A lot of the for sale ads say the seller will ship to the continental U.S. only. Some of the Canadian folks get a bit frustrated by that. I don't know if folks just don't want to deal with the hassle or if they are put off by the high shipping costs. I figured I'd post my experience just so U.S. sellers and Canadian buyers know what kind of $ they are looking at to ship to Canada.
The short version is that it's pretty easy, but it's a bit expensive.
Packaging materials: I bought my packaging supplies at the post office, which was convenient but not terribly smart. I'm sure there is a more expensive way to buy stuff, but you'd have to do some serious hunting to find it. Recommendation: buy your bubble wrap and tape at Walmart and use one of the free boxes at the Post Office.
Shipping cost: I used U.S. Postal Service Express Mail International with delivery in 3-5 business days. Base cost for that is $25, which is what it cost me to ship a Becker Necker from Maryland to Ontario. That included $100 worth of insurance and a tracking number that I could give to the person on the other end. The ground shipping option is less expensive, but takes 6-10 days.
Forms to fill out: The shipping label and a customs form. Both are pretty straight forward. One thing the buyer suggested was that I put "fixed blade" as part of the description of the knife. Apparently Canadian customs isn't too concerned about fixed blade knives, but is a little more finicky about folders that flick open.
The short version is that it's pretty easy, but it's a bit expensive.
Packaging materials: I bought my packaging supplies at the post office, which was convenient but not terribly smart. I'm sure there is a more expensive way to buy stuff, but you'd have to do some serious hunting to find it. Recommendation: buy your bubble wrap and tape at Walmart and use one of the free boxes at the Post Office.
Shipping cost: I used U.S. Postal Service Express Mail International with delivery in 3-5 business days. Base cost for that is $25, which is what it cost me to ship a Becker Necker from Maryland to Ontario. That included $100 worth of insurance and a tracking number that I could give to the person on the other end. The ground shipping option is less expensive, but takes 6-10 days.
Forms to fill out: The shipping label and a customs form. Both are pretty straight forward. One thing the buyer suggested was that I put "fixed blade" as part of the description of the knife. Apparently Canadian customs isn't too concerned about fixed blade knives, but is a little more finicky about folders that flick open.
