# Free Shipping to Canada From Musician's Friend + 5-10% Discounts



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

It looks like MF is trying to get some business from us and are finally providing free shipping. There is very little duty any longer on anything bought in the USA but you'll have to pay the taxes which is, of course, the law.










We might be able to use this as well to dicker with our Canadian music stores.


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## robare99 (Jan 9, 2012)

If they ship using UPS you can forget any deals. I just received 4 lights, a value of $720 shipped. 

$104 collect brokerage fees. 


Welcome to Canada, bend over.


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

robare99 said:


> If they ship using UPS you can forget any deals. I just received 4 lights, a value of $720 shipped.
> 
> $104 collect brokerage fees.
> 
> ...


Whoa UPS must like you. I paid almost $50 for a $100 item.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Oh, yes, UPS and FedEx are morally bankrupt. Of that there is no doubt. However, I believe MF is paying for the brokerage and extra shipping costs to the border. All we'll pay is the tax. But when you're being shipped anything else, they always charge Mafia prices for the extra shipping and brokerage.


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## OldGuitarPlayer (Feb 25, 2013)

Yeah the shipping might be free but be ready to take it up the arse with "brokerage fees" if they ship by UPS. I only have stuff shipped by the USPS since there is never any brokerage fee. There is no duty on guitars, ukuleles, mandolins and banjos. I once had a Ukulele shipped from the states and there was no extra taxes or fees other than the very cheap cost to ship it by USPS. Avoid UPS like the plague. *Google* is your friend: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2012/01-99/ch92-2012-eng.pdf


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## robare99 (Jan 9, 2012)

True. I try to use USPS whenever I can. The lights still ended up as a deal, on eBay they are typically $255 each. Just a piss off though.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> ...I believe MF is paying for the brokerage and extra shipping costs to the border. All we'll pay is the tax.


I'd have to be absolutely certain about that before moving forward so...where _exactly_ does it say that MF is paying all brokerage, etc fees? 

I actually scoped out a few Gibson & Fender guitars on the site and found, when it was time to checkout, it wouldn't let me purchase those particular items with a Canadian address. Other items would apparently have been fine however...


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

StevieMac said:


> I'd have to be absolutely certain about that before moving forward so...where _exactly_ does it say that MF is paying all brokerage, etc fees?
> 
> I actually scoped out a few Gibson & Fender guitars on the site and found, when it was time to checkout, it wouldn't let me purchase those particular items with a Canadian address. Other items would apparently have been fine however...


I've emailed them and will let everyone know when I receive a reply.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I have had an ongoing email with MF about this. The person I am in contact with has had to have his hand held with every question as it's obvious he has no idea what's involved in shipping charges to Canada. I've experienced the same thing before with USA suppliers. 

I'll post the whole thing here when I get the final explanation/answer from them. I'm betting, though, if you spoke to someone else you might get a different answer.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Steadfastly said:


> I have had an ongoing email with MF about this. The person I am in contact with has had to have his hand held with every question as it's obvious he has no idea what's involved in shipping charges to Canada. I've experienced the same thing before with USA suppliers.
> 
> I'll post the whole thing here when I get the final explanation/answer from them. I'm betting, though, if you spoke to someone else you might get a different answer.


I spoke with MF at least two years ago and told them as long as they continued to use UPS to ship to Canada they would be losing potential business. I told them I certainly would not order from them again with UPS as the shipping method. At that time they said they were investigating alternate shipping methods to Canada. I guess the investigation is still ongoing. If you order from them UPS will rape you


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

GuitarsCanada said:


> I spoke with MF at least two years ago and told them as long as they continued to use UPS to ship to Canada they would be losing potential business. I told them I certainly would not order from them again with UPS as the shipping method. At that time they said they were investigating alternate shipping methods to Canada. I guess the investigation is still ongoing. If you order from them_* UPS will rape you*_


I will never ship UPS to Canada unless someone else agrees to pay all the shipping charges and doesn't add them to the price of the item. 

I just got an email from Luke at MF and said they would pay the freight charges into Canada but not the brokerage, so the free shipping offer is not worth it unless the item at MF was considerably cheaper their than anywhere in Canada.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Okay, here is the emails I got from MF for your perusal. The free shipping to Canada is not worth the pixels it took to put it on their website. 

