Shipping Ammo
Okay I read the sticky on it. From what I get from it and what I have been told over the years,
shipping live ammo via the USPS is illegal.
Then my question is; if it is illegal then how are the big sellers on the auction side
getting away with shipping ammo via USPS?
They state they ship USPS and the shipping price they are giving is for Priority Mail.
I know because I know what UPS charges and there is no way I can charge $6 - $7 less to match their shipping price
on the same ammo via UPS.
I now understand why we do not sell as much ammo even though our price for the auction is within line with the rest.
Our shipping cost kills it because we ship within the law.
shipping live ammo via the USPS is illegal.
Then my question is; if it is illegal then how are the big sellers on the auction side
getting away with shipping ammo via USPS?
They state they ship USPS and the shipping price they are giving is for Priority Mail.
I know because I know what UPS charges and there is no way I can charge $6 - $7 less to match their shipping price
on the same ammo via UPS.
I now understand why we do not sell as much ammo even though our price for the auction is within line with the rest.
Our shipping cost kills it because we ship within the law.
0
-
What carrier(s) can I ship ammo through? Do you have to declare what is in the shipment? Just need some info on shipping laws governing ammunition. Also, I am not a FFL holder. How can I ship a firearm legally? 0 -
usps will ship it if it is "unable to be taken out of the box and shot". put a lock in the action. they will not ship ammo. do not give away the ammo with the auction. it is a nice addition, but it will add cost to shipping with ups. either that or don't tell them and possibly pay the consequences. i say give the ammo to a friend or shoot it up before you sell the gun. i ship one gun thursday. i shipped another one yesterday, they ask,"do you have anything fragile, destructive, or liquid?" no,"is this a gun?" yes. "is it able to fire?" i reckon,"well it must be deactivated before shipping." is what the woman tells me so i go to my car(i have a collection of gun locks in my trunk that get thrown out when the box gets open. put a lock in the action. and told her to tape the box up. they shipped it and i asked about ammo and she said that usps does not ship ammo. i think with anyone else it is a 20$ hazardous material charge. so i say shoot it or keep it or give it to a friend.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.0 -
quote:Originally posted by bperdue21
either that or don't tell them and possibly pay the consequences.
What consequences are you talking about? Have you ever "paid the consequences"?0 -
UPS and Fed-Ex ship ammo, box must be marked "ORM-D small arms ammo". Standard shipping rates apply IE there is no "Hax-mat" fee. Shipping ammo via the USPS is a violation of federal law.
This topic has been covered here many times, do a search.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.0 -
quote:Originally posted by vallopez2000
quote:Originally posted by bperdue21
either that or don't tell them and possibly pay the consequences.
What consequences are you talking about? Have you ever "paid the consequences"?
The act would be a violation of Department of Transporation hazardous materials shipping regulations. The violation is shipping an undeclared hazardous materials shipment. The potential civil penalty is a fine of $27,500. There could also be criminal penalties if the shipment caused any personal injury or property damage. And, yes, small arms ammunition is considered a hazardous material.
Thousands of individuals and companies are fined every year by the DOT for violations of HAZMAT regulations. Some go to jail. The Valuejet crash was caused by an undeclared HAZMAT shipment. The persons responsible for that shipment went to jail.0 -
Thanks Tailgunner. I tried "Search", after 5 minutes of the page not loading (cable modem), I gave up!!! 0 -
Sometimes the search function is kinda slow.
If you get a chance, contact "Iconoclast" he sells & ships a lot of collector ammo. He's also the moderator of the "Wanted" forums. He's posted the requirments many times on here, I think he has it saved as a "cut & paste" document on his computer.
Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.0 -
Yeah, TG54, he does [:D] . . . probably ought to have the Captain make it a sticky.
Jon:
Unless state or local regulations / laws specify otherwise, you may ship ammo within the continental US w/o an FFL (don't need it for AK or HI, but see below) to another party who does not have an FFL. Be aware that some jurisdictions have stringent restrictions on the types & calibers of ammo which may be received (particularly military surplus loadings); check with the ATF website to determine if this foolish PC nonsense applies to you or the recipient. Also be aware that MA requires you have a copy of the recipient's FOID - possibly IL as well. Live ammo may *only* be shipped by common carrier (i.e.: UPS, FedEx) by *ground* transport (unless you invest in expensive Hazmat training with the carriers). No 'hazmat' penalties apply; however, the container must be marked on one side "Small Arms Ammunition Cartridges ORM-D" (short for "Other Regulated Material - class D"). Technically, this verbiage must be outlined by a line box at least .250" larger than the verbiage. For years, I just marked my boxes with marker, but then I ran into a real anal set of hoplophobic types at the local UPS termninal who sent back all my boxes, opened, because the labels were not *exactly* as specified by regulations. It is illegal to ship by USPS (Postal regs, Pub 52, Section 341.21c). Be aware that both of the common carriers apparently give the terminal managers and drivers wide latitude in accepting / rejecting packages, so a UPS location in your area may refuse to accept a package while FedEx will, or vice versa. If you are frustrated by the locals, a call to the national customer service center with a request for them to contact the local terminal will usually - but not always - resolve the problem. Cost varies by weight, distance and recipient. In reference to the latter, there are surcharges for residential deliveries and deliveries to 'rural' zip codes. You can determine the charges in advance by accessing the carriers' websites and entering the zipcodes, weight, insured value, dimensions, etc. These charges are front-end loaded, so shipping a ten pound package will often cost less than twice the charges on a one pound package. On small items, cost typically runs $6 to $11. FedEx Ground is usually cheaper than UPS, but their drivers have much more difficulty with rural addresses. OTOH, FedEx seems to have far less political problems with ammo and similar material.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain)0 -
Regarding shipping ammunition.
Everything you have read in the above post are right on.
However there is just one more thing that the counter clerk can demand and that is that the box you are shipping in must have a mimum"crush" strength of 200 pounds.
The information regarding the crush strength can be found on the bottom of the box. Usually it is in a small cirlce with other information such as the product makers name.
Regarding the ORMD sticker. Just make a trip to Staples and purchase a small amount of 2" by 4" labels. Then using your computer draw a rectangle inside the lable near the edge, so that appears that the message is in a box and in the middle print the following words in a large font ORMD and below that print SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION.
I suggest using red in color for the printing it somehow looks official, at least to our local counter clerks.
At the risk of running on about the subject, please be advised that I was turned away from a UPS counter because I was not in their system of hazmet users.
Tried without any positive results to explain that an individual could ship ammunition when properly packed.
So I asked for the managers name and then called UPS and requested that they call the local manager and inform him of being able to accept cartridges for delivery.
They did call and the manager called me at home and said to bring the stuff on over. Never a problem after that.
Be advised, you can win this fight. Best 11thcanopy0 -
Thanks a lot guys!!!
Just one other thing, supposing I don't get issues at the local terminals.....do the $30 "Dangerous Goods" charges apply to small arms cartridges???
Thanks Again!!!0 -
Jon, no extra charges apply. "ORM-D" items are not "Dangerous Goods" or "Hazardous Material" under the current regulatory scheme.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain)0 -
quote:Originally posted by Iconoclast
Jon, no extra charges apply. "ORM-D" items are not "Dangerous Goods" or "Hazardous Material" under the current regulatory scheme.
ORM-D certainly is considered a hazardous material by the Department of Transportation and is regulated under 49 CFR. It is however, exempted from many of the requirements of the regulation and a hazmat fee is not usually charged by a carrier.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
12 comments