doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Importing an English SxS ~ Auction ~ Help!!!

Ok the story begins like this: i do all of my homework, find this beautiful gun in a UK auction house, ask tons of questions, including export and import questions, i'm told in writing (by the auction house's recommended exporter) it will be a breeze and not to worry. So, lucky me i have the winning bid, and as per the exporters instuctions I file form 6 with the ATF as I was told to do, and even had the exporter review it before i sent it, also having explained clearly to the exporter "i'm not an FFL!" he said no worries, you are allowed to do an occasional imports for personal use, no FFL needed. Today, after 6 weeks, I decide to call the ATF and get status...to make a long story short, after much discussion with the ATF, they tell me you have been given bad information, you must use an FFL. No need for import license, but you must have an FFL. Meanwhile after many emails back and forth with auction house's prefered exporter (all names are intentionally being left out) he tells me a name of someone that can help get me out of this mess.. i contact the guy he refers me to and he tells me it's going to cost me $1000 +/- on this side of the pond to get the gun imported... So here i am 6 weeks later with nearly $20k of gun sitting in the UK - already paid for...So as it stands now I have located a local FFL and we are going to try to import using form 6 and his FFL number, taking advantage of the ATF's occasional importer clause. Does anyone have any useful advice for me on this; experinece of failure or success? - I'm looking for something useful, please no lectures about buying from auction houses, not trying to import yourself etc... I need something i can use now that i'm this deep in the sh@#$@!t

You're not so bad off. You have a $21,000 gun instead of a $20,000 gun. Pay the man and get your gun out of limbo. You didn't say, but if your gun is documented to be pre-January 1st, 1899 you might convince the ATF to let you import it yourself since under the 1968 Gun Control Act it is not a gun. Good luck...Geo

Like you I have been told importing is not that big of a deal but now you have me worrying and thinking twice about buying at an auction and bringing a gun over. I am very interested in reading the responses you receive and, like you, I hope they are informative and not negative.

I imported a gun from England and it was a lot bigger deal than I anticipated. Took about 3 months to get my gun, cost me about $1k and the importer stamped their logo on the barrels of my gun, which I found out later is US law. So....I understand your frustration. There's the import fee and a customs fee and I paid an airport fee too, I believe. I won't be importing any more guns anytime soon. Left a bad taste in my mouth. I think the best way to do it is with someone who imports lots of guns and 'bundles' the guns thus lowering the cost on each individual piece. I would recommend calling Kirby Hoyt of Vintage Doubles. He imports lots of guns and might be able to help you. Good luck.

I did exactly what the BATF told you to do. Since this is a shotgun any FFL can do an "occasional" import once a proper Form 6 has been prepared and approved. It took me about 6 months start to finish as I remember it the last time I did this. My FFL let me do it under his license but I actually prepared all the paperwork. I don't remember the cost but I'm told this has really gone up.
BTW: You were given some REALLY bad information by that auction houses "preferred exporter" and I hope you have brought this to their attention.
Again; ANY 01 FFL holder in your area can do this type of import under their license so IMO you should shop around.
Also I was also told that a customs broker would have to clear the shotguns(it was two shotguns) thru customs. By the time I had scrambled around and found a broker the shotguns had already arrived at my FFLs place of business!
No import marks, no brokerage fees, no airport fees. Maybe I just go lucky.
BTW: These shotguns were shipped thru the Peter Dyson firm in Great Britain.
Jim

I believe Steve Bertram (SKB on this forum) also offers import services.

I used Briley years ago, painless, reasonable price, fast. I don't know if they still offer the service but it is a toll free call to find out.

bill

I have imported a number of guns into the US from English auction houses over the years. The information you provided doesn't give us enough to go on to comment.The biggest piece of information is, is the gun pre-1898? If it is, no form 6 is required, and no FFL holder need be involved. But, getting it from the auction house and shipped out of the UK needs the service of a shipper with the proper export license. That will cost you about 250-350 GBP. And that gets you to a port of entry here in the states. You can pick the gun up from the shipper yourself by clearing it through customs as an antique (pre-1898). If you aren't near the port of entry you will need to get a customs broker, and make arrangements to have the gun forwarded to your address, after it is cleared through customs.

The other scenario; it isn't a pre 1898 (antique) gun. Then it is just the same as shipping guns in the USA. You need an FFL.
And the FFL applys for the Form 6, handles the customs,import duties(2-3% of value, I am not sure of the exact amount) and the gun ends up at the FFL's place of buisness, where he puts his name ,ID or what ever on the gun (barrels or flats).

The FFL can handle the whole process for you from auction house to your door step i.e. form 6 filing, UK export, customs, shipping, customs broker, and yes it is going to cost you about $1,000, for the whole shebang!

Griffin and Howe, Briish Sporting Arms, Champlin, Holland Holland, to name just a few can provide this type of service!
No fuss, no muss! It is the painless way to do it, except for writing the check to pay for the service! But you have already, in your case dumped a bundle into the English economy.

Getting the form 6 approved use to run about 3-4 weeks. With the sequester, a gun I bought at Holt's March 21 sale,to date, still hasn't been processed by the ATF.

The FFL holder you are using should have experience in this buisness as far as the paperwork goes when the gun hits customs at the port of entry! In other words he will need a customs broker (who is licensed to handle firearms importation), and the part of the form 6 that customs fills out and sends back to the ATF.

That's all folks, hope it is of some small help.
Herb

My forms 6s generally take 3-4 weeks. I am in the systems since I have been importing for so many years, since 1972 and a few years ago I got clearence by TSA as a know shipper also. So things generally go through quickly. As my shipments and paperwork are always in order. So this helps

If you look at the form 6 when its returned to you you wil it stamped in red that the guns has to be marked with the name, city and state of the importer. On the 6 a that has to go back to washington, you are certifiying that this is done or will be done in 15 days.

Most ffls do not know how to do this and what to do when the gun arrives. You need a good customs broker who has some experience in this.

Yes, it can be more costs and paperwork than you expect. The sellers overseas tell you no problem, but what they mean is no problem for them. Just you (If they told you it was a hassle on your end, you might not buy the gun.)

John Boyd
Quality Arms
Houston, TX

THanks for all of the answers, except the one about spending the extra $1000 and now you will have a $21K gun, that's was just ridiculous.

The gun is post 1898. A Boss made in the early part of the 20th century.

As you said Arrieta 2 - "The sellers overseas tell you no problem, but what they mean is no problem for them. Just you (If they told you it was a hassle on your end, you might not buy the gun.)" you are spot on!