How Gun Auctions Work

A gun auction site functions much like a regular auction site such as Ebay® or Yahoo Auctions®:

The seller registers with the auction site, and then starts an auction for the item that they want to sell. A buyer, who will also register with the auction site, comes in and places a bid on the item. The bidding will continue until the auction ends. Once the auction is complete, the seller will contact the buyer to arraign payment. Once payment is made, the seller will ship the item to the seller.

Gun auction sites work almost the same way, except that firearms are a regulated item. The sale and transfer of firearms and certain firearms parts are regulated by the federal government and individual state governments. The federally regulating body is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (More commonly know as the ATF). Individual state governments also regulate the possession, sale, and transfer of firearms. Some of those regulations include:

• Age Limits for possession and sale
• Certain types of firearms related items may be illegal in certain states
• Modern firearms have to shipped to a holder of a valid Federal Firearms License (FFL). The recipient must be have an FFL; however the sender is not required to have one.

To ensure that you are clear on the federal firearms laws, and the laws from your state, here are some useful links for more info:

Federal - ATF Firearms web site

State Laws - ATF State Regulations or National Rifle Association (NRA) State Regulations Info

Once you understand these laws, and ensure that you comply, you are set to sell or purchase from a gun auction site. Usually the same regulations that you followed if you purchased a firearms locally will still apply to an auction purchase.