Shipping ammunition.

[wyntrout]

My first experience at shipping ammo was a real learning experience.

I thought I had researched enough on the UPS site. I boxed up my half case of ammo real well and filled out a shipping order, listing the contents as Cartridges, Small Arms, as directed on the site. Then I drove about 1 1/2 miles to the closest UPS Store. The woman there asked me what cartridges were and then got alarmed about them being bullets... for a pistol... a firearm! I tried to explain that ammo was okay to ship and that there was no firearm involved, so I didn't need to be a dealer.
She had to call UPS and was asked a few questions and I could see where things were headed. I asked to talk to the person she was talking to, but she said no, it was a special line just for "Store" personnel to use.:confused:

Anyhow, she said that I could only ship that from the Customer Service Center and gave me a pre-printed direction sheet with the address and instructions on how to get there. I wasn't really happy and went home.

I called the UPS Hazardous Material information number and got instructions. Yes that was the only place that hazardous material could taken for shipping. I also found that I needed a DOT sticker that I couldn't find a good enough representation online to print one of my own... there were lots of listing of businesses trying to sell rolls of the things. I just needed a few.

I finally looked at the boxes that had been used to ship ammo to me and found a nice fresh and uncovered sticker. I took a closeup picture and through trial and error matched the size after I inserted the picture into my Word document, and then printed out a page of them on photographic paper with my inkjet printer.

I added another requirement just under the picture for my "sticker"... the words "Cartridges, Small Arms". I added this and taped it with clear 2" packaging tape.

I considered having the package picked up, but that was $9 or so more, so I decided to turn this into a trip to NAS Jacksonville for a shopping trip as well. I went ahead and did the shipping processing online and paid for shipping in advance and printed out a shipping label which I affixed to the package with the clear, two-inch packaging tape.

I then drove the twenty miles across town to the UPS Customer Service Center on the outskirts of town, using my GPS-directed routing... different from the MapQuest online directions, because I have Interstate preference set in my GPS. (This 40-mile round trip would use at least 3 gallons of gas to be added to the shipping cost, as well)

The clerk there said my work was fine and took the package. I enclosed the sticker picture I used. I set the page margins at .5" all around and used an image size that gave 3 images per line. This gave me the right size.
The first is the DOT label picture, the second is a picture of the text needed on the package, and the third is how I added the two together.

I know... I gab a lot, but this might be helpful information for anyone else thinking of shipping ammunition. There are also packaging cardboard standards or requirements, as well. Your box should meet those requirements as well. See the info online at the UPS Site.

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/ship/packaging/guidelines/firearms.html?srch_pos=1&srch_phr=small+arms+ammunition&WT.svl=SRCH

Wynn:)

Oh, I also learned that you can't accurately compute shipping costs with only the Retail price list and the Shipping Zone list. There is insurance, if over $100, Fuel Surcharge, Residential Fee, and Rural Fees that added to my low estimate of $14 to reach almost $20. Keep this stuff in mind. The businesses shipping to you get special rates and all of those things aren't listed.

[jocko]

screw um, should have just shipped and said nothing about what was in it. At best had they caught it, which they would not have, they would have just kept it. I have shipped ammo UPS for ages, never told the a-holes anything. "don't ask don't tell"

again screw um....

[wyntrout]

... but there's a place for the contents to be listed... and insurance value declaration.

That's no way to sell stuff and send it to the buyer... maybe you get it, maybe not.

Wynn:D

[Bawanna]

... but there's a place for the contents to be listed... and insurance value declaration.

That's no way to sell stuff and send it to the buyer... maybe you get it, maybe not.

Wynn:D

We received 6 M16 surplus rifles from the government for the cost of shipping for dept use of course. The shipping label was marked scrap metal. The UPS driver wanted to open the packages and confirm contents. I asked why, he said he thought they were guns. I told him that was ridiculous and refused. He left and I never heard anything more.
Ammo could easily be described as anything, remember when the rules are dumb it's ok to exercise little white lies, momma says they don't hurt nobody.

