# StewMac's StewMax Now Free Shipping To Canada



## Guest

For $40 USD per year now free shipping to Canada...

StewMAX 1-Year Membership | stewmac.com


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## BSTheTech

Haha StewPrime. Awesome.


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## Lincoln

Oh my........heavy danger.....


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## Guest




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## Guest

I will order stuff from them now...


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## Dorian2

Since when is $40 USD/year free shipping?

Kidding aside, thanks for the info. Now it won't cost me $12 to get a $2.50 item shipped.


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## vadsy

who wants to split the cost of an Edmonton membership?


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## Lincoln

vadsy said:


> who wants to split the cost of an Edmonton membership?


I'm interested in some sort of deal like that. My last order from them was $122 and $48 shipping, so in one order - it's paid for.
Order from them twice a year or more to make it pay


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## Guest

Lincoln said:


> I'm interested in some sort of deal like that. My last order from them was $122 and $48 shipping, so in one order - it's paid for.
> Order from them twice a year or more to make it pay


Every day order a $2 jack.


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## Lincoln

Player99 said:


> Every day order a $2 jack.


wonder how long it would be before they shut you down? They would have to shut you down at some point.


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## Silvertone

Player99 said:


> Every day order a $2 jack.


LOL - that's hilarious! But I bet they would not catch on for a while. I ordered a bunch of stuff one time and they sent it and they missed 2 very small items. I told them and they sent me the 2 small items in a large box, a comically large box. They sent the wrong 2 very small items. They sent them again but this time I received only 1 of the very small items in a comically large box, then the next day another ... you get the idea. I was actually horrified that they sent these items so many times and with such large packaging.

Regards Peter.


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## Guest

Player99 said:


> Every day order a $2 jack.





Lincoln said:


> wonder how long it would be before they shut you down? They would have to shut you down at some point.


How many jacks would one need over the course of a year?
Go for a guitar pick instead.
They're pretty easy to lose, hence the need to constantly buy again.


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## Dorian2

Why does the phrase "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" occur to me all of a sudden?


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## jdto

Good deal


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## Lincoln

well @vadsy and Edmonton area guys, I bought the membership. I couldn't resist. 
If anyone needs Stewmac stuff, just send me your list, I'll bring it in, you can pay for it when it gets here. Looks like about 2 weeks shipping. I don't want to order for anyone until my first order arrives. Just in case they are using UPS or something and duty & taxes work out to some crazy amount. The thought about UPS never occurred to me until after I pushed the button of course.......a fool and his money are soon parted.

One glitch I found already. I had to remove the binding adhesive from my order because they won't ship anything on StewMax that can't be put on an airplane.


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## Guest

Lincoln said:


> well @vadsy and Edmonton area guys, I bought the membership. I couldn't resist.
> If anyone needs Stewmac stuff, just send me your list, I'll bring it in, you can pay for it when it gets here. Looks like about 2 weeks shipping. I don't want to order for anyone until my first order arrives. Just in case they are using UPS or something and duty & taxes work out to some crazy amount. The thought about UPS never occurred to me until after I pushed the button of course.......a fool and his money are soon parted.
> 
> One glitch I found already. I had to remove the binding adhesive from my order because they won't ship anything on StewMax that can't be put on an airplane.


No glues, paints etc...


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## Lincoln

Player99 said:


> No glues, paints etc...


Just certain glues. I ordered a bunch of super glues without a problem. I can see the spray bombs being a problem too.


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## Lincoln

The order shipped today, and the notification says "shipped International Post". I'm thinking that means USPS which is good for a low border handling fee. Should be good to go.


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## Guest

Lincoln said:


> The order shipped today, and the notification says "shipped International Post". I'm thinking that means USPS which is good for a low border handling fee. Should be good to go.


Yes it has the potential to not get taxed at the border unless SM adds it at the cart. What did you get?


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## Lincoln

Player99 said:


> What did you get?


You really want to know or are you just messing with me? 

