How Do You Offer In-Store Pickup on a BigCommerce Gun Store? Automatic FFL Now Supports It

How do you offer in-store pickup on a BigCommerce gun store without sending shoppers out of checkout? If you run Automatic FFL on BigCommerce, you can now do it inside the checkout you already have. Automatic FFL can show BigCommerce’s native pickup methods to shoppers with eligible carts and let them choose one of your configured pickup locations. This post explains what the feature does, what you need to set up in BigCommerce first, and how to switch it on.

What the feature does

Plenty of firearms and ammo retailers have a physical counter as well as a website. Some customers would rather drive over and pick up an order than wait on a shipment. That’s usually called BOPIS, short for “buy online, pick up in store.”

With in-store pickup enabled, eligible carts see an in-store pickup option at checkout, along with the pickup locations BigCommerce returns for the cart. The shopper picks a location and finishes the order without leaving checkout. Our BigCommerce page sums it up in three points:

• Pickup stays inside checkout.
• It uses native BigCommerce locations.
• You turn it on per store in Automatic FFL.

The BigCommerce app listing also notes that pickup works with multiple locations. If you run more than one shop, each one can show up as its own pickup choice.

It’s BigCommerce only

In-store pickup is a BigCommerce feature in Automatic FFL. Our documentation lists it as “BigCommerce only.” If you sell on WooCommerce or Adobe Commerce / Magento, this feature isn’t part of your integration today. For a broader look at what each platform’s checkout needs to sell firearms, see our post on selling firearms online on BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Magento.

Why it uses BigCommerce’s own locations

Automatic FFL doesn’t keep a separate list of your stores. It reads the Locations and Pickup methods you set up in the BigCommerce control panel. That has two practical upsides:

• Your store addresses, hours, and pickup instructions live in one place, inside BigCommerce.
• When you open a new location or change hours, you update it in BigCommerce, and that’s what checkout uses.

The catch is that BigCommerce treats a location and a pickup method as two separate things. If you miss that, a store won’t show up at checkout, so it’s worth understanding before you start.

Before you turn it on: set up locations and pickup methods

Our documentation puts it plainly: every store you want customers to see at checkout needs an enabled location and at least one pickup method connected to that location. Adding a location by itself won’t make it available for pickup.

Step 1: Create a location for each store

In your BigCommerce control panel, go to Settings and select Locations. Add a new location or open an existing one, then enter:

• The customer-facing store name
• The full street address
• Latitude and longitude
• Contact details
• Opening hours

BigCommerce requires both latitude and longitude, so have the coordinates ready before you start. Make sure the location is enabled, save it, and repeat for every store that will offer pickup.

Step 2: Add a pickup method for each location

Go back to Settings and select Pick up methods. Add a new pickup method and enter:

• The pickup method name customers will see
• The matching location
• The estimated ready-for-pickup time
• Pickup instructions

Save it, and repeat for every pickup location. The name and instructions are what shoppers read at checkout, so write them for a customer. “Main Street store, counter in the back, bring photo ID” is more useful than an internal code.

Step 3: Enable in-store pickup in Automatic FFL

Open the Automatic FFL dashboard, click Edit on your BigCommerce store, and turn on Enable in-store pickup. Click Update to save the setting.

That’s the whole switch. Because it’s set per store, you decide whether pickup is offered on each BigCommerce store you connect.

Check your work before customers do

Once everything is saved, run a test order the way a shopper would. Add an item to the cart, go to checkout, and look for the pickup option and your locations.

If a store doesn’t appear, the documentation points to two things to check:

1. The location is enabled in BigCommerce.
2. A saved pickup method is connected to that location.

The pickup method is the easy one to miss. It’s easy to create a location, assume you’re done, and never connect a method to it.

A few other habits help:

• Test every location, not just the first one. Each needs its own pickup method.
• Recheck after changes. If you edit hours, close a location, or open a new one, run another test order afterward.
• Keep instructions current. If your pickup counter moves or you change what customers should bring, update the pickup method instructions in BigCommerce.

What pickup doesn’t change

Pickup changes where an order goes. It doesn’t change your legal obligations for a firearm transfer, and federal, state, and local rules still apply when the customer arrives at your counter. How firearm pickups fit into your transfer process at the counter is a decision for you and your compliance advisor. If you aren’t sure, talk to a firearms attorney before you offer pickup on regulated items.

It’s also worth thinking through the customer side. Spell out in your pickup instructions what the customer should bring and what happens when they arrive, so there are no surprises at the counter.

Where this fits in Automatic FFL on BigCommerce

Automatic FFL adds FFL dealer selection to the BigCommerce checkout, and the shopper sees it inside checkout rather than on a separate page. In-store pickup sits alongside that as another option for eligible carts. For the full setup steps, including the pickup section, see the Automatic FFL documentation, or start with the BigCommerce installation guide if you’re new.

Try Automatic FFL

Create a free Automatic FFL account to look up dealers and see which ones have certificate data on file: FFL database. The database isn’t legal advice and doesn’t replace your own compliance review.

Try Automatic FFL free for 30 days. Add FFL dealer selection and in-store pickup to your BigCommerce checkout. You’re not charged until the trial ends, and you can cancel before then. Plans start at $99 per site per month after the trial. Start your BigCommerce trial or see pricing.