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 Avoid Quantico in Tacoma - terrible service & price gouging 
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A+ for LOG
F for Quantico

So, LOG and I met at a half way point for an FFL transfer today. He suggested one place that has $30 transfers, and I suggested Quantico simply because they advertise $15 transfers, on their website. I was going to pay the fee and don't want to be gouged. LOG agreed to meet me there instead.

Keep in mind I was effectively buying a $50 lower, which was assembled as a complete lower. So you'll see why a $30 transfer fee is pretty unreasonable.

I had such an unpleasant experience I'll never go back. Gouging and dishonestly and unreasonableness. All dealbreakers for future business relations.

I got there first. It's a nice sized, well-stocked store. Two employees. Two customers. Employee #1 "bossman" was yapping away with the first customer, who I paid not attention to. Bossman really rubbed me the wrong way in the next 30 minutes with his behavior and attitude and such. Employee #2 "worker drone" was starting a 594 transfer for the other customer, who was waiting for the other buyer.

I walk in, stand around, nobody says anything to me. I finally ask the guy at the counter for the 4473 to start while waiting for LOG.
Me: "Hi, I'm here for a 594 transfer, and waiting on the other guy. Can I get a 4473 to start while I wait."
Worker Drone: "Do you have an appointment?"
Me: "Um. An appointment? No."
Worker Drone: Hands me the 4473. "We require a 24 hour appointment."
Me: "Okay... can we still do the transfer?"
Worker Drone: "Yes, but it's $30."

At this point I'm thinking that it's a pretty poor policy to punish customers for walk in foot traffic into the store.

As I'm filling out the paperwork, Bossman comes over and starts talking to me, distracting me, causing me to make an error on the form. Zero level of customer friendliness, no pleasantries at all.
Bossman: "It's going to be $30 since you don't have an appointment because we get too busy."
Me: "Yes, I can see you're really swamped with customers." There's now only 1 other transaction occurring in the store and no other customers the entire time we are there, approx 30 minutes. So there's effectively more employees than customers at times.

LOG arrives, we chat. Bossman has absolutely no personality, nothing. Just very rude, and condescending. Finally it comes time to pay, and I remind him again that their website says nothing about appointments or doubling the fee for drop in transfers. Bossman still asks for $30 - keep in mind this is effectively the transfer of a $50 lower, so that works out to be over 50% fee.... LOG very graciously splits the fee with me, which he was not obligated to do. A+ for LOG.

I don't mind the $15 but the doubling it and gouging of a pretty large tax on top of a transaction which was falsely advertised on their website it bad business.

Here's a hint for the FFLs out there. Use the 594 fee as a way to drive foot traffic in and generate relationships; not to gouge and punish people for coming to your store. My local guy does them for $15 or $20, and he is slammed busy with word of mouth and people are constantly in there at Mountain Hwy Surplus. Quantico made $30 today, but I will NEVER go there pr recommend them again. And they had a good price on a few items that I had considered buying but I left without buying anything, and won't either.

I found their gouging walk in traffic unreasonable and dishonest advertising was distasteful, and finally they should honor their advertised price if anyone questions it.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:51 pm
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You could have left.


Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:01 pm
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QT isn't my favorite gunshop, but you assumed there weren't any stipulations with the $15 transfers. Lots of places don't do transfers on certain days or require appointments.

Mnt Hwy Surplus? They look like they'd love anyone to spend $15 with them on anything, I'm not surprised they don't require appointments. I'm kinda surprised they're still open though honestly. I've bought a few things over the last couple years from them, not firearms though.


Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:09 pm
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An FFL by virtue of his license is going to be running background checks, so the overhead is built in. The transaction requires 1-2 forms, and takes maybe 5-10 minutes of actual efficient work. Yes, it requires precision detail, but so does any book keeping.

So, if you could pay an employee $15 hourly, and have that employee bring in $150-300 of business hourly, and sustain that nearly 100% profit margin sale, you'd be a millionaire in 1 year on just a steady 594 transfer business (assuming endless customers for the sake of the hypothetical).

Anything above $20 is gouging. Period. Regardless, the attitude and bait-and-switch dishonesty was more offensive than the price.

If I had an FFL and the overhead of the shop and such, I would be churning transfers at as low of a possible rate as I could. Foot traffic is your friend, and it gives you an opportunity to upsell on mags, ammo, cleaning kits...

McDonalds makes little money on Big Macs. The money is from fries, cokes, kids meals, and desserts.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:19 pm
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leadcounsel wrote:
An FFL by virtue of his license is going to be running background checks, so the overhead is built in. The transaction requires 1-2 forms, and takes maybe 5-10 minutes of actual efficient work. Yes, it requires precision detail, but so does any book keeping.