I got some black "Strat" knobs for a parts caster I just put together, some #7015 glue Whip Tips, #0010 thin super glue, couple sets of #50825 RCA reverb cables, #5248 binding router guide, #4932 extra bits for router guide, #4465 seam separation knife, and a #4728 small Pallet knife. 

Nothing exciting, that's for sure.

Another note, anything rosewood is marked "will not ship outside USA"


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## Silvertone

Player99 said:


> Yes it has the potential to not get taxed at the border unless SM adds it at the cart. What did you get?


Anything purchased from the USA will never have Canadian tax added at checkout. Duties and taxes are calculated at the point of entry. These charges are calculated by a broker and depending on how it is shipped will be charged a brokerage fee as well. Sometimes the parcel sails through without any duties or brokerage fees. I have even had shipments come without any HST but that is rare. USPS is the usually the most inexpensive as they have a deal with Canada Post. Canada Post used to just charge a flat fee for brokerage of $5. I think that went up to $10 recently. You can usually guarantee paying tax. I believe the stuff I have gotten from Stew Mac has not had duties but frankly it seems hit and miss. Most American goods are covered under free trade but it depends where those goods are coming from as well. I bought quite a few things from Tools Today and had some with duties and others without, but I always paid HST.

Good luck and I hope you only get dinged for HST.

Regards Peter.

PS - shell products will also not be shipped across the border.


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## Guest

Silvertone said:


> Anything purchased from the USA will never have Canadian tax added at checkout. Duties and taxes are calculated at the point of entry. These charges are calculated by a broker and depending on how it is shipped will be charged a brokerage fee as well. Sometimes the parcel sails through without any duties or brokerage fees. I have even had shipments come without any HST but that is rare. USPS is the usually the most inexpensive as they have a deal with Canada Post. Canada Post used to just charge a flat fee for brokerage of $5. I think that went up to $10 recently. You can usually guarantee paying tax. I believe the stuff I have gotten from Stew Mac has not had duties but frankly it seems hit and miss. Most American goods are covered under free trade but it depends where those goods are coming from as well. I bought quite a few things from Tools Today and had some with duties and others without, but I always paid HST.
> 
> Good luck and I hope you only get dinged for HST.
> 
> Regards Peter.
> 
> PS - shell products will also not be shipped across the border.


eBay, Amazon and others do calculate the Canadian tax at the checkout.


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## 1SweetRide

Silvertone said:


> LOL - that's hilarious! But I bet they would not catch on for a while. I ordered a bunch of stuff one time and they sent it and they missed 2 very small items. I told them and they sent me the 2 small items in a large box, a comically large box. They sent the wrong 2 very small items. They sent them again but this time I received only 1 of the very small items in a comically large box, then the next day another ... you get the idea. I was actually horrified that they sent these items so many times and with such large packaging.
> 
> Regards Peter.


Was Inspector Clouseau running the shipping department that week?


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## 1SweetRide

Silvertone said:


> Anything purchased from the USA will never have Canadian tax added at checkout. Duties and taxes are calculated at the point of entry. These charges are calculated by a broker and depending on how it is shipped will be charged a brokerage fee as well. Sometimes the parcel sails through without any duties or brokerage fees. I have even had shipments come without any HST but that is rare. USPS is the usually the most inexpensive as they have a deal with Canada Post. Canada Post used to just charge a flat fee for brokerage of $5. I think that went up to $10 recently. You can usually guarantee paying tax. I believe the stuff I have gotten from Stew Mac has not had duties but frankly it seems hit and miss. Most American goods are covered under free trade but it depends where those goods are coming from as well. I bought quite a few things from Tools Today and had some with duties and others without, but I always paid HST.
> 
> Good luck and I hope you only get dinged for HST.
> 
> Regards Peter.
> 
> PS - shell products will also not be shipped across the border.


Amazon will sometimes pre-collect taxes as will eBay and some other large companies in the US.


