Background Check Fee?

[MrsGungho]

Not to get too far off subject, but years ago, I recall something related to an added charge when purchasing a handgun without a LTCH.

If I remember correctly the State of Indiana used to have a background check called in also, with the LTCH you did not have to do this check. The State of Indiana DID charge for their service. It was minimal if I remember correctly, but I never paid it because I was ahhh to young, yeah that's it, to young.

 

[avengedXT]

I do see you point, i do NOT agree with it.

hows is this, I am a service based business and NOT a retail business. now for my purple

JUST IN.... indygunworks will do transfers for 10 dollars (but when you get here i have a sign saying i charge 25 for the background check. Dont like it, i dont have to do the background check and can send it back to where you purchased it so you can have it sent somewhere else.

I don't mind that you don't agree with my point.

Now to comment on the purple - how is that relevant in this situation? We are discussing a retail chain adding a charge for a service. You're talking about advertising $10 transfers then you have a sign saying you charge $25. Sure, I could and would dispute it with a personal FFL doing that. I have in the past. His & Hers Target Sports in Sheridan, Ron Cooper, he does it all the time. Advertises $15 transfers and will charge you depending on the mood he's in that day. Sure, I talk him back down to $15 every time.

Maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am but it sounds an awful lot like comparing apples to oranges. You say you're service based, Big R is retail based.

EDIT:
I was a little off on your purple. It makes more sense going back over it. It wasn't apples to oranges. I still don't see the complete problem with it though. If I was the consumer having an online firearm purchased and shipped to an FFL charging $10 (and a hidden $25 background check fee). Me, myself would have you send it back to where it was purchased. And I would have them send it to somebody else. Because I have the option to do so, that's what makes being an American and an Indiana resident with options to buy elsewhere less than impossible.

 

[Colt556]

Back in the old timey days there was a separate form that we had to fill out for the state and get finger printed as well as the 4473. If you had a permit there was no finger printing and you could take the handgun with you, if not there was a 3 day waiting period. I don't recall being charged a fee, but then I don't remember a lot of things anymore.

 

[MrsGungho]

I don't mind that you don't agree with my point.

Now to comment on the purple - how is that relevant in this situation? We are discussing a retail chain adding a charge for a service. You're talking about advertising $10 transfers then you have a sign saying you charge $25. Sure, I could and would dispute it with a personal FFL doing that. I have in the past. His & Hers Target Sports in Sheridan, Ron Cooper, he does it all the time. Advertises $15 transfers and will charge you depending on the mood he's in that day. Sure, I talk him back down to $15 every time.

Maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am but it sounds an awful lot like comparing apples to oranges. You say you're service based, Big R is retail based.

I see what he is saying, transferring in the firearm is one thing, calling in the background check is another. Then you could also go one more step and charge to transfer it out too.
It is more than just making the phone call, it is accepting the shipment, verifying serial number, logging in, making call, logging out. To me that is all one thing to charge for, it could be seen differently by different people though.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I don't mind that you don't agree with my point.

Now to comment on the purple - how is that relevant in this situation? We are discussing a retail chain adding a charge for a service. You're talking about advertising $10 transfers then you have a sign saying you charge $25. Sure, I could and would dispute it with a personal FFL doing that. I have in the past. His & Hers Target Sports in Sheridan, Ron Cooper, he does it all the time. Advertises $15 transfers and will charge you depending on the mood he's in that day. Sure, I talk him back down to $15 every time.

Maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am but it sounds an awful lot like comparing apples to oranges. You say you're service based, Big R is retail based.

EDIT:
I was a little off on your purple. It makes more sense going back over it. It wasn't apples to oranges. I still don't see the complete problem with it though. If I was the consumer having an online firearm purchased and shipped to an FFL charging $10 (and a hidden $25 background check fee). Me, myself would have you send it back to where it was purchased. And I would have them send it to somebody else. Because I have the option to do so, that's what makes being an American and an Indiana resident with options to buy elsewhere less than impossible.

So they are retail based, that wasnt not my entire point. All it takes is for one place to start charging for the check, then others in the area follow "because they can" thats how industry standards are established. once everyone is charging 2, then they charge 3 so forth and so on.

Kinda like property taxes. It only applied to those w/ property, and they started out small, but then got larger and larger and larger, and now we are only leasing our properties from the .gov

ONE place charging for this in my opinion is to many and since it seems to be new, and small, we should try to stop it where its at while we still can.

 

[avengedXT]

So they are retail based, that wasnt not my entire point. All it takes is for one place to start charging for the check, then others in the area follow "because they can" thats how industry standards are established. once everyone is charging 2, then they charge 3 so forth and so on.

Kinda like property taxes. It only applied to those w/ property, and they started out small, but then got larger and larger and larger, and now we are only leasing our properties from the .gov

ONE place charging for this in my opinion is to many and since it seems to be new, and small, we should try to stop it where its at while we still can.

While you make a good point how others could follow that, how many do you really expect to see in the future doing it? If I were a betting man I would put down a wager that it won't happen.

If you do call corporate Big-R please do me a favor, and ask them how long that corporate policy has been in place.


