WTF is up with shipping charges to Canada?

[Dekz]

Feels like I'm playing the lottery whenever I check out a website's shipping charges.

I've always ordered from New Graham, the service is amazing, etc etc, shipping for an average folder usually costs around $9.00.

Unfortunately they don't carry EVERY knife out there, and some things are out of stock, so I did some reading on the forums to see who else people recommend.

Knivesshipfree, though I've never placed an actual order, the website claims that the shipping costs will (ironically) be $5.00. Very reasonable! A bargain in fact.

2brothers, again highly recommended though I've never ordered through them, the website says shipping will cost me $7.71.

Knifecenter was also highly recommended until I see that an order to Canada has a shipping charge of $24.95! (minimum)

OneStopKnifeShop was mentioned, shipping to Canada: $20.00.

EDIT: knifeworks.com to Canada: $28.00

BladeHQ - only ships to USA.

I don't know how some of these places can justify charging $20+ for shipping when other places can do it for less than $10. Highway robbery IMO.

Have any Canadians ordered through Knivesshipfree or 2brothers? Are these costs correct, because I know sometimes a website will quote one price and then the actual price ends up being something quite different?

 

[Bushman5]

nope, not personally. what knife are you after? Jay from Warriors and Wonders probably carries it and there is no duties.

 

[markksr]

Both okbohn (knivesshipfree) and 2bkc (2 brothers knives) are Bladeforums members, perhaps they will respond here.

PS- I PMed them both to let them know about this thread.

 

[2bkc]

Feels like I'm playing the lottery whenever I check out a website's shipping charges.


2brothers, again highly recommended though I've never ordered through them, the website says shipping will cost me $7.71.


Have any Canadians ordered through Knivesshipfree or 2brothers? Are these costs correct, because I know sometimes a website will quote one price and then the actual price ends up being something quite different?

What ever price shows up is what you are charged. I have UPS and USPS rates setup on my site. I try my best to make sure I don't over charge. Also all of my shipping except First Class International, includes insurance.

PM or email me what you are looking at and how you want it shipped. I try to give BF members a better deal for their support of the forum.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask.


I hope this information helps.

J.W.

 

[okbohn]

Hey! Thanks for PTing me. The 5 dollar shipping to Canada is accurate. It is per order...regardless how much is in the order.

Also we always ship USPS to Canada.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

The difference in pricing for 1SKS is because they will only use UPS for international shipments. They have had problems with USPS.

 

[Dekz]

nope, not personally. what knife are you after? Jay from Warriors and Wonders probably carries it and there is no duties.

Right now I'm looking for a Kershaw Rainbow Groove, and nobody seems to have one

What ever price shows up is what you are charged. I have UPS and USPS rates setup on my site. I try my best to make sure I don't over charge. Also all of my shipping except First Class International, includes insurance.

PM or email me what you are looking at and how you want it shipped. I try to give BF members a better deal for their support of the forum.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask.


I hope this information helps.

J.W.

Very cool :thumbup: Thanks for the reply, I will probably make my next purchase from you.

Hey! Thanks for PTing me. The 5 dollar shipping to Canada is accurate. It is per order...regardless how much is in the order.

Also we always ship USPS to Canada.

Unfortunately you don't appear to carry Kershaw, which is what I buy the most. But if I am going to purchase something that you carry, I will definitely keep you in mind. Thanks for the post.

 

[2bkc]

Right now I'm looking for a Kershaw Rainbow Groove, and nobody seems to have one


Very cool :thumbup: Thanks for the reply, I will probably make my next purchase from you.

I left you a visitor message.

J.W.

 

[Bufford]

Shipping charges says alot about the retailer. Those with reasonable shipping rates are generally honest and reliable. Those that charge heavy shipping charges should be avoided as profit is more important than customer service.

 

[Dekz]

Shipping charges says alot about the retailer. Those with reasonable shipping rates are generally honest and reliable. Those that charge heavy shipping charges should be avoided as profit is more important than customer service.

That's basically how I see it. Knowing that these other companies can do it for $5-10 just shows me that these other guys are charging $25 by choice. An extra $15 profit per knife, not a bad racket.

 

[batosai117]

That's basically how I see it. Knowing that these other companies can do it for $5-10 just shows me that these other guys are charging $25 by choice. An extra $15 profit per knife, not a bad racket.

I'm just going to post to show from a dealer's stand point why $25+ is reasonable for international shipping.

Personally I only use USPS Express International, it cost anywhere from $24-27 usd. That price gives automatic $100.00 insurance, Tracking even across borders, and I'll add on signature confirmation from my own money to make sure it gets to it's destination. Now this "high fee" ensures that you get your item within a reasonable amount of time, for international anything under two weeks is really good.

I print my lables and make sure that the postage is shown on the label to let people know that I didn't gain a penny out of the shipping.

If there is a shipping method that does all of that and a bag of chips for less money, I'll gladly go that route, but for the time being that is my way of shipping internationally.

I wouldn't categorize all dealers who charge a lot for shipping as "gaining extra profit." Perhaps some do, but I know for a fact that I don't. I always work with people when it comes to that sort of thing. Neither me nor my customers gains anything from high postage.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

That's basically how I see it. Knowing that these other companies can do it for $5-10 just shows me that these other guys are charging $25 by choice. An extra $15 profit per knife, not a bad racket.

I think it is more likely that some companies ship using the cheapest level of service, and others choose to use a higher level, or a more expensive carrier.

 

[Dekz]

I'm just going to post to show from a dealer's stand point why $25+ is reasonable for international shipping.