I apologize to anyone that was inconvenienced by this thread that I started. I will never do it again until I check and double check what is meant by "free" shipping or "free" anything.

*Me*: Luke: I recognize you do not expect to pay duties or taxes.

My question was do you pay the brokerage fees and the extra shipping costs UPS and FedEx charge when shipping to Canada? Would you please respond to these specific charges? Thank you.











*MF:* Hello,

Luke here with Musician’s Friend.

Our current Canadian shipping offer only covers the cost to send the item to you and does not cover any duties or sales tax that is typically charged upon delivery.

Let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns and I would be happy to help!

Luke Waala
Customer Experience &
Technical Support Team Leader
801-501-8834

*Me*: Luke: The brokerage that UPS and FedEx charges on shipments to Canada make it not feasible to ship this way. The brokerage alone can be 1/2 the price of the item. I have paid this before and am speaking from experience. 

The best way to ship to Canada is the USPS. Do you offer this?


Thank you.

*MF:* Unfortunately Ups is the only service we currently offer on Canadian shipping.

We are always looking to improve our experience for Canadian customers and have been researching alternative shipping methods.

Luke Waala
Customer Experience &
Technical Support Team Leader
801-501-8834


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Steadfastly said:


> *MF:* Unfortunately Ups is the only service we currently offer on Canadian shipping.
> 
> We are always looking to improve our experience for Canadian customers and have been researching alternative shipping methods.
> 
> ...


Looks like a copy and paste from two years ago to me


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Looks like a copy and paste from two years ago to me


It's PR speak. I was going to email him back and say so but couldn't be bothered.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

They are fools. They are missing out on a ton of business by not looking into it seriously. Dumb in my opinion. I wont order from them


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## tapestrymusic (Mar 10, 2009)

GuitarsCanada said:


> They are fools. They are missing out on a ton of business by not looking into it seriously. Dumb in my opinion. I wont order from them


As a Canadian small business guy GC why would you even consider giving pointers to them? Most of the Canadian online music retailers are doing US pricing or as close to it as possible with free shipping, warranty and after sale service. Other threads on this forum often lament the lack of decent stores in this country. With the combination of L&M buying up stores and the huge online presence of MF, GC, etc. Canadian small business needs the support of Canadians. If they don't have something in stock, screw up, or give bad service then go to town with whoever you want to deal with. There's quite a few stores across the country trying to earn your business-talk to them, ask if they would consider stocking what you need (it's market research for the store owner), and give them a shot. The chain stores do their buying from head office, the single store owner has your ear and can give you the info you're looking for. Again, if that doesn't work, well you tried and someone is eventually going out of business. But before you try to figure out the cheapest way to get something across the border, why not ask if someone here is already carrying it or would if demand warranted it?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

tapestrymusic said:


> As a Canadian small business guy GC why would you even consider giving pointers to them? Most of the Canadian online music retailers are doing US pricing or as close to it as possible with free shipping, warranty and after sale service. Other threads on this forum often lament the lack of decent stores in this country. With the combination of L&M buying up stores and the huge online presence of MF, GC, etc. Canadian small business needs the support of Canadians. If they don't have something in stock, screw up, or give bad service then go to town with whoever you want to deal with. There's quite a few stores across the country trying to earn your business-talk to them, ask if they would consider stocking what you need (it's market research for the store owner), and give them a shot. The chain stores do their buying from head office, the single store owner has your ear and can give you the info you're looking for. Again, if that doesn't work, well you tried and someone is eventually going out of business. But before you try to figure out the cheapest way to get something across the border, why not ask if someone here is already carrying it or would if demand warranted it?


Frankly but respectfully, that's the job of each individual store. It's called marketing and should be budgeted for each store or business. It's a global economy now and if businesses aren't able or willing to compete in this market, no amount of suggestions by customers will help them to stay in business. Regards, Steadfastly


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

tapestrymusic said:


> As a Canadian small business guy GC why would you even consider giving pointers to them? Most of the Canadian online music retailers are doing US pricing or as close to it as possible with free shipping, warranty and after sale service. Other threads on this forum often lament the lack of decent stores in this country. With the combination of L&M buying up stores and the huge online presence of MF, GC, etc. Canadian small business needs the support of Canadians. If they don't have something in stock, screw up, or give bad service then go to town with whoever you want to deal with. There's quite a few stores across the country trying to earn your business-talk to them, ask if they would consider stocking what you need (it's market research for the store owner), and give them a shot. The chain stores do their buying from head office, the single store owner has your ear and can give you the info you're looking for. Again, if that doesn't work, well you tried and someone is eventually going out of business. But before you try to figure out the cheapest way to get something across the border, why not ask if someone here is already carrying it or would if demand warranted it?


