All the folks reporting $100 range shipping prices for their 36ers are from the States.
Beware that Canadian shipping prices are much, much steeper.
Today I shipped my N36 to Phil (in Spokane) in the smallest possible box since the price for boxes that size go by volume not weight.
Fed Ex wouldn’t ship something that size since I don’t have a corporate account with them. Of course, CanPost wouldn’t ship something that size either, so I was forced to used Brown.
I don’t know what I did wrong when calculating the shipping cost on UPS’s website a few weeks ago, but the results were in the $120 range.
Naturally when I arrived (on foot) with the 53inx36inx10in box containing the uni, I was less than pleased to hear the estimated shipping price would be $240 bucks.
Though the staff at this particular UPS was incredibly helpful and co-operative as I freaked out, I just can’t believe it could possibly cost that much. I made him re-check on his software and the online estimator 3 times, but he was right.
Has anyone else tried to ship a 36er from Canada to the US (not the other way around, because the staffer himself acknowledged the fact that UPS shipping prices in the States or much lower than here in Canada)? Did you get an estimate this ridiculous?
In the end I managed to get a small discount, I guess cause I looked upset, and I decided to just pay the $215 and sulk the rest of the day.
Why is shipping so expensive across the border heading south, or am I just getting screwed?
holy freakin crap!!! i am sorry that is work out this way…
Frick
and madison is telling me that i am going to have to pay a 60+ dollar costumes fee…
I was not kidding when i said i spent all my money on that unicycle…
note: i have just checked shipping with the UPS web site and all attempts say that you can do it for under 200 with the UPS Worldwide Expedited shipping…
So i would go talk to them one more time if you got chance Levi…
but As mad as you may be… This Shit pisses me off… Its funny to me that you fedex wouldnt ship it for you since i have had them ship much bigger boxes for me … but then again it is the US…
ggggrr… i think i may tell the guy to give me the box and get off my property
Haha, yeah also sorry about this. I am not too upset about it and have already resolved my intitial anger about it.
Did you go to UPS.ca? Apparently the calculations are different for the two sites.
The base price was 188 and then there was a $40 oversize charge (whatever the hell that is. I thought the size was what was determining the base price in the frist place) and some other charges bringing the price to around 240.
I asked the staffer about how much you might have to pay on delivery. He said he would declare it as a gift and also made sure the country of origin was the US. He said with these labels there is a possibility you wont have to pay anything on delivery. Only a possibility though. Why he didnt know for sure is beyond me.
When stuff is shipped across the border, in either direction, it has to clear customs. You pay the company to do this for you, which is a large part of the cost. I’m not sure if it is more expensive going to the States then it is coming up to Canada. Rising fuel prices probably also contribute to the crazy pricing… Or at least that’s what the company will tell you.
I was talking to Yvette at Serious Juggling(used to Work for UPS CA as a driver) and I can’t remember exactly what she said but all I can say is you weren’t screwed over by UPS you just weren’t informed properly, I’ll try to have her post what she told me either today or tomorrow.
Correction Phil it’s called not doing your research. You guys could have arranged to ship it to a city nearer the border and then arranged to drive across and pick it up instead it would have been cheaper…
Darren shipps Cokers to the states. I doubt he pays near that much. He shipped mine for like $340 including shipping. Mind you this was a few years back, but still…
I bet Darren Bedford could give others who want to ship from CA to USA a few tips.