Personally I only use USPS Express International, it cost anywhere from $24-27 usd. That price gives automatic $100.00 insurance, Tracking even across borders, and I'll add on signature confirmation from my own money to make sure it gets to it's destination. Now this "high fee" ensures that you get your item within a reasonable amount of time, for international anything under two weeks is really good.

I print my lables and make sure that the postage is shown on the label to let people know that I didn't gain a penny out of the shipping.

If there is a shipping method that does all of that and a bag of chips for less money, I'll gladly go that route, but for the time being that is my way of shipping internationally.

I always receive my knives in less than two weeks, usually 9-10 days from the people using these cheaper methods.

I could see the insurance being worth it for higher priced items, but I don't want to pay $20 for insurance on a $40-60 item.

Another problem is that sometimes the higher prices are because they use UPS or FedEx. This is even worse cause first we pay $25 for shipping and then these places charge an importing fee on top of that. I don't buy anything that doesn't use USPS.

So perhaps my statement about people price gouging was unfair and in some cases unfounded, I apologize for that. But I certainly won't give my business to any of these places.

 

[batosai117]

I always receive my knives in less than two weeks, usually 9-10 days from the people using these cheaper methods.

I could see the insurance being worth it for higher priced items, but I don't want to pay $20 for insurance on a $40-60 item.

Another problem is that sometimes the higher prices are because they use UPS or FedEx. This is even worse cause first we pay $25 for shipping and then these places charge an importing fee on top of that. I don't buy anything that doesn't use USPS.

So perhaps my statement about people price gouging was unfair and in some cases unfounded, I apologize for that. But I certainly won't give my business to any of these places.

There's no need for apologies, I was just stepping up to the plate and praying that I didn't get hit by the ball

I'm very open to cheaper shipping methods, it's just that I HAVE to have tracking and insurance for international just for the peace of mind and safety. Good luck shopping and have a great weekend, J.

 

[2bkc]

Global Express Guaranteed
Transit time: 1-3 days
From $31.95
Prices based on weight and distance

Express Mail International
Transit time 3 - 5 days
From $25.95
Prices based on weight and distance

Priority Mail International
Transit time: 6-10 days
From $10.95
Prices based on weight and shape

First-Class Mail International
Transit time: varies
From $0.72
Prices based on weight and distance

Priority Mail International Insurance Prices

Indemnity Limit Not Over----Canada----All Other Countries
----------$50.00-----------$1.70-----------$2.45
---------$100.00-----------$2.15-----------$3.35
---------$200.00-----------$2.60-----------$4.30
---------$300.00-----------$4.60-----------$5.25

Customs Clearance and Delivery
Process fee for customs clearance and collection of customs duties at time of delivery. $5.35

I hope this information helps.

J.W.

 

[razorburn]

This is how I look at it,for the retailer like Knife Works,It is so convienent for them to use Flat Rate shipping products(No searching for boxes);It's just like santa's up to 4 pound stocking stuffer. After beening stuffed make sure it's not over the suggested weight, seal and the next time the mailman comes around place it into their hands.

I also believe that the USPS provides the convenience of online ordering of free supplies like boxes and mailing forms for Express and Priority Mail International products. Flat Rate prices regardless of weight up to 4 pound,free pickup at your home or office,automatic $100 insurance and online trackable.

 

[Ankar Sheng]

I find that a lot of times I can work something out with the seller, usually the checkout just uses Priority Flat Rate, because it's simple (flat rate) has insurance and signature confirmation. Many have been willing to ship via First Class or Flat rate envelope upon request.

 

[Knife Outlet]

Let me at least try to explain how these things can happen on a web site. Personally, I'm a UPS shipper and the shipping charges are calculated on-line by the web sites using the UPS site and database. The cheapest form of shipping internationally via UPS is Global Expedited which is a two dair air service and is really expensive. In my opinion a customer would be nuts to pay it but that's what it is. It isn't profit for the dealer.

Canada is a little different because there is a ground rate which is more reasonable - $10-20 for most Canadian areas - less for Toronto and more for NW Territories, obviously. Canadians hate it because they they get hit with duties and fees that they don't get with Canada Post. Guess who has more political power in Canada?

I'm not very keen on international shipping personally because we are in a very low margin businesss and, truthfully, it isn't enough margin to assume the risk of a high percentage of international orders. The UPS shipping charges scare off most international buyers from our sites and that's actually OK with me. Those that do order are shipped by mail at a much, much lower price. But there isn't any way to automate that using our system. We either provide one shipping method or another or all of them. It isn't possible to make mail available only to international buyers and UPS available only to U.S. buyers. So we use UPS for all the shipping rates since that is our preferred method of shipping and international is less than 1% of our business.

Calling web sites a rip off because of shipping charges is really unfair without having all the information.

 

[the kid]

What ever price shows up is what you are charged. I have UPS and USPS rates setup on my site. I try my best to make sure I don't over charge. Also all of my shipping except First Class International, includes insurance.

PM or email me what you are looking at and how you want it shipped. I try to give BF members a better deal for their support of the forum.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask.


I hope this information helps.

J.W.

What would shipping cost to the Netherlands be on an average folder like the Kershaw Skyline?

Also do you sell more knives then are on your website, aka can you get all/most knifes from the manufacturers?

Thanks in advance.

 

[2bkc]

Priority Mail® International Small Flat-Rate Box $12.95 (USD no insurance 6-10 day)
Priority Mail® International for $28.95 (insurance up to $50.00)
First-Class Mail International Package* $10.30 Varies no insurance