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## Silvertone

I've never heard of an american company collecting Canadian taxes. I can see eBay and Amazon as they have Canadian entities. I'm assuming this is the case. American companies barely know where Canada is, let alone know or care about the tax rate or have to pass it along. Again if they have Canadian entities they would have to collect and remit. When I sell to Americans I do not charge state or federal taxes. I do not even have to charge them HST. 

Regards Peter.


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## 1SweetRide

Silvertone said:


> I've never heard of an american company collecting Canadian taxes. I can see eBay and Amazon as they have Canadian entities. I'm assuming this is the case. American companies barely know where Canada is, let alone know or care about the tax rate or have to pass it along. Again if they have Canadian entities they would have to collect and remit. When I sell to Americans I do not charge state or federal taxes. I do not even have to charge them HST.
> 
> Regards Peter.


Yes, this is probably what happens.


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## Fox Rox

I have an email out to StewMac customer service to confirm if they can guarantee shipment via USPS. If they can I will definitely get a membership. If they use UPS or FedEx you are almost guaranteed to have brokerage and handling fees


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## Silvertone

Fox Rox said:


> I have an email out to StewMac customer service to confirm if they can guarantee shipment via USPS. If they can I will definitely get a membership. If they use UPS or FedEx you are almost guaranteed to have brokerage and handling fees


I would also be interested in the outcome. FedEx seems to be about the worst, in my experience. I purchased something from Italy and they charged me 20% brokerage fees. I have been contacted ahead of time for several purchases by the shipper to pay duties and taxes prior to them delivering. I guess it won't even go on the truck without you paying first.

Cheers Peter.

PS - I wonder if the Stew Max is per customer vs per address? I have friends in Buffalo and also a P.O. box in NY. It would be nice if I could have things shipped to any of the addresses for that one flat fee. I'm doubting it though.


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## Dorian2

I'm interested in the outcome as well. I don't order a lot of stuff from another country, so I'm learning a lot vicariously through other people's pain. Hopefully your ordr isn't a PITA re: additional prices Dave.


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## Silvertone

I do not remember any bad dealings with Stew Mac as far as brokerage or anything. They have excellent customer service. Probably the best I have ever had. They do ship quickly but they always charge shipping which is usually around US$25 minimum. Other places you can sometimes get free shipping. It's unfortunate one place does not have everything you want. I do not mind paying for shipping but it's tough when you want to outfit a guitar and you have to buy from 3 or 4 different places. Keep us posted.

Cheers Peter.


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## Fox Rox

Fox Rox said:


> I have an email out to StewMac customer service to confirm if they can guarantee shipment via USPS. If they can I will definitely get a membership. If they use UPS or FedEx you are almost guaranteed to have brokerage and handling fees


I heard back from StewMac and they cannot confirm that they will use USPS if you have free shipping to Canada with a StewMax membership. They reserve the right to pick the shipping method of their choice, but did say they will likely use USPS for small, lightweight orders, and would likely use a courier company for bulky or heavy orders. I won't get a StewMax membership as a result because one order with shipping from a courier company could easily eat up your membership fee with brokerage and handling fees, but I will definitely keep ordering from them and picking USPS as the shipping method.


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## Lincoln

The only scenario I'm concerned about is shipping by UPS. They can FedEx it, or DHL it, or USPS it. I'm fine with any of those. Just not UPS. But it's only $50, so I gave it a try and if they piss me off, I won't renew next year. I've got 1 year to collect all the fancy little tools and do-dads I can't get anywhere else.

I'm actually wondering if pricing changes when you sign up. Things seem higher priced all of a sudden. I should make another account just to compare.


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## Yamariv

Fox Rox said:


> I heard back from StewMac and they cannot confirm that they will use USPS if you have free shipping to Canada with a StewMax membership. They reserve the right to pick the shipping method of their choice, but did say they will likely use USPS for small, lightweight orders, and would likely use a courier company for bulky or heavy orders. I won't get a StewMax membership as a result because one order with shipping from a courier company could easily eat up your membership fee with brokerage and handling fees, but I will definitely keep ordering from them and picking USPS as the shipping method.