[DKD]

Hell guys,

I order black poeder by the case lots all the time and it comes....now let me see....hummmm oh yea UPS.
A few years ago when all this terroist crap was at a an all time priority I had a distributor ship me a case of mixed granulation of black powder. Yea I know they had WARNING EXPLOSIVE all over the damn box....Danger Danger Will Robinson!!!!! Damn idiots! Ok enough said about that for now back to the situation. I had it shipped to my place of employment and of course everyone ther nows me really well except for the ding bat secretary at the front desk.
To make a long story short....she panic's and get HR envovled....not a good move considering I am not what you might say a politically correct type.
The package could not be shipped to a minor and as such must be signed for by an adult...well no problem there unless your a ding bat, idiot. Well any way I explained it all to all concerned, so that the next morning, I came in early for our weekly staff meeting....and of course I couldn't let this opportunity pass, so I came to my staff meeting with a towell draped around my head and dark sun glass and my empty box labeld explosives with me at the table. All present had a good laugh over this one.
Next week I'll tell you all about an incident with a retarded a-hole, problem architect that I challenged to a duel at the job site....but digress.

Later guys

[kahrseye]

Recently, I had to ship a gun to a dealer. UPS wanted like $50 to ship it 2 day air, plus I had to go through all the BS. I went to the P.O., put the gun and case in one of their Priority Mailers and sent it to the guy for about $8. Of course I didn't mention is was a gun....was that wrong? Don't bother answering I don't care.

[Bawanna]

Recently, I had to ship a gun to a dealer. UPS wanted like $50 to ship it 2 day air, plus I had to go through all the BS. I went to the P.O., put the gun and case in one of their Priority Mailers and sent it to the guy for about $8. Of course I didn't mention is was a gun....was that wrong? Don't bother answering I don't care.

How do you sleep at night you evil evil person.

[rholmes69]

Recently, I had to ship a gun to a dealer. UPS wanted like $50 to ship it 2 day air, plus I had to go through all the BS. I went to the P.O., put the gun and case in one of their Priority Mailers and sent it to the guy for about $8. Of course I didn't mention is was a gun....was that wrong? Don't bother answering I don't care.


Uhhh, yeah.... That was definitely, uhhh, nevermind.

My UPS store that I have an account with told me that as long as he didn't know what was in the box, he didn't care, but it had the possibility of being discovered and confiscated and me getting in trouble. I don't know how, but that's what he said. He suggested I toss them in with a box of lose screws and or copper pipe fittings and call them loose brass and lead products. That just sounded like a recipe for discovery.

[rholmes69]

How do you sleep at night you evil evil person.


he doesn't sleep, he taunts rest like he does gun shipping laws!!


Just playing with ya Kahrseye:p

[wyntrout]

As added fun that day, I was replacing my flagpole holder in the heat (Flag Day)... got completely soaked with sweat... later found it had gotten up to 98.6° on our back porch.
I saw 104° on my van's thermometer while driving to ship the ammo.
The heat wasn't enough, though. While I was researching requirements the power went off. I have everything on Uninterruptible Power Supplies but the printer, which I needed. The power company has been replacing poles and this was the second time I had to use my generator in the last week or so... I kept my cool for a couple of hours and the power came back on just before I was ready to leave. At 2 gallons an hour that gets expensive to leave on for an extended period, but I would have left it on as hot as it was, to keep the air conditioning running.
It hit 99.3° yesterday(15th). It's not quite summer and it seems like it's going to be a really hot one this year... and more hurricanes... kind of like 2004.
These dang heat pumps only drop the temperature about 22° below ambient and you can watch the temperature rise inside with the outside as it gets over 94° or so. I have to have a fan on me as well.
Well, I'll stop rambling... for a while.
Wynn:D

[steve666]

Sorry, can't relate. The only ammo shipping I'm involved in is incoming!

