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Recommended US based package forwarders?

 
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:09 pm    Post subject: Recommended US based package forwarders? Reply with quote


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Hi guys!

When I need something shipped to me from US sellers who won't ship to Canada, I've used PackageExpress.com located in Washington State in the past. Great service. No issues.

I'd like to order a few items from Amazon that can't ship direct. Problem is that they're also in Washington State so I end up paying state taxes to Amazon and then more Canadian taxes once it arrives at my doorstep.

I have no issues paying taxes to my Canadian goverment. Paying taxes twice however seems a bit much. Wink

Anyone here have any NON-WASHINGTON STATE based package forwarders in the US that they recommend and have used? More importantly, any that you've used and DO NOT recommend? I'm looking for recommendations based on actual experience (instead of just "Googling") as there seem to be a lot of 'fly by night' operations out there (PackageExpress.com doesn't seem to be one of them).

Thanks!

JAN 2012 UPDATE: I've now been using Shipito.com instead based on the feedback of some brewers who have been building my setup. They have many locations including a warehouse in Oregon which doesn't have any state tax so problem solved. Much easier to use than PackageExpress.com too as their website is more automated (less manual intervention). They also have an affiliate program so I've now signed up so others can use them and support our site too by using this link: http://www.shipito.com/id_affiliate=2044 Thanks!Wink

Kal

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Last edited by kal on Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:16 pm; edited 3 times in total
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RussH




Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Posts: 83



PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I ordered through a mail forwarding service out of Washington state, and was told by a canadian customs agent that I had been wrongly charged WA tax. I wrote a letter to amazon stating that I was the final user and that the product was to be used in Canada, and they refunded my WA taxes. This was last year just before christmas. Might be worth an e-mail.
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ohhh! Now that's interesting!

I don't see however how Amazon.com was doing anything wrong... they have absolutely no way of knowing that you used a mail forwarder. All they see is the WA address that you're shipping to. It's the destination that's used for tax purposes you'd think and if it's in WA state then they have to charge you tax. What you do with it after is up to you.

It may be a bit of a catch-22 as well as one of the reasons why Amazon is not allowed to ship some of these items to Canada is due to distributor or licensing restrictions. For example, a manufacturer may have agreements with distributors or stores to only be able to sell in certain regions. They're not allowed to sell outside those regions.

If you call up Amazon and say that you're using a forwarder, then they may start to say "but we're not allowed to sell that item to you in Canada". I know that McMaster Carr has done that with some of the items people tried to order and have shipped outside the US to build my brewery... McMaster cancelled their order since they were not in the US. Then when the user tried to redo the order using a forwarder, McMaster Carr again cancelled it since they knew it was a forwarder.

Kal

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Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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RussH




Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Posts: 83



PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those sneeky buggers (McMaster) that's dirty pool as far as I'm concerned. I was completely unaware, but the forwarding service I use offers the option for you to broker your own goods, and it's a bunch cheaper. I just drive to the airport, take the paperwork to customs, then go to the forwarders warehouse and get my items after they've been cleared and I've paid duties. When I did this particular transaction, the customs guy got all worked up asking why I'd been 'forced' to pay WA tax his comment was something to this effect: "if I were you, I'd demand this money back. You shouldn't have to pay taxes twice on one item". I hadn't thought of it till then, but followed up with amazon, and they refunded it. If I'd been more on top of it, I would have said to him: "so you're just going to waive the canadian taxes right?" I'd like to know what his response would've been Wink

The customs guys I deal with there are pretty awesome. When my fittings came in from Bargain fittings, the officer I was talking to had dealt with me before, and knew I was building a brewery. He took a look at the customs forms and said "you're not going to be saving money on beer spending all this on shipping and duties." then without a word stamped the paperwork, and 'waived' the duties. I should really take that guy a half sack.
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KES




Joined: 13 May 2011
Posts: 472
Location: Iowa


PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just crazy! All this duties and customs stuff. I thought the NAFTA agreement did away with alot of this BS. Guess not for the "little guy".
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RussH




Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Posts: 83



PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't even get me started... forget trying to buy specialty grains, or anything other than 2 row for that matter.
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KES




Joined: 13 May 2011
Posts: 472
Location: Iowa


PostLink    Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

START! I like a good rant. Wink There should be free trade between the U.S. and Canada. My God! We share more in common than any other two countries. The only difference I see from this side of the border is you got pictures of the Queen of England on your walls, and we have George Washington. Smile
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Guys, it has nothing to do with free trade / NAFTA, but usually has everything to do with manufacturer distribution rights.

Kal

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We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
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RussH




Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Posts: 83



PostLink    Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone ever used mail forwarding to ship hops into canada? Looking for an easy way to get some "rare" ones. I am told it's okay, but am still a little hesitant to try it. The last thing I want is my yearly bulk hop order stuck at the border.
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kal
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Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

JAN 2012 UPDATE:

I've now been using Shipito.com instead based on the feedback of some brewers who have been building my setup. They have many locations including a warehouse in Oregon which doesn't have any state tax so and added bonus for many (myself included) if ordering from places like Amazon. Much easier to use than PackageExpress.com too as their website is more automated (less manual intervention).

They also have an affiliate program so I've now signed up so others can use them and support our site too by using this link:

http://www.shipito.com/id_affiliate=2044

Thanks! Wink

Kal

P.S. They do accept McMaster Carr orders as well.

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0


Last edited by kal on Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Ben58




Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 409
Location: Hamilton, Ontario


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Link is not active.
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try this:

http://www.shipito.com/id_affiliate=2044

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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mperaino




Joined: 29 May 2012
Posts: 4



PostLink    Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am overseas but have an FPO address. Most places these days will work with us and ship through USPS, but those that don't, I have used shipitapo.com with great success. They will even unpack and redistribute items to meet the postal limit, but all for a price. It is not unreasonable though and less bothersome than having a relative do it Smile
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leighton




Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 1



PostLink    Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another package forwarder to try is Stackry. I've used Shipito a few times but found the Stackry customer service and pricing a bit more straight forward.
I generally consolidate multiple packages into one box before I ship so they tend to be more cost effective for me.

They have a warehouse in New Hampshire so no sales tax on U.S. purchases..

http://www.stackry.com
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bigdeal74
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PostLink    Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

<content deleted>
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

FWIW: The service I've always used (and recommend) is Shipito. I just had something forwarded recently and their pricing has changed - now it's $2/package which (IMHO) is dirt cheap. They can do this due to the massive volume they handle. They also have multiple locations you can choose to use to see which works best as a forwarder for you either due to tax purposes or shipping costs (ie: choose something on the east coast if going to Europe, or west coast if going to Vancouver).

Link to support our site (thank you!): http://www.shipito.com/id_affiliate=2044

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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magic7lady
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PostLink    Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

<content deleted>
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kal
Forum Administrator



Joined: 12 Dec 2010
Posts: 11116
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter


PostLink    Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

magic7lady wrote:
bigdeal74 wrote:
I would recommend a company out of Oregon(no sales tax) called Shipville. Great rates, fast, reliable.

www.shipville.com


I also use Shipville and have no complaints. They have been fantastic and I would highly recommend them.

That's because magic7lady and bigdeal74 are the same @#($*% person (posting from the same IP address). Both accounts nuked. I would suggest avoiding shipville.com.

Kal

_________________
Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
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View user's photo album (21 photos)
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