Thanks for the update Fox Rox, I was curious about the USPS shipping on this as well. If it's not USPS guaranteed, I'm out..


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## Silvertone

Well, I guess if you order from Stew Mac normally this would be a deal if you order 3 or more purchases a year. It's definitely not a bad thing in general. Also if you need a few small pieces it makes a huge difference. I think their minimum shipping cost is about Can$16, so if I ordered 10 screws or a couple of knobs for $5 it would not make sense to pay $16 for shipping. This should go the cheapest, which is generally USPS / Canada Post and should not be any tax. If you need the stuff, you need the stuff. This can only save you money. I really only buy stuff from Stew Mac where quality is a concern, or I cannot find something specific somewhere else. There are some things that are a very good value for what you pay. They do have some gimicky and crazy expensive items but I equate them to Lee Valley in that respect. Hopefully we can hear back from Lincoln when he receives his parcels.



Lincoln said:


> I'm actually wondering if pricing changes when you sign up. Things seem higher priced all of a sudden. I should make another account just to compare.


LOL - you sound as cynical as I am. Prices could not possibly go up because of this, right?? ;-)

Cheers Peter.


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## Lincoln

18 days since I ordered and nothing yet. 

Something else I found out while looking for electrolytic capacitors, they don't ship capacitors to Canada either. The list of things they don't ship is growing.


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## Guest

Lincoln said:


> 18 days since I ordered and nothing yet.
> 
> Something else I found out while looking for electrolytic capacitors, they don't ship capacitors to Canada either. The list of things they don't ship is growing.


No tracking? 18 days sucks for sure...


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## Lincoln

Player99 said:


> No tracking? 18 days sucks for sure...


No tracking number. This is the only shipping info I got

*Shipping Method:* International Post 
*Shipment Status:* Shipped 
*Shipped On:* Thursday, January 31, 2019


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## Guest

Lincoln said:


> No tracking number. This is the only shipping info I got
> 
> *Shipping Method:* International Post
> *Shipment Status:* Shipped
> *Shipped On:* Thursday, January 31, 2019


That's slow, but they probably made the stickers on Thursday the 31st, so it got picked up on that Friday. So about 10 -11 business days so far. By the end of the week would be some the the US shipping times I get. My nut files took weeks from another business.


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## PBGas

Stew Mac shipping is a pain in the rear at times. 3 times over the past year they have routed my order to their Europe shipping hub, only to have it shipped to Canada about 25 days later. I know that we are all trying to save a bit here but if you need the parts, the UPS shipping from them is a crapshoot at best. 

When I inquired...I got the following response from them:

"Thank you for contacting us. This happens because the international airmail hub in Sweden. I would try FedEx Express International on you next order. Many of our Canadian customers report shipping in just one day."

So...they ship it Sweden and then back to Canada. Makes sense. *#*(


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## Guest

I contacted them for a list of what they don't ship to Canada and they tell me they don't have a list, to check each item out at a time. Fuck.


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## Lincoln

the package came today. No extra charges at all. No GST, no border fee either. But it is post marked "Sweden". Bizarre


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## BSTheTech

Lincoln said:


> the package came today. No extra charges at all. No GST, no border fee either. But it is post marked "Sweden". Bizarre


What was the declared value?


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## Lincoln

BSTheTech said:


> What was the declared value?


$137.67


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## BSTheTech

Awesome! You got lucky.


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## Lincoln

Routed through Malmo Sweden. I had to look that up, it's the third largest city in Sweden. 

Very strange way of doing business.


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## BSTheTech

Ya, this is new to me too. I don’t get it either. Having said that I have ordered from mainland China and several European countries with faster/better service than ordering from the States so maybe the shipper just finds it more efficient? I think the increase in online ordering has basically crippled the CBSA’s ability to process packages.


