Our business model
I think it’s easy to see Guns.com as just an online retailer – a big box store that sells products. However, we are not just some big online retailer, but more of a support system for FFLs across the United States.
There are several big box retailers in the firearm industry, but none have the same business model or mission as we do. Guns.com is an online retail space that connects thousands of brick-and-mortar gun stores with customers, expanding their selling capabilities, and supporting local business.
While we here at Guns.com have our own inventory, it is only a small fraction of what we sell. Most of our online inventory, both new and used, is sourced from brick-and-mortar FFLs across the U.S.
The Small
In 2019, my brother and I invested in an FFL as a little side hustle. Subsequently, I found out about Guns.com and got a job in the warehouse. Since then, my brother Austin quit his day job to run a full-time gun shop with that FFL in the small town of New Prague, Minnesota. Our side hustle has blossomed into 2 If By Sea Tactical, a thriving small business that has become a big part of the local community, as it is the only gun shop for many miles. One of the reasons that the business has grown is the selling support from Guns.com.
Much of the annual revenue from the shop is sold through Guns.com, as it expands the customer base for the items that come through the door. I’ll give an example of the benefit of having a company like Guns.com belong to get firearms in front of the right people.
A while back, a man came into my brother’s shop and put almost $50,000 worth of collector-grade Colt handguns on consignment. While these handguns were great collector's pieces, it is hard to find an extensive customer base in the small town of New Prague. However, as a dealer in the Guns.com network, the shop was able to list these firearms on Guns.com.
Not only was the customer base expanded, Guns.com provided packing materials, handled all the shipping labels, and dealt with the customer service. Within a matter of weeks, the entire collection of Colts had been sold, mostly through Guns.com.
The money from those handguns helped my brother’s shop pay bills, grow inventory, and expand business. At the same time, it also connected customers from across the United States with collectible firearms that they would not normally see at their local gun stores.
The Big
On the flip side, Guns.com also supports large gun shops that do extremely high volumes of business. Frog Bones in Melbourne, Florida is one of the top-performing FFLs in the Guns.com dealer network. Frog Bones is a top-notch facility that doesn’t just sell guns, but also offers a gun range and training options.
Last year, during an event for Smith & Wesson, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting the General Manager, Ethan Sansoni. Ethan has sat on the board of FFLs at Guns.com, helping to improve and grow the Guns.com support system for FFLs across the country.
Ethan told me about all the incredible business that his gun shop and range does through Guns.com. My experience with the network to this point had only been with my brother, where used inventory is the primary source of uploads to Guns.com. The opposite is true for Frog Bones, as its primary business is with new firearms.
So, used or new firearms on our website are often sourced from a gun shop in our system, which helps more potential buyers see the product.
The Goal
Guns.com may not be the only online business that offers a platform for local gun shops, but we are the only one that takes care of all the customer service, returns, and shipping. Our goal is to treat both the local gun shop and the firearm buyer as our customers. We want to have a platform that supports the Second Amendment, builds stronger gun shops in every state, and offers more available firearms to the customer.
While we may be an online retailer, our goal is focused on a “Shop Local” mentality. When your local gun shop is strong and doing solid business, it makes the community stronger as well. So next time you are thinking about buying a firearm from Guns.com, know that you can buy with confidence, and our customer service will support you as you support a small business.
