UPS Customer Centers & Shipping Guns/ Ammo

[DPHunter4570]

Hey all,

I learned some interesting information yesterday when I stopped at a UPS Customer Center to ship some ammo I sold.

I am no expert on this by any means, but what I have found at least around me in the Midwest is that the local UPS Store wont ship anything firearms related. They wouldn't even ship a scope to Leupold for me. Everything firearms related has to go through a UPS Customer Center. So usually I have to drive an hour away to way on the other side of St. Louis, or stop at one while out working on the road. I stopped at one in Indianapolis on Friday. I have shipped guns and ammo from various centers across the midwest, it usually really isn't that difficult. I don't really like my local post office much.

I was able to ship my ammo as normal, has to go ground, it was one box so it was only 11 bucks, easy peasy. But, she told me that all UPS Customer Centers across the country are closing their customer desks this year. The Center will still be there, but you wont be able to walk in and print a label and ship things. Only pickup or drop off pre-labeled items. I'm not sure if you'll be able to do anything there you would have to pay for in person.

Which means that for a guy shipping a gun he's sold, or shipping out for smith work, or ammo sold, is going to get difficult. Easiest way is probably going to be going to your local gun shop that has a UPS account and having them ship it for you. Or, I think you'll be able to print a label at home and drop off at a Customer Center (maybe), or print label and schedule a UPS pickup.

Whether you hate UPS, wont use them, have a better way, only use FedEx, what have you, it sounds like its going to be much more of a pain to ship stuff if you want to use UPS. For me, living in a small town, I don't have a lot of options without driving over to St. Louis or waiting till I am in a big city for work. Just thought I'd let folks know in case they do it this way. I'm sure I'm missing a hundred better ways to do this, someone will chime in I'm sure.

Have a good weekend all!

- Dan

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

My center closed its customer desk awhile ago.
I actually have ammo I'd consider selling but it's currently a 1 or 2 hour drive also.

 

[PARA45]

I shipped a handgun a military friend had me hold for him while he overseas, and it cost $200 to use the local gunshop. I don't know what I will do if I get to sell a rifle or a handgun. Maybe split it with the customer. Not a conspiracy tin hat kind of guy, but I wonder if they are doing this on purpose?

 

[Doug3006]

Same here in the St. Louis metro area. The stores in the county won’t dirty their hands with it. So you have to drive into the city to ship it at the distribution center. That means you‘ll need 2 guns just to ship one! One to ship and one for the walk to and from your car.

 

[DPHunter4570]

Same here in the St. Louis metro area. The stores in the county won’t dirty their hands with it. So you have to drive into the city to ship it at the distribution center. That means you‘ll need 2 guns just to ship one! One to ship and one for the walk to and from your car.

That's right! for me living over outside of Waterloo, I either have to drive into the heart of the city, or drive all the way out to Earth City / St Charles. Neither of them are that appealing.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Hey all, same for us. Even Gunshop's now have to be registered and approved by FedEx to ship. That's why we don't do FedEx. UPS still handles all our firearms and ammo shipping with no issue. But we are retail store front. I do all my personal shipping with shop account to save the hassle.

 

[SETH RINGER]

JUST HAD A LITTLE BREAK DOWN 44MAG MARLIN SHIPPED BACK FROM CO. GSMITH SAID THE SAME THING, HAD TO PRINT THE LABEL HIMSELF OR THEY WOUDNT TAKE IT AND HE KEPT GETTING AN "ERROR CODE" ON THE WEBSITE AND COUDNT PRINT. WEEK OR SO LATER HE GOT IT DONE AND WE GOT A REALLY COOL LITTLE RIFLE.

 

[xbr897]

Hey all, same for us. Even Gunshop's now have to be registered and approved by FedEx to ship. That's why we don't do FedEx. UPS still handles all our firearms and ammo shipping with no issue. But we are retail store front. I do all my personal shipping with shop account to save the hassle.

hmm, UPS made me go through a bunch of new paperwork a few years back to be able to ship firearms with them. The most screwed up thing is that even after all that work, the customer center here has no way to look up that my account is approved for shipping firearms. I have to take in copies of my UPS forms to show them. Thankfully most shipments are just done via pick up where our driver knows we're all setup. All that said, I avoid FedEx as they're even worse. They have twice left firearms at front door on a non business day without any signature even though one was required on shipping documents.

