Anybody know of a Canadian mail order bike part place. Or at least one that doesn't have ridiculous shipping costs to Canada?
Anybody know of a Canadian mail order bike part place. Or at least one that doesn't have ridiculous shipping costs to Canada?
Order from England. Usually a better deal than the US. I like http://www.chainreactioncycles.com . Sometimes your lbs will be able to get parts in on a better deal.
No, it sucks. Canada has very high taxes and imports on bike parts. It does not really matter where you buy from because once it hits customs, customs hits you. This is why it can be frustrating seeing bike parts listed on Rei.com etc in the US for so much less money. But then you can see what happens when a country does not have taxes!
Check out the bike shops and ask for what you want. You are in Vancouver, one of the better places to be a cyclist in North America, so you should be able to get what you want. Many bike shops in Vancouver are Velo Orange dealers which can be sort of affordable. Ebay is good. Even better is to have an american buddy to forward you stuff, or take trips to Seattle and either mail the stuff to yourself as gift, be selective about what your claim, or hope you've been the US long enough to not have to pay for what you have bought.
If you order online from a US retailer have it shipped to one of the many shipping point shops in Point Roberts such as TSB Shipping. You will get cheaper shipping costs, as Pt. Roberts is considered part of the lower 48, and when you bring your parts across you will be "clearing" the goods yourself and will avoid those charges. Often if your purchase is less than $100 they will wave you through. Drive south as if you're going to the ferries. It's not that far and the traffic and border line-up is not that bad on a Saturday.
I have great luck from British sites. I've ordered frames and parts to build 2 completes bikes and a variety of other parts, tools and clothing. Usually at 1/2 the price of my LBS and 2/3 the price of US mail order places.
I use Pro Bike Kit and Ribble. Pro Bike Kit shipping is free (They do surcharge for Frames and wheels though) and Ribble it is cheap. Both ship by mail and it usually takes 10 days or so. For most orders under $100 I usually do not get charged any taxes or duties. Over $100 Canada Border services usually carges GST/HST and Canada post tacks on an $8 service charge for colleting the tax.
At Ribble the shipping calculation is weird, often you can save a lot by breaking your order into multiple smaller orders.
Landau.
I agree with this method if you're in Vancouver. Just don't lie when going to and coming back from TSB. If you are not prepared to pay for some duty (one day they will make you pull over) then don't. You will still end up paying FAR less than local retail even if you are asked to pay for taxes/duty. I use TSB and have saved a ton of money.Originally Posted by Anothercanuck
Burton
"If you want to be Chinese you have to eat the nasty stuff." - Chow Yun Fat
I've ordered a few parts and accessories from the US and UK, and I've never even been charged GST to pick them up. Nor duty, despite being manufactured in Europe.
If you order parts from the US that are made in North America, there's only GST on imports, no other duties (NAFTA doesn't allow any duty on made-in-North America imports). If the parts are made in Asia or Europe, the game changes, and a lot is in the hands of the customs agent, but they're busy people and often just wave retail-scale orders through.
Planet Bike is good for shipping to Canada. I've only ordered bits and pieces from them, which they'll ship free. I bought my Ortlieb stuff from bikebagshop.com, and the shipping cost was reasonable enough to still see huge savings over retail.
I've also used the CTC store (through wiggle.co.uk) to get steep discounts on Brooks saddles, and decent prices on other bits and pieces. Again, free shipping and never saw any taxes or duties, though there should theoretically have been some.
Retail prices in Canada aren't just about taxes. Rent and labour costs in Canada are substantially higher than the US, and this drives up retail prices. For mail-order, USPS is heavily subsidised (loses billions every year) while Canada Post operates more or less break-even, turning a small profit most years.
Last edited by neil; 08-19-11 at 12:44 PM.
Absolutely. Trying to smuggle stuff through would not be worth it at all. And while you're there fill up and enjoy up to $0.25/litre less at the pump. Declare that, too.
I use a similar service, Package Express in Sumas, and more than once have declared as much as $300 of merchandise on a pickup run (spending less than 15 minutes in the US) and not paid any taxes or duties.I agree with this method if you're in Vancouver. Just don't lie when going to and coming back from TSB. If you are not prepared to pay for some duty (one day they will make you pull over) then don't. You will still end up paying FAR less than local retail even if you are asked to pay for taxes/duty. I use TSB and have saved a ton of money.
I never declare gas. I assume they assume that everyone fills up before coming back.
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