I went to a UPS store to ship a rifle to an FFL out of state. Well, they don’t ship rifles! The only option is to go to their distribution center that’s open to the public only from 5:30 pm to 8 pm.
It appears that the best way to ship a rifle is to use an FFL…. It’s less of a hassle, they get better shipment rates, and at the end, it won’t cost you more.

The UPS Store will ship it, but it has to be pre-labeled with a UPS label. I do this often with my UPS account. Go to a mail packing center that ships with all carriers, and they will. I have a PO Box through one of these general shippers, and they handle everything from ammo, firearms and wine.

Use the McKinney shipping center. It's very convenient if you live in Allen.

The small UPS stores in Burleson will not ship anything even connected about a firearm. They will not take rifles at all. I was even told that if it was a bolt that goes to a firearm they would not ship it. Real crazy there. Only the main UPS operation in Ft Worth will take it around me. I tried to ship a rifle barrel at a local UPS store in Burleson and I was told no. I told him I made a mistake on the description and it really is a hollow steel piece of pipe and he said ok, he will ship it. Go figure.

Thanks! I've had issues shipping them before as well.

Use the US Post Office. They ship firearms all of the time, as does FedEx and UPS.

Remember that what you put in the box is your business, not theirs. "Machine parts" or "Steel Pipe" is all that they need or deserve to know, if they get inappropriately nosy about it.

If you act like a sucker or a victim, you'll soon be suckered into being victimized, just as sure as night follows day.

Benefits of living in West, TX. I have shipped two rifles via my local UPS store, not a distribution center. No pre-printed labels. Told them I need to ship this insured to said address. They printed the label and off she went. No issues at all.

That is incorrect and a violation of federal law.

Federal law requires written notification to the carrier, which is accomplished on their shipping forms. Here is the full regulation for reference.

27 C.F.R. § 478.31 Delivery by common or contract carrier.

(a) No person shall knowingly deliver or cause to be delivered to any common or contract carrier for transportation or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce to any person other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, any package or other container in which there is any firearm or ammunition without written notice to the carrier that such firearm or ammunition is being transported or shipped: Provided, That any passenger who owns or legally possesses a firearm or ammunition being transported aboard any common or contract carrier for movement with the passenger in interstate or foreign commerce may deliver said firearm or ammunition into the custody of the pilot, captain, conductor or operator of such common or contract carrier for the duration of that trip without violating any provision of this part.

(b) No common or contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag, or other written notice to be placed on the outside of any package, luggage, or other container indicating that such package, luggage, or other container contains a firearm.

(c) No common or contract carrier shall transport or deliver in interstate or foreign commerce any firearm or ammunition with knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that the shipment, transportation, or receipt thereof would be in violation of any provision of this part: Provided, however, That the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply in respect to the transportation of firearms or ammunition in in-bond shipment under Customs laws and regulations.

(d) No common or contract carrier shall knowingly deliver in interstate or foreign commerce any firearm without obtaining written acknowledgement of receipt from the recipient of the package or other container in which there is a firearm: Provided, That this paragraph shall not apply with respect to the return of a firearm to a passenger who places firearms in the carrier's custody for the duration of the trip.

Huh???

Sorry but Jeffbird is correct!

with USPS - yes

with UPS , FedEx - no

yep, same here

what else do you lie about, never have never will.

Cabo, respectfully, that also is incorrect.

The regulation applies to all common carriers including FedEx and UPS.

Here is an example of a federal prosecution for shipping via UPS without disclosure.

Count One of the Indictment charges Defendant, Adrian Campbell, a/k/a Kevin Lion, with knowingly delivering and causing to be delivered to a common carrier for transportation and shipment in interstate and foreign commerce to persons other than a licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, and collector, a container in which there was a firearm by delivering to United Parcel Service (“UPS”) on or about March 22, 2010, a box containing a handgun concealed inside a DVD player, without giving written notice to UPS that the firearm was being transported and shipped, in violation 18 U.S.C. § 922(e). (Doc. 1.) The statute Defendant Campbell is charged with violating provides, in relevant part:It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to deliver or cause to be delivered to any common or contract carrier for transportation or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, to persons other than licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors, any package or other container in which there is any firearm or ammunition without written notice to the carrier that such firearm or ammunition is being transported or shipped ...18 U.S.C. § 922(e).5 Count One of the Indictment specifically refers to and tracks the language of 18 U.S.C. § 922(e), and provides notice to Defendant Campbell of the charges to be defended. According to the allegations in the Indictment, Defendant delivered to United Parcel Service (“UPS”) a box which contained a handgun concealed inside a DVD player, without giving written notice to UPS that the firearm was being transported and shipped. These allegations, if proved, are sufficient to establish a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(e).

United States v. Campbell, 1:11-CR-00460-AT, 2012 WL 2373037, at *6 (N.D. Ga. June 22, 2012)

I may be wrong but I was told that "interstate" is the keyword in the aforementioned law. Same knowledgable individual told me long guns shipped INTRASTATE from individual to individual is legal. I would consult a more reliable source than the Internet however.

That is a completely different issue. A seller may ship to a buyer, if they are residents within the same state, without having to transfer it through a FFL, assuming they otherwise may legally own and possess it. Even then, shipping it through UPS, FedEx or USPS still requires disclosure of the firearm to the common carrier.

Shipping to an FFL out of state is legal only if you disclose the contents? is that the argument here? Guess I missed the FFL part earlier. I didn't read the original post carefully.

Federal law requires any firearm or ammunition shipped on a common carrier anywhere, anytime, to anyone to be disclosed to the common carrier.

Who may ship to whom and whether it must go through a FFL is a different set of questions, issues, and laws.

From the ATF

May a nonlicensee ship a firearm by common or contract carrier?

A nonlicensee may ship a firearm by a common or contract carrier to a resident of his or her or her own State or to a licensee in any State. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, Federal law requires that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm or ammunition, prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm and requires obtaining written acknowledgement of receipt.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(2)(A), 922(a)(5), 922(e) and (f); 27 CFR 478.30 and 478.31]

https://www.atf.gov/firearms/qa/may-nonlicensee-ship-firearm-common-or-contract-carrier

Thanks

You're welcome.

I've heard Fedex and USPS are not very reliable for shipping firearms. It seems that UPS is the better choice.

Same thing here.

Not really. To a licensed dealer, the reg he quoted does not apply. Read it.

Good to see some clarification on this. If it is not a handgun, then a contract carrier is not required, and so neither is any kind of notification. Non-licensees must ship to those who are licensed, unless the recipient resides in the same state.

The only problem that I've ever encountered was with a FedEX shipment.

I got no tracking number, and FedEx had no record of ever picking up the package.

A few days later, the recipient notified me that FedEx had delivered the package that they had no record of ever having in their system.

This has not inspired confidence in FedEx here but to be fair, it was just one incident.

Did you report the store manager to UPS?

I will guess here that they will frown upon store managers making up their own rules, and turning away business.