3,000
Dropship orders a day for Palmetto State Armory, through one centralized system.
Rebuilding a firearms site is not the same project as rebuilding a store that sells shoes. The platform has to be willing to host your catalog, a payment processor has to be willing to underwrite it, and the checkout has to send a firearm to a licensed dealer while an accessory ships to the customer.
Flxpoint does not sell a storefront, and we work with whichever one you choose, so we have no platform to push. Every price and policy below comes from the vendor’s own page and is linked where it appears. Policies in this industry change quickly, so confirm anything that matters to you in writing before you sign.
Payments decide more than the platform does.
The mainstream processors mostly say no. PayPal lists ammunition, firearms and certain firearm parts among its restricted transactions in its Acceptable Use Policy, Square says you may not use its services for the sale of firearms, firearm parts, ammunition or weapons, and Shopify Payments lists firearms, holsters, ammunition and weapons as prohibited. Stripe lists legal firearms as a limited-availability category and asks you to contact its sales team, so approval starts with a conversation.
Processors that underwrite gun merchants exist, and you should expect a different review than a normal signup. One agency that sells BigCommerce builds writes that firearms merchants should expect 3.5% to 5% plus per-transaction fees. That is one agency’s statement and not a published rate, so ask the processors themselves. GunTab, a payment service built for firearm sales, lists a 2.9% service fee, or 2.5% when a verified FFL is involved, plus a convenience fee when a buyer pays by card.
Get the processor approved in writing before you sign with a platform or an agency.
Platforms compared: BigCommerce, Shopware, open source and the rest.
Most retailers weigh four kinds of option: a managed platform, an open-source platform you or an agency host, a platform built around the firearms category, and staying where they are. None of them is right for everyone, and each one has a firearms question to settle before you commit. The table gives the short version, and each platform gets a full sheet below it.
| Platform | Hosting | Starting price | Firearms policy | FFL checkout | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BigCommerce | Managed platform | from $39/mo | Acceptable use policy does not name firearms | Several FFL dealer-selection apps in its marketplace | Gateway fee on lower plans |
| Shopware | SaaS, Shopware’s platform or self-hosted | Free core, paid from €600/mo | No firearms wording in its terms | No FFL extensions found, likely custom work | Agency cost for checkout |
| WooCommerce and Adobe Commerce | You or an agency host it | Free core, Adobe by quote | No platform vendor sets category rules | FFL plugins such as g-FFL Checkout | Hosts that refuse firearms sites |
| Firearms-specific platforms | Vendor hosted | from $99/mo | Built around the category | Included in the box | Less checkout control, exit terms |
| Shift4Shop | Managed platform | $41/mo plan | Page welcomes gun accessory and ammo stores | No FFL checkout described | Confirm complete firearms in writing |
| Shopify | Managed platform | from $39/mo | Shopify Payments excludes firearms | Not checked for this guide | Third-party gateway and its fee |
A managed platform with ready-made storefront themes and a large agency network. Plans start at $39/mo for Core, or $29 billed annually, and move through Growth at $105 and Scale at $399 to a custom Performance plan from $1,499 a month, according to its pricing page. It lists a $0 fee on its embedded payment providers and an Open Payment Provider Fee of 2.0%, 1.0%, 0.6% or 0% by plan on other gateways, so ask how your firearms-friendly processor is treated. Its acceptable use policy puts responsibility for the legality of your products on you and does not name firearms, which is why a written answer from the vendor matters.
StrengthsManaged hosting, ready-made themes, a large agency network and several FFL dealer-selection apps in its marketplace.
TradeoffsIts acceptable use policy does not name firearms, and a third-party gateway can carry a platform fee on the lower plans.
Ask first: how your firearms-friendly processor is treated on gateway fees, and get the platform’s answer on firearms in writing.
Open source at its core, and available as software as a service, on Shopware’s own platform service, or self-hosted. The Community Edition is free, with paid plans from €600/mo for Rise and €2,400/mo for Evolve on its pricing page, and a drag-and-drop page builder comes in every plan. We read its terms and acceptable use policy and found no firearms wording, and a search of its extension store on October 26, 2026 returned no listings for FFL, firearm or ammunition. That does not mean it cannot be done. It means FFL checkout and state rules are likely custom work, so budget for an agency. Shopware lists its own partner agencies.
