Shipping an action????
- Thread starter smoooth1
- Start date
Either Fedex or UPS. Whichever will pick up faster. UPS hasn't been to bad. Anyone but USPS!
Neither UPS or FedEx will ship a firearm from an individual. They had rule changes a year or so ago. You can ship it through UPS using shipmygun.com though. You can ship it through USPS but they are hit and miss. Sometimes local gun stores will ship it for you also.
Then I must have snuck in before the rule change. I shipped my P320 via FEDEX directly to SIG for "The upgrade." It came back from SIG the same way, directly to me. Admittedly, it was much longer than 1 year ago, so the policy probably did change then.
Actually, that may have been what happened in my case when sending the P320 directly to SIG via Fedex. Of course, getting it back from them wasn't an issue at all.
Yeah if they send a shipping label then they will take it but don’t try and get all in and send one. They won’t even ship stocks or barrels if you tell them what it is. They will ship scopes though.
Shipmygun.com is the way to go. You need anything account with a special firearm shipping agreement, which you can't get without an FFL, to ship via UPS now. I believe FedEx is the same.
Assuming the FFL has such an account, they can send you a label to use.
Assuming the FFL has such an account, they can send you a label to use.
Not true. You can ship long guns or an action but not pistols.
Perfectly legal for an individual to ship a long gun through the mail. Has to be sent with adult signature required, and has to go to an FFL or to yourself (i.e. shipping it to yourself at your hunting or travel destination.)
An individual cannot send handguns through USPS.
Look at section 12.2
Also
May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U.S. Postal Service? | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
A nonlicensee may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another state. A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of their own state or to a licensee in any state. The U.S. Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any...
I just have my FFL ship everything for me…I drop it off with where it needs to go and he boxes it up and ships it.
If it’s coming back to me it comes back to me through him simple and no worries.
If it’s coming back to me it comes back to me through him simple and no worries.
If you print of a label at home or work you can ship firearms with UPS. There is a place to put a description of the goods being shipped. Make sure you put firearm.
It is my understanding they won’t accept it at an ups store without a label, meaning if they have to print one out there. Also, if you have a customer service centre in your area they will gladly accept and ship firearms.
It is my understanding they won’t accept it at an ups store without a label, meaning if they have to print one out there. Also, if you have a customer service centre in your area they will gladly accept and ship firearms.
No they won’t. UPS will not ship firearms from individuals. Period.
I printed the label. And where it asked for contents I put firearm.
Well your center either didn’t know what they were shipping or they are not following the rules of their own company. I went through weeks of fighting with UPS on the phone and emails and even at their center and they said they do not ship firearms from individuals nor do they ship parts any longer. That started in 2022.
For the last year at the very least and probably more like 2 years individuals can no longer ship firearms or even firearms parts like grips or stocks (the only exception bring a scope) through UPS unless you're an FFL with a signed firearms shipping agreement or firearms products shipping agreement with them.
While you can send parts and not declare them, if the parts get damaged in transit and they find out what it is you will not see a dime of insurance as you were in violation of their shipping polices.
This happened about a year ago to a friend who had UPS damage a very high dollar custom walnut stock in transit... They found out what it was and didn't pay a dime because it wasn't shipped from an FFL firearms products shipping account.
Better read up...
Using ship my gun is a special case as they send you a label generated with their FFL shipping account, much like if you went to your local FFL and they printed the label and shipped it for you. However, it has to be handed directly to a UPS driver or picked up at a scheduled pickup as UPS stores are not supposed to be handling firearms.
While you can send parts and not declare them, if the parts get damaged in transit and they find out what it is you will not see a dime of insurance as you were in violation of their shipping polices.
This happened about a year ago to a friend who had UPS damage a very high dollar custom walnut stock in transit... They found out what it was and didn't pay a dime because it wasn't shipped from an FFL firearms products shipping account.
Better read up...
Using ship my gun is a special case as they send you a label generated with their FFL shipping account, much like if you went to your local FFL and they printed the label and shipped it for you. However, it has to be handed directly to a UPS driver or picked up at a scheduled pickup as UPS stores are not supposed to be handling firearms.
You are correct, my mistake. The UPS stores are franchises most of the time and it’s up to the owner on what firearm “accessories” they will ship. I had one that wouldn’t ship a scope. The clerk was one of those that had 6 different color hair and 3 nose rings, you know the type.
But the customer service centres have always shipped firearms for me. They are actual UPS employees working there. Like I said I have a C&R but have never provided them any proof or documentation.
The UPS Stores were never supposed to ship firearms. You were supposed to go to a center. The centers will not do it either or at least they aren’t supposed to ship firearms from individuals. You may be getting by but you are the exception and not the rule.
I searched my emails for my discussion with UPS corporate and it was in 2022 so since 2022 no individual can ship firearms or parts through UPS.
I fully believe you, I was just saying what I believed to be true. Been lucky I guess to have a good or wilfully ignorant UPS customer centre in my area.
Somone told me the other day that still works. He had a QR code from processing and paying for the label online. They didn't ask questions, just printed the label and slapped it on.
