Shipping to Canada is killer

[gabe33366]

Can someone please explain to me why the shipping for a package of starter pawl's ($7.44) is $23. How does this make any sense? I've bought parts on ebay from the US that were much larger than a pawl for much less shipping cost.

 

[Grandad]

I don't have a definitive answer, but a little bird told me something about how places such as Amazon and Ebay set their fees for sellers. As I understand, they get a percentage of the selling price of each item. So, if the seller lowers the sale price and then dings you for an exorbitant amount for shipping, they come out ahead. - Grandad

 

[GA_Boater]

You didn't say who is shipper was. USPS, FedEx, UPS? The rates are set by the shipper and shipping to Canada can be expensive. And I assume you are talking about parts from iboats?

 

[Tim Frank]

Shipping to Canada has always been over the moon, so it is always a good idea to make as big an order as you can justify so your shipping cost is more balanced.

Not sure why you'd expect to get a really definitive answer in the "forum and website issue" section, but I'd be talking with the vendor. They can offer a better perspective.
You don't have a BRP dealer anywhere close?

 

[toneeees]

There are fees that are paid when shipping over the border. If you call into our sales team, they should be able to tell you more information about these fees.

 

[gabe33366]

Sorry for not being clear, I am talking about the iboats store.

I tried adding a couple more things (points+condensers, carb rebuild kit, impeller) to make it worth while and the shipping added up to over $60 for $50 of parts. I certainly won't be purchasing from iboats any time soon.

 

[oldjeep]

Shipping to Canada is crazy expensive, one of the reasons I won't do it for anything I sell on ebay. For some reason you can send stuff to and from China cheaper than you can to/from Canada.

 

[nwcove]

There are fees that are paid when shipping over the border. If you call into our sales team, they should be able to tell you more information about these fees.

its to bad iboats doesnt have an affiliate in canada, it would be a win win situation! case in point, i recently had to order airport grade windsocks and associated hardware for a jobsite, a web search found a supplier south of the border.....shipping costs were out of this world! a little more research came up with a canadian distributor for the U.S. company, and shipping by ground was quite reasonable. i do promote iboats when responding to posts regarding parts inquiries , but the math just wont add up for me , being so close, but yet so far, to purchase any item from iboats.

 

[joed]

Most places use brokerages to clear customs. That is a huge part of you fee. Lucky for me I live near the border and have relative on the US side I can use for shipping.

 

[Tim Frank]

If you are near the border, any UPS store on the US side will accept deliveries for a nominal fee and hold them until picked up. They'll charge storage after the first week. Google UPS stores to find a location and check their particular local store rules.
I am near Ogdensburg, NY and do this a few times a year....coordinating shipments so I pick up at least 3 or 4 at a time
One particular trip saved me over $160 in shipping.

 

[MTboatguy]

The brokerage fees are what is killing you, companies in the US use large shipping companies and the shipping companies charge the fees, not the seller, the least expensive way to ship something to Canada, is through USPS, I used to ship a lot of items to Canada and learned real quick how to do it without costing an arm and a leg, USPS never charges a brokerage fee, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc all charge them. I just looked it up and you can ship a small first class international package to Canada for about $8.00 and it won't take any longer than a UPS ground shipment to Canada. It always pays to see if the seller you are purchasing from in the US offers that option for you guys in Canada. Back when I was shipping a lot, USPS would even come out and pick my stuff up for free, so it really does pay to ask and if they won't, let them know they can get more customers if they would.

 

[oldjeep]

The brokerage fees are what is killing you, companies in the US use large shipping companies and the shipping companies charge the fees, not the seller, the least expensive way to ship something to Canada, is through USPS, I used to ship a lot of items to Canada and learned real quick how to do it without costing an arm and a leg, USPS never charges a brokerage fee, UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc all charge them. I just looked it up and you can ship a small first class international package to Canada for about $8.00 and it won't take any longer than a UPS ground shipment to Canada. It always pays to see if the seller you are purchasing from in the US offers that option for you guys in Canada. Back when I was shipping a lot, USPS would even come out and pick my stuff up for free, so it really does pay to ask and if they won't, let them know they can get more customers if they would.

Problem is that a lot of businesses won't use USPS due to the poor tracking and inconsistent delivery times.

 

[MTboatguy]

Old Jeep, they have really improved their tracking, I have noticed this in the last few months, even on package services, if you generate the label online or through their software that is free, it generates a tracking number and they are actually tracking the stuff for you, they changed the name of this from confirmation services to tracking services and are actually doing updates daily on their website.

 

[rbh]

+1 on USPS international (slow boat service) really inexpensive especially if the sender uses the if it fits it ships box.
If Canadians/or the shipper look on the USPS site there is a dimensional chart if you can stay in the parameters it is amazing what can be shipped for the cost, and visa versa with Canada Post.
And YUP I like the tracking system now!