BRS Shipping Fees Excessive

[viperfish]

I was ordering a two part dosing kit from BRS for $69.95 and the shipping and tax is $63.25! That's insane! I just ordered a 48" T5 fixture from another US vendor and the tax/shipping/brokerage only came to $108. I'm thinking somebody is getting screwed and it certainly isn't the vendor!

[Jason McK]

Shipping is done by weight plus BRS hides the brokerage fees in the shipping.

I'm sure if you where to buy something of equal size and weight anywhere else it would be close to the price you pay at BRS

J

[JonT]

They don't hide it, they tell you that they are doing it.

They make sure that once you pay them, your done. Nothing extra at the door.

I recently partook in a group buy, and was quite happy with shipping/taxes etc. Everything was packed well. Extra care was given to things that could get broken. I would recommend them to anyone, and will place future orders when I run out of stuff.

[reefermadness]

I find shipping to be quite high when ordering one or two items...but ordering a bit more doesnt change the price much. SO...I only place one or two large orders a year.

[JonT]

Originally Posted by reefermadness

I find shipping to be quite high when ordering one or two items...but ordering a bit more doesnt change the price much. SO...I only place one or two large orders a year.

I didn't look at the one or two item side to this. My order was fairly large (Just ask my wife when she saw the invoice.... No way I could convince her it was only $20 this time!) So, I guess I was doing alright with my "bracket" of weight/goods.

[snarkys]

Hi,
I hate shipping, taxes and brokerage as much as the next guy however they are real charges that have to be dealt with. Please keep in mind we are located in the US so this is an international transaction. To be clear not only do we not overcharge Canadians on this we loose money on the shipping, tax and brokerage charges.
On the charges
1) The item you are looking at is around 40 pounds which makes it expensive to ship
2) There is a 15% tax which covers the GST , PST and duties to the province where the shipments originally arrive. We charge this on our site and prepay it so it arrives on your doorstep without additional charges and surprise fees. We feel this is the most honest hassle free way of doing business with our customers
3) By shipping all of the packages together on Friday we are able to take part of a program that lowers the brokerage fees enough that we are willing to pay them for you out of our own pockets. For example typical brokerage fees on a $200 package with fed ex or UPS would be almost $50 so this is a huge savings.
I hope this answers your questions

[snarkys]

Originally Posted by medhatreefguy

I was ordering a two part dosing kit from BRS for $69.95 and the shipping and tax is $63.25! That's insane! I just ordered a 48" T5 fixture from another US vendor and the tax/shipping/brokerage only came to $108. I'm thinking somebody is getting screwed and it certainly isn't the vendor!

BTW I doubt the light weighed significantly more than the box of heavy salts you are purchasing so our $63.25 verses their $108 should be pretty fair once tax are factored in. Certainly not drastically off . In other instances where a vendor charges less than us for these things it is because they are breaking international law by misrepresenting the value of the items . We are unable to break laws like this because everyone here would prefer to stay out of jail : )

[paddyob]

I knew my shipping charge at time of order. SO I was not surprised. If you look in the shipping area on the web page they explain how it works.

Very happy with the quick service and charges were reasonable to me.

[fencer]

I checked USPS.com and UPS.com. The delivery for a 2cubic ft 40lb package is the same. Where it differs is the brokerage fee for UPS which is almost the cost of shipping. I have shipped many things from the states and lost 2 out 400+ shipments. I still think they should offer USPS...but its their store