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It has for me. I’m not sure if I have been lucky or they aren’t enforcing their own rules.
I did read through their policy's after I posted and it does state they will not accept shipments from an individual. I’ll continue to do it until they tell me I can’t. I’m not breaking any laws and the contents are declared. If they accept the shipment that’s on them.
Until you ship an action or rifle and it gets lost/stolen and they tell you its not their problem because you were not supposed to ship any firearms or related parts.
Me personally, I'd rather just pay my FFL $50 bucks to box it up and ship it for me and have it shipped back to him so if anything happens my ass is covered.
You aren't breaking any laws so no worries there. But if you had a lost or damage claim, then they most likely wouldn't pay out.
I had emailed them years ago when they first made the change to their policy about a C&R and they never really gave me a great answer, but I do believe they would accept it.
However, if you really dig in to their rules, you need to have a separate account which has your FFL info on that account. So if your current UPS is a personal account, you need a business account which is only used for FFL items. At least that's the information I've gotten from them so far.
When you say action i think of a revolver going to get a trigger job etc that would require a ffl dealer to send and receive back to be safe . Now when i ship small parts [UPS] i answer what they are " mechanical indexing parts and springs " . What are you shipping to be clear ....does it have a barrel or trigger or cylinder ? When i sent my riley AK back [4 times] i dropped it off at my LGS with the shipping label and let them handle it .
Correct. For UPS you need a dedicated account for serialized items, and another different dedicated account for firearms products (any accessories.)
Also, in the full FFL shipping account terms and conditions, UPS reserves the right to open any packages sent with those 2 accounts for compliance, and if they find something that shouldn't be there or is illegal they reserve the right to either return it to you at your cost or destroy it. You also have to maintain an "FFL shipping compliance program" that is available for UPS to audit or review at any time.
Here's the full text of the UPS FFL shipping agreement, which isn't on their website; you have to request it and apply for it.
This all stemmed from that letter several Congress Critters sent to the shipping companies several years ago threatening them with fines and liability for sending 80% Glock kits to several states which didn't allow them. Unfortunately UPS and FedEx both caved and implemented these new shipping regulations rather than fight it.
What it really boils down to is as an individual do not send anything gun related other than a scope through UPS if you want any hope of being reimbursed in the event of loss or damage. While you might sneak it through, if the box pops often in transit and the contents get damaged and they see what it is you will not be receiving any of the insurance for the loss/damage.
Nowadays I just ship all parts via USPS, and anything with a serial number I take to my dealer who ships it for their actual cost plus $20 for their time. Also, over the years I've found most FFLs prefer receiving serialized firearms from other FFLs anyways.
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For what it's worth I have recently shipped scopes, barrels, even complete uppers with UPS by printing the label out at home, taping it to the box, then dropping it off at a UPS access point.
As mentioned, you can do this, but in the event you need the insurance and they find out what it is you'll get nothing because you were violating their policies. My friend had a custom $3500+ walnut stock shipped to him via UPS with a regular shipping account and UPS didn't pay a dime of the insurance when it was broken in transit because it wasn't shipped from an FFL firearms product shipping account and was therefore not compliant with their terms of service.
Since the new policies in 2022ish the only gun related part you can ship through UPS as an individual with a "regular" shipping account is a scope, they are specifically exempted from the FFL shipping account requirements in their rules.
While you can print your own labels and stick whatever you want in the box, I'm just trying to hopefully save someone from the crap my friend went through last year with that stock...
i guess the question is, did you declare what you were shipping (specifically, not just "parts"), and will they cover you in the event of a loss?
The way i look at it is if i care about losing it or fear a badge is going to show up i will play their game /their rules . The little stuff like firing pins ,hammer springs etc are now called indexing pins /spring retainers for a lathe when asked at UPS .
Yeah, I've done the "machine parts" with a UPS label from Shippo. Was a barrel blank....so, just a SS tube.
I used to be able to go to the UPS service center near me and ship to an FFL....shipped some vintage Win shotguns that way. They closed the service center for retail business (I thought they closed them all??? Guess not) and no....I won't do the dance with them if shipping an action off to be rebarrelled.
In the future, I'll just pay Shipmygun.com if shipping a serialized action....not yet chambered barrel blanks though.....it ain't a gun part yet so fuck em.
I used to be able to go to the UPS service center near me and ship to an FFL....shipped some vintage Win shotguns that way. They closed the service center for retail business (I thought they closed them all??? Guess not) and no....I won't do the dance with them if shipping an action off to be rebarrelled.
In the future, I'll just pay Shipmygun.com if shipping a serialized action....not yet chambered barrel blanks though.....it ain't a gun part yet so fuck em.
I wasn’t talking about pins and springs but things that cost much more.
I didn't ask for insurance and was kinda vague in the description....for the complete upper I think the description I used was "Upper"....not "AR-15 Upper" or "gun Upper." I did send a barrel back and put "barrel" in the description and they didn't seem to care/notice. I honestly had no clue they had some policy against individual accounts shipping gun parts but this thread has been very enlightening for me.
If you're sending that to a smith for work, I'd find another one...
Dude doesn't even know the basic regulations for shipping firemarms.
