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Selling a Firearm at the Counter (POS)

Counter sales through the Point of Sale are the fastest way to ring up a firearm purchase for a walk-in customer. The POS handles the compliance workflow inline — you do not leave the register to initiate the FastBound disposition. When you ring up a compliance product, the system guides you through the required steps before the sale can complete.

Before You Start

  • A POS session must be open.
  • The firearm product must be set up as a POS product in a compliance product category.
  • You must have the firearm physically in hand to enter or scan the serial number.
  • The customer must be identified — compliance sales require a customer record attached to the POS order.

Step by Step

  1. Open or resume a POS session from Point of Sale → Open.
  2. Scan the firearm barcode or search for the product by name. For example: Sig Sauer P365 XL, 9mm.
  3. The product is added to the order. A compliance indicator appears on the order line.
  4. Click Set Customer and select (or create) the customer. This step is required — the POS will block a compliance sale without a customer attached.
  5. Add any other products the customer is purchasing.
  6. Click Payment when ready to check out.
  7. A Compliance Check popup appears before payment is accepted. This popup prompts you to:
    • Select the serial number of the specific firearm being sold (from the dropdown of available serials)
    • Confirm the disposition type (Regular by default for private customers)
  8. Select the serial number and click Confirm.
  9. CloudFFL creates a FastBound disposition in the background and a 4473 PIN is generated for the customer.
  10. Process the payment (cash, card, or split) as normal. A receipt prints with the PIN if configured.

The 4473 Process at the Counter

Payment collected does not authorize transfer. The 4473 must be completed before the customer takes possession of the firearm.

Electronic 4473 (recommended): Give the customer the FastBound PIN. They open the FastBound portal — typically on a counter tablet or kiosk — and complete the form. FastBound submits the NICS check automatically when the form is done.

Paper 4473: Have the customer fill out the paper form at the counter. Submit the NICS check yourself through FastBound or your normal process and record the result.

Do not hand the firearm to the customer until NICS returns Proceed. Payment being collected does not authorize transfer. If the customer has already paid and is denied, process a refund at the POS and return the firearm to inventory.

When NICS Comes Back as Proceed

  1. FastBound sends a webhook to CloudFFL confirming the 4473 is approved.
  2. The POS sale record is updated with the NTN and 4473 approval status.
  3. Hand the firearm to the customer. The bound book entry is finalized in FastBound with the transfer timestamp.
  4. Print or email a final receipt if the customer requests one.

Handling a Delay

If NICS returns Delayed, the customer must wait. Federal law allows you (but does not require you) to transfer the firearm after 3 business days if no determination has been made — this is called a Proceed on Delay. CloudFFL does not automatically authorize transfer on delay — you must make the business decision and manually confirm the disposition in FastBound if you choose to proceed.

Tip: Most dealers hold the firearm during a delay rather than transferring on day three. Transferring on delay is legal but carries risk — if a Denied determination arrives after transfer, you are required to attempt recovery of the firearm.

End-of-Day Compliance Check

Before closing your POS session, review FastBound → Dispositions to confirm all firearm sales from the session have bound book entries with the correct serial numbers and customer information. Any sales showing Pending 4473 need to be resolved before closing.

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