Suppressors E-Form 4 Waiting to Certify

[Feesh]

I had my TBAC 338 Ultra delivered to my FFL in mid December. They’re a SilencerShop Gold Dealer. I still have not received a “Ready to Certify.” Dealer says they’re waiting on instruction from SilencerShop, SilencerShop says they’re working on additional training.

Is this a case of “it’s an NFA item, just be patient” or is there anything I can do to speed up the process?

 

[kthomas]

I just certified mine a couple of weeks ago, for a suppressor that was at the FFL in late 2021.

I think it's just going to be a patience thing. Hopefully the e-forms go as fast as expected, to make up for the wait.

 

[Jnull]

I got the ready to certify on both my cans 2 weeks after buying them in February and I bought them through Capitol armory. I’d be getting on someone’s ass.

 

[Feesh]

Does anyone have a guide on how to certify I can share with my FFL?

 

[sam4886]

I'm in the same boat. They're getting a call this week from a pissed off customer and probably told to transfer them to a different dealer. I need to make a couple calls to find a shop that has their shit together.

I suggest you take your business to someone that can work the new system.

 

[GibsonL5]

I bought mine through silencer shop december 4 and didnt certify until feb 23. Spoke with dealer and silencer shop numerous times during the process. Finally, spoke with someone at silencer who really seemed concerned. He promised to find out the delay. The next day i got the "ready to certify" So, yes id call and push the issue with silencer shop to see if they can find out the issue. Mine turned out to be the dealer not being able to recognize my form. Silencer Shop tech fixed it in under 24 hours.

 

[hlee]

Call the dealer. The website is still a frustration.

 

[Maelstrom]

I just certified today on my Dead Air Nomad LT I bought November 12, 2021. I was at my dealer about 2 weeks ago and hung out while he was on hold with Silencer Shop for over 3 hours trying to figure out why he could not process my paperwork to the next step. Between the issues with the ATFE website and delays getting through with SS I say be patient but keep checking in with your dealer. I was in no real rush because my dealer has 3 other suppressors waiting to clear on paper forms.

 

[Feesh]

Wanted to make sure it wasn’t an isolated case - sounds like everyone is still getting up to speed with the changes. This one is tough because I had to wait for the suppressor to be built, and now I’m waiting for the ATF. May be 2 years in before I shoot this one!

 

[mark5pt56]

A lot of this could've been prevented if the dealers had some planning to know how to work the program. When they loose customers over it, they might get their ass in gear.

 

[semifan1]

I got the ready to certify on both my cans 2 weeks after buying them in February and I bought them through Capitol armory. I’d be getting on someone’s ass.

Sounds like I need to start shopping at Capital Armory instead of SS. I have not been happy with SS as of late. Takes about a week to answer emails. last instructions I received, wait for your dealer to contact you to certify.

 

[Jnull]

Sounds like I need to start shopping at Capital Armory instead of SS. I have not been happy with SS as of late. Takes about a week to answer emails. last instructions I received, wait for your dealer to contact you to certify.

The speed had nothing to do with Capitol armory but they are good people. I’m saying in the time it took to order from them, form 3 from texas to my dealer in PA and get the paperwork started through silencershop I barely had any kind of wait.

If Capitol armory is currently setup to ship direct to your home in your state once the form 4 is approved they’re definitely the way to go, and usually have stock that silencershop doesn’t.

 

[Enough Said]

A lot of this could've been prevented if the dealers had some planning to know how to work the program. When they loose customers over it, they might get their ass in gear.

NOT the dealers' fault. Trust me. Just a system built by a company who wants to make it better, and a bureaucracy built by the same system that brought us Healthcare.gov. Simple as that. Growing pains.

 

[sam4886]

NOT the dealers' fault. Trust me. Just a system built by a company who wants to make it better, and a bureaucracy built by the same system that brought us Healthcare.gov. Simple as that. Growing pains.

Then what's the excuse for guys certifying in minutes, not hours, and only a few days after form 3s clear?

Granted, I don't know the numbers, but it looks like about half are quick and then other half are waiting on dealers to "make the system work".

