Out of state sale FFL process

[AntiSoCal]

I may sell one or more pistol(s) on a National auction site or gun forum. So the sale/transfer is my California FFL to buyer's out of state FFL. I've packed and shipped guns and parts directly to vendors, but never FFL to FFL for a sale.

The pistols I'm referring to happen to be unfired which is kind of pertinent to my thread. I want to ensure they stay unfired until the buyer receives them

What is the process to actually ship a pistol? Do I just leave the pistol with the CA FFL, and they pack and ship for a flat fee? If that's the case, how can I get piece of mind that my gun:

1. Won't be tampered with by my FFL? In other words not handled excessively, not sustain any damage, or even fired?

2. Not get lost or tampered with in transit?

I guess the answer is obvious that there are no guarantees. But I have to ask in case it's actually safer than I think it is.

What prompted my concern in the first place, is that i contacted several FFL's, and four out of five no longer do out of state transfers. One or two said it's a liability issue. So that leaves me wondering what could go wrong? One of the few FFL's that does transfers is also a shooting range, so it would theoretically be easy for someone to fire my guns after I leave them.

If I decide to leave pistols with an FFL to ship, can I lock the action with those cheap cable locks that most gun stores sell? Can those easily be opened and re-closed by an unscrupulous FFL?

I mean no offense to the vast majority of you reputable FFL's. I just know there are flakes in every arena.

[rromeo]

While it is usually cheaper to use an FFL to ship a handgun, do you know that the receiving FFL won't accept from a private party? It isn't the law in most states, including California. You will have to take it to a UPS or FedEx hub, and pay 2nd day or next day air.
Also look up shipmygun .com
That is one way to alleviate your concerns about too many people touching your guns.

[kemasa]

You have to talk to the FFL to see how they want to do it. It is easier if the customer packs it up as they want, but leaving the box unsealed so that the FFL can get all the info from the firearm.

If you really wanted to, you could put a seal on the firearm, like trucks or shipping containers use, which only you could re-create. You could put a cable lock on the firearm, but I don't know that the locks have unique keys.

So basically you have to trust the FFLs that you are dealing with. If you don't trust them, then don't use them. There is no law which requires shipping FFL to FFL, but that means expensive shipping since overnight shipping is required by UPS/FedEx, whereas FFLs can ship USPS. shipmygun.com tends to be cheaper as somehow they manage to be allowed to use second day air even though they only generate the shipping label. You would need to ask the FFL that it is being shipped to if they will accept it directly from you. That would eliminate one FFL in the process.

If you really want to eliminate the chance of it being shot, then take the firearm apart and only ship the frame to the FFL and the rest directly to the buyer. This will cost more, but it would ensure that no one could shoot it or would want to put the parts on it to be able to shoot it.

[kemasa]

You will have to take it to a UPS or FedEx hub, and pay 2nd day or next day air.
.

UPS/FedEx policy is overnight shipping, not second day air, just about the most expensive way. Somehow shipmygun makes it possible to ship second day air (it is a policy, not law, but not sure how UPS gives them permission to generate a label to ship a firearm that way).

Firearms can be shipped from the FedEx Store as it is actually FedEx. The UPS Store is a separate company, typically franchises, which can't be used to ship firearms. As a side note, the UPS Store is a risk to ship anything when they don't do the shipping since UPS isn't responsible until they actually receive it and the UPS Store isn't UPS, so if something happens there, you would have a problem.