So, if you could pay an employee $15 hourly, and have that employee bring in $150-300 of business hourly, and sustain that nearly 100% profit margin sale, you'd be a millionaire in 1 year on just a steady 594 transfer business (assuming endless customers for the sake of the hypothetical).

Anything above $20 is gouging. Period. Regardless, the attitude and bait-and-switch dishonesty was more offensive than the price.



Gouging? What "mandatory for life" commodity did you purchase from them? Because I thought you paid for a non-essential service, that at least 20 other FFLs in Tacoma offer if you weren't satisfied with their pricing arrangement. Which you were aware of prior to paying the service fee.

The business model is built on running background checks for firearms the FFL is making a PROFIT on, not random guys showing up asking for the FFL to process their state required transfer. $50 profit on a $500 AR sale, and maybe some mags and ammo sales also - versus - some customer who saw the website, didnt call to confirm the information is current and correct, and who thinks paying $30 for a transfer is too much on a $50 lower, but would be okay with any amount less then $21.


Let us know when you get your FFL, commercial retail location, insurance, etc. and start doing $15 transfers. You'll make a fortune.

QT sells $60 stripped lowers & $99 complete lowers, no transfer fee required, just 9.6% in sales tax. You could have saved money buying new it looks like, assuming you were accurate in your description of the lower you purchased as only being worth $50.


Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:37 pm
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Yeah, we've had other threads about the Quantico fee structure. Seems shitty to me.

Is this also where we have the discussion about how Washington doesn't require a transfer for a lower because it's not a "firearm" under Washington state law? :bigsmile:

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:38 pm
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MadPick wrote:
Yeah, we've had other threads about the Quantico fee structure. Seems shitty to me.

Is this also where we have the discussion about how Washington doesn't require a transfer for a lower because it's not a "firearm" under Washington state law? :bigsmile:

It was a completed lower.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:50 pm
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Selador wrote:
MadPick wrote:
Yeah, we've had other threads about the Quantico fee structure. Seems shitty to me.

Is this also where we have the discussion about how Washington doesn't require a transfer for a lower because it's not a "firearm" under Washington state law? :bigsmile:

It was a completed lower.


Yup. Doesn't matter.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:52 pm
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That said . . . even though it's not legally required, if the seller wants to require it then I don't have a problem with it.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:52 pm
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I-5 2nd Sunday, free or $5.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:59 pm
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NWRed wrote:
leadcounsel wrote:
An FFL by virtue of his license is going to be running background checks, so the overhead is built in. The transaction requires 1-2 forms, and takes maybe 5-10 minutes of actual efficient work. Yes, it requires precision detail, but so does any book keeping.

So, if you could pay an employee $15 hourly, and have that employee bring in $150-300 of business hourly, and sustain that nearly 100% profit margin sale, you'd be a millionaire in 1 year on just a steady 594 transfer business (assuming endless customers for the sake of the hypothetical).

Anything above $20 is gouging. Period. Regardless, the attitude and bait-and-switch dishonesty was more offensive than the price.



Gouging? What "mandatory for life" commodity did you purchase from them? Because I thought you paid for a non-essential service, that at least 20 other FFLs in Tacoma offer if you weren't satisfied with their pricing arrangement. Which you were aware of prior to paying the service fee.

The business model is built on running background checks for firearms the FFL is making a PROFIT on, not random guys showing up asking for the FFL to process their state required transfer. $50 profit on a $500 AR sale, and maybe some mags and ammo sales also - versus - some customer who saw the website, didnt call to confirm the information is current and correct, and who thinks paying $30 for a transfer is too much on a $50 lower, but would be okay with any amount less then $21.


Let us know when you get your FFL, commercial retail location, insurance, etc. and start doing $15 transfers. You'll make a fortune.

QT sells $60 stripped lowers & $99 complete lowers, no transfer fee required, just 9.6% in sales tax. You could have saved money buying new it looks like, assuming you were accurate in your description of the lower you purchased as only being worth $50.


This plus 594 doesn't require transfers on lowers.

End of thread.


Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:01 pm
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I hired two guys yesterday for $822/hr. $15 sounds cheap to me.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:23 pm
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dreadi wrote:
I hired two guys yesterday for $822/hr. $15 sounds cheap to me.

You still hiring?

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:05 pm
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sinus211 wrote:
dreadi wrote:
I hired two guys yesterday for $822/hr. $15 sounds cheap to me.

You still hiring?

Heck, I'll work for half that.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:08 pm
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Are you a high steel rigger with a condor? I'm sure by the time they get paid, they are getting around $70/hr on over time.

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Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:21 pm
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