Question for you in general and particularly you whacky Canadians out there

Ok... very odd question I know. My father is caring for his parents, my grandparents, both of whom have alzheimers. Getting an hour out of the house to go shopping is hard enough, nevermind hold down a job, and money is getting tight. Well, tighter than it was even before.

We are talking about a man with a welding license, two hands that look like sledgehammers, a back that still works, and is is stubborn enough to make a government mule cry uncle.

So, I guess I'm wondering if there are any homebrew setups or products he should look into making in his shop that would be in demand in the homebrew community?

Also, I have read in the past that some US homebrew companies have refused to ship to Canada, causing a need for a surrogate or middle-man. Would anyone in Canada consider paying a fee to have him forward a package to you? Would that have legal shortcomings?

I'm just stroking a thought here.

Thanks in advance
Creamy

Hey Creamy,

I haven't ordered a lot from the states. I always hesitate to because of the cross-border charges Canadians so often seem to get nailed on (as well as finding a retailer that will actually ship here, as you noted). Legally, he might need, or else it would really benefit him to have, some kind of import license. I'm not entirely sure...

But there are several companies that already ship in Canada, and you can get most supplies from Cdn companies (obviously) - the only reason I think about ordering from the states is because it is cheaper, so I'm not sure if that's cost effective/worth his time.

I'm sure others from the great white north will chime in here, but I'm just curious for a few more details. Where is your dad living? Just thinking about what kinds of shipping charges might apply, and what kind of equipment he could come up with that could still be realistically sent further distances. I would be interested in buying equipment that would allow me to set up AG easily? Not sure just tossing around ideas.

Scott

Thanks Gated. He's in New York in the Orange/Ulster County area (not really upstate but definitely not the city).

I suppose equiptment-wise the place to start would be what demand is (and obviously he'd cater to the states or whomever for this). If someone wants it, and its within his power to make it happen, then we have a market.

I agree that the package forwarding probably is not the best idea. Probably would need to be somehow approved for government taxation purposes. The package guy that I deal with doesn't forward, just collects and holds until you can pick it up. Taxes are up to the purchaser.