Shipping to Canada

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alcronk

Valiant64
Joined
Aug 1, 2009
Messages
51
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Location
Coquitlam B.C. Canada
Can someone answer this question for me. When I look at the parts for sale on the forum and am thinking of buying them I see in the sellers comments they will only ship their parts to the lower 48.I can understand this for bigger parts like body parts but why not smaller parts like windshield wiped arms and gauges I have wanted to reply to some of the for sale posts but after reading the write up I move on to another post Thanks for your help
 
Ok, let me give you my two cents worth on shipping parts to you guys up there in Canada.
I do it all the time and don't have any objections in filling out the customs forms before going to the post office, as i keep the forms on hand.
Now a days, since mailing fees are thru the roof to send international, lots of members just don't want to take the time in trying to get an estimate to mail a package into Canada, figuring the "buyer" is just going to decline anyway when they get the quote on what it's going to cost.
Then why bother, if a seller has negative experiences in trying to send north of the border.
I do feel for you guys, having to pay import duty, and tax's in getting stuff up there from the USA.
Good luck.
 
I get 80% of the stuff from the USA members. And I sell 90% to the USA members. It works both ways with shipping. Both have to fill out the declaration form. Mostly I get stuff shipped to my sisters American addy. I pay 5.00 per package at the depot. I don’t see my sister very often so I wait quite a while some times for the part or get her to ship to me as she lives in southern Manitoba. For u guys that don’t know where Manitoba is, it’s north of ND and Minnesota. Kim
 
One bad experience I had shipping to Canada was that the tracking stopped at the border. No information of where it was or proof that the buyer received it.
 
alcronk said:
Can someone answer this question for me. When I look at the parts for sale on the forum and am thinking of buying them I see in the sellers comments they will only ship their parts to the lower 48.I can understand this for bigger parts like body parts but why not smaller parts like windshield wiped arms and gauges I have wanted to reply to some of the for sale posts but after reading the write up I move on to another post Thanks for your help
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I do similar to Kim...alcronk, you being in Coquitlam, you should be able to get stuff shipped to a border location (Blaine WA.) and go get it...saves a bunch on shipping and courier BS fees, etc. If it's not a huge $$$ amount, the border guys sometimes just wave you through without paying anything.
 
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Thanks for all the information my son has a post office box in Blaine Washington I will try and send a parcel there and see how that works. Thanks again Valiant 64
 
alcronk said:
Thanks for all the information my son has a post office box in Blaine Washington I will try and send a parcel there and see how that works. Thanks again Valiant 64
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There's also a place called Kinek - Edge Logistics in Blaine which can receive and store your parcels til you pick them up. They can receive large parcels as well.
 
alcronk said:
Thanks for all the information my son has a post office box in Blaine Washington I will try and send a parcel there and see how that works. Thanks again Valiant 64
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If we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic, you should totally be using your sons PO Box in Blaine. If you have Nexus, it’s even more of a no brainer. Only consider having small, light items shipped across the border to your door if you need them in a hurry but still expect to pay a premium.

Of course the border is closed now, and frankly I wouldn’t want to venture across the border any time soon even if it was open.

I’ve been waved thru many times without paying. Only time in recent memory I had to pay was when I brought across the Legendary upholstery kit for my Scamp. I knew I’d have to pay the taxes since I was over $1k.
 
Sold a '69 Ford Cobra to a guy in Canada. Guy filled out alllll the paper work and I brought it over to a shipper. Spent 2 1/2 hours of my life at the border because they didn't believe the price I sold it for was correct so they busted my chops. They questioned it because they said the on line " value " price was double what I sold it for. They wanted to see the ad but the guy took about a month to get allll the paper work to me and the ad was gone. Finally they let me pass, but they were pissed. First bad experience crossing the border since my teen years.

