Frequently Asked Questions

 We host monthly, online live-streaming auctions focused on everything hunting, sporting, camping, shooting, and military related. Throughout the year we run themed sales—including a Weapons of War auction, a High-End Collector auction, a Modern Assault Weapon / Concealed Carry “Black Gun” auction, dedicated Hunting auctions, and several General Firearms & Estate auctions—so buyers can zero in on what interests them most.

Each catalog is posted in advance with detailed photos and descriptions, absentee bidding opens ahead of the live webcast, and you can choose the platform that suits you best—including bidding directly with us to save on buyer’s premium. For the latest schedule and links, visit www.brandusedworks.com.

 You bid online through our website using the platform you prefer. We currently host our sales on Proxibid, HiBid, LiveAuctioneers, BidSpirit, and EstateSales.net, as well as our own direct platform. Bidding direct with us is the best way to save because it carries our lowest buyer’s premium.

Go to www.brandusedworks.com, open the upcoming auction, and click the bidding link for your chosen platform. Create or sign in to your account on that platform, complete registration by agreeing to the terms and adding a payment method (some platforms may place a temporary card hold or request ID), and await approval. You can place absentee bids during the 30-day preview window or bid live during the webcast event on auction days.

If you win, you’ll receive an invoice by email with the hammer price, buyer’s premium, tax if applicable, and shipping/FFL transfer details. Firearms ship to a licensed FFL unless you are eligible for local pickup under our terms. Register early to avoid delays on auction day. Platform availability can vary by sale, so always use the live links on www.brandusedworks.com.

 The Buyer’s Premium is a fee added to the hammer (bid) price. It helps cover the cost of the bidding platform—bringing bidder traffic to the sale, hosting the auction infrastructure, and providing support—so the auction can run smoothly end to end.

Our Buyer’s Premium varies based on where you place your bids and how you choose to pay. If you bid directly with Brand Used Works, the premium is 12% when paying by cash or certified funds, and 15% when paying by credit card. If you bid through other auction platforms, the premium is 15% for cash or certified funds, and 18% for credit card. The Buyer’s Premium is calculated per lot and added to your invoice; applicable sales tax, shipping, and FFL transfer fees are separate.

For example, if you win a lot at $1,000 and you bid directly with us and pay by cash or certified funds, the premium is $120 for a total of $1,120 before tax, shipping, and transfer. If you pay by credit card on a $1,000 direct bid, the premium is $150 for a total of $1,150 before those additional charges. If you win the same $1,000 lot on another platform, the premium is $150 for cash or certified funds and $180 for credit card, for totals of $1,150 or $1,180 before tax, shipping, and transfer.

 Anyone who is legally eligible to purchase or possess firearms can register and bid, and all bidders must comply with local, state, and federal law.

Antique and black-powder firearms are generally eligible for direct release or shipment to you where permitted. Under federal law, “antique” typically means firearms manufactured in or before 1898, but some states and localities have additional restrictions, so please verify your local requirements before bidding.

Modern firearms manufactured after 1898 follow standard FFL transfer rules. If you do not hold an FFL and you’re picking up locally at our licensed premises in Texas, you will complete ATF Form 4473 and pass the required background check before the firearm is released. If you live outside Texas—or prefer not to pick up locally—modern firearms must ship to a licensed FFL dealer of your choice, who will transfer the firearm to you according to their procedures. FFL holders may receive qualifying shipments directly to their licensed address after providing a copy of their license.

All other general merchandise ships directly to you. If you have questions about ATF Form 4473, FFL transfers, or whether an item can ship to your address, contact us and we’ll help you navigate the process.

 We ship primarily with UPS. Every order is packed in-house, tracked, and combined whenever possible to keep your costs down. When combination isn’t allowed by law or carrier policy, items ship in separate packages.

Handguns ship UPS Next Day Air per carrier rules. Long guns ship UPS Ground. Ammunition cannot ship in the same box as any firearm and travels Ground only; powder and primers also ship Ground. Keep in mind that buying just one box of ammo is rarely cost-effective—minimum UPS Ground charges often land around $10–$15, and adding a second or third ammo lot usually increases the total shipping by only a dollar or two.

