Is perhaps more to it these days - in past month or so I have bought two or three used rifles on-line. Sellers wanted to follow "the rules" and verify my PAL - so send to them some info from the card - they never saw my card - and then they did on-line verification at CFP - one was done on a Saturday - so was no phone calls - they get a reference number and I get that same reference number - apparently that "verification" is good between that Seller and that Buyer for 90 days (?) or so. When they were happy with the confirmation, and had my mailing address, I sent EMT payment and they sent the firearm and sent me the Canada Post tracking number. On CFP system, shows that my PAL has been verified 5 or 6 times since that "verification" thing came into effect.
For some people, even "mailing address" is confusing - in most parts of Canada, except cities - your mailing address is probably different than where you live - usually a Post Office box number or a Rural Route, or similar - for sure in Manitoba, our Driver licence shows where we live - land location - NOT the mailing address. So asking for Driver Licence to confirm mailing address, makes no sense for most of the country. And CFP is NOT supposed to give out the mailing address for that PAL card.
Yes, is about 28 ways that can go South, and I never did get to see or handle the used firearm until it arrived here - is really no different than buying something at an on-line auction - so about everything is in questions that I asked and what the seller replied. So, is obvious if buyer or seller (or both) does not know much about the gun, then that is what changed hands. Lack of knowledge, lack of certainty - ought to go towards the price paid, but does not always work out that way.
I just renewed my card with CFP - still annoys me to have to pay $86 for that renewal and then STILL have to go through that verification stuff to be able to buy a rifle. I am old enough to remember that back in the day, was simply NO paperwork involved - like buying a hammer at a hardware store - we would walk in, pick what we wanted, pay and walk out with it - no gov't papers, no special cards, no verification, at all. Apparently we are all much "safer" now - but "heaven help us all" if that hammer buyer also picked up some nails at the same time!!!.
For some years - 1970's, 1980's (?) small town Saskatchewan stores had a "book" that you filled in particulars of the rifle that you bought there. At least three different that I remember - those stores no longer exist - I no longer own those guns - no clue what ever became of those "books". Was my practice to sell guns only to people that showed me their PAL card - was no obligation on my part to record or to report that I sold those guns - no clue if the Buyer may have subsequently kept it or sold it.
I also recall buying a rifle from SIR Mail Order in early days of FAC card - would mail the hand filed out order form from their catalogue, a Canada Post money order and my actual FAC card to them - a week or so later the rifle would show up at our Post Office - with that FAC card in the box with the rifle. I do not remember if the FAC card had my picture on it - might have been when PAL came in - I do recall having to go into city to get passport type pictures done - last renewal was simply a "selfie" taken with my iPhone.