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Shipping to Canada must be done through the post office, the fees and brokerage on UPS and FedEx are just too much. Also, it helps tremendously to use flat rate boxes, it’s a set rate and easily quoted. The customs forms take a whopping 2 minutes out of my day, hardly worth mentioning as a reason not so sell to Canadian buyers. Yes, there is no tracking once it crosses the border, but simple communication between buyers and sellers is usually key to confirming that the package arrived safely! None of these issues are new, I’ve been shipping internationally for years, so much so that I knew by heart the restrictions of a lot of countries. No reason not to sell to our Canadian brothers and sisters in my book.
 
I've shipped to our Canadian brothers & they have shipped parts to me. Sometimes people just don't want to be bothered with international shipping paperwork. Other times, the shipping costs out weigh the price of the part. I've shipped parts to Australia, England, South Korea, Guam, South America & many other countries. If the buyer is will to pay the actual shipping, I will deal with the paperwork & ship them whatever they wish to buy.
 
cosgig said:
Shipping to Canada must be done through the post office, the fees and brokerage on UPS and FedEx are just too much. Also, it helps tremendously to use flat rate boxes, it’s a set rate and easily quoted. The customs forms take a whopping 2 minutes out of my day, hardly worth mentioning as a reason not so sell to Canadian buyers. Yes, there is no tracking once it crosses the border, but simple communication between buyers and sellers is usually key to confirming that the package arrived safely! None of these issues are new, I’ve been shipping internationally for years, so much so that I knew by heart the restrictions of a lot of countries. No reason not to sell to our Canadian brothers and sisters in my book.
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Cosgig, tell us how u use a flat rate box from the USA to Canada. I thought u can only use them in the USA. This is the first I’ve heard of it. We have them up here but can only use them in Canada. When I send stuff to the USA it is tracked right to its destination. Kim
 
Retail Postage Price Calculator Mail Services

Our USPS Flat Rate box's are good for USA mailing, and international into Canada.
As you can see in the link, the rates ain't cheap for the 3 sizes of box's.
There is a 20 pound weight restriction on the packages, to get the flat rate, for international prices, for the big box's, and 4 pounds for the small.
 
Thanks Jim. Sometimes it’s better to not use the fr boxes. The benefit would be in the large box with a heavy item. Up to 20 lbs. Kim
 
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oldkimmer said:
Thanks Jim. Sometimes it’s better to not use the fr boxes. The benefit would be in the large box with a heavy item. Kim
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No, not necessarily.
You will be shocked at mailing rates by just going on weight, if it doesn't fit in a flat rate box, and the weight restriction.
Flat rate is the best deal, under the 20 pound weight restriction.
 
The sad thing up here is that I can ship to almost any place in the USA for the same price as I can ship across Canada. I guess that’s actually a good thing. It costs minimum $18.00 to ship even a small item in Canada even if it’s going 50 miles. Kim
 
The only way to use fedex and UPS heading into Canada is is the buyer is self clearing customs. At least that's what some of the guys I dealt with would do. I think it may still be available. Look into it. Of course there is the time and effort cost associated with it as well.

USPS almost never has an issue going cross border.
 
I had a $350.00 usd crank sent here and it cost about $60.00 Cdn for brokerage and another $38.00 Cdn to clear customs. Shipping was $175.00 usd. I had to have it so I bit the bullet. Kim
 
oldkimmer said:
Cosgig, tell us how u use a flat rate box from the USA to Canada. I thought u can only use them in the USA. This is the first I’ve heard of it. We have them up here but can only use them in Canada. When I send stuff to the USA it is tracked right to its destination. Kim
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as spelled out in the posts, the flat rate box to Canada option does indeed exist. I like it best for the fact that the rate is spelled out ahead of time, and although a little steep compared to US shipments , most times it is indeed cheaper than going by weight. It also cuts down the job of pre-packing items that may or may not sell quickly. You know the shipping, the buyer can easily check the shipping, and that may help the sale of items. Just my experience, of course.
 
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