Seemingly abandoned transfer

[waygeekierthanu]

Have any of you ever gotten in a transfer and not been able to get the transferor in to start paperwork? I've had a firearm here for about 7 months, what do you all do in this situation? Do you just hold it forever?

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[GnomeMoney]

I have a stack pistols people paid for, in full and never came back for.

Going on about two years on some.

[waygeekierthanu]

Hrm, so just hold forever.

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[CenterX]

They might have died. Does anyone answer their phone number on the DROS paperwork?

[GnomeMoney]

You can do whatever your store policy is. Most times there is a 3 or 6 month wait on the item before I would but it back for sale. Really depends on what it is. Something rare I might hold it for awhile just to be sure, but a G19 I’ll just put back out and see if the buyer ever shows.

[code_blue]

Generally I'd send a formal letter via certified mail that we'd consider the firearm abandoned if no response is received within 30-days. We'd sell off the firearm after.

You can also contact your local agency to give you guidance. Here's an older thread, but still relevant.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1098620

[kemasa]

What is your storage and abandon firearm policy?

There is a process to deal with abandon property, but one question with respect to firearms is who actually owns it? It hasn't been transferred yet, so while the person has a financial interest in it, do they really own it until the paperwork is done?

If you just sell it, then the person could come back and ask about it, at which point you say it was sold for storage fees. Then the person could try to sue you in small claims court for the value of it, which you would counter for the storage fees. The judge could claim you didn't follow the rules for abandon property, which you say that it wasn't theirs as it had never been transferred to them. You might lose, you might win.

In some cases you might not have their address or contact information.

[acespawnshop]

Our policy is clearly visable in the shop about abandoned firearms. But typically when the cost of storage fees accumulated greatly exceed the value of the firearm then we sell it. We’ve held stuff for years before. Tried to make contact sent letters. Emails phone calls. Whatever. Sometimes people just ghost you.

[OCArmory]

My longest is 8 years and counting.

[71MUSTY]

I have a stack pistols people paid for, in full and never came back for.

Going on about two years on some.

My longest is 8 years and counting.

OMG guys I totally forgot, I can swing by and do the DROS on Saturday.

[acespawnshop]

My longest is 8 years and counting.

12-23-2015, I had to go check......its still here. This isn't counting pawns.

[BONECUTTER]

My Longest current is from 2015.

My inventory I restock after 180 days and resell.
Transfers after 180 days I contact who shipped it and try to send it back.
Since I have no vested interest in the sale and don't wan't to sell some family heiroom I just want it gone. If I can't get it to go back eventually Ill might turn in to the local PD. Not cause I want to, just don't want the liability.

[kemasa]

Why would you hold onto a firearm for over a year?

I had one that I kept for several years, but that was a special case as it was claimed to be a C&R, but wasn't, the shipping FFL shipped it when they shouldn't have as I requested proof that it was a C&R as it was a known issue with the firearm (imported as a C&R, but wasn't), the shipping FFL disappeared after Hurricane Sandy and none of it was the fault of the buyer. Once it turned 50, it got transferred.

Having a storage policy should protect you if you sell a firearm which may not even be considered owned by the person. The seller would have more of a claim of ownership. Honestly, I would take the storage charges, but most would just drop it as they don't want to risk owing a large amount of money.

Just sending it back means that you don't get paid for receiving the firearm, shipping it back or anything. I wouldn't want to turn it over to the police and have the firearm destroyed. The only firearm that I shipped back to the seller was a couple of used HI-Points. I didn't want to try selling them and end up owing money :-). If you are concerned with liability, shipping it back or turning it over to the police doesn't eliminate that.

[acespawnshop]

Why would you hold onto a firearm for over a year?

Because we like to party? No, its probably because since we are a pawn shop its commonplace for stuff to just sit. So its not something we actually go back and look at. We usually try and clean up the ones where customers went MIA. But honestly its usually not a priority for us.

[theLBC]

sometimes the wives get wind of it?