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Sellers, How Long Do You Wait?
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,017 ******
For the FFL, that is?
This doesn't happen often. Actually, I can count the number of times this has happened on one hand with fingers left over, but it's an annoying problem. Here's how it works:
Buyer wins auction for a firearm.
I send end-of-auction email requesting payment and FFL copy.
Buyer responds stating payment and FFL are forthcoming.
Buyer sends payment, but no FFL.
I request FFL again.
Buyer then either ignores my request, or makes excuses for the delay.
So, I hold all the big cards. I have the gun, and the money; I just can't ship yet.
How long should a seller wait, hearing nothing from the buyer, before he considers the property abandoned?
You would think that a buyer might read the Buyer's Tutorial, and that he might have a transfer FFL lined up before ever bidding on his first gun, but they don't always.
Opinions?
Happened to you?
Thanks!
This doesn't happen often. Actually, I can count the number of times this has happened on one hand with fingers left over, but it's an annoying problem. Here's how it works:
Buyer wins auction for a firearm.
I send end-of-auction email requesting payment and FFL copy.
Buyer responds stating payment and FFL are forthcoming.
Buyer sends payment, but no FFL.
I request FFL again.
Buyer then either ignores my request, or makes excuses for the delay.
So, I hold all the big cards. I have the gun, and the money; I just can't ship yet.
How long should a seller wait, hearing nothing from the buyer, before he considers the property abandoned?
You would think that a buyer might read the Buyer's Tutorial, and that he might have a transfer FFL lined up before ever bidding on his first gun, but they don't always.
Opinions?
Happened to you?
Thanks!
Comments
However, this is real life. In real life the cop asks the half-naked, drunk, screaming yahoo five times to please be quiet and put on some pants. The cop asks once, asks again, the cop steps back quickly so the yahoo doesn't puke on his shoes, the cop asks again, then two more times, and finally reaches for the hand cuffs. Anything less than this and the video goes on youtube and the cop is called a Nazi and the police oversight board is up in arms and so on and so forth.
I teach kids. I'm teaching summer school right now. We asked the parents to send in the emergency care cards, the form with vital medical info and doctor's numbers and all that stuff, before the first day of school. We do an open house so you can bring it by then. One of my kids came to the open house, parents came, no form. I pull out a blank and ask if she'd like to fill it out now. That's OK, she'll do it at home.
The first day of school, no form. I put a third copy of the form in the kid's backpack and sent her home. Second day of school, no form, blank form still in backpack.
I follow the kid out to kiss and ride, say hi to mom, ask her to please fill out the form. If she wants she can do it right now. No, that's OK, she'll do it at home.
Third day of school, no form. I send home a fourth blank copy of the form.
Fourth day of school, Friday, no form. I catch mom at kiss and ride again. Hey, could you please. . . Oh sorry, she says, I'll get it right in.
It finally came in two weeks after school started. There is a note in the child's file that she is quite allergic to some things and has had seizures before that have required calling 911. And yet mom took two weeks to get the forms in.
And, and this is the one that kills me, had I after several polite requests, a phone call, and an email, told her to send the damn form in the next day and stop being ridiculous, I would have been called on the carpet. I would have been the bad guy.
So, Nunn, because this is America and because we're kind of absurd, you need to repeatedly call this fellow, wait a month, smile the whole time, because if you don't, the powers that be and the court of public opinion will hammer you. Doesn't make much sense to me, but little does.
Two weeks seems generous.
If I win an auction I go immediately to pay for it (when possible), then e-mail a copy of my transfer ffl's license. Usually all done in 10 minutes.
So yeah, two weeks seems like plenty.
I relisted the gun and sold it to someone else. I never heard another word out of the first buyer.
Just a suggestion.
A buyer not providing an FFL with purchase is BHO voting dumb or has other intentions.
As far as buyers, GB says you should contact seller within 5 days and make payment within 10 days, but I always read the seller terms and consider them first.
You can probably sell the item to someone else after one period of time, but will be obligated to return the money for much longer than that.
