Ridiculous Shipping Costs

[jBirch]

Hey Craig,

My club was interested in placing a large order but we had to pay pretty much DOUBLE the price in shipping fees.

I just ran an experiment and the cost to ship a simple starter kit ($125) to Calgary, Alberta, Canada is $94!

That's insane.

Any chance on getting a discount or on fixing those crazy shipping rates?

James.

[Fencergrl]

James,

Here's a few solutions I have found have worked:

Canada Post:
See if you can get it sent by post. This is by far the best method I have found. Greyhound and Tiger are also quite reasonable couriers (if you must use a courier).

If you have a (free) Venture account you also get a discount (and an additional one when you ship online). I have taken advantage of that in the past by pre-paying the postage (getting a discount and preventing the shipper from marking-up the shipping). When you ship online you get a pdf doc to print and put on the package. I e-mail this to the person shipping after they have provided me with the box dimensions and weight. This system has worked beautifully.

US Orders:
I find that many US suppliers offer less expensive prices plus additional discounts for club/ bulk orders. F-net is a good example. Many will ship by post if requested. The customs clearance fee is only $5 and a fantastic deal.

If they can't/ won't ship by post, I have a US mailbox and would be willing to cross the line to pick up your stuff as a personal favour to you (then ship it to you via post). This may/ may not work out cheaper.

If they will only use UPS <shutter> see if there's a customs office anywhere near you and see if you can clear it yourself (unlikely considering you're smack dab in the middle of wheat fields...) Hint... Airports are good places to check. UPS charges a King's ransom and they're incompetent idiots.

If you're not picky about quality... I have someone local who's bringing in stuff from China. Here's his website: www.freestylefencing.com He carries very little stock and anything ordered comes by a very slow boat....

Let me know if there's anything I can help you with.

[Fencergrl]

James...

I misread your post (for some reason I thought you were getting something from Calgary to your club) now I realize that you're wanting to order from Craig.

Craig will ship by post if the boxes are not too large. This is the way to go and makes customs much easier. Just add it in the "notes" section of the order.

If the boxes are too large and have to go by UPS, this will be a problem. As mentioned customs is expensive through UPS and the quoted shipping doesn't cover that. If you're ordering lots, it might make more sense to get the big stuff shipped by UPS and the rest shipped by post.

[jBirch]

James...

I misread your post (for some reason I thought you were getting something from Calgary to your club) now I realize that you're wanting to order from Craig.

Craig will ship by post if the boxes are not too large. This is the way to go and makes customs much easier. Just add it in the "notes" section of the order.

If the boxes are too large and have to go by UPS, this will be a problem. As mentioned customs is expensive through UPS and the quoted shipping doesn't cover that. If you're ordering lots, it might make more sense to get the big stuff shipped by UPS and the rest shipped by post.

Still...I went to BG and they put a shipment together for 10 starter sets (at $125), using UPS, for $54. Craig wanted $500.

That's way too high.

James.

[Fencergrl]

You're right... his estimating program is wayyy out of whack. Contact him directly for both a club discount and a "real" cost for shipping rather than whatever formula the online system puts out.

[Craig]

This is not a forum comment / suggestion. BTW - Almost every Canadian customer wants it shipped USPS since UPS adds in their own brokerage fees. Email me on this.

Craig