Definition of Terms Used In These Guides

Buyer
The customer who is ordering products and placing the order.

Seller
The store owner offering products for sale.

Receiving Dealer (Dealer)
The licensed FFL holder in the Buyer’s home state who:

Runs the background check
Collects ATF Form 4473
Transfers the regulated item to the Buyer

FFL License
The federal license required to transact in firearms. Each FFL License contains a License Number, which is used throughout the API to identify the Receiving Dealer.

Federally Regulated Items (“Firearms”)
Firearms or components regulated by the ATF as firearms in commerce. These items must always be transferred through a Receiving Dealer.

State Regulated Items
Items that may require dealer involvement based on the Buyer’s home state laws (for example, certain ammunition or parts must be transferred though a Receiving Dealer in CA).

NFA Items
A subset of Federally Regulated Items requiring additional compliance. A Receiving Dealer must possess a valid SOT document to transact NFA Items.

ItemTypes and ItemSubTypes
MasterFFL categorizes Regulated Items into logical groups that its workflows understand. Typically, an e-commerce category or individual item is mapped to an ItemType\ItemSubType. These mappings determine how dealer filtering and compliance checks are applied.

Transfer Workflow
A series of automated processes used to:

Acquire the Receiving Dealer’s license\documents
Verify documentation
Validate willingness and ability to perform the transfer
Communicate with Buyer, Seller, and Receiving Dealer (email/SMS when necessary)
Generate a completed Master FFL Transfer Proof

During the Transfer Workflow:

The Buyer or Seller may change the Receiving Dealer under certain circumstances
License validation is re-run as needed

When the Transfer Workflow completes, a webhook is sent back to the platform containing:

A link to the Master FFL Transfer Proof
Receiving Dealer license details
Receiving Dealer preferred shipping address

Willing and Able
Describes whether a Receiving Dealer can perform a transfer:

Willing: The dealer has opted-in to perform transfers of the relevant type.
Able: The dealer’s license and qualifications are valid and current.

A dealer may be willing but not able (e.g., expired license). Both conditions must be satisfied.