Buying a Glock pistol online: FFL transfer step by step

Buying a pistol online is a two-party transaction: we sell it, and a licensed dealer in your state hands it to you after the background check. Nothing ships to your house. Once you know that, the rest is paperwork, and most of it happens in a single visit to the dealer. This is the whole process from checkout to the drive home, with the questions buyers ask most.

1. Choose the pistol and confirm it is legal where you live

Pick the model, generation and MOS or standard; our guides cover each choice. Then check your state: California sells only roster pistols, several states cap magazines at 10 or 15 rounds, a few restrict threaded barrels and one or two require a safety certificate or a license before purchase. Our city pages summarize each state, and the checkout will not let a restricted pistol ship to a restricted address.

2. Choose your FFL dealer

At checkout you name the dealer who will receive the pistol. Any licensee can accept a transfer: gun shops, pawn shops with a license, many indoor ranges and some home-based dealers. Call first and ask three things: do they accept transfers from online retailers, what is the fee, and do they need a copy of the license sent ahead. Fees run from about $20 to $75. Some dealers are on file with us already; for the rest, the dealer sends us a copy of their license and we ship when we have it.

3. We ship to the dealer

Price and stock are confirmed live when you order, before you pay. The pistol ships insured with adult signature required, usually within a business day of the license arriving, and you get tracking. The dealer logs the pistol into their records when it arrives and calls or emails you; if tracking shows delivery and you have not heard within a day or two, call them.

4. Form 4473 and the NICS check

At the dealer you show government photo ID with your current address and fill in ATF Form 4473, the firearms transaction record, on paper or a tablet. The dealer runs the FBI's NICS check or the state's own check in states that run one. Most come back in minutes. A delay can last up to three business days under federal rules; some states extend that. You must be 21 to buy a handgun from a dealer, and you must be the actual buyer; buying for someone else is a felony.

5. State steps and waiting periods

Most states have none. Some require a permit, license or certificate you bring to the dealer: Illinois's FOID, Massachusetts's LTC, New Jersey's purchase permit, Connecticut's eligibility certificate, and others. Waiting periods range from three days to ten, and start when the check is submitted. Your dealer knows the local rule and will not release the pistol before it is met.

6. Pickup

Check the box before you leave: the pistol, two or three magazines depending on model, a loader, a cleaning rod and brush, the manual and a lock. Confirm the serial number on the frame matches the paperwork. In capped states the magazines will be the compliant version. Ask the dealer to let you inspect the pistol; once you sign for it, it is yours.

Timelines

From order to pickup is usually a week: a day or two for the dealer's license if we do not have it on file, two to four days in transit, and a visit to the dealer at your convenience. Add your state's waiting period if it has one. Orders during holiday weeks and after major sales take longer at the carriers, and a delayed background check adds up to three business days.

Buying more than one

Two pistols in one order ship together to the same dealer and transfer on one Form 4473 with a multiple-handgun report, which the dealer files; this is routine and legal. Pistols going to two different people must be two orders to two dealers, each in the buyer's own name.

What we cannot do

Ship a pistol to a home, a business without a license or a state that prohibits the model. Ship standard magazines to a capped state. Sell to anyone under 21 or to a buyer for someone else. Take a pistol back after the transfer is completed; after that, warranty issues go to Glock's service department, which is prompt.

What ships to your door

Magazines, holsters, sights, lights and other accessories in the same order ship straight to you where your state allows, in a separate package from the pistol. Ammunition ships with adult signature where permitted.

Questions buyers ask

• Can I use a dealer in another state? A handgun must transfer in your state of residence; a rifle may transfer in another state if legal in both.
• Do I need a permit to order? No. Permits, where required, are shown at the dealer.
• Military stationed away from home? Orders assigning you to a state make you a resident there for this purpose; bring the orders.
• Can I pick a different dealer after ordering? Yes, before we ship; email us.
• What if the check is denied? The dealer cannot transfer, and we refund the pistol less shipping; you can appeal the denial through the FBI.

Choose the model with the 17 vs 19 vs 45 guide or the 10mm and .45 guide, and browse pistols. Your state's rules are on our city pages.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.