS regs state that the sender must be a dealer though. That defaults to federal law, where a Class 3 FFL is just fine for any C&R gun.

 

[Canuck-IL]

I just shipped UPS ground. I disassembled the pistol and labeled it as gun parts. The way I see it if it is unloaded it must be a 'wink' law kind of like mexican border security. Like someone else said it is policy not law as far as I know.

Always someone with a smarter way to do it ... the frame with the serial number IS the firearm, regardless of how you view it...

I really don’t’ understand why anyone can’t just return a firearm to the manufacture for repair via basic freight.

so go to work with the legislative branch... it's the way the law is written, apparently, they didn't deem it necessary to consult you...

Life is unfair, then you die....
/B

 

[Car Knocker]

As far as UPS why do they charge a person 40-50 for a handgun overnight, but a company IE sarco overnight $23 bucks.

Corporate accounts, because of their large volume, receive a price break - they are, in essence, buying shipping for a wholesale price.