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Buying from Canada a hassle for you too?

I have had 3 nightmare transactions from Canada.
This ,I hope is not a reflection on Canadian Agon members,however, issues exist like never before.
I had a CD PLAYER held up at customs for 1 month by the FDA claiming it contained consumable goods.
I know the US does not want our senior citizens getting discounts on prescription drugs they need,therefore,everything must be getting delayed.

I can ship/get shipments from/to China,Russia and the Middle East easier and faster than Canada.

I guess it shows where our security priority is.

It's okay to mess with us just don't mess with those Pharmaceutical companies.

There is one common thing that does seem to occur with shipments fronm Canada.

And that is, they definately take their time shipping things to us.

I think most US Agon members try to ship the item as soon as they are paid or maybe a day or 2 later.

Canadian members like to take a week or so and then ship the item in a different manner than arranged.

These have been my experiences anyway.

I need to hear other stories,as I soon may not deal with Canada if this is the new norm
darealjaydee
sonicbeauty
320 posts
 
Audiofeil you state that ''In a vaguely related issue, in August of 2007 I sent payment to a supplier via first class mail from western New York to Montreal, Quebec.
It took 16 business days from departure to arrival.''

Next time, for payment, try FedEx next day delivery. If it does not get there in MAX 48 hours, let me know.

To them, shipping a letter to Canada or Japan is just business as usual.

I had the same problem you had once, but it was my fault as part of the zip code was entered incorrectly by me.

These things happen rarely, but when it does, it can be for a number of reasons, destination Canada not being one of them if both the shipper and carrier do things right.
rja's avatar
rja
2,112 posts
 
Canada seems to have a love hate thing going on with us. The hate thing is manifested toward letters and packages crossing their border. 8^)
sherod
1,681 posts
 
I have been fortunate in having many transactions( buying and selling) with some very pleasant people in Canada. So far, no problems or issues. I have always used USPS air with packages weighing less than 30 lbs. I have heard that either way, shipping via ground can be problematic.
albertporter's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
albertporter
4,927 posts
 
I've had countless shipments into Canada (Porter Ports), all were sent USPS.

Post Office paperwork for Canada is just a post card sized tag if the value is not high.

There have been a few occasions when the Canadian buyer had to wait for longer than he or I expected. I think the longest was perhaps two weeks. These delays may be due to super heightened security, same as USA in airports, when they tear the hell out of our luggage searching for too much shampoo :^).

When these security issues occur I think all larger parcels are delayed until security and customs can thoroughly inspect.

In the end every transaction with Canada was successful and everyone happy, other than occasional delay. For members who want prompt payment, PayPal allows Canadians to send funds in US currency and it appears in your account in (literally) a few minutes.

Sure there's a 3% fee, but unless the item is $800.00 or more, the cost of an overnight FedEx envelope and fee for money order exceeds the PayPal fee.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
>>Next time, for payment, try FedEx next day delivery. If it does not get there in MAX 48 hours, let me know.<<

Thanks but I have this misguided view that government employees should have the ability to read, sort, and process so long as I continue to pay their salary and benefits.

I guess I'm just your consummate eternal optimist.
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