• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

How much should it cost to mail a handgun?

Amicus

Amicus

Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
270
Likes
4
Feedback: 14 / 0 / 0
I recently had to send a handgun/firearm to a FFL/gunsmith to have it serviced. The list of charges from UPS was incredible, including a $2.35 charge for being on a rural road.

With $500 in insurance, the overnight shipment to a rural FFL in Penn was $62.10. This included a fuel surcharge, delivery confirmation, etc. The base charge was $42.80 for 1 day saver. Billed weight was 6 lbs, but actual weight was 4.2 lbs.

What would you expect to pay?
 
Overnight is what got ya. I ship my knives insured for around the same amount and some are 15" long and weigh about as much as a gun and I pay about 8$....but thats USPS priority...if it were overnight, that price would be a crazy amount more.

I dont use UPS anymore at all.
 
Tiktock said:
Overnight is what got ya. I ship my knives insured for around the same amount and some are 15" long and weigh about as much as a gun and I pay about 8$....but thats USPS priority...if it were overnight, that price would be a crazy amount more.

I dont use UPS anymore at all.
Click to expand...

Common carriers have it all sewn up on this

A handgun can't be shipped via USPS and the common carriers require overnight shipping on a handgun (to reduce theft so they say).

The overnight shipping charges are obscene though. I have a friend who's a lobster fisherman and he'll occasionally ship lobsters to friends/relatives living out of state. I forget what the charges are, but it was way more than the cost of the lobsters.
 
An individual cannot mail a handgun. An FFL can mail a handgun. Most use priority mail.
If you are on good terms with your FFL, he might give you a break on the transfer fee.
I had my FFL send a handgun, not to save money though.
If a handgun gets "lost" in shipment from an FFL, the BATFE takes a great deal of interest in the situation, immediately.
The postal workers scurry around like rats looking for cheese, until it turns up, no BS, no "call us in 30 days."[wink]

Jack
 
In this case he seems to be using the words "mail" and "ship" interchangeably.

Another good reason to have a C&R FFL is that anything they lose of yours is under that same BATFE protection, C&R or not.
 
Make friends with an FFL and get them to send it via USPS for
you. It's a hell of a lot cheaper that way.

-Mike
 
Amicus said:
I recently had to send a handgun/firearm to a FFL/gunsmith to have it serviced. The list of charges from UPS was incredible, including a $2.35 charge for being on a rural road.

With $500 in insurance, the overnight shipment to a rural FFL in Penn was $62.10. This included a fuel surcharge, delivery confirmation, etc. The base charge was $42.80 for 1 day saver. Billed weight was 6 lbs, but actual weight was 4.2 lbs.

What would you expect to pay?
Click to expand...

Amicus,

Unless you can ship through a FFL, who can use US Priority Mail, it will cost you that much
all the time. The only way you can ship a handgun is by FEDEX or UPS Priority overnight mail
as that is the only way they will ship because their employees are potential thieves. I just
quoted a FEDEX shipment to NC and it was $65 with insurance for a four pound package.
 
Last edited:
jdubois said:
Just a small clarification: Type 01 & 06 FFLs (Dealers & Manufacturers) can only mail handguns to each other. They can't mail a handgun to anybody else (except military officers and a few other government employees).
Click to expand...

That would be 01 (dealers) 02 (pawnbrokers) and 07 (manufacturers). (Actually, 8,9,10 and 11's can also use USPS mail for handguns, but they're pretty rare!) 06 FFLs are for manufacture of ammunition. 02 FFLs aren't legal in MA, so usually off the radar here, but everywhere else in the country, they're popular.

Also, if a FFL goes thru the hoops to do NON-over-the-counter sales, they can delivery guns via USPS. Not sure there are any left tho!

--EasyD
 
vellnueve said:
In this case he seems to be using the words "mail" and "ship" interchangeably.

Another good reason to have a C&R FFL is that anything they lose of yours is under that same BATFE protection, C&R or not.
Click to expand...

Does this mean I, as a C&R holder, could have shipped a non-C&R handgun via USPS Priority Mail? (Just trying to follow all the recommendations in this thread.)
 
TonyDedo said:
Can a C&R FFL mail via USPS (to another FFL)?
Click to expand...

Nope. Collectors can't, only dealers and manufacturers.

