1. Sell Online
  2. How to Sell Guns and Ammo Online

The Perfect Website for Your Firearms Business

Shift4shop has everything you need to run a gun accessories and ammo online store

Guns and Ammo

Reach Millions of Firearm Enthusiasts with an Online Store

Whether for law enforcement, home protection, hunting, target shooting, or related competitive marksmanship, firearms are in demand all over the United States. Many gun owners enjoy upgrading and accessorizing their firearms to get better results on the range. This can be as straightforward as attaching a scope, or as complex as replacing the trigger or other parts. Others seek a steady supply of ammunition or even prefer to handload their own cartridges from components.

For online gun accessory and ammo sales, Shift4shop hits the mark. Organize products by category and manufacturer so customers can choose from their preferred brands. Include product photos, video, and technical information right on your product pages. Reach millions of customers with robust built-in SEO and make your website complete and informative with unlimited pages. Plus, built-in order and inventory management, backed up by a Customer Relationship Management module, helps you keep records straight and remain in compliance with regulations. Shift4shop is fully prepared with everything you need to grow your business and keep your online store on target!

Understanding Online Sales

Understanding Online Firearms, Accessory, and Ammunition Sales

Customers like to buy guns and gun accessories online for the same reasons anyone likes to shop online: convenience, access to large product catalogs, ease of product comparison, presence of customer reviews to guide them to the right product, and more. As long as you follow all regulations and conduct business in accordance with the law, you can run a firearm-related online store with tons of products to choose from. You could decide to focus solely on one type of gun, such as rifles built on the very popular Remington 700 footprint, or you could branch out into multiple types of firearms. Your primary customers could be hunters, law enforcement, competitive target shooters, or you could appeal to all of these. It's up to you, your marketing, and the products you choose to carry.

Types of Products

Recreational marksmen and law enforcement alike are always seeking new products to upgrade their shooting experience. Even if you do not sell complete firearms, you can sell a huge variety of parts including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Handgun parts (frames, slides, sights, barrels, etc.)
  • Brass casings and reloading dies for handloading cartridges
  • Rifle parts (barrels, stocks and chassis systems, actions, triggers, etc.)
  • Targets
  • Scopes/scope rings/levels
  • Bipods
  • Muzzle brakes
  • Holsters, bags, cases, and rifle slings
  • Rifle bottom metal/box magazine conversion
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Magazines and clips
  • Related tactical gear and accessories
  • Ammunition

With Shift4shop's powerful unlimited category system, you can sell all these products and more, and keep them organized in a meaningful manner that your customers will find easy to navigate. The only limits are laws and regulations.

Successful Stores Selling Guns and Ammo Online

Online Guns and Ammo Sellers Thriving on Shift4shop

Scale

Legal Requirements for Online Gun Stores

The legal landscape around firearms and parts is always shifting, especially regarding the intersection of state and federal law and the legal differences between states. Long guns and handguns are also subject to different laws. It's absolutely vital that you understand the laws involved, obtain the proper licensing, and restrict your sales to qualifying customers. Gun store owners who make a mistake are subject to large fines and potential prosecution. Start with this guide from the ATF to learn whether you need a Federal Firearms License. Check out the ATF's main Firearms Industry page for additional helpful information.

You'll need an understanding of state laws as well, and this is especially important because you may decide that selling to customers in a strongly-regulated state or locality has risks that outweigh the profits from the sale. In many cases it's better to refuse sales and shipment of some items to certain states completely.

Important note: State gun laws are in flux and information found online regarding state-by-state laws for online gun retailers may be out-of-date. We recommend consulting an attorney if you have any questions about which states you can sell to.

Online Store Themes Perfect for Firearm and Tactical Stores

The look and feel of your online store is important for your branding and for providing the right shopping atmosphere for your customers. Shift4shop has many eCommerce themes available that are easy to customize to match your brand. You may want to choose based on design aesthetic, such as dark colors or sleek elements, that match the tactical products you're selling. Or, you may prefer choosing a theme based on its function and how well it meets your business needs.

Red Dragon Firearms Theme
Red Dragon

Red Dragon is an assertive, dark theme with powerful visual appeal that's the perfect fit for your tactical products. Elements like a sticky menu and large product images make shopping efficient and enjoyable for your customers. And, because it's responsive, shoppers can browse your selection on any device.

Mdash Firearms Theme
Mdash

Your high performance products deserve a website theme that's just as sleek as they are. Mdash is a modern, responsive theme with a monochrome color scheme. This theme brings an immediate sense of quality — which is ideal for your technically advanced product selection. With convenient features like a dropdown menu, your customers will have the smoothest online shopping experience they won't soon forget. Arm yourself with the best theme for your eCommerce site and showcase your products proudly with Mdash.

How to Get Started Selling Guns, Accessories, and Ammunition Online

Where other platforms refuse to support online stores selling guns, gun accessories, or ammunition, Shift4shop provides everything you need to run your business successfully. Sign up for our shopping cart software and gain access to all of our built-in features and free themes. Here are some of the features that make Shift4shop perfect for your online firearm and accessory store:

Why Shift4shop is the Best eCommerce Solution for Online Gun Accessory and Ammo Stores

Age Verification Options

Ensure your customers are of legal age with an easy-to implement popup, or take verification to the next level with the Shift4shop Veratad connector.

Powerful SEO

Firearm-related stores face advertising restrictions, which makes it even more important to be easily found on search engines. Shift4shop's full suite of built-in SEO tools will help you rank high in search results.

Restrict Sales and Shipping

Gun laws vary all over the nation. Avoid problems by preventing sales to states or localities where your products aren't allowed to be purchased online.

Built-In Product Reviews

Keep customers informed by encouraging product reviews from your community of firearm enthusiasts, and the results they've achieved with different parts and ammunition.

Shift4shop includes everything you need to sell online

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to sell guns online?
This entirely depends on where you’re selling from, what products you’re selling, and who you’re selling to. Certain guns are prohibited for sale, while others can be sold with specific restrictions. Additionally, many states have different laws on gun sales relative to federal laws. Ensure that your store is properly licensed and that you’re only selling to areas that do not prohibit the gun you are selling.
How can I market my online gun and ammo store?
Because most social media and paid media ad platforms, like Facebook and Google, prohibit advertising campaigns for gun sales, you’ll need to focus your efforts elsewhere. You can advertise your online gun shop using SEO, which optimizes search engine results so that your store reaches the top. Content marketing is especially useful for improving your site’s SEO; consider writing blogs that gun enthusiasts may find valuable.
What are the best suppliers for firearm products?
You can procure firearms and related products for your online gun store from a variety of wholesale distributors. Make sure that the distributor you source your products from is a licensed distributor for the specific brands that it carries to ensure that your products are not only legal, but legitimate.
Can I dropship gun and ammo products?
Dropshipping is definitely possible and available in the online firearm sales business. However, its vital that you understand where your dropshipped products are being sold from to ensure that your business is staying 100% legal. You’ll also want to do research before establishing a relationship with a dropshipping supplier; your supplier needs to be reliable in terms of product quality when it comes to products like firearms.