Shipping charges are added to your final invoice once we know the weight, dimensions, and destination. Orders ship after payment clears and, for firearms, once your FFL details are on file and verified. Adult signature is required for firearms deliveries, and certain destinations may require signature on ammunition as well. We do not ship internationally.

 All sales are final. Firearms and related items are sold as-is, where-is with no warranty, because they involve strict federal and state compliance, background checks, and chain-of-custody requirements that prevent traditional returns. We work hard to represent items accurately—please review all photos and descriptions, and ask questions before bidding.

If you’re unhappy with a purchase after the sale, we can help by re-listing the item on consignment at a discounted commission rate. If a firearm has already been transferred to you, it can be consigned back to us; you would ship it to our FFL (per law) and we’ll market it in an upcoming auction. After it sells, you’ll receive the net proceeds minus the discounted commission and any direct costs.

If an item arrives damaged in transit or you believe you received the wrong item, contact us within 3 business days so we can initiate a carrier claim or correct the shipment.

 After you win a firearm, choose the receiving dealer you’d like to use. Ask that dealer to email a signed copy of their current FFL  to transfers@brandusedworks.com. To make sure it’s matched quickly, they should include your full name and your auction or invoice number in the email—something like “Subject: FFL for John Doe – Auction #### – Lot ##.” PDF is preferred, but a clear JPG works too.

Some platforms or dealers will ask you to forward a preliminary invoice. If yours does, simply forward it to your dealer so they can attach it to their email. Once we receive the FFL, we verify it, match it to your order, and queue your firearm for shipment after payment clears. 

If you’re local to Henderson, Texas, you may opt for pickup at our licensed premises instead of shipping; you’ll complete ATF Form 4473 and the required background check at pickup.

 Yes. If you’re local to Henderson, TX, you can pick up by appointment at our licensed premises at 608 Pinehill Rd, Henderson, TX 75654. Use the scheduler on our website to choose a date and time; we’ll stage your order so it’s ready when you arrive. Please bring a valid Texas photo ID. For firearm pickups, Texas residents will complete ATF Form 4473 and the required background check at our location; a valid Texas LTC will streamline the process . If you live outside Texas, firearms must be shipped to a licensed FFL dealer of your choice for transfer. Non-firearm merchandise can be picked up with ID. 

 We move fast. Most orders ship within 3 business days after we have your cleared payment and, for firearms, your FFL on file. The clock starts when both are received. You’ll get a tracking email as soon as the label is created. Handguns go UPS Next Day Air; long guns go UPS Ground; ammunition, powder, and primers ship Ground and cannot be in the same box as a firearm. We combine shipments when allowed to save you money. You can help us ship even faster by paying your invoice promptly and asking your dealer to email their FFL to transfers@brandusedworks.com with your full name and invoice or auction number in the subject line. Transit times depend on the carrier and destination, and weekends/holidays may add a day. We do not ship internationally. 

 We get it—and we offer alternatives. You may pay by personal check, bank check, cashier’s check, or money order to avoid the 2.99% credit card fee. To use one of these methods, there are a few requirements so we can keep orders moving smoothly.

Your payment must be postmarked within 3 days of the auction—no exceptions—and you must include a clear copy of your driver’s license/ID in the envelope. Please do not wait for your final invoice to mail payment; use your preliminary invoice totals so we can match and apply your funds. Shipping is billed separately after we pack and weigh your order, and shipping must be paid by credit card.

If you’d like, you may add a little extra with your check to cover FFL transfer fees ($10 per firearm) and to put something toward shipping. Those items won’t appear on the preliminary invoice, but adding funds can reduce how much ends up on the required credit card charge for shipping. Any overage is credited to your order.

We’ll ship once funds clear and, for firearms, once we have your FFL on file. If a mailed payment misses the 3-day postmark window or arrives without ID, we may require payment by credit card (including the 2.99% fee) to keep your order on track. For mailing details, use the remittance address shown on your invoice or contact us if you need help.

