# W e b e r shipping to Canada shocking



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I went to the W E B E R VST site today to place an order for a PT, OT and a 5F2A chassis. Those are pretty small parts. I asked for regular cheap ground postal shipping to Canada. They e-mailed me and said S&H was $90 US funds. Ahh...No. I cancelled my order immediately. Thats ridiculous. Come on, really? I'll come up with another plan. Just 2 weeks ago I ordered a custom 5F2A tweed cab from a USA builder. A much larger piece. He shipped it to my door here in Canada for $25. Unreal.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

90 seems way over the top to me as well


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

That's as bad as when I tried to order a $10 pilot light from Mojotone. They wanted between $25 and $55 for shipping.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

shipping a pedal within Ontario cost me almost 15 bucks for regular ground. 90 bucks for those items doesn't seem too out of line condidering the going rates these days.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I guess shipping rates are just getting out of control. Anyone know a good reliable source for output and power transformers for a 5F2A in Canada? Thanks.


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## ForcedFire (Jan 28, 2010)

Shipping is going up. I set a little tiny box to a friend like 2 hours away and it cost over $11. Maybe an envelope would have kept it from being a "parcel" but c'mon...


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

As far as I know Keith, there's no way around those costs from Weber as they use FedEx. I think I've mentioned that to you when we've discussed the cost of getting speakers into Canada.

Anyway, according to this site, Hammond products are supplied to your region: http://www.hammondmfg.com/cregion.htm#British . You could check those local sites to see if they have what you need...


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

I ordered a 12 inch speaker last november, it's cost 50$ to ship, although it was express shipping, it took two days to get here.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Do their Fedex rates include brokerage/duties?


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

they do not include brokerage and duty.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

On my Chinese guitar experiment the total cost including the guitar was $180 so $80 or $90 coming in from the States is a lot.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

StevieMac, yes I recall the conversation we had. I had forgotten the ridiculous prices Fed-Ex charges into Canada. I get a lot of bits and pieces shipped into Canada. It really depends on the shipping method I guess. I get tubes for shipped for $5-$10. I got my 5F2A guts and electronics shipped from Florida for $22, and that was express air mail last week. I mentioned my $25 shipping charge for the tweed Princeton cab. Another example was I got a 10" Weber silver bell speaker shipped from central USA to my brother's PO box just inside the USA border, a 3 hr drive from here for $7. I guess that is what I am going to have to do with the Weber parts I need now. I'll have to get them shipped to my brother's PO box. He slips into the USA every week to pick his mail and packages. Fed-EX seems to have the highest rates I have found.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

For UPS/FedEx delivery, you can also use Kinek.com to have your items sent to and held by a nearby commercial address that's stateside. I'm only 1/2 hr from NY State so that works for me but having a US PO Box could work too...if the supplier uses USPS. Post offices DO NOT receive courier packages so that wouldn't work in those cases. Of course, if the supplier uses USPS anyway, there's likely no reason to not have it sent directly to you in Canada. 

Regarding your 5F2 build, other than Weber, I don't know who supplies that chassis. Triodestore.com in the US is *AWESOME* and can supply you with a high quality tranny bundle ( http://store.triodestore.com/singleendedbundle.html ), at a very reasonable price...and they ship US Postal. I just built a custom 5F1 and am supremely pleased with the results. Best of luck and...have fun!


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

"Chinese guitar experiment"

I hope no one was hurt or any laws were broken. 

My last Weber order (26 drivers) I picked up at the border because of the screwing the couriers hand us to just charge GST. I ordered 2 speakers a few weeks ago for a customer and lo and behold, they're shipping them USPS because I asked. That's a first.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I was goign to buy a mini MASS from weber a while back and i asked for a USPS quote. it was $45 IIRC. it's a higher shippign cost because weber will ship it with tracking and insurance. youre likely to recieve it in a week with this method.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

