Mudflat Mike, SASS #20904 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 I just got a Vaquero delivered by FedEx with the box slit (not squished, cut with a knife). My gun was OK, but the driver says he's delivered 3 others to a local pawn shop in the past few days that were also cut, and the boxes were EMPTY! UPS has had a BIG problem for years, appears now there's the same thing going on at FedEx, employee theft. Insurance is a good thing, use it if you can Using a dealer on your end and using USPS is the safest way by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 MM, I don't have actual numbers, but even dealers, FFL holders, etc.... face the same issues when it comes to theft of packages, broken stocks, etc.... ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 ONLY USE USPS with the EXTRA INSURANCE The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. For handguns, no markings on the boxes and .... Although still not insurance, FedEx will increase its liability for valuable shipments with a fee-based concept called declared value liability. FedEx declared value liability only kicks in if the packages you ship were packed by FedEx team members at a FedEx location Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 The problem is that even if the package has no markings the address is almost always a dead giveaway as the business name usually has a reference to guns or firearms. I have recently run across two FFL's that have requested that their name and not the business name be used. Still going to the address on the FFL but instead of Bob's Firearm Emporium the package is addressed to the printed name of the individual on the FFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goody, SASS #26190 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 56 minutes ago, John Boy said: ONLY USE USPS with the EXTRA INSURANCE Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. As Mudflat Mike stated, "Using a dealer on your end and using USPS is the safest way by far." Dealers may mail handguns, and are frequently the least expensive alternative. It depends on what your local dealer charges. I have had them mailed for $15 plus the cost of postage, $25 for a pair going to the same address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Three Foot Johnson Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 My son-in-law works as a "roving postmaster" for several small towns up on the highline in northern Montana. He says it's almost a dead giveaway, regardless of the address, when a small, relatively heavy package insured for $600 or $1000 or whatever, comes through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 2 hours ago, John Boy said: ONLY USE USPS with the EXTRA INSURANCE The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. For handguns, no markings on the boxes and .... Although still not insurance, FedEx will increase its liability for valuable shipments with a fee-based concept called declared value liability. FedEx declared value liability only kicks in if the packages you ship were packed by FedEx team members at a FedEx location I wish local USPS, FEDEX and UPS shipping offices were aware of ALL their rules and guidelines. Two weeks back, I received a pistol thru the USPS, contrary to this "Handguns are not mailable". LAST WEEK, I sent a pistol to Smith & Wesson via FED EX. They told me they were NOT allowed to pack "Firearms" under no circumstances. I had to pack it in their box AND seal the box closed. They (3 employees) didn't want to even touch the item until I sealed it closed. I'm not sure any of their packing and shipping facilities know exactly what their suppose to do when it comes to firearms. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Devil Dale Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Maybe we will end up with a SASS Pony Express, with members relaying packages cross-country for other members. It wouldn't be real fast, but it would be reliable. Some state lines would impose a problem though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrel Cody Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 16 minutes ago, Dusty Devil Dale said: Maybe we will end up with a SASS Pony Express, with members relaying packages cross-country for other members. It wouldn't be real fast, but it would be reliable. Some state lines would impose a problem though. I'm positive that's already happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 1 hour ago, Dusty Devil Dale said: Maybe we will end up with a SASS Pony Express, with members relaying packages cross-country for other members. It wouldn't be real fast, but it would be reliable. Some state lines would impose a problem though. 1 hour ago, Tyrel Cody said: I'm positive that's already happening. I'd keep it on the QT. The phrase 'Plausible Deniability' comes to mind. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Checotah Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 8 hours ago, John Boy said: The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms. Handguns are not mailable 5 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said: I received a pistol thru the USPS, contrary to this "Handguns are not mailable". Handguns ARE mailable dealer to dealer. Unless they have changed it takes a very long time to collect on the insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakebite Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Always a strong possibility of guns getting taken while in transit. Something that I always do, is to ship them is a disguised box. Lke a Battery charger box, or Rice cooker box, etc, etc. I always remove the stocks on Long Guns and ship them in a odd shaped box that would not look like it would hold a Long Gun. Snakebite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Taking the butt stock off a long gun makes the package look much smaller and not so much like a rifle. Although I received one back from a smith with the barrel sticking 10" thru the end of the box via UPS. The funny thing was the delivery guy asking me what it was. His face dropped when I told him. He was carrying it by the exposed barrel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramblin Gambler Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 21 hours ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said: LAST WEEK, I sent a pistol to Smith & Wesson via FED EX. They told me they were NOT allowed to pack "Firearms" under no circumstances. I had to pack it in their box AND seal the box closed. They (3 employees) didn't want to even touch the item until I sealed it closed. Maybe they did know the rules. Based on what John Boy just told us, it sounds like that was a trick to keep the increased liability insurance from kicking in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Duncan Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 On 10/28/2019 at 8:23 PM, Dusty Devil Dale said: Maybe we will end up with a SASS Pony Express, with members relaying packages cross-country for other members. It wouldn't be real fast, but it would be reliable. Some state lines would impose a problem though. I did that at the request of the purchaser of my dry tumbler. As I recall it took on a little over a year (or was it two?) for him to receive it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramblin Gambler Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Some of us aint the pony riders we used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Gator SASS #29736 Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 How about using a box that is bigger then one that would be routinely used to ship a handgun. Maybe a 12" cube shape. It might cost a little more but would be less obvious to thiefs that it was a handgun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Ron Wayne Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 10/28/2019 at 8:23 PM, Dusty Devil Dale said: Maybe we will end up with a SASS Pony Express, with members relaying packages cross-country for other members. It wouldn't be real fast, but it would be reliable. Some state lines would impose a problem though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quizcat Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I'm a home-based online dealer, and both UPS and Fedex have always, always required signatures when a firearm is delivered. The last three or four deliveries by Fedex in particular, they just left the guns on the porch, no signatures. A couple of times it was the same substitute delivery man, but the last one was our regular Fedex delivery man for the last ten years. Most distributors and manufacturers seem to be using Fedex these days, very little UPS. UPS seems to still be requiring signatures on the rare occasion where we are receiving a UPS shipment, generally from a Gunbroker/Guns America shipment for transfer. Very strange after 35 years of Fedex demanding mandatory signatures without fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawdog Dago Dom Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 A friend of mine runs a shop that makes signs, banners, etc. Some of the jobs required the signs to be made or mounted on-site because they were so large. With other work going on sometimes a person would go through his cooler or tool box by mistake (or not). He made these stickers and put them on his cooler and tool box. Nobody touches them anymore. Maybe something similar for firearm shipping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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