Shipping to canada,lesson learned !!!!

Listed an item in classifieds for sale and it being such a lite weight item listed shipping included in price. Sold the item to Hamber in London,Ontario,Canada. Got the payment okay,packaged up the item ((in pic )).Went to P.O. to send package and learned not to ever include shipping to Canada in price ever again.The total weight of the item,box included was less than a 1/2 lb. Had to fill out long form customs form,had to insure and it cost $28 to send the item. Not bitching,just letting other Hambers know so doesn"t happen to them.

 

I got an offer on an item (different forum) from a guy down under. I said in the ad free shipping. When I figured out the price of shipping it was more than what I was selling the item for. I almost pulled the trigger on the deal good thing I researched it first.

 

Ya free shipping offers are all fine and good for the lower 48, but otherwise expect to pay.

 

You could have sent the item for $5.50 with a small priority box. I send items there all the time this way. I think you had a new PO worker that stuck you.

 

Priority is the only way to go on small stuff like that......

 

117harv, I sent it in the dang priority box so you are full of shit. The lady at the P.O. is a friend of 20 years and ain"t no dang dummy.

 

being from canada...post sucks...hence when i buy on ebay i always ask the cost of shipping before......if it makes you feel better at all....if its shipped by UPS.....god i hate UPS....they charge an extra $40 for brokerage fees, plus 15% tax on the worth of the item....

USPS is the only way to go.....but shipping will still kill ya...
iv learned, even if shipping is included, i always confirm....

same goes for shipping south of canada...to ship a poster or print...its almost $10 for a tube, not to mention the cost of teh tube being $5....hard to sell prints for $20+$15 shipping....

gah

 

Me thinks you are the one FULL OF SHIT ( using your language), I just got a package from a Hamber in Tennessee containing 2- 32 Ford tail lights with stanchions for a total cost of $14. shipping and no paper work to speak of. Suggest you get your story straight or deal with a new P.O. before shooting down shipping to Canada.

 

Have you contacted the buyer in London? He might just reimburse you a portion or all of the shipping, give it a shot.

 

Priority Mail...2 upper control arms...10Lbs, 3 oz....from Dayton NV 89403 to St John's NL.
Shipping: $33.73 that I paid.

Something went screwy on ya....

How much of the cost was insurance???

 

Sorry, i didn't mean it in a bad way. I just sent a 3 pound box priority to Brazill for $16.00, i don't know if your PO is different than here, but somthing is up.

 

That was your mistake. Nothing at all wrong with shipping items like yours to Canada. Just don't do it Priority.

First-Class Mail® International Package**
Maximum Value for Contents: $400.00
Other than rolls: Max. length 24", max length, height and depth (thickness) combined 36"
Rolls: Max. length 36". Max length and twice the diameter combined 42" Varies by country $3.54

 

1. you don't have to insure.

2. if 1/2 lb cost $28.00 it went by dimentional weight due to size, or you picked a service that cost more for no good reason.

3. USPS first class international to Canada costs $7.39 for 1/2 lb. max length 24". max length + height + depth combined can not exceed 36".

the key to shipping is to do some research before you ship. I don't know the specifics of what you shipped, but to come out and tell the world it costs $28.00 to ship 1/2 lb to Canada doesn't do anyone any good.

 

I sent a set of cast iron heads to Canada and it was like $75 a couple years ago. I also sent another set of cast heads to Florida and it cost me $78!! I think it all depends on how you send them. I think you sent it the wrong way!!

 

High shipping costs to out of the U.S. is the reason I state on ebay parts for sale to the U.S. only. I have shipped to Canada and Europe only after I know what the shipping costs are and after I receive payment.

 

Unexpected shipping costs can be a real unpleasant surprise. Just priced a set of wheels direct from Coker and shipping was more than the wheels were, regular ground freight and ocean shipping. Ended up ordering them from a local hot rod shop who ships a container over from Long Beach every few weeks. Only $150+ for shipping 4 steel wheels. Only.

 

I ship to Canad by Fed ex ground. The only thing I ever had to fill out a customs form on was tires, and then it wasn't so much a customs form as a bill of lading., and n affdavid that they were not new tires.

Something I used to do to canada was send Birthday gifts. I don't know about today but it used to be that there was no tarrif or customs to fill out for Birthday gifts to Canada.

Maybe things have changed in this new world of terrorism and Homeland security.

but thanks for the heads up.

