Gearfire for FFL e-commerce: a high-risk software spotlight –
Anyone who sells tactical gear or firearms online knows about the vast number of regulations and restrictions that control the FFL business, especially online. The complexity of the industry can even make choosing an online platform to run the e-commerce end of your business more complicated.
While we do have several suggestions for folks who are either looking to bring their brick-and-mortar FFL storefront to the digital marketplace or experienced e-commerce merchants looking to expand into a growing industry, we recently found a “new to us” solution, called Gearfire, for your FFL e-commerce needs and wanted to pass on what we know.
According to their site, GoGearfire.com, Gearfire is a fully functional e-commerce platform and is catered explicitly for you, the FFL dealer. Using a national network of almost a dozen major distributors you can offer your customers a vast array of inventory that you ordinarily wouldn’t want to hold in stock because of the investment.
Additionally, you can sell your inventory easily in tandem with the national network. You can even choose to fulfill orders with other distributors if you so wish, Gearfire puts you in control and gives you options to create the FFL site you want. Easy navigation and simple online platform mean you don’t have to hassle with software installs or private server issues; merely connect your payment gateway and merchant account and set your prices and you’re ready to sell.
Customizable, versatile web-store built for this industry
Gearfire is a refined online platform created to help you sell as quickly and easily and profitable as possible. A considerable effort was put into giving you control over the look of your e-store, there are many customizable themes and functions to make your site your own, including a unique URL, logo integration, and natural linking from your existing content site to give potential customers a funnel straight to your inventory.
Almost as important is the access to analytical tools and reports, giving you the ability to refine and improve your sales tactics as you move forward. As mentioned above, you can even use the streaming inventory to show your customers what’s available, then fulfill the order with your preferred distributor, even if it’s not affiliated with Gearfire’s distributor list. That combined with the ability to include your products and inventory means that you are genuinely in control of your web-store, and not a middleman trying to squeeze out some profit.
Gearfire also gives you access to special shipping rates so you can transfer and fulfill orders efficiently, and make sure they ship to the closest FFL dealer to your customer. The decreased cost of shipping is a huge selling point for most online shoppers these days.
Possibly Gearfire’s best feature is their fantastic customer service. We wanted to ask them a few questions and not only did the line pick right up but we spoke with a real live person who was incredibly friendly and helpful.
Payment Processing and merchant accounts with Gearfire
Before you can get started selling and transferring firearms or any high-risk e-commerce products you must have a proper merchant account for your specific market.
Most online payment gateways WILL NOT be acceptable methods of money transfer for your FFL business. These companies do not provide the appropriate underwriting you will need and will almost certainly freeze or close your merchant account, tying up your money and stopping your business in its tracks. The best way to avoid this is to contact us, and we will connect you with a merchant account provider who handles merchants like you and appreciates your business.
We can usually find you a better deal than you would find yourself, and offer this with no obligation or cost to you; we receive an incentive from the providers. We also strongly recommend you review your legal responsibilities for your local area and State, and strongly suggest consulting a lawyer to ensure you understand those responsibilities and liabilities of this industry before entering this highly profitable yet highly regulated market. You should also check out FFL page to learn more about getting started as an online FFL and accept payments post on selling firearms online.
Gearfire is compatible with two of our favorite payment gateways, Authorize.Net and ePN. However, both of these payment gateways need to be specially configured to allow firearms sales by connecting them to an appropriate high-risk merchant account. It is not as simple as plugging in the information and selling right away. We can walk you through the process, again at no cost to you, to ensure your website can start making money as soon as possible. It’s best not to leave your payment processing to guesswork when you can quickly get it done right and promptly by contacting us using the form below.