If you knew how much I have dropped at Central Music in Welland, Ont over the past 15 years you would prolly rephrase that comment. I have also had them order me guitars and amps over the years that they did not stock. Let's put it this way, they know me on a first name basis and have a big smile when I walk through the door. I have actually ordered from you in the past, as well as Voltage cabs from Steamco in Winnipeg. I have dropped wads of cash at the 12th Fret in Toronto as well and just recently got a pedalboard from our friend at Mojo in Quebec. But sometimes a great deal comes along from one of the US Big Box stores and if it makes sense, I jump on it. As with anything in the US it's the selection that overwhelms. I understand that carrying stock costs money. We have a much smaller audience in Canada and that's just the way it is. There are very few places in Canada that you could successively run a guitar store the size of a large Walmart. Plus, as you are very aware 90% of what a retailer here carry's has to be purchased in the US and by the time you pay your shipping and duty and brokerage and add a mark-up 9 times out of 10 you are already priced above your US counterpart. Most will lower their profit margin to compete thus making life that much harder. Then you have places like Thorold Music who carry virtually nothing anymore and want you to order 90% of what you are looking for. If I am going to order it and wait 2 weeks I will order it from wherever offers me the best price. Hong Kong to Brooklyn 

Bottom line is what does the consumer want you to stock? Everything. For the stuff I carry at the GC Gear Shop I only bring in stuff that I can make at least a few dollars on. There are tons of items that I just don't bother with because I can't get them at a decent enough price to be able to compete with the US dealers.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

tapestrymusic said:


> As a Canadian small business guy GC why would you even consider giving pointers to them? Most of the Canadian online music retailers are doing US pricing or as close to it as possible with free shipping, warranty and after sale service. Other threads on this forum often lament the lack of decent stores in this country. With the combination of L&M buying up stores and the huge online presence of MF, GC, etc. Canadian small business needs the support of Canadians. If they don't have something in stock, screw up, or give bad service then go to town with whoever you want to deal with. There's quite a few stores across the country trying to earn your business-talk to them, ask if they would consider stocking what you need (it's market research for the store owner), and give them a shot. The chain stores do their buying from head office, the single store owner has your ear and can give you the info you're looking for. Again, if that doesn't work, well you tried and someone is eventually going out of business. But before you try to figure out the cheapest way to get something across the border, why not ask if someone here is already carrying it or would if demand warranted it?


Agree 100%
I do all my new purchasing in Canada,mostly small shops too.

As far as missing out on a ton of business,while they are no doubt MF is missing out on some by not using USPS to ship up here,compared to the US market it is not a big deal at all.
Also consider they probably get a premium deal to use UPS exclusively,and they aren't really motivated to go the extra length.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

Steadfastly said:


> no amount of suggestions by customers will help them to stay in business.


Why not ?

Another thing that will help is actually buying something.

Convenience is worth something.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Bubb said:


> Also consider they probably get a premium deal to use UPS exclusively,and they aren't really motivated to go the extra length.


That's exactly the reason. You can get huge shipping discounts from UPS based on your volume. Plus they are in actuality a great "shipping" company. They cover the world from one end to the other. So for a seller, they are great.


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

UPS and FedEx at times in this thread have been lumped together as both charging excessive brokerage fees. My experience has been that UPS charges are excessive, while FedEx has charged a $10 flat rate plus HST. I always have orders shipped via FedEx or USPS, though USPS rates have recently gone up and that option is less attractive now. I inquired with UPS regarding setting up a shipping and brokerage account thinking that might reign in their fees, though in the end they couldn't compete with FedEx fees. I have no affiliation with FedEx, other than being a satisfied customer. YMMV


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Bubb said:


> Why not ?
> 
> Another thing that will help is actually buying something.
> 
> Convenience is worth something.


Why not? I thought I covered that in my post.

