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  1. #1
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    Canadian Retailler/Cottage Vendor's Thread

    I'm Starting this thread as a resource for Canadians to avoid those international shipping costs that always put a damper on a good deal. I ask that anyone who knows of a cottage vendor or other retail outlet in Canada that sells hammock related items to post about them in this thread. I will edit this post to include all the vendors so that we can save a little money. So if you know a good place to get anything from amsteel to DIY supplies to UQ's to webbing please share with us so we can all enjoy!

    Please keep in mind that for certain items it will still be less expensive to order from the US and pay shipping.

    Europe Bound: General camping equipment
    Feather Industries: Down
    Gear Up: General camping equipment
    Goodepot: Ticket to the Moon hammocks, tarps, bugnets, and more
    Hamuca: Different types of hammocks and hammock stands.
    Redden Rope: AmSteel
    Mountain Equipment Co-op(Canadian version of REI): Hennessy hammocks and tarps, carabiners, stoves, etc.
    SAIL: General camping equipment
    West Marine: AmSteel

    Other Solutions:

    Kinek: a service that lets you mail packages to several locations close to the border on the US side to avoid international shipping. You would then drive across the border to pick up your package in the US.

    My US: a service that lets you shop in US stores that only ship CONUS. Items are shipped to this company which then ships them internationally to you. (Note: this is not a money saver, but can be very useful)
    Last edited by CanadaDan; 04-15-2014 at 20:20.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    I bought a few parachute hammocks from here before for a friend and his kids. Basically an ENO clone but it was decent quality and it was less expensive:
    Last edited by Bubba; 04-13-2014 at 19:15.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  3. #3
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    Excellent thread CanadaDan.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Bushwhacker's Avatar
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    I applaud your initiative.

    Sometime this summer I'm going to organise a down group buy from http://www.featherind.com/purchasing-information.html

    Europe Bound is often much cheaper than MEC, but it has horrible staff (at least at my location) that will often give you deadly advice if you buy anything you need to depend your life on. (They told me to use accessory cord for my main lines in tree climbing, and other things). Do your research first.

    SAIL - I'm a little skeptical about the product quality here, but then again I went there right after discovering cottage companies, so it's probably no worse than MEC.

    We still need a place to buy fabrics for less shipping fees.
    Last edited by Bushwhacker; 04-13-2014 at 19:52.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by CanadaDan View Post
    I'm Starting this thread as a resource for Canadians to avoid those international shipping costs that always put a damper on a good deal.
    It really depends on the particular seller in the US - sometimes the shipping costs are not all that high, compared to the savings on the item. For DIY supplies, Scott at diygearsupply is very fair on the shipping cost, and I certainly can't find good nylon fabrics here in BC for his prices (even converting USD to $CDN).
    I just got some vapour barrier fabric from Stephenson Warmlite (in NH), and they charged me $10 LESS than the actual postage charge (and nothing at all for handling, etc..).

    Still, putting a list of Canadian Suppliers together is a great idea- thanks!

    Bushwacker has already mentioned FeatherIndustries, which seems like a good resource.

    Not sure if it belongs on the list, since it isn't (at all) a way to save money on shipping, but I use a mailbox at MyUS.com . They will receive shipments (in FL) and then trans-ship to me via DHL or other courier. It's a help in dealing with places/sellers that won't (or can't ) ship to Canada....the dreaded CONUS only....

  6. #6
    Senior Member Bushwhacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VictoriaGuy View Post
    Not sure if it belongs on the list, since it isn't (at all) a way to save money on shipping, but I use a mailbox at MyUS.com . They will receive shipments (in FL) and then trans-ship to me via DHL or other courier. It's a help in dealing with places/sellers that won't (or can't ) ship to Canada....the dreaded CONUS only....

    The other problem that Canadians face - returns are an ordeal. Your return grace period will probably expire before it even arrives.

  7. #7
    Senior Member ripstopbytheroll's Avatar
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    I was going to start a separate thread to announce this and get some feedback, but I'll go ahead on here. I'm actually in the process of trying to solve this problem at least in terms of material offerings. I've heard from too many Canadians to sit back any longer! Basically I have family in Toronto and what I'm trying to do is setup a Canadian fulfillment center there. You will be able to order everything like normal from the site, but it would all ship out of Toronto instead of the US. This way you avoid excessive shipping costs and eliminate the variable of not knowing whether you'll have to pay duties on items coming from the US.

