So annoyed with US shipping costs to Canada!

[AshleyR]

I order most of my supplies from Canadian companies, but there are a few things (like soap boxes, and certain colourants) I want to order from the states (Canadian stores don't have the ones I want).

I am finding that a lot of US companies charge an ARM AND A LEG for shipping to Canada. I wonder why this is? 9 times out of 10 when any US package I've received actually arrives the postal stamp says no where NEAR as much as I was charged for shipping. I find that people can ship things from the US to Canada for way cheaper than I can ship things within Canada or to the States. So why do all of these companies charge so much?

I just tried ordering a 25 pack of soap boxes from Sunshine Container. The order was around $14, and they wanted to charge me $35 for shipping!!! That is insane. Same thing happened a week or so ago when I wanted to order an $11 bath tablet maker from ellensessentials.com. $30 to ship that too. What the heck! (P.S. - I even asked Sunshine Container if they could ship it regular ground, no tracking or insurance - because I KNOW that would be about $5 - and they refused).

It wouldn't make me so angry if I didn't notice that every time I get US packages in the mail the shipping is about 80% lower than what I was charged. I don't understand why so many of these US companies are trying to rip the Canadians off with shipping!

If any of the other Canadians on the board would be interested in doing a co-op for certain supplies from the states, let me know. There are some things I would really love to get. Let me know what products you like and maybe we can go in on something together to save the shipping costs a bit.

Rant over. Sorry guys, this has just been getting on my nerves!

 

[Tabitha]

Well, I am not wanting to start a war here, but I ship worldwide & the only time I ever have a problem w/ a package is when I ship to Canada. About 1 of 500 boxes gets damaged or lost US to US, but about 1 in 10 gets lost or damaged US to Canada, or at least that has been my experience doing mail order biz for 7 years. If a box is damaged or lost in Canada the buyer can do a charge back on their credit cards for the full amount of the purchase. I can't afford to refund 1 out of 10 boxes I ship to Canada. In the Christmas swap a box sent to Canada by Deda never arrived. I have paid out tons on lost Canadian packages. My husband has lost so much money shipping to Canada through his ebay sales he won't even ship there anymore. Maybe shops charge more to cover the losses they take, or even to discourage Canadian purchases. It is sad but it is true. I do still ship to Canada because the dollar value of my items are low enough I can take the loss from time to time, but if it were higher priced items I was selling I might not.

In all fairness, I do not know it is the Canadian post's fault, it may be in the hand off, either way it cost the seller money in the long run.

 

[AshleyR]

I guess that makes sense Tabitha. If so many US companies are losing money by shipping to the US, they probably do overcharge to cover their losses.

It's understandable, but at the same time, not cool for us Canadians!

 

[Tabitha]

What supplies are you trying to purchase from the US you can not find in Canada?

 

[TheGardener]

Getting back to the idea of a co-op, does anyone buy from the Herbarie? That is just about the only supplier whose products are so unique that I can't find many of them here in Canada.

I understand your frustration, AshleyR. On top of high shipping rates, we pay twenty cents on the dollar exchange whereas US suppliers get the benefit of that exchange rate. I have been successful in convincing local Canadian suppliers to carry some items that previously were only available in the US. I continue to lobby Canadian suppliers. Sometimes, I find that Canadian suppliers carry the same products, but under different names.

For your boxes, do you have a local supplier who might carry them if you ask? Voyageur Soap and Candle here in BC is now going to carry soap boxes. They're having some made up now and will be available soon. Many Canadian companies want to keep their Canadian customers happy.

 

[AshleyR]

Tabitha, mainly soap boxes and some fragrances.

TheGardener, it's great to hear that Voyageur will be getting soap boxes! I know Canwax sells them too but they are kind of expensive. I'm looking forward to seeing what Voyageur gets!

P.S. - YES!! Having to pay 20% more and high shipping on top of that is a killer! I buy from about 4 different Canadian suppliers now but still find the odd item that I need to get from the states. I've never thought about asking a supplier if they would consider stocking some items I've only been able to find in the US - I'm going to do that! Thanks!

 

[Tabitha]

suppliers get the benefit of that exchange rate

If I sell a scrub for $6.00 US dollars, whether a Canadian pays $7.66 or an Englishman pays .792 Euro, I still only get the $6.00 US. I am not benefiting from the exchange rate.

 

[Lindy]

No Tabitha you definately don't because really it is what it is....

 

[surf girl]

Tabitha, we do a fair amount of shipping back and forth to and from the US and within Canada, and I have to agree with you: in mr surf girl's words, "Canada Post and customs are f***ed".

Ashley, other than the rip-off factor (which exists) and package loss factor, one thing that can add to a shipping cost is when suppliers add their time to the cost to give a minimum shipping fee and to avoid quoting/charging a different fee every time they ship a product. We won't ship small packages within Canada for less than $12, even though the actual cost for a particular package may be as low as $8: this accounts for time packaging it up, packaging material, time to run it down to the post office, and time dealing with any hassles that arise from loss etc. (The time/packaging cost is actually averaged out over customers - a package that costs $11 to ship is also only charged $12, even though it requires the same amount o time/packaging). We charge $18 for larger packages, even if the actual cost is more (i.e. we eat the extra cost of the shipping). And for orders over a certain amount of money, shipping is free. It's all calculated out so that shipping is revenue-neutral.

 

[Guest]

If I sell a scrub for $6.00 US dollars, whether a Canadian pays $7.66 or an Englishman pays .792 Euro, I still only get the $6.00 US.

The US dollar hasn't fallen *that* much now......

 

[Guest]

I am with you on this one. Ashley, There is no where to order from in my province even.I sometimes wonder if a road trip would be worthwhile.I have family in B.C..hmmm

 

[KSL]

Okay, my turn "not to start a war".
I completely agree with the over charging of US companies to Canada. They've gotten away with it for years in several industries because we either don't know better, or we can't find what we are looking for.

Havnig said that, Tabitha I hear you on losing money - but can't you send it insured? Would that help?

And I hear comments about time and effort packing and going to and from the post office etc. and I never agree with that statement. IMHO, that goes along with running your own business. You charge appropriate mark ups on your product to include your man-hours. And "averaging out" over a number of customers is just convenience for the seller, and un-knowing customers who are benefitting from that averaging out.

Everyone does business thier own way, but that's just my very humble opinion. Hope its not offensive =)

In the end, if I authorize a company to charge me a certain amount, then I am okay with the terms for that purchase. I HAVE to agree with Ashley - I absolutely refuse to buy anything where the shipping charges are HIGHER THAN THE ITEM that I'm buying!!

I am going to order a bunch of things soon including bottles, jars and labels, shrink wrap, etc.... need any of that?