 

[skydiver386]

Ran into the same thing trying to ship a package to another member here. You have to start an account with UPS, or whatever shipper you plan to use, fill out the forms, have a way to print shipping labels, and then arrange for pickup. Of course you have to put a credit card number on file so you can be billed.

Not impossible, but certainly more difficult for those of us that only ship a package a few times a year.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

I have a UPS account but don't ship often. The account is free and I think it offers a discount. Last time I shipped ammo, I measured the box and weighed it on on $20 postal-type scale I bought from Amazon. I populated the UPS online form and printed out the label and HAZMAT diamond placards.

UPS lists drop off locations and surprise that there is one at a locally owned supermarket not five miles from me. Wham, bam, thank you mamm! It was easy. Just remember that UPS Stores are owned by was was Mailboxes Etc... a private company that doesn't ship firearms or ammmo. Call teh UPS dropoff first and ask if they ship HAZMAT / ammo. UPS does however require one have an FFL registered with them to ship firearms.

To ship long guns, I use USPS Priority Mail. To ship handguns, my local part-time FFL ships them. He charges me his usual $20 transfer fee and the actual cost of the Prioriy Mail shipment. Granted he is an exceptionally great American being US Air Force retired. Being a fellow retired serviceman (USMC) we converse about retirement, politics, families and so on.

What I do to make life easy for my FFL it to package the handgun so that my FFL can site the serial number and model. Then with my tape gun in hand in his presence, I close up the package.

If a local gun shop charges too much, conduct an FFL search and start calling around. Chances are there will be someone who doesn't charge an arm and a leg to ship handguns. I ran a seach on this site and found my FFL, half a dozen other Class 1 FFLs (dealer in firearms) and almost half a dozen Class 6 and 7 FFLs which are manufactures in firearms or ammunition. Manufactures in my neighborhood? Who would have thought...

Zip Code

www.ffldealernetwork.com

 

[HankBuck]

Hey all,

I learned some interesting information yesterday when I stopped at a UPS Customer Center to ship some ammo I sold.

I am no expert on this by any means, but what I have found at least around me in the Midwest is that the local UPS Store wont ship anything firearms related. They wouldn't even ship a scope to Leupold for me. Everything firearms related has to go through a UPS Customer Center. So usually I have to drive an hour away to way on the other side of St. Louis, or stop at one while out working on the road. I stopped at one in Indianapolis on Friday. I have shipped guns and ammo from various centers across the midwest, it usually really isn't that difficult. I don't really like my local post office much.

I was able to ship my ammo as normal, has to go ground, it was one box so it was only 11 bucks, easy peasy. But, she told me that all UPS Customer Centers across the country are closing their customer desks this year. The Center will still be there, but you wont be able to walk in and print a label and ship things. Only pickup or drop off pre-labeled items. I'm not sure if you'll be able to do anything there you would have to pay for in person.

Which means that for a guy shipping a gun he's sold, or shipping out for smith work, or ammo sold, is going to get difficult. Easiest way is probably going to be going to your local gun shop that has a UPS account and having them ship it for you. Or, I think you'll be able to print a label at home and drop off at a Customer Center (maybe), or print label and schedule a UPS pickup.

Whether you hate UPS, wont use them, have a better way, only use FedEx, what have you, it sounds like its going to be much more of a pain to ship stuff if you want to use UPS. For me, living in a small town, I don't have a lot of options without driving over to St. Louis or waiting till I am in a big city for work. Just thought I'd let folks know in case they do it this way. I'm sure I'm missing a hundred better ways to do this, someone will chime in I'm sure.

Have a good weekend all!

- Dan

@DPHunter4570 : Thanks for the heads Up, I’ve run into similar issues with UPS and Firearms but shipping a rifle scope is no problem - it is Not prohibited and likely the “clerk” was unaware of policy - which is common. No difference shipping a Telescope, camera telephoto lens, range finder, etc…. When I list them as “optics” - which they are. Now, I did have a problem shipping an item back to Ruger - even at the UPS main hub AND with Ruger having sent me a pre paid shipping lable….had to have Ruger call and speak directly to the UPS person and then send an Email to UPS confirming the details —- took about 15 minutes and mostly because the UPS person was unaware of UPS “Policy”. Unfortunately its Not easy and Not going to get easier.