OT: buying from Canada

[Gary Hoemann]

Any of you had any experience buying tools from Canada and having them shipped thru the postal service? Was it slow or expensive?

[Glenn Clabo]

For smaller items...using the postal is the way to go...because of the extra charges the other shippers like to tack on to primarily to "expediate" customs. However, you should know that using the postal services is slow.

I'm married to a Canadian so I have a ton of experience in cross border shipping smaller parcels. Large shipments...well the postal system aren't outfitted to do it well.

[Mark Ball]

I bought a router table from these guys. http://rt1000.com/index.html
Who are in Canada. The box took a beating, but they had it packaged well and I had no complaints.

[Lee Schierer]

I bought my 14" bandsaw in Canada, but I brought it across the border in the trunk of my car. Even got the taxes refunded. I had no problem crossing the border.

[Robin Cruz]

the two items I purchased from canadu after I received the items I then got in the mail a bill from a company for the export processing....never again from canad will I buy anything.

[Chris Friesen]

I live in Canada so it's the same issue in the opposite direction.

Normally there's no problem with shipping. Duty may sometimes be required, but they don't always enforce it. Normally if you ship by air with a courier, brokerage is included. UPS especially likes to massively overcharge for brokerage on ground shipments--I refuse to deal with anyone that uses them exclusively.

The best way I've found is to ship via parcel post. Brokerage is much lower, shipping costs are generally lower, and it generally doesn't take that much longer.

One of the most annoying things about online shopping in Canada is that Amazon.com generally refuses to ship tools to Canada, while Amazon.ca doesn't carry tools.

[Art Mulder]

Any of you had any experience buying tools from Canada and having them shipped thru the postal service? Was it slow or expensive?

This was just covered extensively not that long ago in this thread. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=85597) To be sure, it did not have the most intuitive thread title. But there was lots of discussion there about importing from Canada.


the two items I purchased from canadu after I received the items I then got in the mail a bill from a company for the export processing....never again from canad will I buy anything.

Robin,
It's not particularly fair to blame Canada for something that your own country is doing to you. Namely, import charges. (not export, as you write.) Your own gov't+customs is the ones who set the duty and taxes on importing goods. You will get assessed some form of Import fees -- Duty, Taxes, Customs Brokerage fees -- no matter which country you purchase from. And of course none of that money goes to the company that sold you the goods.

I think the main point of the thread I reference above is the fact that these charges were an unexpected surprise. It would be nice if all companies would warn foreign purchasers that they would likely be assessed duty/taxes/import fees. Many do, but many don't.

...art

[Robin Cruz]

It was very slow. In fact after several calls i gave up on and put a stop payment on the credit card. A few days after the items eventually showed up, I recieved an envelope in the mail from a canudian company with a bill for the export services. what a rip off. I got screwed every which way on that one. Never will i buy anything from canad again.!

[Brent Smith]

Hi Robin,

Just out of curiosity, which companies did you buy from and which company sent you a bill for export services? Also, since you put a stop on the credit card, how did you ship the items back and were you charged any fees for that?

[Glenn Clabo]

Robin,
I believe you are mistaken. I and my family have been shipping items from both Canada and the US...and for a very...very...very...long time...(read NEVER) no-one has been billed for "export" fees from either country. In fact the only thing we have been charged for is a brokers fee...which is a rip off. They use brokers to "expedite" shipments through customs...but if we are just a little patient and use the US or Canadian Postal Service and never get charged extra.

[Chuck Wintle]

Any of you had any experience buying tools from Canada and having them shipped thru the postal service? Was it slow or expensive?
It seems shipping and customs/duty is onerous regardless of the direction of the goods. Lee Valley ship from their US subsidiary in NYS which makes a lot of sense. I recently bought a radio from a US company and was dinged $31 shipping and $26 duty on a $140 radio. When you buy across the border I guess it is reasonable just to expect these charges?

[dan grant]

just shipped a package 15x6x9 and 8 lbs to hawaii from saskatchewan cost 41$ with 500$ ins. mailed on a tue 5pm delivered on a fri found that incredibley fast now the rub bought a book from the states a vanagon car manual say 6x9x1-1/2 weight 4lbs shipping no ins 31$ now who is beating who i believe it is unscrupulous shippers gouging people since the price seems to be all over the map

[Bob Slater]

I order all kinds of stuff from the USA (120 items from Ebay so far). I only use US Post. UPS, Fedex, etc won't get any of my $$.