 

[hlee]

Then what's the excuse for guys certifying in minutes, not hours, and only a few days after form 3s clear?

Granted, I don't know the numbers, but it looks like about half are quick and then other half are waiting on dealers to "make the system work".

Some dealers are more customer oriented than others. I found out that the dealer handling my eform4 was setting up batches of forms to process overnight, having the system fail, then doing the same thing the next night. Calling the dealer got the 'NFA guy' to dig up my form and put it through while I waited on the phone. Went in the next day and certified.

 

[HansohnBrothers]

Have your dealer log into their Silencer Shop account and navigate to the dashboard. It will look like the below. From there they can prepare the forms. We've done a few dozen so far with no issue.

 

[mark5pt56]

I waited a f'ing month for the dealer to come out for air-that's after 42 people and pitchforks appeared. Don't give me that shit

 

[Enough Said]

Have your dealer log into their Silencer Shop account and navigate to the dashboard. It will look like the below. From there they can prepare the forms. We've done a few dozen so far with no issue.

What it should look like when you've done a couple dozen. LOL

 

[James Abram]

Just some info on the ATF Form 4 eFile system. We are NOT a SS dealer, just an independent.

When we sell a suppressor we have in stock, the Form 4 eFile and certification is completed in about 15 minutes (that is if the customer has their eFile account already set up). If we have to order the suppressor in, that adds about 10 days as the supplier transfers it to us.

Any wait over a few days seems to be a SS issue.

 

[Feesh]

Have your dealer log into their Silencer Shop account and navigate to the dashboard. It will look like the below. From there they can prepare the forms. We've done a few dozen so far with no issue.

Thank you! I’ll stop by this week and show them. Really appreciate all the information that you contribute to the forum.

 

[HansohnBrothers]

What it should look like when you've done a couple dozen. LOLView attachment 7823811

LOL! Have done a dozen so far, not sure why my dashboard wasn't updated. It's correct now.

 

[Silencer Shop]

Have your dealer log into their Silencer Shop account and navigate to the dashboard. It will look like the below. From there they can prepare the forms. We've done a few dozen so far with no issue.

Thanks for mentioning HB!

 

[Silencer Shop]

Thank you! I’ll stop by this week and show them. Really appreciate all the information that you contribute to the forum.

Hey buddy! Thanks for sharing your experience. The information that Hansohn Brothers showcased in this thread is also available in the Silencer Shop Dealer Portal (which the FFL/SOT has access to) and training videos for them have been available as well. The videos show which clicks, in what order and step by step. Like other's have mentioned, it should only take a few minutes to certify and submit. If you'd like us to reach out to that location, we'd be glad to. Just complete this form and we'll remind them of the comms that we have previously provided and clarify any questions they may have:

Please see form here (Option 3):


https://linktr.ee/silencershop2

 

[skyrep]

Has anyone received an email from ATF after your e-file is submitted stating that you have to submit your finger prints to them within 10 working days? As soon as my dealer certified my E-File, an email from ATF was waiting stating to submit my fingerprints.

 

[hlee]

Has anyone received an email from ATF after your e-file is submitted stating that you have to submit your finger prints to them within 10 working days? As soon as my dealer certified my E-File, an email from ATF was waiting stating to submit my fingerprints.

One of the benefits of the SS kiosk is that once your fingerprints are taken, they are there.

I did get this email from an e-form 1. Was pretty simple to go get printed, print off the cover letter, and drop them in an envelope addressed to the ATF…

 

[Feesh]

Hey buddy! Thanks for sharing your experience. The information that Hansohn Brothers showcased in this thread is also available in the Silencer Shop Dealer Portal (which the FFL/SOT has access to) and training videos for them have been available as well. The videos show which clicks, in what order and step by step. Like other's have mentioned, it should only take a few minutes to certify and submit. If you'd like us to reach out to that location, we'd be glad to. Just complete this form and we'll remind them of the comms that we have previously provided and clarify any questions they may have:

Please see form here (Option 3):


https://linktr.ee/silencershop2

I still haven’t received my Ready to Certify email. How should I proceed?