I realize that shipping costs from the US can be high, but my experience with weber just rubbed me the wrong way, so I will avoid them in the future. This is just my opinion, the shipping costs were not that outrageous.
A friend asked me to replace the blown the power transformer in his princeton, I chose the weber because it has a 125V input tap. I asked if they could ship via US post and the answer was yes. For international shipping it is stated: 
"For orders outside the USA, shipping and handling is an estimate only. Determining the actual shipping price is very difficult, unfortunately. Fuel surcharges fluctuate in price, which affects the overall shipping price. We price our products competitively and modestly, and we do not inflate the price of our products so we can offer cheaper shipping, as most companies do. We could choose to charge more for the item, and less shipping, but the total would be the same. But we feel this is dishonest. Therefore, we charge actual shipping prices, which you may not be accustomed to seeing. 
Weber reserves the right to add or refund any differences in the actual shipping price, once the true costs of carriage are known (after the order ships)."
Ok, well it's not so difficult for me to figure, I know the transformer weighs about 3 lbs. so I'll call it 4. I go to the US post estimator and see it will be around $30 for priority international, or $15 if I'm lucky and they send first class. These are not bulk rates so they may pay less.
The estimated bill is 42 for the part and 40 for shipping, I figure there will be a refund for some shipping, though now I can see that this is not guaranteed.
I get the item, the shipping charge is 34.60. Dang! Well not that far off, I know first class is not popular due to vendors not being able to track, so I wasn't expecting it.
Now all I can hope is at least they refund the measly 5.40 left from the original estimate/paypal charge. My friend had used his paypal to pay so I asked him a few months later if he got any refund for the shipping. No refund. He didn't want to bother with it so we left it at that.
As far as "we do not inflate the price of our products so we can offer cheaper shipping, as most companies do. We could choose to charge more for the item, and less shipping, but the total would be the same. But we feel this is dishonest. Therefore, we charge actual shipping prices, which you may not be accustomed to seeing.", well my experience has been the opposite. Many companies will sell at near cost and ding you big for shipping/handling/processing. I avoid them like the plague. I like ebay for that, you can see who is making their money off shipping and avoid them. And I AM accustomed to seeing "actual shipping prices".
So when I see the words "handling" or "processing", I usually look elsewhere (I get a kick out of tv ads, "Order now and receive a second one FREE!!! just pay separate shipping and processing!!!" even though it gets shipped together lol.).
The final statement I read on the invoice that came with the part was the straw that broke the camel's back, didn't sound very professional to me: "Shipping/Handling costs - this includes the actual billed shipping expense, labor, boxes, tape, etc.". Labor??? Tape??? Isn't this part of your business costs?
Like I said, maybe I'm making much ado about nothing, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. If I do a repair for someone, I don't charge extra for solder, or labour for talking to them on the phone. Maybe that's just me.


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

I hear you. It seems businesses in the US aren't as flexible in how they ship and with smaller items or lesser quantities it's prohibitive. I try to keep orders to a minimum, combine them and have them shipped to a US address where I pick them up. The difference in domestic freight vs international pays my gas for the the 4 hour round trip to fetch it. The market just isn't big enough in the great white north to support a parts vendor unfortunately.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Shoreline Music was one of the 1st online stores-they ship free to Canada for almost anything they sell.

http://www.shorelinemusic.com/


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

rollingdam said:


> Shoreline Music was one of the 1st online stores-they ship free to Canada for almost anything they sell.


Thanks for that, good to know. I found their comments on border delays very interesting, it explains a lot. Never thought about how the volume of stuff being shipped across the border and how online shopping has increased it:
"The Canadian customs department is the busiest—and therefore the slowest—of any we export to. It is noticeably faster for us to ship to Australia or Germany or Israel than it is to send something to Toronto or Montreal. Customs delays range anywhere from 2 days to 3 weeks, and we have no control over this. Moreover, as the Loonie has gained ground on the US dollar , the northward movement of goods purchased from the US has only increased the customs backlog. So if you'd like us to ship to Canada, please be prepared for a customs delay. If there's any way you can ship to a US address, this will be by far the fastest way to get your order."


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

very good to know.

tonefactor also ships for next to nothing up here to canada. and its not plain ground service either.


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## Adicted to Tubes (Mar 5, 2006)

There will be a solution to the shipping woes soon.We are opening a store in Calgary and we are going to carry amp parts including tubes,transformers and whole amp kits,as well as speakers,guitar parts,necks and bodies,etc....
Stay tuned,we hope to be open by April of this year.
sonicsofa.ca
[email protected]


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Adicted to Tubes said:


> There will be a solution to the shipping woes soon.We are opening a store in Calgary and we are going to carry amp parts including tubes,transformers and whole amp kits,as well as speakers,guitar parts,necks and bodies,etc....
> Stay tuned,we hope to be open by April of this year.
> sonicsofa.ca
> [email protected]


Sounds great. Especially the kits.


