One of the ways that Americans who haven’t been able to find the firearms they want right now locally have been coping with the current gun buying surge is to order online. While their inventories have been hit hard too, online sellers like Brownells, Cabela’s, Palmetto State Armory, Rainier Arms, Faxon Firearms, Aero Precision and dozens more have also been selling guns like hotcakes.

But we’ve talked to a variety of retailers in different parts of the nation who tell us that because of the crush of local business that they’re struggling to take care of, they’ve stopped doing transfers for incoming guns from online sellers.

This is not a matter of dollars. They are so busy with the rush that it’s all they can do to take care of their local walk-in business. They simply don’t have the employees or the bandwidth to process transfers for online sales, too.

I asked one large midwest gun retailer if there was any price — $100, $200, $300 — at which he’d do a transfer for an online gun purchase. He said no. It’s not about money. He doesn’t have enough time or manpower to get those additional transactions done.

Most told me that if they receive a shipment of guns ordered online that they aren’t expecting, they’re refusing receipt. That means the firearm you’ve ordered from, say, Davidson’s, will to right back onto the big brown truck and back to the seller.

All of the retailers we talked to had this advice if you’re buying online: BEFORE you order anything, contact your local retailer (assuming you can reach them…by email, phone, whatever.) Make SURE they are willing to process transfers for online purchases BEFORE you press the ‘buy’ button on the online seller’s site.

And just so you’re not surprised, ask them what they’re charging now if, by chance, they’re still doing transfers.

Good luck.