StrengthsA free open-source core, a drag-and-drop page builder in every plan and your choice of where it is hosted.
TradeoffsWe found no FFL extensions in its store, so firearms checkout is likely custom work, and paid plans start at €600 a month.
Ask first: which agency has built FFL checkout on Shopware, and what that custom work costs.
Adobe CommerceThe open-source and self-hosted options most firearms retailers already know. WooCommerce’s core software is free, and hosting, security and a developer are separate costs. Because no platform vendor sets the category rules, the question moves to your host and your processor, and some hosts do not accept firearms sites, so get that in writing too. Adobe Commerce is quote-based with no published price, and builds often call for a developer team.
StrengthsFree core software, FFL checkout plugins such as g-FFL Checkout, and no platform vendor setting category rules.
TradeoffsHosting, security and a developer are separate costs, and some hosts do not accept firearms sites.
Ask first: whether your host accepts firearms sites, and who maintains your FFL plugins.
FirearmCartGearfire, AmmoReady, Coreware and FirearmCart are built around the category, so FFL workflows, firearms-friendly payments and sometimes point of sale come in the box. Gearfire lists plans at $149/mo and $249 a month, AmmoReady from $179/mo plus a one-time setup of $500 to $2,500, Coreware at $150/mo plus a $500 joining fee, and FirearmCart at $99/mo, $199 or $349 plus $0.49, $0.29 or $0.15 per sale with no long-term contract, each on its own pricing page. FirearmCart is the newest of the four, so ask for references and exit terms. The tradeoff to weigh is how much of the checkout you can change and what you can take with you if you leave.
StrengthsFFL workflows, firearms-friendly payments and sometimes point of sale come in the box.
TradeoffsYou may be able to change less of the checkout, and exit terms differ: Coreware’s says your store goes offline on termination.
Ask first: how much of the checkout you can change, and what you can take with you if you leave.
Shift4Shop
Shift4Shopfrom $41/moEnd-to-End plan, pricing varies by processingA managed cart with built-in SEO, age verification and tools to restrict sales and shipping by state. Its firearms page says it supports gun accessory and ammo stores and puts compliance on you, and it describes accessories and ammunition rather than complete firearms. Its End-to-End plan is listed at $41 a month, and its pricing says a monthly fee may apply depending on your plan and processing volume. We found no FFL transfer checkout described, so treat that as custom work or an app.
StrengthsA low published price, built-in age verification, tools to block sales to chosen states, and a page that welcomes gun accessory and ammo stores.
TradeoffsIts page speaks to accessories and ammunition rather than complete firearms, and there is no FFL checkout on it, so that part is custom or an app.
Ask first: for written confirmation that complete firearms, not only accessories and ammunition, are allowed, and whether the lower price depends on using Shift4 Payments.
The one that surprises people. Shopify Payments excludes firearms, its Shop channel, Managed Markets and Catalog documents restrict weapons and ammunition, and its current acceptable use policy page does not name firearms. Its position is spread across several documents and has changed over time, so get a written answer for your exact products and plan on a third-party gateway, which carries its own fee.
StrengthsA low entry price and an admin many teams already know, which suits an accessories catalog.
TradeoffsShopify Payments excludes firearms, its policy is spread across several documents, and a third-party gateway adds its own fee.
Ask first: for a written answer on your exact products, and which third-party gateway fee applies.
Plugins cover the common cases, and custom work covers the rest.
Federal rules shape what a firearms checkout has to do. A firearm sold to an out-of-state buyer generally ships to a licensee in the buyer’s state, who completes the transfer paperwork and background check there, according to ATF’s quick reference guide. So the checkout has to let a buyer choose a receiving dealer, split a firearm from an accessory in the same cart, and apply your state restrictions.
Plugins and apps handle the common version of that. BigCommerce’s marketplace lists several FFL dealer-selection apps at published prices from $18.99 to $199 a month, and WooCommerce plugins such as g-FFL Checkout describe dealer selection, state blocking and mixed carts. Those are the authors’ own descriptions, so test them against your state list, and check how often each one is updated and how support works.
Custom work earns its cost when your rules are unusual, such as kits that include a firearm, NFA flows or routing across several warehouses.
This describes how federal rules commonly shape a checkout. It is general information and not legal advice, and no software makes you compliant on its own.
Agency partners turn plugin choices into a working checkout.
