USPS to Canada - how long does it take?
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crammer
Well-Known Member
Typically, it takes two weeks for postal mail to travel from Charlotte NC to Montreal QC. I believe there's still a black log of mail that needs to be processed due to the Canadian Postal strike.
Hmmm, I guess this means my morebeer order from last Friday won't be here today...shipped USPS.
demonic2020
Member
My experience with USPS is usually 2-3 weeks. But it usually sits in customs for a week or so.
6-10 business days, usually at the 10 mark for me. It was basically three weeks for each of the last few things I've had sent from the US.
Plus whatever backlog that postal strike is still causing (just got a notice of a repair needed to our gas meter...sent June 9th).
Plus whatever backlog that postal strike is still causing (just got a notice of a repair needed to our gas meter...sent June 9th).
Hey, I was wrong! My stuff just arrived via USPS to Winnipeg from morebeer.com Less than a week. 2 x 2.5g corny; in-line filtration system and 10 filters; some star-san; and a dual guage regulator.
I've got a tracking number. The service level I guess is the slowest since it seems to be the cheapest.
This is what I get when i use the tracking number on USPS's site:
My business ships via USPS every day. Some domestic, some international. It is a mess...
Typical domestic delivery is 3-5 days, but can be as much as 30 days and still be considered "on time", international is typically 1-3 weeks, but up to 3 months is not considered unusual.
It is also typical for the post office tracking site to not update their records between the time the package is processed at the local sorting facility (about 1-3 days after shipping) and when it arrives at the customers location. This leads a lot of (my) customers to assume their package is lost in transit. (The reason behind this is that the USPS uses Fed-Ex to transport containers of mail by air in-between USPS sort centers. Containers of mail are then processed as time allows according to priority -express mail, priority mail, first class mail, ...bulk mail.)
Typical domestic delivery is 3-5 days, but can be as much as 30 days and still be considered "on time", international is typically 1-3 weeks, but up to 3 months is not considered unusual.
It is also typical for the post office tracking site to not update their records between the time the package is processed at the local sorting facility (about 1-3 days after shipping) and when it arrives at the customers location. This leads a lot of (my) customers to assume their package is lost in transit. (The reason behind this is that the USPS uses Fed-Ex to transport containers of mail by air in-between USPS sort centers. Containers of mail are then processed as time allows according to priority -express mail, priority mail, first class mail, ...bulk mail.)
In the future, have your stuff shipped to Point Roberts, Washington. It's only 45 mins from downtown Vancouver through Tsawwassen. I've never had to wait more than eight days for anything. Just had a full cask set-up delivered there from Northern Brewer.
Their economy basically operates on mail order. You can have anything shipped to one of the mail order companies, make sure that you declare it honestly and completely at the border and you generally won't have to pay any duty. I haven't paid a cent in duty in years, as I'm always honest, have the package wide open in the back of the car and have the receipt on hand. You'll definitely have to pay duty and taxes if it gets shipped to Canada.
Just google Point Roberts mail order. I use TBS.
Their economy basically operates on mail order. You can have anything shipped to one of the mail order companies, make sure that you declare it honestly and completely at the border and you generally won't have to pay any duty. I haven't paid a cent in duty in years, as I'm always honest, have the package wide open in the back of the car and have the receipt on hand. You'll definitely have to pay duty and taxes if it gets shipped to Canada.
Just google Point Roberts mail order. I use TBS.
How and when will I be asked to pay duty and taxes because I've got the hops and so far I've only paid for them plus shipping?
Aren't hops duty and tax free?
I'll use one of the mail order companies in the future if I order something big or if I have to pay duty and taxes, I just thought that for only 2# of hops I'd rather pay a little more shipping and save me a 2h drive plus the border crossing. The shipping cost for Canada was only 7$ more than for US. I'll probably spend more on gas and nerves going across the border to pick them up.
So again, are you sure that I'll have to pay duty and taxes for hops if shipped to Canada, because I was about to order some more and have them shipped to my home?
Aren't hops duty and tax free?
I'll use one of the mail order companies in the future if I order something big or if I have to pay duty and taxes, I just thought that for only 2# of hops I'd rather pay a little more shipping and save me a 2h drive plus the border crossing. The shipping cost for Canada was only 7$ more than for US. I'll probably spend more on gas and nerves going across the border to pick them up.
So again, are you sure that I'll have to pay duty and taxes for hops if shipped to Canada, because I was about to order some more and have them shipped to my home?
You won't get asked to pay anything if you haven't been asked yet. Typically when it is delivered you have to pay whatever is owing before you receive your product. Some stuff is duty-free, but the taxman usually wants his GST/PST (did y'all go to an HST yet?). But often on a small purchase you don't have to pay anything.
Bradinator
Well-Known Member
How much did you pay for your shipping from our friends in the south? I am curious to compare the costs from ordering locally or if its worth investigating some USA based online stores.
As of right now I do all my online ordering from Hopdawgs.ca and have been very happy with their services. Chris, who runs it is very helpful and the store is located right in BC so the costs for shipping is quite low and it usually takes less then 3 weeks to arrive.
As of right now I do all my online ordering from Hopdawgs.ca and have been very happy with their services. Chris, who runs it is very helpful and the store is located right in BC so the costs for shipping is quite low and it usually takes less then 3 weeks to arrive.
I paid 14USD shipping for 2# of hop pellets. The hops cost me 24USD, so it was 38USD for 32 ounces.
@ osagedr: We have HST in BC, but there is a referendum going on to see if people want to keep it or not.
@ osagedr: We have HST in BC, but there is a referendum going on to see if people want to keep it or not.
If there's no duty, then all the better. I haven't ordered hops before, so I have no idea whether they're duty free or not. The CBSA or Agriculture Canada website would know.
In any case, your original concern was about the time that it was taking to get your order. My experience is that it will take less time to get your package if it's sent to a US address from a US location. If you plan your trip to Point Roberts, the drive and the border aren't much of a problem - 45 mins from DT Vancouver at off-peak times. The mail order places are often open at 8am during the week and the border is pretty dead at that hour. It's nothing like Blaine at the worst of times. The shipping costs may not be much different; I know that Hops Direct is only a bit cheaper to a US address based on their website's info.
Anyway, just a suggestion to decrease the time issue. Suit yourself.
In any case, your original concern was about the time that it was taking to get your order. My experience is that it will take less time to get your package if it's sent to a US address from a US location. If you plan your trip to Point Roberts, the drive and the border aren't much of a problem - 45 mins from DT Vancouver at off-peak times. The mail order places are often open at 8am during the week and the border is pretty dead at that hour. It's nothing like Blaine at the worst of times. The shipping costs may not be much different; I know that Hops Direct is only a bit cheaper to a US address based on their website's info.
Anyway, just a suggestion to decrease the time issue. Suit yourself.
Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely look at it next time I order on line from US.
