"No Sales To CA?"

[tacticalcity]

EASY..SCREW THOSE BASTARDS! Plenty other places to spend your coin!

I agree that you should vote with your money and spend money will sellers that do ship here. Especially when the items are parts and accessories and not even governed by an FFL and thus not sending them here makes zero sense (think Cheaperthandirt.com or Sportsmans Guide). Like it or not those companies are going to do just fine without our business. However, they are not really the ones worthy of our resentment. We need to direct our anger at our law makers, and pay attention hen the time comes to kick them out of office. As well as support organizations trying to change our backwards laws.

[Rob454]

It's been discussed several times.

Basically there are some reasons why they're not selling to Californians.

1. The seller has an axe to grind. He/she feels we're not doing enough to stop our state legislatures from coming up with anti-American gun laws, so they are punishing us by not selling to Californians.

2. The seller does not know enough about California gunlaws, and would rather be safe than sorry and not have to deal with it altogether.

3. There is a little bit of extra work the seller must do to sell to California. They must first get an approval number before shipment into california, so some don't think it's worth the extra effort to earn our business.

This^^^^

IF i ever move out of california i would get a FFL and sell guns to california simply to piss off the legislature. i would jump through their hoops just to make them have B***HFITS

[Kynoch]

Thanks for all the information. After reading all the postings, "No Sales To CA" ultimately seems to be a sign of poor customer service to me. I wouldn't want to do business with any shop that is unwilling to log-onto a CA gov't website to verify the buyer had completed a CA firearms safety test. That's not asking too much from a customer service standpoint even if we feel the requirement should not exist to begin with.

[Kynoch]

I agree that you should vote with your money and spend money will sellers that do ship here. Especially when the items are parts and accessories and not even governed by an FFL and thus not sending them here makes zero sense (think Cheaperthandirt.com or Sportsmans Guide). Like it or not those companies are going to do just fine without our business. However, they are not really the ones worthy of our resentment. We need to direct our anger at our law makers, and pay attention hen the time comes to kick them out of office. As well as support organizations trying to change our backwards laws.

I'm not sure just how "fine" they are doing but if I was a stockholder and saw them giving-up a potentially giant market for no reason you can bet they would hear about it. That's simply bad business by any measure.

Their antics aren't enough to cause me any anger. Not getting any of my business is satisfaction enough for the unfortunate behavior.

[1337Grenadier]

I think they generally don't want to deal with the hassle of Ca gunlaws, or would even want bother learning them as they have pretty much the rest of the country to sell to so they don't really need our business. I know its frustrating to go on gunbroker and find a really good deal then find the seller treats Californians like lepers but that is because of the nanny state stigma so we have to work harder and be patient to get guns in the state.

[Nodda Duma]

They have forgotten E PLURIBUS UNUM

-Jason

[toby]

Well like my friends Dad always said....FHUUUUUUUKEM!...

[Kynoch]

Well like my friends Dad always said....FHUUUUUUUKEM!...

Yeap!

[gunenvy]

Their loss, our benefit. As a small businessman I personally smile a little every time somebody in CA buys from us because somebody else wouldnt ship to them.
What is the extra work i have to do to ship a firearm?

1) Open the web site
2) Punch in our short FFL number and password.
3) Click Request Firearms Shipment Verification
4) Type in the recipients number, the number of firearms and a reference number (our order number).
5) It lists the FFL on the other end, click "Yes this is them" and it prints up a letter with a reference number.
6) Print letter and enclose in pack slip.

That's less work and typing then the form we have to fill out (1508) when we ship with the USPS, its less typing then it takes to book the firearm out of our bound book....

There is another upside for us, and thats that CA buyers are some of the most informed out there. It impresses me how aware of the rules many are, indeed far more aware then many residents of other states who have strange oddities of law.

Do I want to do this extra work, no not really but frankly this is a business of paperwork,every gun that comes through magically "grows" about 8 sheets of paper before it heads back out, and we are pretty automated!!

[BitterOldMan]

I have purchased four guns from out of state over the last year. I find the "no sales to California" frustrating too. I have purchased guns from Kentucky, Idaho, Vermont, and Utah. I use my cell phone and talk to the FFL personally. If we want to make things better, we need to be proactive and help ourselves, instead of saying that we are victims. I have learned plenty on calguns over the last 18 months. Respect goes both ways.

[Kynoch]

Their loss, our benefit. As a small businessman I personally smile a little every time somebody in CA buys from us because somebody else wouldnt ship to them.
What is the extra work i have to do to ship a firearm?

1) Open the web site
2) Punch in our short FFL number and password.
3) Click Request Firearms Shipment Verification
4) Type in the recipients number, the number of firearms and a reference number (our order number).
5) It lists the FFL on the other end, click "Yes this is them" and it prints up a letter with a reference number.
6) Print letter and enclose in pack slip.

That's less work and typing then the form we have to fill out (1508) when we ship with the USPS, its less typing then it takes to book the firearm out of our bound book....

There is another upside for us, and thats that CA buyers are some of the most informed out there. It impresses me how aware of the rules many are, indeed far more aware then many residents of other states who have strange oddities of law.

Do I want to do this extra work, no not really but frankly this is a business of paperwork,every gun that comes through magically "grows" about 8 sheets of paper before it heads back out, and we are pretty automated!!

An absolutely wonderful posting. Great insight on customer service...

[johnny_22]

I really like when I see "WE SHIP TO CA" on some of those places.

Same here. When I don't see that, I worry that I'll get a surprise when I order.

[joedogboy]

2. The seller does not know enough about California gunlaws, and would rather be safe than sorry and not have to deal with it altogether.

Since a single mistake could ruin your business, why risk it if you don't have to?

[gunenvy]

Since a single mistake could ruin your business, why risk it if you don't have to?

A single mistake in 100 other places as an FFL could ruin my business, whats one more

[joedogboy]

A single mistake in 100 other places as an FFL could ruin my business, whats one more

Since the CA DOJ has a reputation of not really knowing the laws that they are enforcing in regards to firearms, it seems like the risk factor is much higher.

If you have to shut the doors of your business due to a high cost legal battle that ends in a victory for you, because you never actually broke the law, you are still out of business.

While you may be confident in your ability not to unintentionally attract the wrong kind of attention, others may not like the risk.