Shipping from US to Canada: Problematic

[Tabitha]

I have had no less than 4 boxes to Canada go MIA recently. 1 showed up after a month & the other 3 are still missing. One is to an SMF forum member so I know my legg is not being pulled.

I am seriously considering adding a clause to my policies that all shipping to Canada is at the buyers risk. I can't keep reshipping packages. At the same time I have too many regular customers in Canada to cut Canada off as a destination.

US to Canada shipping has always been the most risky shipping location, but it is getting seriously out of hand.

Anyone else having the same problem?

 

[Lindy]

Oh yeah - I am currently waiting for one of the swap members packages to arrive and I just know it's stuck in customs somewhere. I think it's easier to ship the other way. I wish I knew why it was such a problem.... :?:

 

[pepperi27]

Could you charge extra for confirmation? I know that's a lot but to make sure the product gets there. I would just send them the confirmation from your computer stating that it left and the number.

 

[Bigmoose]

I have only shipped there maybe 5 times. So far so good for me. Tabitha how many time would you say something happens to your Canada shipments? 1 in 3?

Bruce

 

[Tabitha]

4 out of the last 10 went mis. My odds used to be probably 1 in 12, mabe 1 in 10.

I just got back from the PO & asked. They said you can send post to Canada certified which cost a mini mum of $10.00 over & above shipping or send it global express. A 2# box 1st class cost $8.00 to ship, express costs $30.00. My customers do not want to pay $30.00 shipping on a $15.00 dollar order.

Rock & a hard spot...

 

[AshleyR]

Hey Tabitha! I had this problem with some of my ornaments that shipped to the US. I was not charging for tracking/confirmation and my orders were taking forever to get to the customer because I was shipping them regular/slow. This in turn caused a lot of ornaments to break because they were being jumbled around for weeks in transport. I had a lot of customers complain and said they would have been willing to pay the extra shipping fee if I had offered it.

I think if you set up the extra shipping as a seperate listing at your shop, you can tell Canadians to order at their own risk, or purchase the additional shipping. I too thought that nobody would want to pay 2-3 times the cost of the item for shipping, but some people did say they would have if I had offered it.

I've learned from that experience and have realized that even though you have to charge more for tracking/confirmation, it really is a good idea. Some customers may just be saying that they didn't receive their item even though they did, just to scam you out of another product or refund. Also, some may not believe you that you shipped it and may leave you negative feedback, because there's no real proof that you shipped it without tracking. Then it looks bad on you and you're not only out two (or more?) products, but you get hit with unfair feedback too!

I think your only option is to offer the expensive shipping or don't ship to Canada at all. It sucks, but some people are not very understanding and I could see this causing you a big headache if it keeps up!

 

[Guest]

We have shipped thousands of items around the world , only 1 was ever lost going to Germany.
We have also received hundreds of parcels from the US , it takes awhile sometimes but it always gets there. It seems like what is written for the customs form ,and what is put on for a value makes a difference in the time frame. Anything declared at over $20.00 will be dinged customs tax. Although I haven't had to pay tax on a shipment lately.It is a real hit and miss thing as to how long it takes or if it gets dinged tax etc.
There are a lot of scammers out there , a tracking number is almost a must these days . If something arrives broken , I ask if the buyer will take a picture and send it to me. If it truly broken they never mind send a picture. If it isn't you don't hear from them again .If we get an email that something is lost , the tracking # will show you where the parcel is. If they insist and file a chargeback your tracking # will help your case.