One of the hottest marketplaces for selling firearms is online. You have a numerous options if an online selling platform is the route you’d like to take for your FFL license. Many store front FFL dealers will use both their brick and mortar store for local customers and then also put the same inventory online to significantly increase the exposure and ability to sell more.
The simplest way to sell online is to get an account going on GunBroker. Using GunBroker means you won’t have to worry about getting a website of your own set up. Selling online via an auction website is advantageous because you could potentially get higher dollar amounts for what you are selling, and the infrastructure is already in place for setting up and completing sales and money transfer. You also get feedback, so it will build trust that other users of GunBroker will be more willing to purchase from you.
In our guides at FFL123.com, we encourage customers to sell a few guns on this website to get your feet wet and better understand the entire process. The only way to master a marketplace is to jump in and learn it and look for areas that you can improve the process for potential customers. Our owner, Brandon has had an account with e-Bay since 1998 and this is where he first became introduced to the online sales and marketing auction websites.
Your second option is to create your own website. There’s definitely more involved with creating your own website, but it may be worth it if your goal is to get a lot of sales going and establish yourself as a player in the e-commerce space. You’ll want to get yourself some knowledge on how to operate a website from the back end- the end that lets you change content within the website yourself. Fortunately, there are a lot of user friendly platforms available for beginners which makes having your own website easy. We like the wordpress as a website platform.
Finally, no matter which way you plan to do your online sales, you’ll want to look into the shipping options in your area. See what companies you have available- FedEx, UPS, U.S. Postal Service, SpeeDee Delivery, etc. Also, check to see that they are willing to receive firearms. Although all of those companies, in general, will ship firearms, you need to make sure the local location can take them in. You will have a much easier time shipping firearms when you have a FFL license as opposed to being a non-licensee. You’ll also want to ensure that you’re shipping it to another FFL licensee, as only FFL license holders can receive firearms in the mail. In our guides we offer insights on how to save 50% on shipping costs, which provides a huge competitive advantage. We also have a summary sheet of each carrier and their requirements, etc. Our goal is to make it easier for you to succeed, even if you are just a hobbyist!
Online sales give you the opportunity to really expand your market. To learn more about online sales and how to get started with them, join FFL123.com today!
Benefits of an FFL License can be reviewed in this article. FFL123.com customer map!