Well I was about to order a piece of leather (emphasis on about to) from the shop on line. The shipping method chosen by GF is just a bit expensive for anything that has to leave the US. One piece of thick leather 5" x 10" is $12, the shipping is $82.79. That works out to $114.01 cdn today. Ouch!
Glowforge really doesn’t want our business I guess. That piece of leather could be dropped into an envelope and sent USPS for pennies.
I noticed when they sent me an email about the cost of the black cable the shipping to the US was $9. The shipping to Canada is $49.71 making that cable cost me $68.84 us or 94.80 cdn.
sadly, shipping an envelope to canada isn’t pennies.
the minimum cost for me to send a 6 oz package through USPS to Vancouver (just used my buddy’s address) is $27. small flat rate box is $28 (which is what it cost me to send him 180 mask clips).
I would certainly feel the same way about being charged exorbitant fees for shipping…however it seems to me that cost of shipping stuff to Canada is not exactly something that Glowforge makes up as they go along. It’s more likely that postal services in Canada and the US are to blame.
We Canucks pay big shipping costs from the States. When the border is normal I just go across and pick up at a shipping company 30 minutes away. Close by so I just walk across.
From frequently dealing with shipping across the border years ago, I suspect GF is using an expensive carrier due to losses incurred from dealing with cheaper ones.
It was easier and more reliable to buy and sell to the UK and other EU countries. It got to the point where I would only ship using USPS if the buyer accepted all liability.
Not criticizing CA, something about the shipping to and from is broken, and has been for a long time.
I just checked a range of leather suppliers in the US. Their shipping rates in Canadian dollars range from $20+ to $50+ for an even larger piece of leather. Not one was as high as $82 USD.
I did want to use my credit to purchase from GF but I won’t waste most of that money on shipping charges. They have to get someone to figure out a better plan for their international customers.
Last time we checked for the in-laws there was a 14 day quarantine after crossing and had to prove where in Canada you will be locked up at, so mother-in-law will not be visiting friends for a bit
No idea what it is coming into the US, but you may hit that 14 day whack-a-do when returning.
and yeah, i’m sure a business may be able to get a better rate for shipping from somewhere other than the USPS.
but yes, “drop it in an envelope for pennies” is hyperbole.
again, i’m not arguing that their rates are reasonable. just making the point that it’s not cheap to ship across the border. it’s significantly more expensive than it is for domestic US. and “pennies” is hyperbole.
FedEx seems to be charging excessively to be honest. I just placed an order for various items totally to ~$1,100 USD. I had it shipped to Montana and customs clearance and shipping to Edmonton handled by DYK Post. Total shipping and customs was $175 CAD or so. If I put together roughly the same package today the FedEx shipping cost from GF to me is ~$550 USD. Yeah no thanks.