Re: pipes2smoke

On Jun 21, 8:43 am, "Cup O' Joes" <meatybo...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I don't know Maxim personally, so I can't make any comments on him or
his business practices. I can say that you might do better to order
from companies within the US. You can get faster shipments and avoid
customs problems and duties (there is a tax on wood products coming
from Canada). Plus, with the current economy, US retailers (and their
employees) need your business and will do what is necessary to keep
you happy, so it's a win-win situation.

I have not dealt the vendor either, but i will speak to the problem of
shipping between Canada and the US. Generally I am buying from the
US, but many of the same problems exist in either direction.
It is common within the US to ship either by UPS or USPS and have
quick prompt and inexpensive delivery. a UPS shipment that might cost
a total of $10 in the lower 48, will easily cost $30 coming into
Canada, PLUS UPS will add $20 for "clearing" the package through
customs (even if the package is duty free!). Needless to say UPS is
not a favourite shipper unless the article(s) are expensive enough to
warrant such fees. And the delivery time will be at least double that
of the internal US shipment.

USPS has a very economical small parcel rate for first class
international (up to 4 pounds), but the package can't be traced or
insured (ergo doesn't meet EBay requirements) And !st Class Int.
usually arrives at my door around 2 weeks from when shipped.
Contrasted to this FCI rate, we have any of the other rates which
multiply the cost by a factor of 3 easily, and unless you go for a
method where the rate goes through the roof {guaranteed delivery
types), this only cuts 2-3 days off the delivery time. [Ultimate irony
a 2 pound package sent from the US 1st class int. will cost less than
a Canadian shipment of the same weight to a Canadian address!]

Part of the delay is the unfortunate necessity of checking parcels in
this time of terrorist threats. They pass through scanners for
chemical signatures to identify explosives, diseases, drugs, etc.
Given that this type of inspection is not done everywhere, all
packages have to go through central points, which in my case can add a
lot of miles to the path to my mail box.

If you look at listing on EBay from Canadaian sellers and you will
almost always find a warning that the shipments are slower than
internal shipments in the US.

There are valid reasons for ordering off shore. Often you can obtain
items that aren't available otherwise (Dunhill tobaccos still
distributed in the EU can be ordered at "normal" prices from Germany,
England, etc.). Sometimes you can get items cheaper, either because
there is one less level tacking on a markup in the distribution chain,
or there may be a different tax structure effecting the pricing.
[ Peterson pipes are often sited as being available at a much lower
price from the UK than in North America.]
These same factors go into any buying decision, I go to the local b&m,
no minimum order, no shipping, pay my money get my purchase; order
from a larger but distant supplier I may have a larger selection and
cheaper item price, but i pay shipping and have the shipping delay.
And of course, with the crossing of the border, we add the opportunity
for another level of bureaucrats to add their mess to the transaction;-
(

.