Did you know you can have a home based FFL that never has to invest in inventory, or have much capital outlay that is a reliable source of income? In fact, did you know these kinds of small FFL’s are an important part of the gun market, and fill a valuable niche? Did you know how to make money with FFL? Can you make money with a FFL? Let’s show you how it works!
There is a lot of confusion about buying guns on the internet. Some anti-gun politicians make it sound like you can just order a gun online and have it shipped to your door, no background check needed, but we know that isn’t true.
The internet has changed the way many industries do business, and the gun industry is no exception. From online auctions, distributors selling direct to consumers, many Americans do their gun shopping from their home, and have their firearm shipped directly to a dealer for transfer, and here is where you step in.
The ATF doesn’t care if the background check and transfer is done at a huge store, or an appointment only home based FFL. Some stores hate transfers – they suck up staff time and distract from floor sales. Others just don’t have the time for the added work. Some FFL’s love them, and some are indifferent to them. It just depends on their business model. For the small home FFL, they can be a valuable source of income.
Many states also require background checks on private sales, which means a trip to an FFL. Sometimes it is difficult to arrange a transfer during business hours, and small home based FFL’s have an advantage with flexible hours. The end result is more business for you.
Table of Contents
How To Make Money Off Guns Without Ever Buying Inventory
Some distributors have programs where they match buyers up with local FFL’s and have the gun shipped directly to them, with no additional interaction needed by the customer. They buy the gun, ship it to their chosen FFL, and the FFL just calls up the customer when the gun arrives and is ready for transfer.
Naturally this service isn’t something you can passively do. You’ll need to advertise so that your market knows you specialize in internet and face to face transfers. Many small FFL’s advertise in their local newspaper, at gun ranges, gun shows, or local social media.
Each time you do a transfer, you charge a modest fee (and sometimes collect sales or use tax depending on local law) for your time, and just log the receipt and transfer of the gun in your bound book like you would with any other gun.
What To Charge
The cost of a transfer varies based on your business model and any local issues such as state paperwork. Some dealers vary their fees either to encourage or discourage a certain kind of transfer business. Suffice it to say, the simpler the transaction, the lower the fee. $25-50 for a transfer is pretty common, and dealers will usually charge a reduced rate for additional guns on the same paperwork.
Logging even a half dozen transfers in a week is some nice extra money and demonstrates that you are in active business which is important for maintaining your FFL.
The final cost you settle on should reflect local market rates and your actual cost in time. If most places around you are charging say $25, you probably can’t charge $50. On the other hand you may be able to charge more for custom appointments, while matching rates to the local market. Of course if most places charge a lot, you probably can offer a lower cost and stay competitive.
Either way, handling transfers can be a lucrative bit of income at minimal expense to yourself.
No Inventory
We already went over it, but it bears some repeating. Transfer only FFL’s have zero dollars tied up in inventory. In fact, some distributors even offer turn key website elements that you can put on your own website and allow people to order guns that are shipped directly to your FFL for transfer. This gives powerful consumer choice and lets you access markets you may normally not be able to.
With this method you can advertise any gun available that you want to your market without having to gamble on inventory. Many customers are happy to just order the gun and come pick it up a few days later. This gives you the power of national distributorships and maximum customer choice at a nominal expense to yourself.
You Choose Your Hours
When you are handling transfers, you have more flexibility with your hours, or can even go by appointment only. FFL123 puts the power of a part time home business in your hands. Many small FFL’s only operate one or two days a week, or by appointment. This allows you to keep a regular day job, or just run your business as a small side income.
The power of running a transfer focused FFL means you have nearly unlimited potential to scale up or down in size based on your goals, and your schedule. Few businesses offer that kind of turn key potential, let alone a business that also lets you access wholesale firearms for your own personal use.
Let’s Get Started!
FFL123 gives you everything you need to get started for your home FFL business. We help you with all ATF paperwork, and guide you through difficult processes like zoning issues, recordkeeping, industry wholesale contacts and more!
Our industry insider experts and community of FFL’s are here to help you whenever you need it, and we offer a 150% money back guarantee that you will get your FFL, or we’ll lose money on the deal.
No matter if you want to run a small part time transfer only business, or manufacture and deal in NFA items like silencers and machineguns, FFL123 will get you in the business!