[rholmes69]

Wynn, that's why you need a geothermal unit. You won't complain about the heat anymore, except for the installation cost :o

[kahrseye]

How do you sleep at night you evil evil person.

I have no problem sleeping at night or any other time that the mood strikes me.:confused:

[Bawanna]

I have no problem sleeping at night or any other time that the mood strikes me.:confused:

Sorry so slow in response, just woke up from my nap. I guess this proves then that bending silly asinine shipping rules does not create a guilt complex so when I've neglected to give information in the past I shouldn't saddle myself with a guilt complex causing me to curl up in a fetal position on the floor sucking my thumb.
I long for the days when you could mailorder just about any gun and ship it to your door without everyone wanting a cut.

[kahrseye]

Uhhh, yeah.... That was definitely, uhhh, nevermind.

My UPS store that I have an account with told me that as long as he didn't know what was in the box, he didn't care, but it had the possibility of being discovered and confiscated and me getting in trouble. I don't know how, but that's what he said. He suggested I toss them in with a box of lose screws and or copper pipe fittings and call them loose brass and lead products. That just sounded like a recipe for discovery.

I've shipped one gun in my life time. I'm not advocating this as an everyday practice. I just looked at the cost associated with it and decided to take a chance and send it via the post office. If caught I would have pleaded ignorance and thrown myself on the mercy of the court. I'm sure my sentence would have made me sleep less.....happy now Bawanna?:9:

[Bawanna]

I've shipped one gun in my life time. I'm not advocating this as an everyday practice. I just looked at the cost associated with it and decided to take a chance and send it via the post office. If caught I would have pleaded ignorance and thrown myself on the mercy of the court. I'm sure my sentence would have made me sleep less.....happy now Bawanna?:9:

I'm picking up bad karma here kahrseye and I hope that you realize that I was yanking your chain from the start. I've done exactly what you did numerous times. I sent a 375 H&H Model 70 to Alaska years ago on loan to a friend. The post office asked what was in the box. I told them it was a big pipe wrench for work on the pipeline. Oh no problem they said.
Bending rules is a borderline forte for me.

In case no one noticed I'm nearly always happy cept when we get visited occasionally by trolls that want to pick on jocko, then I'm only semi happy. I often wonder myself why this is the case. Maybe you guys just all make me happy?

[rholmes69]

I'm not bashing you kahrseye, I'm just having a little fun. I've bent the rules too, I think I am more surprised that you took the chance and it worked out. I would get caught, every time, without fail, especially on the day when they decided to make an example out of someone. I wholeheartedly agree and think that the hoops we have to go through are ridiculous as long as we can accurately know who we are sending to is who they are and legit to buy. As far as it potentially getting stolen in the mail, if a criminal wants it bad enough, then they are going to get it no matter how you ship it.

[user]

screw um, should have just shipped and said nothing about what was in it. At best had they caught it, which they would not have, they would have just kept it. ....

Well, you could do that, but it is a federal crime.

You are required to give the shipper written notification of the contents. The rest of it is all the shipper's policies, not law (they could put the ORM-D sticker on the box themselves, for example).

And I suggest you limit comments about what you may have done personally, since comments used on an informal site like this one could be used against you at your felony trial.

[kahrseye]

I'm not bashing you kahrseye, I'm just having a little fun. I've bent the rules too, I think I am more surprised that you took the chance and it worked out. I would get caught, every time, without fail, especially on the day when they decided to make an example out of someone. I wholeheartedly agree and think that the hoops we have to go through are ridiculous as long as we can accurately know who we are sending to is who they are and legit to buy. As far as it potentially getting stolen in the mail, if a criminal wants it bad enough, then they are going to get it no matter how you ship it.

Hey guys, no problem. I'm sorry my response sounded like I was a little perturbed. I wasn't and am not. Takes more than that to get my goat....or was it a sheep?;)