You don't make it clear about how communication is with the buyer. Are you able to call them? What do they say when you talk to them? It can be "easy" for people to ignore e-mails; sometimes talking to them on the phone will get them motivated -- particularly if you give them a very specific deadline.
"Oh, hell, I completely forgot about that."
FFL came within a week. Does he buy so many guns he forgets about them?
Too old to live...too young to die...
We roll over a lot of things here....so when we have payment without an FFL we send over an email to the buyer letting them know what the hold up is. (In case they THINK their FFL has sent me the paperwork.)
If I can get them to tell me who the FFL is I will give them a call and see if I can get the license sent over....but I will only mess with this for the first two weeks like that. I just set it aside and let the buyer worry about it after that.
I have held onto some things for a long long time....but eventually the buyers get things together.
I relisted the gun and sold it to someone else. I never heard another word out of the first buyer.
That really qualifies for good (A+) feedback, hope that's what you gave him [:D]
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
Turned out that his emails had an unusual provider name that MY provider flagged as SPAM. I never received them; they were intercepted by my provider. I only found out because I clean out the Junk folder there periodically.
That's not what happened to the OP, but I throw it out here in case it helps anyone else.
How long should a seller wait, hearing nothing from the buyer, before he considers the property abandoned?
That would totally up to you.
Thirty days would be my max. You must take in to consideration that an unforeseen matter may have came up to cause the buyer or FFL to be delayed.
Try to contact the buyer again and give them X amount of time to respond and or meet the requirements to fulfill the contract or he/she will forfeit all monies and property. Make dang sure that you document everything. For you need them later down the road.
When you mention taking money out of someones pocket. It tends to motivate 99% of people.
I make it perfectly clear to the buyer that I want a ffl or photo ID sent with the shipment of the firearm
I have received several firearms without as much as a return address, let alone a ffl or ID.
I give people the benefit of doubt. I give them 60 days
Sold a gun to another forum member, few years ago. Time flies, no word, no reply. Figure I have to re-list.
Got an email. Seems the buyer's been in the hospital. Finally somebody brings in an iPhone to email with. Asks me to please hold the gun as it's a year he's always wanted for that make and model. Says I could ask Kasey if the situation for real. I offer to let him off the hook, no harm no foul. Nope, he seriously wants the gun.
So I ask Kasey and yeah the buyer is in a real pickle alright, medically speaking. Entirely real about what's going on. She vouches for the buyer, so okay.
I figure what the hell, ain't like I'm hurting for the money or in a rush to spend it. So we extend this deal out near to two months. Finally buyer is out of the hospital, everything is made right and off it goes. I'm paid and the buyer likes what got delivered.
Routinely, maybe I'd wait a couple weeks in Nunn's situation, send daily emails, make a couple of phone calls. No more than that.
If there's some special circumstance and you don't mind working through it, seems harmless enough to do so.
I know of one that won't give a copy of the ffl to anyone but another ffl, and even then only if the shipping ffl contacts him and sends his first.
Sometimes he does not even inform the buyer of this fact.
I would contact the buyer by email,snail mail, and if necessary phone , to straighten it out and give him a dead line.
No way is keeping the money and reselling the gun the right thing to do, charging a fee for your work and troubles I can agree with, but thats all.
Believe it or not some ffl's are not the best business people.
I know of one that won't give a copy of the ffl to anyone but another ffl, and even then only if the shipping ffl contacts him and sends his first.
Sometimes he does not even inform the buyer of this fact.
I would contact the buyer by email,snail mail, and if necessary phone , to straighten it out and give him a dead line.
No way is keeping the money and reselling the gun the right thing to do, charging a fee for your work and troubles I can agree with, but thats all.
YEP! I AM ONE OF THOSE!
why should I hand out my ffl to every tom,dick, and harry?
call me, e mail me, fax me send me a usps letter and ask me to send my ffl, and I will.
I just don't hand them out
if you feel you need one that bad, get your own ffl