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## Lincoln

StewMax experience #2 - I ordered a 4 ohm 10" speaker for a Vibrochamp I'm building. It's very hard to find 10" 4 ohm speaker, (if I could've got one from NextGen I would've). Anyway, the speaker & a solid state rectifier tube replacement shipped FedEx and they were here in about 3 days. No shipping paid to StewMac, FedEx charged a $10 border fee and there was $4.65 worth of GST added. Total $14.65 
Much quicker than the first experience. The box was much larger than my first order, that might affect their choice of shippers.


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## Silvertone

I think that is a more typical experience. When shipped through Fed-Ex they always charge GST and a brokerage fee. I have been burned by Fed-Ex in the past on brokerage as sometimes depending on origin country they can charge up to 20% of the value of the item. That may be their minimum fee for low value items. But it is quick. USPS / Canada Post generally charge GST and a small brokerage fee, $10 regardless of item price, but takes quite a bit longer. I have also had experiences where no brokerage and no taxes were charged. Again this may have been lower valued items where it isn't worth their time to collect. 

Cheers Peter.


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## PBGas

Lincoln said:


> the package came today. No extra charges at all. No GST, no border fee either. But it is post marked "Sweden". Bizarre


This is the problem that I was having. That is their international airmail depot. It makes no sense to ship it to Europe and then back again. Ridiculous. 

I always get a larger order ready and ship it through Fed Ex.from them. It is up here in a couple of days. Yup... I know there is a brokerage fee, etc but it gets here in a timely fashion. They really need to investigate a better shipping method from USPS for us north of the border. If enough of us make some noise on the forums, perhaps Stew-Mac will actually listen and do something about it.


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## Lincoln

Just got notification that my third order has shipped, by FedEx Economy, and they even supplied a tracking number this time. Maybe Stew-Mac is listening.


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## Silvertone

Lincoln said:


> Just got notification that my third order has shipped, by FedEx Economy, and they even supplied a tracking number this time. Maybe Stew-Mac is listening.


I do not think they are listening, or rather they may be listening but would not change their habits. They will ship the most economical method while still getting you the package. They may even have a time frame which they deem acceptable and beyond that they would ship a quicker method. I have heard of people waiting 3-5 weeks for shipments. Clearly this is not ideal but it also advertises cheaper expedited shipping. This may be the way to go, unless you do not mind waiting that long. It's a bit of a moot point actually. If I need it, I need it. I either decide it is worth paying the premium myself or pass it on to the customer.

Cheers Peter.


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## Lincoln

My third order just showed up on the door step. That's like 2 day shipping. No GST, no border fee, nothing. They dropped the package and took off. Dollar value of the contents, $54.46


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## Fox Rox

I said earlier in this thread I wasn't going to get a StewMax membership as StewMac couldn't guarantee what delivery service they would use for each order, and as a result, I was concerned about some of the major couriers they use and the handling fees they charge. Well I didn't heed my own advice and ended up getting a StewMax membership. I placed on order on March 5th, and it was shipped via FedEx on March 7th . It showed up in Mirabel, Quebec on March 18th, and according to the tracking number, a delivery date has not yet been scheduled. I am not in a hurry for the items, but this is taking an awfully long time. And I will be very upset if I end up paying an additional handling fee to FedEx once it eventually arrives.


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## Silvertone

Unfortunately, I find Fed/Ex the worst. I’m pretty sure you will be charged HST and brokerage. Duties may also be charged but if they are, they are required by law, or free trade agreement. Fed/Ex play by the rules and generally that requires paperwork hence the fees. 

The others may skirt the rules and not charge these fees. Good luck and keep us posted. 

Regards Peter.


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## Fox Rox

Silvertone said:


> Unfortunately, I find Fed/Ex the worst. I’m pretty sure you will be charged HST and brokerage. Duties may also be charged but if they are, they are required by law, or free trade agreement. Fed/Ex play by the rules and generally that requires paperwork hence the fees.
> 
> The others may skirt the rules and not charge these fees. Good luck and keep us posted.
> 
> Regards Peter.