    I'm aiming to have everything ready to go ASAP, but there are still some logistical things left to work out. Any feedback or suggestions on how to make this work would be greatly appreciated. For starters, I've yet to nail down the shipment method completely. Would Canada Post work fine or is there something else I should look at using?
    - Kyle

    www.RipstopbytheRoll.com | "The Best Fabrics on Earth. Guaranteed."

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ripstopbytheroll View Post
    I was going to start a separate thread to announce this and get some feedback, but I'll go ahead on here. I'm actually in the process of trying to solve this problem at least in terms of material offerings. I've heard from too many Canadians to sit back any longer! Basically I have family in Toronto and what I'm trying to do is setup a Canadian fulfillment center there. You will be able to order everything like normal from the site, but it would all ship out of Toronto instead of the US. This way you avoid excessive shipping costs and eliminate the variable of not knowing whether you'll have to pay duties on items coming from the US.

    I'm aiming to have everything ready to go ASAP, but there are still some logistical things left to work out. Any feedback or suggestions on how to make this work would be greatly appreciated. For starters, I've yet to nail down the shipment method completely. Would Canada Post work fine or is there something else I should look at using?
    Canada Post is what you want. UPS and Purolator are absolutely horrible for shipping costs.

    Typical is paperwork for our office - a 1 lb puroletter (flat envelope) from my place to a delivery point 220 driving miles away was $45.00. Sent by Canada Post it was $26.15. One day extra to deliver.

    Before you go ahead and set it up, use Canada Post website to run a few scenarios through the shipping charts. You may find that it's not worth the customers or your time and money.

    When I order stuff in from the US and have it shipped by USPS I have never been faced with Canada Post collecting the GST (13% sales tax) on it nor paid brokerage and customs fees. I figure that 13% helps offset what appears to be high shipping costs.

    If you're shipping a largish quantity of fabric to a 'Cdn fulfillment centre' you're going to end up having to clear it through a customs broker whose fees can be huge. Depending on the fabric and where the thread is produced and the fabric is made (both are taken into consideration), you could also be faced with tariffs. AND if the centre here is doing sufficient business, they're going to have to get a tax license (the threshold is $30,000. in sales) and charge the customer GST.

    While I appreciate what you're trying to do for Canadian customers, make sure that you've got all the rules, regulations and costing in place before you leap into the breach.

    When I repatriated after running my own business in the US for 14 years, I finally gave up on keeping my home based business running. I was manufacturing a fabric based product and the rules/regulations and cross border costs were just going to make it impossible to compete in the marketplace.

    If I can help with where to look for research, let me know.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Debi Jaytee's Avatar
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    I don't think I've ever ordered anything in Canada except from MEC. the prices in the states beat ours, hands down. And that's before the HST is added. Keep in mind, if you live fairly close to the border, and a weekend trip isn't out if the question, you can bring back $400 if you're gone for 24 hours, and $800 if you're gone for 48 hours tax and duty free
    Debi

  10. #10
    Senior Member Bushwhacker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ripstopbytheroll View Post
    I was going to start a separate thread to announce this and get some feedback, but I'll go ahead on here. I'm actually in the process of trying to solve this problem at least in terms of material offerings. I've heard from too many Canadians to sit back any longer! Basically I have family in Toronto and what I'm trying to do is setup a Canadian fulfillment center there. You will be able to order everything like normal from the site, but it would all ship out of Toronto instead of the US. This way you avoid excessive shipping costs and eliminate the variable of not knowing whether you'll have to pay duties on items coming from the US.

    I'm aiming to have everything ready to go ASAP, but there are still some logistical things left to work out. Any feedback or suggestions on how to make this work would be greatly appreciated. For starters, I've yet to nail down the shipment method completely. Would Canada Post work fine or is there something else I should look at using?
    That would be fantastic!

    The Old Boot had some good points though, and I (very selfishly) would value different colour options (mainly brown 1.1) or materials above ease of access.

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