In the end, I will always go to whoever gives the best deal. That's my choice and I will stick to it. None of us on this forum are one in the same, so we will all do what we want in the end.

OP - You should post in the retail store feedback section on INGO so anybody looking to buy a firearm from Big R in the future can see this as well.

 

[Ted]

Like property taxes, utilities, labor costs, etc......the time utilized to conduct a background check via NICS is merely part of the overall business overhead.....and should be rolled into the price of the merchandise.

 

[avengedXT]

Like property taxes, utilities, labor costs, etc......the time utilized to conduct a background check via NICS is merely part of the overall business overhead.....and should be rolled into the price of the merchandise.

Right. Which is why I choose to buy at Bradis and rarely Plainfield Shooting Supplies. When they don't have the price I want, which Bradis always has thus far, I go to Budsgunshop.com - again, options people. Options!

 

[WebSnyper]

If I remember correctly the State of Indiana used to have a background check called in also, with the LTCH you did not have to do this check. The State of Indiana DID charge for their service. It was minimal if I remember correctly, but I never paid it because I was ahhh to young, yeah that's it, to young.

Back when I lived in FL many years ago there was a similar situation. There was a fee for the call as the state charged for it, but it and any waiting period was avoided by providing your permit (yes, in FL it was a concealed weapons permit). Unfortunately I'm not too young to remember it

 

[JohnP82]

Sure, $2 isn't much money, but next it will be $5, then $10 and it will be at $20 within a couple of years.

I have never paid to have a NICS check and I would not buy from a place that siad they charged for it.

 

[IndyGunSafety]

Adding on to the retail price does not cover time and energy of showing a potential buyer multiple guns, explaining things, doing the paper work and calling in the background check ONLY TO HAVE THE BUYER FAIL THE BACKGROUND CHECK, or they get delayed and decide they don't want to wait to get the gun.

Also, many dealers have a "restocking fee" if the buyer fails the background check, I see this at the gun show all the time.

We do not have either policy but I cannot knock another business for getting tired of wasting time on people who can't pass a background check.

We are not charged for background checks. Whether or not Big R is, I cannot tell you.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Wonder what would happen if a shop/store would "charge" a certain "deposit" fee prior to doing the NICS call in?

Pass and that money is subtracted from the purchase price of the gun.

Fail it and all but $2.00 is refunded.

That would make it interesting, now, wouldn't it? Would probably cut down on the folks who KNOW they can't (or might not) pass the NICS...

Then again, I am not, ever have been, nor ever will be a business owner.

-J-

 

[Audie Murphy]

When I lived in IL, all of the gun stores I made firearm purchases from charged an FTIP fee(back ground check). ranged anywhere from $2-5.Communist.

 

[elemonator]

Big R emailed me back , I contacted them at their 'contact us' section of their website. In a nut shell a man named Tom Grimes, Purchasing agent for Big R stores,wrote, 'The charges come from the phone company and is[sic] a cost of doing business in firearms.' I would be happy to forward this email to anyone, just pm me.

 

[UNCLE HARLEY]

Big R emailed me back , I contacted them at their 'contact us' section of their website. In a nut shell a man named Tom Grimes, Purchasing agent for Big R stores,wrote, 'The charges come from the phone company and is[sic] a cost of doing business in firearms.' I would be happy to forward this email to anyone, just pm me.

So what's next, a fee to use their shopping carts, an extra charge to have salt or fertilizer bags loaded into my car? Seems like it's ALL overhead. Now I understand the R in Big R= ripoff.

 

[KG1]

Adding on to the retail price does not cover time and energy of showing a potential buyer multiple guns, explaining things, doing the paper work and calling in the background check ONLY TO HAVE THE BUYER FAIL THE BACKGROUND CHECK, or they get delayed and decide they don't want to wait to get the gun.

Also, many dealers have a "restocking fee" if the buyer fails the background check, I see this at the gun show all the time.

We do not have either policy but I cannot knock another business for getting tired of wasting time on people who can't pass a background check.

We are not charged for background checks. Whether or not Big R is, I cannot tell you.

I have'nt seen a fee just to call the check in but I have seen a sign posted in my LGS stating that there will be a fee charged for any failed background check.

 

[.458socomhunter]

Funny you mention Big Rs. I bought a sp101 through them last summer. (Crawfordsville) Advertised at 405.00. I asked if that was pre/post tax and if there were any hidden fees. They said pretax, no fees. Well they lied. So make sure you find the price out the door and an itemized charge list prior to swiping your card. That way, if you don't like it, tell them to get bent.

 

[Cemetery-man]

While I do like shopping at Big R, I sure won't be buying any guns there.

 

[davedolli]

What he said.

Dave

 

[avengedXT]

It occured to me. The simplest way to put this would be:

It compares to individuals selling guns on the classifieds. Anybody has the choice to charge (for example) $855 for a Gen 2 Glock 19 with rust on the barrel. If buyer X decides to buy it for that, that's their choice. Buyer Y can easily acknowledge the obvious and go elsewhere.

Wal-Mart, last I checked doesn't charge for firearms purchases' background checks. That's their choice. Big R does. That my friends is their choice. Happy hunting!