I may be selling a longbow to someone in Canada(Ontario) and was wondering about how much more to expect to pay for shipping and insurance? who would be the best shipper to use? what is the best payment option from Canada to the USA?
I'm going to check at the post office Monday,but figured I could probably get some good info asking here. Thanks.
Brought a good number of bows into Canada, and shipped the other way as well. Only way I will ship is USPS. Price is not that much different, though sometimes at first glance UPS looks less. But UPS are pirates when it comes to the custom and brokerage fees at this end. So do your buyer a favour, and ship the bow through the post office, insured if you want a signature.
What Foxtail said x 2
What Foxtail said X3
I shipped a bow to Australia using USPS it was around 80 dollars but the buyer paid the fees.
The difference is generally about 10-15 dollars.
I just shipped a bow to Singapore through USPS and it was surprised when I found out it was only $84......UPS quoted $136! It also only took a week to get there. Needless to say, I'll only be using USPS from now on.
What Foxtail said X4 DO NOT USE UPS to canada or the Canadian TG member will get screwed buy extra fees. I live in Canada and have bought many bows from US TG Members USPS is the only way to go.
Thanks for the info,USPS it is.
Good choice!!
God bless,Mudd
Yup USPS. I have paid anywhere from 30ish to 50ish depending on the packaging.
Shipped a quiver USPS to Canada, didn't ship it priority due to the price....priority would have been $30 plus...still cost $15...... after a month he still hadn't received it. I was ready to just send the money back and it finally arrived.
I won't be sending anything outside the US again.....
I shipped a bow to middle of nowhere British Columbia about 4 or 5 months ago. It cost about $42 for shipping and insurance through USPS. Ending up taking about 3 weeks to get there. He expected that wait time cause of where he lived. Buyer paid by paypal.
USPS all the way. I have had border problems gallor with UPS, also they have destroyed packages of mine and refused to pay the insurance on them. USPS no problems, fast delivery (for international) great tracking
I shipped a bow to Alberta last year thru USPS, and I found out that their postal service is a little different then ours.
Here in the USA, the mail truck leaves at a certain time...PERIOD. Does not matter if there is only 1 letter on the truck or it is packed full. In Canada, the mail truck does not leave till it is full. That's why it took the bow, I traded for, 3 weeks to get here. I will admit I was a little nervous, but it all worked out in the end.
Just from buying and selling back and forth from U.S and canada I find no difference in shipping cost. Just be careful that you do not over package and that you actually go to the post office ! Do not call and describe package , because they will overprice to protect themselves!!
Use the USPS shipping calculator. There's a size over which the package will be considered "over size." I've kept 64" longbows and shorter under that but sometimes it's just barely.
Shipping to Canada is easiest via USPS Priority Mail. You will have to fill out a customs form that is attached to the package. If you insure the package at a high value remember that the buyer will pay a higher duty.
USPS to Canada.
It's not that the shipping cost is so different it's that with UPS there is often a large "brokerage fee" when the bow crosses the boarder.
It seems like the brokerage fee is usually $50.00 or more.
I think in the states we tend not to want to use USPS for many good reasons and UPS / Fed X is safer, generally speaking.
But for going to Canada USPS seems to work a little differently and better.
It was hard for me to wrap my head around using USPS when I moved to Canada a few yrs ago as no one I knew (including me) would use USPS in the states for sending a bow...
What I've done for probably 75 transactions is.definately send USPS,and mark No money transaction-trade only.Both parts get a tracking No.and send to each other so each can follow the shipping.Communicate openly ,give phone No.s and even contact if need be.I've never had a problem.
Papa is so right about custom fees,the Canadian Govt. wants in on everything.
All of the above about USPS. It is the only way to ship anything to Canada. Most bows take 10 to 14 days, but it is not USPS. Canadian Customs is the delay factor that you have to consider. It is not the post office. I sent two bows strings in a bubble envelop to a friend in Canada. I took two weeks for him to get them.
I agree that it is Canadian customs that can often be the hold up. Just ask any business owner who brings in things from the U.S. They will often tell you they have to contact their broker to go find their order that is sitting in some back corner.
And USPS/Canada Post is the only way to go which pains me greatly to say since I have less than no use for Canada Post.
DDave