 

[sam4886]

I still haven’t received my Ready to Certify email. How should I proceed?

Same.

 

[Supersubes]

I sold a can to a customer on the 7th via SS. Customer got his docusign that day. The eform was ready to be prepared 24 hours later. I did so, and its ready to certify as of this morning. Customer is out of town, but if he was available, it would be done already. Im a tiny dealer, and this is only my second efile for a customer since it went live.

 

[Arc Light]

I bought my first suppressor in December because of e-file. The hype from SS had a lot of people believing they would be approved within 90 days. Now I figured that would never happen being that the government was involved. It took multiple calls to my dealer for me to finally be able to certify in January. The fact that their are still people waiting 90+ days just to certify is ridiculous.

Imho, SS should have been much more upfront about e-file and the expected delays. None of it was explained before I purchased. No one explained having to create an ATF account then having to make a second trip to the dealer to certify. I probably would have just waited 6 months to purchase if I had known all this ahead of time.

 

[Supersubes]

I bought my first suppressor in December because of e-file. The hype from SS had a lot of people believing they would be approved within 90 days. Now I figured that would never happen being that the government was involved. It took multiple calls to my dealer for me to finally be able to certify in January. The fact that their are still people waiting 90+ days just to certify is ridiculous.

Imho, SS should have been much more upfront about e-file and the expected delays. None of it was explained before I purchased. No one explained having to create an ATF account then having to make a second trip to the dealer to certify. I probably would have just waited 6 months to purchase if I had known all this ahead of time.

It just went live in 12/23, so nobody should have waited 90 days, that many days hasn’t elapsed yet. The only exception would be those who bought before and elected to hold for the rollout, and thats on them. From where I'm sitting, the delays I'm reading about are dealer related. As in your local dealer. About two weeks ago my rep said they had done approx 50k efiles in 60 days. It remains to be seen whether or not a tidal wave of approvals happens. All we can do is hope. You could have done a paper F4 in December, and maybe gotten your can by Christmas 2023

Additionally, your eforms account means youre a little more in the drivers seat as far as the process and approval goes. No more burning a month or more between the approval and the mailing(in some cases) of the stamp to your dealer. Things are moving in the right direction, just hang in there.

Just offering my perspective.

 

[hlee]

It just went live in 12/23, so nobody should have waited 90 days, that many days hasn’t elapsed yet. The only exception would be those who bought before and elected to hold for the rollout, and thats on them. From where I'm sitting, the delays I'm reading about are dealer related. As in your local dealer. About two weeks ago my rep said they had done approx 50k efiles in 60 days. It remains to be seen whether or not a tidal wave of approvals happens. All we can do is hope. You could have done a paper F4 in December, and maybe gotten your can by Christmas 2023

Additionally, your eforms account means youre a little more in the drivers seat as far as the process and approval goes. No more burning a month or more between the approval and the mailing(in some cases) of the stamp to your dealer. Things are moving in the right direction, just hang in there.

Just offering my perspective.

SS held applications from-at least- late November to file through the efile system. I know because I purchased before Thanksgiving and it is going efile. I was unaware of that fact (That it was not a paper submission) until well after the purchase. I was finally able to get my dealer to certify in late Feb. so, for me and many others, it really has been a 90+ day journey from purchase to certification.

To those that are still stuck in pre-certification purgatory, call your dealer and see what os holding them up.

 

[Jnull]

The dealer that has my other 2 cans actually had a dominus on hand so I jumped on it. They submitted the paperwork to SS Monday, I got the docusign email the same day and got the ready to certify email early this afternoon. Less then 2 days from the time I completed the docusign paperwork.

 

[Supersubes]

SS held applications from-at least- late November to file through the efile system. I know because I purchased before Thanksgiving and it is going efile. I was unaware of that fact (That it was not a paper submission) until well after the purchase. I was finally able to get my dealer to certify in late Feb. so, for me and many others, it really has been a 90+ day journey from purchase to certification.

To those that are still stuck in pre-certification purgatory, call your dealer and see what os holding them up.