EasyD said:
That would be 01 (dealers) 02 (pawnbrokers) and 07 (manufacturers). (Actually, 8,9,10 and 11's can also use USPS mail for handguns, but they're pretty rare!)
Click to expand...

Not according to the Domestic Mail Manual:

"11.1.5 Manufacturers and Dealers

Handguns may also be mailed between licensed manufacturers of firearms and licensed dealers of firearms in customary trade shipments, or for repairing or replacing parts."

(You're right about 07 instead of 06, that was a typo on my part)

(Actually, nevermind the above. On further reading, I think I agree with you on Type 02, and 09 & 10. Importers is still an open question)
 
Last edited:
Last night it cost me $33.88 to ship a Ruger P90 from Shrewsbury, MA to Vergennes, VT.
1DA Package - Com - $24.00
Fuel Surcharge - $4.73
Delivery Area Surcharge (he's in the middle of nowhere) - $1.55
Insured Value $310 - $3.60.
(actual weight 3.1 lbs, charged weight 4.0lbs)

Shows it was delivered at 11:25 this morning.
 
I'm confused. A few years ago when Don Nygord was still alive, I sent a gun to him via UPS and he sent it back to me by USPS.
I signed for it at the post office.
How does that work?
 
boomerang said:
I'm confused. A few years ago when Don Nygord was still alive, I sent a gun to him via UPS and he sent it back to me by USPS.
I signed for it at the post office.
How does that work?
Click to expand...

Was it a rifle/shotgun? IIRC you can ship rifle or shotguns back and forth through the postal service without issue, it's just handguns that are somehow or another more evil and have special rules... [rolleyes]

-Mike
 
boomerang said:
I'm confused. A few years ago when Don Nygord was still alive, I sent a gun to him via UPS and he sent it back to me by USPS.
I signed for it at the post office.
How does that work?
Click to expand...

I had an FFL ship me a C&R handgun via USPS. They were obviously confused as to the rules. I just accepted my package from the mailman and didn't say a word.
 
boomerang and jdubois, if they were both handguns, then the USPS and the shipper screwed up in both your cases.
 
I just shipped a Kahr from Wareham to Worcester with 700.00 of insurance for 13.50. The insurance was about half the fee. Most FFL's do not charge a full transfer fee as a 4473 is not necessary as long as the gun is given back to the original owner. Tcat FFL07SOT
 
What did you do, ship it UPS Custom Critical?!

or NDA Early AM?

Next Day Air Saver for UPS is all you need. Coulda saved you $60, easy.
 
I had to send my M&P back to Smith for some repair work. Luckily, they agreed to send it direct to Greg Derr for a trigger job.
 
I just had a Glock shipped from NH to Mass and it cost about $48.00 with Saturday delivery. It would have been around $26 if delivery was not on a Saturday. This included insurance for $425 and adult delivery signature. Not sure about Fedex but UPS requires adult signature (over 21) and overnight delivery. From what i've found on the ATF website you cannot ship handguns via USPS or any method other than overnight. Carriers can put their own restrictions on signature, etc. Also you must inform the carrier that a handgun is being shipped but the package cannot be marked that a handgun is inside.

Apparently long guns can be shipped USPS and don't have to go overnight. Stupid laws since NH is closer than the FFL it was shipped to in Mass.

EDIT: Also a private party out of state (or FFL) can ship a handgun or long gun to an FFL in Mass. You do not need an FFL on both ends to handle the transfer. Some FFL's may have a problem with this so check with the FFL that's taking delivery first if the shipper is a private party. You only need an FFL in the state you're taking delivery in.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Subject: (please forward) MCA launches the lawn sign campaigns for Stop H4139 and Process Matters - how to order; how to become a distribution site
Replies
7
Views
355
wma01541
W
  • Poll
S.2572: How should we hold cops accountable?
3 4 5
Replies
139
Views
4K
kimber le
kimber le
Maine Gov. Mills Pushes to Make it Easier to Have Firearms Confiscated
Replies
3
Views
275
Uzi2
U
Uzi wire folding stock that doesnt cost like a used glock
Replies
10
Views
238
CAESAR
CAESAR
  • Locked
How Much Jail Time For Stealing Three Guns In Massachusetts? Six Days.
Replies
8
Views
425
M1911
M1911
Back
Top Bottom