 This can occur in a multi-platform auction, and we know it’s frustrating. Our sales run simultaneously on several bidding platforms plus our direct site. Those platforms do not share live bid data with one another, and each has its own servers, clocks, and internet routes. During the heat of bidding, two platforms can show different people as “high bidder” at the same price at the same moment. The only authoritative record is the bid that reaches the auctioneer’s console first; that is the system we use to advance the bidding and declare the hammer.

Here’s a common scenario. Suppose the current ask is $110 and two platforms submit $110 at nearly the same instant. Each platform may briefly display its own user as the leader, but only one of those $110 bids reaches our console first. We accept that bid and immediately advance the asking price to the next increment—say $120. The other platform’s user then appears to have been “outbid” even though they saw themselves as high bidder seconds earlier. This isn’t favoritism; it’s simple network timing. Different routes on the internet can differ by hundreds of milliseconds, and that is enough to decide whose bid arrives first.

Absentee (pre-bids) introduce another wrinkle. Imagine you are winning at $10 with a max of $25 set on Platform A. The auctioneer asks for $15 and a live or absentee bid arrives from Platform B. Our console recognizes that outside bid and automatically advances your standing bid on Platform A to $20. The ask becomes $25. If a new $25 arrives from yet another platform before your console sends your $25 maximum, you will appear to have been “outbid” even though your max matched the ask. That’s why we recommend placing your absentee maximum one increment higher than your true ceiling; it gives your bid a better chance to stay in front when multiple platforms are stepping through the same increments.

Ties on identical prices can still happen even with absentee bids. When two platforms are both at the same high price and neither advances further, we must award the lot to one winner. Our procedure is neutral and non-preferential: we award based on the bid that our console recorded first at that price, or, if the time stamps are indistinguishable, by a fair rotation method that does not favor any platform. We cannot pause a live event to compare separate platforms’ internal logs or audit who placed an absentee bid earlier; the platforms’ clocks are not synchronized and a live audience is waiting for the next lot.

A few tips can improve your odds. If you can’t attend live, set your maximum one increment higher than your target price so the system can defend your position when several platforms move together. If you can attend live, bid promptly when an item comes up and avoid waiting for the absolute last second. Our direct bidding channel generally reduces intermediaries between you and our console, which can help minimize latency, though it cannot eliminate all timing differences. Make sure your account is fully registered and funded before auction day so a last-minute payment prompt doesn’t delay your bid from being accepted.

If you believe an error—not timing—affected your result, contact us with your name, the lot number, and your platform. After the sale we can review the console log for that lot and explain exactly how the bids progressed. While most “I was high but didn’t win” moments come down to split-second timing across competing platforms, we’re always happy to show you the sequence and answer questions so you can bid with confidence next time.

Absolutely. You can locate a nearby FFL by using this dealer finder: https://ezonlineffl.com/ffl/public. Enter your city, ZIP code, or state, then choose a shop that accepts outside transfers and matches your schedule and budget. Once you’ve selected your dealer, ask them to email a signed copy of their FFL to transfers@brandusedworks.com and include your full name and your auction or invoice number so we can match it quickly. ezonlineffl.com

If you prefer alternatives, you can also search the GunBroker FFL network or other national directories. These tools let you filter by distance and often list transfer fees and hours; be sure to call ahead to confirm current pricing and policies. After you win an item, we ship to your chosen FFL once payment clears and their license is on file. You can also use the following to search a dealer near you:  GunBroker MidwayUSA Palmetto State Armory

For peace of mind, your dealer can verify licenses through the ATF’s official eZ Check system by entering the first three and last five digits of the FFL number. ATFfflezcheck.atf.gov

Quick tips: choose a dealer with convenient hours, confirm they accept transfers from auction houses, ask about transfer fees and any local requirements, and make sure your name and contact info are included when the FFL is sent to us. This helps us pack and ship your order without delay.

 If your item ships to an address outside Texas, we do not charge Texas sales tax. Your home state may require you to report and pay use tax directly; check your state’s rules if you’re unsure.

If you are tax-exempt (for example, buying for resale or as a qualifying governmental agency), email a valid resale or exemption certificate before we finalize your invoice so we can apply the exemption where permitted. Exemptions can’t be applied after payment.

 Texas sales tax applies when your item is picked up at our Henderson, TX location or shipped to a Texas address.