Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
Our office is located at 1106 S. Kalamazoo Ave, Marshall, Michigan 49068. Our in-person auctions are held at 262 S. Sprague St, Coldwater, Michigan 49036 (Branch County Fairgrounds’ Dearth Center).
Yes. We have two Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) that allow us to operate at our office location and our auction location. All of the firearms that we take into our possession are fully insured.
Selling With Two Alpha Auctions
We take possession of your firearms, store them in a secured vault, photograph and describe them, and sell them at public auction. Please call our office at (269) 781-7100 to learn more details.
You mail your proceeds check two weeks after the date of the auction.
Our auctions fill up months before the actual date of the auction, so the sooner you can get your firearms to us the more likely you are to secure your spot in an upcoming auction.
We request that Sellers transport their firearms to our office. If you have a large quantity of firearms or are not able to come to our office, call us and we will make arrangements to pick up your firearms.
We aggressively market your firearms! We advertise our auctions well in advance of the auction date through state-wide publications, national publications, social media along with emails and post cards to our extensive mailing list of gun collectors and enthusiasts.
Yes. We have a Class III license. We can take possession of and sell all Class III regulated items including suppressors, full automatic firearms, short-barrel rifles, and “any other weapon” (“AOW”). Please contact our office for help with NFA-regulated items.
Reserves are allowed but any firearm with a reserve that does not sell will be charged 15% of the reserve amount or $50, whichever is greater.
You have 30 days to pick up or have shipped to an FFL any item that does not sell. Any item that is not picked up or shipped within 30 days of the auction date will be deemed abandoned and become the property of Two Alpha Auctions, LLC. If you would like to relist your item in the next auction, please call the office to make those arrangements. Please understand that prior to a firearm being returned to you, we must follow state of Michigan and federal laws, which may include a background check.
Picking up & Shipping Firearms
“Antique” firearms can be shipped to your home. For all other firearms, please call our office if you have shipping questions.
For the purposes of the National Firearms Act, the term “Antique Firearms” means any firearm not intended or redesigned for using rim fire or conventional center fire ignition with fixed ammunition and manufactured in or before 1898 (including any matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap or similar type of ignition system or replica thereof, whether actually manufactured before or after the year 1898) and also any firearm using fixed ammunition manufactured in or before 1898, for which ammunition is no longer manufactured in the United States and is not readily available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.
If you are sales tax exempt or a bidder from Michigan and not able to bid either in-person or online during the live auction, you can call our office at (269) 781-7100 to place absentee bids. Your absentee bid is the highest amount you’re willing to pay for an item. You may win the item without having to pay your maximum absentee bid amount.
We ship via USPS Priority Mail. Ammunition is required to be shipped by ground.
Yes. We require insurance for all items shipped, which is added to your Shipping & Handling charges. We reserve the right to purchase outside insurance or self-insure at USPS rates.
If you’re paying by credit card and have paid your S&H invoice, your item will ship the next business day following the receipt of your payment. If you pay by check and have paid your S&H invoice, your item will ship the next business day following your check clearing our bank.
Bidding Information
All of our auctions are live simulcast and most of our auctions also offer in-person bidding at our Coldwater, Michigan, auction location.
We hold an inspection of all firearms on the Friday before each auction from 12:00-5:00pm at our auction location in Coldwater, Michigan. To make other arrangements, please contact our office at (269) 781-7100. We are always available to answer your questions about any of the firearms and our gun experts are just a phone call or an email away. We are happy to provide additional photographs as well.
If you are sales tax exempt or a bidder from Michigan and not able to bid either in-person or online during the live auction, you can call our office at (269) 781-7100 to place absentee bids. Your absentee bid is the highest amount you’re willing to pay for an item. You may win the item without having to pay your maximum absentee bid amount.
If the live bidding does not reach the highest absentee bid and there are more than one absentee bids at the same highest amount, we award the item to the absentee bidder that placed their absentee bid first with our office.
If your absentee bid was successful, our office will call and email you the day after the auction.
We do not currently accept telephone bids.
We must follow both State of Michigan and Federal Law. Federal law changed effective March 3, 2020, when the ATF mandated that Michigan FFL’s may no longer accept a CPL as an alternative to a NICS background check. Michigan law changed effective February 13, 2024, and, in some instances, a buyer may be required to obtain a “License to Purchase” (“LTP”) from any Michigan local law enforcement agency prior to taking possession of a firearm. Please contact our office at (269) 781-7100 if you have questions.
We offer online bidding through Proxibid. Please visit our website at twoalphaauctions.com to view the catalog and learn how to get signed up.
Absolutely! We not only ship to nearly all 50 states, but ship to many foreign countries as well. Prior to bidding, please check with customs and your local governmental agency to ensure we can ship to your location.
The Buyer’s Premium is a percentage of the hammer price that is added to your invoice. Our buyer’s premium is 10%. For NFA-regulated items, we charge an 18% buyer’s premium along with the transfer fees.