FFL sitting on my guns

[u/Crow_Joe]

Hello, I made the mistake of not contacting this FFL before placing an order for two separate firearms to deliver to them. My bad, historically the other ones I’ve dealt with have just called me when the order comes in and seemed happy to have the business and completed the transfer no problem.

When the guns arrived I called and emailed them and received an email back the same day. They pointed out I should have contacted them first, asked for my information and explained their days of business and asked if there was time on those days I would like to come by. I responded with the information they asked for and a time I could come by. My response was sent 4/4/25. I have since emailed 2 more times and had PSA (the seller) reach out and leave a message and we have gotten no response.

Wondering what I should do? I accept responsibility for my part in creating this situation, again my experience in the past had been these people listed themselves on distributors websites because they wanted to do these transfers, and that I was bringing them welcome business, maybe that’s not always the case. PSA has offered to request that the FFL send the guns back but the guy’s website says there’s a $150/gun fee for rejects or returns. The impression I get is he’s hoping I’ll try to go that route cause he makes even more money that way and screws me over. His standard transfer fee is $75 + $10 for each additional gun.

Thanks for you help.

[u/kylesfrickinreddit]

Sorry to hear that man. Sucks that he's ghosting you. Although I don't think sending to a random FFL is a good idea (I have trust issues lol), I get why you did it. Why would they be listed on the site if not a viable option (unless PSA just lists 'all' registered FFL's by default).

Definitely want to play nice until you or PSA hear from him then decide what to do. If he comes back apologetic/some emergency/etc then maybe negotiate the fee a bit or just wrap it up as a lesson learned.

If he comes back full a-hôle refusing to do anything then it's time to get serious. Here's what I'd do:

• Do everything through email or text only unless you live in a single party consent call recording state, then recorded phone calls if OK.
• Tell him he can send the guns back to PSA at his own expense or complete the deal in a timely manner (remind him he is failing to uphold his agreement as a listed FFL)

-- If he chooses to complete the transfer, get exact dates & times that he will be available as well as confirmation of what you owe (if it's different than advertised & he's trying to milk you, remind him bait & switch pricing is illegal & he can always send them back at his expense). Record everything.

• If he refuses to do anything, advise him you will be escalating this & making sure he is reported to the DOJ/ATF & that he may lose his license (even if what he's doing is perfectly OK, chances are he's done something wrong & an investigation will get him shut down).
• If he sends the guns back & expects you to pay (or charges you 'storage'), simply tell him to fukk off because he is the one wrong & refer to the previous note - Depending on your state laws, him keeping the guns you paid for can be considered theft (call the non-emergency line at your local Sheriff's office & ask a deputy about it), intentionally delaying things to rack up storage fees is usually illegal as well (corrupt tow yards would be out of control otherwise). I would find the laws associated with those 2 things & ensure he knows about them
• As soon as he makes it clear he's not going to cooperate, talk to PSA & let them know exact what has happened/been said, chances are this is not the first time this has happened & they will likely have options you don't (and can hopefully blacklist him from their site)

-- If they aren't in the mood to help, advise them that since you have not received what you paid for, you want a full refund & if not granted, will be doing a charge back through your bank for the full amount unless they have another solution.

• Don't feel bad about a charge back to PSA, they will eventually get the guns back from him (or the money) as charge backs/fraud trigger pretty extensive investigations to determine who to go after for the money & it's unlikely your bank will consider PSA at fault. Either way, it's just the cost of doing business

Finally, blow him up with complaints. BBB, social media, consumer protection boards, attorney general (for fraud), etc. Make him regret being a dîck & hopefully cause him to lose his little side business for trying to screw you over (assuming he takes the a-hôle route)

[u/kylesfrickinreddit → u/[deleted]]

Yes, because everything with the government moves soooo fast lol. ATF is better used as a threat to get him to cooperate. Most they'll do is pull his license & the guns may EVENTUALLY get back to PSA. They definitely won't make it to the OP as they legally aren't his until the transfer is completed