I agree, convenience is worth something; sometimes a lot and sometimes not very much. Being competitive is the most important thing to the bulk of the buying public.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

dradlin said:


> though in the end they couldn't compete with FedEx fees. I have no affiliation with FedEx, other than being a satisfied customer. YMMV


I will relate my experience with FedEx: they told me straight out when I was discussing their brokerage fee on a guitar and case (which were way more than $10) that they would go after the shipper for them if I didn't pay them. Ethical? Fair? That's up to you...but don't forget that there is a possibility that you ship something sometime with them, the brokerage fees are much more than $10 (like my experience) and the buyer says "get stuffed with the brokerage fees" then FedEx comes back at you.

Aside from that, yes, USPS rates have gone up 15-20% but they are way in debt so they likely had to do something - yet, you still have the chance that your parcel gets through tax free with them...never with the other guys. Canada Post likely isn't far behind with their debt situation because they borrowed $3.5 Billion a few years ago (when they didn't have to).


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

We lump FedEx and UPS together because, well, they do the same thing. I don't know where you're getting a $10 flat fee from (I wish I could be in your shoes!), but of the many times I was shipped something via those 2 couriers, the brokerage fees were well over $10 for items $200 or less. My last dealing every with FedEx included a $57 brokerage on a $200 guitar. Ridiculous.


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

I think the $10 brokerage is for USPS->Canada Post handling...



dmc69 said:


> We lump FedEx and UPS together because, well, they do the same thing. I don't know where you're getting a $10 flat fee from (I wish I could be in your shoes!), but of the many times I was shipped something via those 2 couriers, the brokerage fees were well over $10 for items $200 or less. My last dealing every with FedEx included a $57 brokerage on a $200 guitar. Ridiculous.


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

Woof said:


> I think the $10 brokerage is for USPS->Canada Post handling...


dradlin said FedEx charged him a flat $10 fee for brokerage. I'm referring to that when I said I don't know where he's getting that from.


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

I frequently receive shipments from Stewmac via FedEx and never have paid more than $10 plus HST on delivery - that is fact. Always have I paid at least five times that when UPS is involved with other vendors. Perhaps Stewmac has something worked out on their end with FedEx. I understand too that brokerage fees vary whether the shipment is via air or ground and that may be at play here. YMMV


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

I looked up my last stewmac order and discovered the same thing, $10 + HST via FedEx... it didn't register with me at the time 



dradlin said:


> I frequently receive shipments from Stewmac via FedEx and never have paid more than $10 plus HST on delivery - that is fact. Always have I paid at least five times that when UPS is involved with other vendors. Perhaps Stewmac has something worked out on their end with FedEx. I understand too that brokerage fees vary whether the shipment is via air or ground and that may be at play here. YMMV


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

StewMac has flatrate shipping through Fedex, but it's more than $10.
Minimum shipping rate is over twenty dollars and only four or five bucks difference to ship it express.
Close to thirty to ship it the fastest route, but it's here within a few days and no extra brokerage fees.
That's why I'll wait until I have more than a few things to order before placing one with StewMac.


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

sulphur said:


> StewMac has flatrate shipping through Fedex, but it's more than $10.


I didn't say shipping was $10... I said fees collected on delivery never have exceeded $10 plus HST. In my recollection shipping is usually under $40. I don't believe that is a flat rate, but it is a discounted rate. Furthermore, I believe even the $10 fee is waived if you have a FedEx account.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

dradlin said:


> I didn't say shipping was $10... I said fees collected on delivery never have exceeded $10 plus HST. In my recollection shipping is usually under $40. I don't believe that is a flat rate, but it is a discounted rate. Furthermore, I believe even the $10 fee is waived if you have a FedEx account.


Ah, my mistake, sorry.

Ya, just the taxes at the door. They must have some deal with Fedex.
If I remember correctly, it's over $20 for the 4-6 week delivery,
or for a few bucks more, a few days to ship. I thought that it was Fedex either way.
I've always had good experiences with the StewMac/Fedex though.


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## dmc69 (Jan 20, 2011)

dradlin said:


> I didn't say shipping was $10... I said fees collected on delivery never have exceeded $10 plus HST. In my recollection shipping is usually under $40. I don't believe that is a flat rate, but it is a discounted rate. Furthermore, I believe even the $10 fee is waived if you have a FedEx account.



Ahh ok. This makes a lot more sense now.


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