I would lay that one squarely on your local dealer as well. The dealer needs to know how you want to proceed, because it dictates what their role is following your purchase. SS does what the user’s account specifies. The button for efile popped onto most people accounts around the time of your purchase(or maybe it was december). Could that have been checked? Did the dealer get distracted and miss the fact they never received your F4 docusign(as they would for any paper submission). The reality of what happened is probably a combination of things. I dont think SS was assuming everyone wanted efile, although the promise of 90 day approvals probably had a lot of people opting that way. Who knows though, maybe thats exactly what happened, and you got put in that pile. I always tell customers to log in to SS to see where the application is at, and inform them that they should see(mailed, check cashed, etc). Anything else indicates a problem. This of course would have alerted you. I’m not raking you over the coals on this. Just my perspective.

 

[hlee]

I would lay that one squarely on your local dealer as well. The dealer needs to know how you want to proceed, because it dictates what their role is following your purchase. SS does what the user’s account specifies. The button for efile popped onto most people accounts around the time of your purchase(or maybe it was december). Could that have been checked? Did the dealer get distracted and miss the fact they never received your F4 docusign(as they would for any paper submission). The reality of what happened is probably a combination of things. I dont think SS was assuming everyone wanted efile, although the promise of 90 day approvals probably had a lot of people opting that way. Who knows though, maybe thats exactly what happened, and you got put in that pile. I always tell customers to log in to SS to see where the application is at, and inform them that they should see(mailed, check cashed, etc). Anything else indicates a problem. This of course would have alerted you. I’m not raking you over the coals on this. Just my perspective.

I ordered through the SS website. I’m not a high volume buyer and was unaware that the efile system was going live at all. The toggle on my SS account page was auto-selected to efile, I certainly didn’t select e-file (because I didn’t know the system was going live). But, when I purchased, SS was not advertising that they were holding apps and (not checking my SS profile) I assumed it was a traditional filing. I did not realize that it was efile until reading here that they were holding apps. My profile still says no efiles pending- or something to that effect- even though I know I have one. I emailed SS because there was a little yellow triangle on this order, but they said all was fine and to wait for the dealer.

Yes, the local dealer holding the suppressor bears much of the blame for the delay, as does the ATF software. The dealer claimed to have a backlog of over 80 certifications, with more every day. They set up as many as they can to run over night, but the system crashes and they only get through a few to a couple dozen. This is their story. To their credit, when I called them directly the guy pulled my file and pushed it through right then. But, I could still be waiting if I hadn’t finally gotten a bit pro-active. Overall, while frustrated with the system, I’m not mad at SS or the dealer. A form 4 is taking 11 months right now. If this comes back in less time than that, it is a win. I’m really more interested in what this looks like next year, when all of the local dealers have their systems lined out and know what they are doing.

 

[padronanniversary]

My experience with SS and their powered by dealer has been horrible. They point fingers at each other. Silencer shop blames dealer, take it up with dealer. At this point after 3 months contacting both it’s time to go after a charge back with SS since they suck so bad. They won’t cancel my order or refund my money. I would stay clear of SS and just go to a trusted dealer instead

 

[Reload10]

Would appreciate some help in this matter...

Suppressor was f3'd to a SS Kiosk dealer.

I got the docusign pages from SS sent to me and I completed them.

That's it...nothing else yet and the dealer says we're good to go. I haven't paid $200 and have not done anything with my eforms account. What am I waiting for now?

 

[Supersubes]

Would appreciate some help in this matter...

Suppressor was f3'd to a SS Kiosk dealer.

I got the docusign pages from SS sent to me and I completed them.

That's it...nothing else yet and the dealer says we're good to go. I haven't paid $200 and have not done anything with my eforms account. What am I waiting for now?

Have you discussed with your dealer who’s taking your tax stamp money? You can pay the dealer or pay silencershop.

The dealer needs to “prepare” your f4 in eforms. Its automated, but they have to initiate it. Then you will both certify the form 4. If you did a trust, you can do certify remotely. If you did individual, you must go to the dealer.