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

Adicted to Tubes said:


> There will be a solution to the shipping woes soon.We are opening a store in Calgary and we are going to carry amp parts including tubes,transformers and whole amp kits,as well as speakers,guitar parts,necks and bodies,etc....
> Stay tuned,we hope to be open by April of this year.
> sonicsofa.ca
> [email protected]


If you work a JTM-45 or BluesBreaker kit into that collection, I will be a very happy man.


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

blam said:


> very good to know.
> 
> tonefactor also ships for next to nothing up here to canada. and its not plain ground service either.


Thanks, I never heard of them before today!


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## Cary (May 11, 2011)

That is rediculous. I had my sligo super reverb shipped via FEDEX from Virginia to Winnipeg and it cost approx $80, for a well packed 4x10" amp. Weber offers some great products but charging for tape is pretty petty. I was going to order a 5e3 kit, but shipping kills me, might as well just buy an assembled amp.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I walked in the door today to find a delivery notice from UPS. I owe $48 to UPS before I can pick up my package. I am sure it is my Tweed cab I had built in the USA. The builder shipped it to me for only $25. Sounded like a deal, and I never asked for more details. I did not expect him to ship it UPS. Now I have the darn UPS import fee and brokerage fees to pay. $48. So much for that deal. This amp build project has been a lesson. The shipping rates on all the parts is killing me. I can easily see how $250 on shipping from various suppliers could be spent if you are not careful. Shortly after I ordered all my parts to build my own custom tweed Princeton, I found a guy selling one in the USA on a forum. $500 shipped. I am pretty sure I could get it for a little less. Say $450 maybe, shipped to a drop box near the border. I could have slipped into the USA to pick it up. Shoulda-coulda-woulda. It's too late now. If I break down and go with the Weber parts I still need and pay the $90 they want to ship, plus brokerage and import fees that Fed-Ex will want, I'll be all into this 5F2A for $700. Of that, $225 or so is shipping costs. Ouch!


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## donnyjaguar (Oct 26, 2006)

I'm thinking Weber doesn't really want to deal with out-of-country business. Probably because they don't know how to fill in the customs forms and have to pay for shipments returned from the border. 

Its not just American outlets though. I feel I was ripped off by Q-Components in Ontario a few years ago. I ordered a part worth something like 3$ and asked them to throw it in the mail and they charged me a "minimum charge" of 10$ for the part and jacked me on shipping too. This after I'd dropped a few hundred dollars with them a month before. I've not bought anything there since - assholes.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Time for some follow up. I placed my Weber order again. This time having them ship the parts to my brother's drop box just inside the US/Can border. Weber shipping cost? $22.
Unreal that they tried to nail me for $90 to Canada. The drop box is a 3 hr drive from my home. It's not like it's several hundred miles closer to Weber, so that rules out less distance 
for the parcel to travel. If Weber shipped it to me for $90 I am fairly confident that I would have had to pay Fed-Ex import charges and HST, in addition. Driving it over the border, you've got about a 50/50 
chance that they'll make you pay HST.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

SO... a 6 hour round trip, plus lunch. What's that, roughly 70 bucks? You paid the same price.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

No I am not driving 3 hrs each way to go pick it up. My bother will pick it up. He heads there once a week. It's about 15 mins from his home. Then he forwards it to me via an internal free ride. Costs both of us nothing to get it from the USA post box to me.


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## Nero (Jan 31, 2012)

When I order from Weber, or anywhere else in the States, I ask for USPS delivery. That's US Mail. Then the postman brings it to my door. Still have to pay the Ontario sales taxes, but there are no brokerage or customs fees. Last week I received an order from Weber, two speakers, some handles, and a fibreboard set, shipping was $45.
At least the dollar is at par these days.


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2012)

I've got that Weber quote beat!

I wanted to order a right-angle, 2.5mm - 3.5mm adaptor for my Xbox controller and Tritton headset. Found this one: http://www.amazon.com/2-5mm-3-5mm-F...8FV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325466314&sr=8-1 -- $1.09.

Shipping to me in Canada?

$48.90

No thanks.


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