Both BigCommerce and Shopware publish partner directories, and we could not confirm that either one lets you filter for firearms experience, so ask for it directly. Ask to see a live firearms store the agency built, who owns the FFL checkout logic after launch, how they handle redirects and product data, and for a fixed-scope quote with a change process. An agency that has launched a firearms store has already met the processor and host questions above, and one that has not will meet them on your budget.
Some agencies also offer AI-assisted cleanup of product data during a move. If that is in a quote, ask what is automated, what a person reviews, and who owns the result when the project ends.
Data migration is where a move can damage your search rankings.
Products, images, customers, order history and reviews all have to move, and the cleanest way to move the catalog is to build it from your distributor feeds instead of exporting a stale copy of the old site. Your acquisition and disposition records are a different matter, and they should not depend on a storefront’s order history, so ask your compliance advisor where they live and how a migration affects them.
Because firearms ads are restricted on the biggest platforms, as Meta and Google publish in their policies, organic search carries more of the load, and rankings are the easiest thing to lose. Google advises sending each old URL to its matching new page instead of the home page, avoiding redirect chains, and keeping redirects in place for at least a year, as its site move guidance describes.
Old storeNew store
/ffl-transfers301/guides/ffl-transfer-explained/shipping-states301/shipping/state-restrictions/category/optics301/optics/everything-elseavoid/ (the home page)Illustrative URLs. Every old page gets its closest match, and the redirects stay in place for at least a year.
Run the old and new stores side by side long enough to test every cart you sell, and launch away from a demand peak. One more decision makes all of this smaller. If your distributors, order routing and GunBroker listings run through a separate supplier and order layer, a new storefront moves one box in the picture below instead of rebuilding all of it.
Swap the storefront and the middle stays put. Davidson’s connects for catalog and inventory only.
Distributors
RSR Group
Sports South
Lipsey’s
Davidson’s
Zanders
Order routingFFL checksState holds
Sales channels
GunBrokerBigCommerceShopifyWooCommerceYour own storefront
The cost of a rebuild depends on your quotes, not on anyone’s average.
No neutral benchmark for replatform cost exists, and the ranges agencies publish are wide. One agency lists $15,000 to $20,000 for a store with $500,000 to $2 million in sales and $75,000 to $150,000 or more above $10 million (Optimum7), while another lists $25,000 to $50,000 for a simple move and more than $120,000 for a complex one (Charle Agency). Treat those as marketing figures that show what moves the number.
Custom functionality moves it most, and firearms checkout counts as custom unless an app covers it. Data work, the number of integrations to rebuild, and redirect testing come next. The worksheet below uses your own agency quote, your own platform costs and your own processing rate, and nothing you type leaves this page.
Add up your own rebuild.
Enter the quotes you have. The right-hand side shows the one-time cost, the change in your monthly costs and where that leaves your first year.
One-time cost$0
Monthly change, all in$0
Year-one net cost$0
Fill in your quotes to see the picture.
Want a second set of eyes on these numbers? Book a working session.
Firearms retailers already run their operations on Flxpoint.
If your catalog, inventory and orders already flow through one layer, a new storefront changes one connection instead of all of them. These retailers run distributor feeds and dropship orders through Flxpoint at volume.
$300M
In additional product value once Rifle Supply’s catalog was centralized.
100%
Of Pro Sportsman’s dropship fulfillment runs automatically on Flxpoint.
58%
Increase in dropship revenue for Realtree running on Flxpoint.
4.7/5
G2 · 104 reviews
96 of 104 reviews are five stars.
300+ customers100+ pre-integrated suppliers
Excerpts from verified reviews. Read all 104 on G2.
Leaving Gearfire? Read your exit terms before you give notice.
Read your published terms first, then talk to someone who has done the move. Gearfire’s Terms of Use say the license becomes month to month after the initial term and ends on 90 days of written notice, while its marketing page says no contracts or cancellation fees, so confirm which applies to you. AmmoReady’s terms say cancelling does not entitle you to a refund of fees already paid, and Coreware’s terms say your store website is taken offline on termination.
Before you give notice, ask what you can export, who owns your domain and DNS, what happens to your processing account if payments are bundled, and which pages earn your traffic today. We will walk through your exit, your distributor connections and your redirects in a short working session.
Book a 15-minute working session.
Pick a time that works. No deck and no commitment.