 

[Feesh]

That’s awesome information @Supersubes. Sounds like I’m waiting for my dealer to “prepare” my form 4. Called them yesterday and they said I should be ready on Tuesday. We’ll see!

 

[wizardpc]

Got my ready to certify one day last week. Friday was my first opportunity to call my dealer and they said "the website is down, call back Monday."

That seemed odd to me since I was logged in to the portal and eforms and both were working from what I could see.

 

[Supersubes]

Got my ready to certify one day last week. Friday was my first opportunity to call my dealer and they said "the website is down, call back Monday."

That seemed odd to me since I was logged in to the portal and eforms and both were working from what I could see.

My SS rep was saying it would be down through friday. Got a text Thursday afternoon that it was up. It was the dealer end of the software. Working now.

 

[LSUbeatUby40]

I'm hoping not to jinx myself here but I ordered a can from SS back in January. It arrived to my dealer in a week and got the certify email not a day later. I had to go into the shop to certify and noticed my buddies name on the list of forms needing to be certified (he ordered his the same day as me). I told him nd he called the dealer and certified the same day.

My guess is the dealers just aren't familiar yet with exactly how the process goes. If your dealer gets the can and the form 3 is approved, its probably In the system already waiting to be certified.

I have a thunderchicken waiting to arrive at my dealer now so ill let you know how that goes.

 

[Supersubes]

I'm hoping not to jinx myself here but I ordered a can from SS back in January. It arrived to my dealer in a week and got the certify email not a day later. I had to go into the shop to certify and noticed my buddies name on the list of forms needing to be certified (he ordered his the same day as me). I told him nd he called the dealer and certified the same day.

My guess is the dealers just aren't familiar yet with exactly how the process goes. If your dealer gets the can and the form 3 is approved, its probably In the system already waiting to be certified.

I have a thunderchicken waiting to arrive at my dealer now so ill let you know how that goes.

Dealer still has to do the prepare step. This weeks update did add a button called prepare and certify. I haven’t used it yet but presumably both steps can be done in one session. Barring any server issues (SS or ATF), this could speed things up a quite a bit.

 

[LSUbeatUby40]

One of the benefits of the SS kiosk is that once your fingerprints are taken, they are there.

I did get this email from an e-form 1. Was pretty simple to go get printed, print off the cover letter, and drop them in an envelope addressed to the ATF…

I got that same email for a form4, but did nothing. SS said they already have my fingerprints and would be submitted with the form4 so no action was needed. I hope that's true.

 

[Supersubes]

I got that same email for a form4, but did nothing. SS said they already have my fingerprints and would be submitted with the form4 so no action was needed. I hope that's true.

Thats correct. SS is sending off prints as they always have.

 

[Enough Said]

How I spend my day. as your Dealer...

 

[sgtsmmiii]

Just as an FYI - my local dealer just got his first e-file approval back this morning - 63 days ( Jan. 12 to today ). So, they are rolling. Still waiting on mine from Dec. 26th.
The format seems to be the same as the electronic Form 1's - an attachment to the email to be printed out. Probably no separate actual stamp and approved form forthcoming.
Wonder if the customer gets an email notification?

Edit to add: Just found out from the customer that he did get an email confirmation.

 

[semifan1]

Just as an FYI - my local dealer just got his first e-file approval back this morning - 63 days ( Jan. 12 to today ). So, they are rolling. Still waiting on mine from Dec. 26th.
The format seems to be the same as the electronic Form 1's - an attachment to the email to be printed out. Probably no separate actual stamp and approved form forthcoming.
Wonder if the customer gets an email notification?

Edit to add: Just found out from the customer that he did get an email confirmation.

Appreciate the information.

 

[Feesh]

Mine still hasn’t been submitted from late December. Hanging in there and trying to be patient.

 

[Supersubes]

Mine still hasn’t been submitted from late December. Hanging in there and trying to be patient.

Weird, why?

 

[Feesh]

Dealer says they aren’t trained on how to submit yet and don’t understand. I called them last week and they told me they would be good to go as of this Tuesday.