 

Sometimes it would be cheaper for me to send a package to someone in the states and then have them ship it to either coast for me. I argue with them that it's crazy that it is more expensive to ship the package inside Canada than to somewhere outside Canada.... Keeping packages under a kilo in weight is the ticket for me.

 

I buy and sell lots in the lower 48 and have never had an issue or been 'overcharged' either way for shipping.
When we ship through Canada Post/USPS the items are automatically insured for $100 unless told differently.

 

As a Canadian, I'm used to paying more as I buy most of my hot rod stuff from the US.

For US sellers, if you run into this problem, just contact your Canadian buyer - he/she will probably be completely understanding in an adjustment to the shipping charge. We're a pretty friendly lot .

Steve

 

"For US sellers, ...contact your Canadian buyer - he/she will probably be completely understanding in an adjustment to the shipping charge."

Generally, shipping across Canada is about 200% more than in the USA. If it crosses the border, count on closer to 300%. It sucks, but USPS is still better than the bandits at UPS customs clearance.

I expect to pay more and I'm happy when people offer to ship to Canada. Explain the situation to the buyer. Personally, I have shipments consolidated at a post office box near Buffalo NY and take monthly trips to Buffalo from Toronto to pick up the items myself.

BTW, Canada Post conducting rotating strikes right now since the workers don't make enough. Higher wages, benefits and more job security. You know, the usual stuff....

 

There seems to be a double standard here. The only time that I have paid unreasonable postage is when a seller has gouged me, over and above the USPS amount. I recieved 2, T-shirts from a Hamber yesterday,with proceeds going towards the re-do of a car that I loved in the 70's. Shipped out of So-Cal, the cost was the same as if it had come from any other province in Canada. I recieved a gasket last week in a tube mailer, same thing, very reasonable. I have also mailed many items to the US and I find no difference in cost, than mailing within Canada. I actually find it hard to believe, that with the price of fuel, postage is still as inexpensive as it is, on both sides of the border. NOW, - UPS, thats another matter entirely. Thats just hiway robbery. My 2cts.

 

Several conflicting stories here. I think the main difference it that UPS is too high on their costs on small stuff and that the US dollar is being devalued. I bought some trim from a dude in Canada last year and the shipping was more than the trim.It was light weight but about 3 feet long and came UPS.

 

Had to think about this a bit,so I went down to the shop and looked at some of the items I've recieved recently. This is FACT, not some rant about getting stung on postage. The 2 shrts out of Socal in a soft mailer $6.60 Priority Post, the gasket in a 4"x16" tube mailer, out of Michigan $3.05-1st class internatioanal (OK, I conceed, there's no weight there) and 2 rolls of insulation from Mike at Harbour Supply in Texas, each 14"x48" size,sent Priority USPS at $36.01 per roll. How can a 2lb. spark plug cost $28.00 to mail. There is something wrong here. I repeat from my last post. Given the price of fuel, labour and surchage this and that. Its a wonder we don't pay way more.. Don't be discouraged from shipping to Canada because we need stuff, just like our American neighbors do.

 

I'm not about to ask the buyer for reinbursement,thats just not right. Hell,he sent me my payment Canadian express mail ,just an envelope with a money order in it and he had to pay $22 for that. Then he told me that the Canadian postal service went on strike.Just a total bad experience that will not happen again.I wouldn"t use UPS if they were the only shippers out there.Went back down to the P.O. and found out that the flat rate priority box fees are only in U.S. .Extra charge for international shipping.So I learned a lesson to go by in the future.I by no means am saying anything bad about Canada in this thread so don"t stretch the thread with bullshit. remarks.

 

Sorry Brad, you still need to find another PO that knows what they are doing. I mail stuff every day. Flat Rate Priority Boxes ARE for domestic & international use - its printed right on the box. There is a slightly higher FLAT RATE fee for international but not near anything what you paid, especially IF you did use a flat rate box. It should have been about half the price.

 

Nice.

Karma.

 

Yeah, you can find cheaper ways to ship out of the country, the problem is the PO worker DOESN'T always suggest it to you. Cost me $60 to mail a friggin' CD with some art work on it. Could have just E-mailed the damn thing, but wanted to be nice and I offered to send disk so they'd have a hard copy. From now on I always tell the PO jack-hole I want to ship the cheapest way possible.

 

This is still the case... Most business' won't ship it this way though because of taxation or something on their end, they end up with a small fee. But for used car parts and such from person to person, it will not be charged duty/brokerage at all if it is marked as a gift.

 

I mark every package as a gift....one of these days they might figure out I don't have that many friends.