how to ship from states?
 

Hey guys,

first off i gotta say that i'm a shipping noob.

i want to buy some reef stuff from a dude in the states, whats the best way (*read* cheapest) to have it shipped here?

TIA.

USPS.

Yes, United States Postal Service. Its also the longest though (up to 3 weeks sometimes). Also, if he could declare the items as either "used goods" or as a "gift" then you might not have to pay brokerage or duty. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.

If you ask for 'USPS Airmail Parcel Post' (I believe that is what its called) it will be approx. 4 - 10 day delivery for not that much more $$$.
Ask your 'dude in the states' to get a quote for you or USPS has a calculator on their website.

http://ircalc.usps.gov/

Cheers! :cool:

Setup a US address in Blaine or somewhere close to the border and have them ship there. Then go across and pick it up.

You save around $20CAD for every $100USD spent. So if you buy something for $500USD, you would have to pay around $100CAD duty. This way you save that additional cost.

Also, even though UPS has been getting a bad rap on RC, I find it very fast and cheap. One guy sent me a tunze steams package (10lbs) from Chicago to Sumas for $10USD and it came in 4 days.

USPS is a rip off and takes forever.

dirtyreefer, the last time I ordered a $30 Cdn item from the US, UPS charged me over $20 brokerage fees and then I had to pay GST and COD charges on top of that. I don't agree that they are cheap - fast maybe. I have also had a parcel take a tour of the US and get to the border twice before crossing via UPS. Fortunately I wasn't in a hurry for it.

Purolator seems to be just as fast and has only charged me (so far) less than $10 in brokerage fees.

Just my experience

Vickie

vjvl51

Sorry I meant FedEx, not UPS. FedEx ground. But you can't beat $10 for 4 business days, especially with such a heavy package! Please note that this was shipped for one US addy to another which may be cheaper than internationally to Canada.

USPS however, I had 2 things shipped through them to my door. One was an IC ballast declared as $50USD. The shipping cost was $15USD for it, pretty ridiculous although I received it in about a week and a half.

The other item, I received an AB bulb and the shipping was $3.50USD. This took over 3 weeks.

I am waiting for a shipment via USPS airmail it was a large water pump and it cost 43 dollers US to ship and its been a week and havent recieved it yet.

USPS usually will take 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. To cut down on delivery time, I like to look for items in states near Alberta like Montana or Washington State.

I also like the fact that the post office is down the street from my place, unlike the UPS depot which is on the other side of the city.

I have found Premium Aquatics to be very knowledgable in international shipping, and their online shipping quotation is very accurate. Their ordering process also accepts international postal codes.