Well I just received the shipment and I am happy to report that there were no additional fees.  And even though it was shipped via FedEx and I had a FedEx tracking number it was actually delivered by Canada Post. And like another poster it was postmarked in Sweden. The shipment took almost 3 weeks, but I can't complain as it truly was free shipping.


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## Silvertone

That is awesome. I purchased cycling shoes from Italy and they were shipped Fed Ex. They charged me taxes, brokerage, and duties. Clearly no free trade from Italy and I think they thought it was some high end women's Italian shoes. The shoes were US$149 and they charged me 20% brokerage fee and 20% duties plus HST. They were still cheaper than buying them here! ;-)

Cheers Peter.


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## Lincoln

Lincoln said:


> My third order just showed up on the door step. That's like 2 day shipping. No GST, no border fee, nothing. They dropped the package and took off. Dollar value of the contents, $54.46


Update on this shipment. I just got a invoice in the mail from Fedex for $2.67 GST and $10.50 "advancement fee"

Nobody rides for free.


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## Silvertone

Lincoln said:


> Update on this shipment. I just got a invoice in the mail from Fedex for $2.67 GST and $10.50 "advancement fee"
> 
> Nobody rides for free.


Don't pay it! ;-) If you have your stuff it's pretty hard to collect. I have had them call me and ask me to pay this before they will deliver it, which I do. 

Cheers Peter.


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## Dorian2

WTF is an advancement fee? Did they "advance" the package from one place to another. Sorta like what they're in business for? Are they associated with TicketMAster or something?


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## Silvertone

Dorian2 said:


> WTF is an advancement fee? Did they "advance" the package from one place to another. Sorta like what they're in business for? Are they associated with TicketMAster or something?


They used to call it brokerage. It is the fee charged to do the paperwork to get it through customs. AFAIK, Fed Ex has always charged this. Sometimes it is a percentage but this would be the minimum charge because of the small $$$ value of the goods. I try not to use them for this reason.

Cheers Peter.


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## Lincoln

my wife orders a lot of quilting material online from the USA. She has an account with FedEx and never pays the border fee, only GST.
After I got this invoice yesterday, she signed me up under her account. Now all I have to do is quote the account number when I buy something, and no more "advancement fee". 
I'll let y'all know how it works on the next order. If they FedEx it. Physically smaller packages seen to go to Sweden first.


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## greco

Lincoln said:


> Physically smaller packages seen to go to Sweden first.


Apart from FedEx, does anyone know the reason for this?


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## blam

40/year is a good deal if you shop there a lot.

I havent gotten anything from them in a couple years, mostly because I haven't bought a new guitar in a long time to modify. but 1-2 shipments and you have your money back. I used to to probably see shipments every couple months from the, when I was getting into guitar mods heavily.


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## Lincoln

Almost a year down the "StewMax Canada" road, I discovered something. Guitar kits do not ship free. They want $33.05 to ship a guitar kit even with StewMax

This has been a public service announcement


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## player99

Lincoln said:


> Almost a year down the "StewMax Canada" road, I discovered something. Guitar kits do not ship free. They want $33.05 to ship a guitar kit even with StewMax
> 
> This has been a public service announcement


Hey that sucks. I was looking at the tele on sale, but then looked at Solo Music and the StewMac sale price was not so great, plus it has a mahogany body, which is not traditional.

DIY Electric Guitar Kits, Build Your Own Guitar Kit | Solo Music Gear










This kit is $150 
Solo TCK-1M DIY Electric Guitar Kit | Solo Music Gear


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## Lincoln

A word or two on the quality of StewMac guitar kits. While the wood parts were just fine, everything else was the crappiest of crap. Even the tuners hit the garbage can. They were such a high ratio that it was almost impossible to tune the guitar. Movements had to be microphonic. The Bridge had a buzz I couldn't fix, it got replaced too. You're better off with a Solo kit


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