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Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Old Jun 28th 2019, 5:06 pm
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Default Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Hi guys!

Ok, so I'm new to Nova Scoita, just moved from the UK in April!!

Looking at starting up a business here. Have a few option on the cards, one of which is garage doors. However, the same issue seems to potentially effect any business...

Can goods be shipped direct to customers around Canada at an decent price???

When I say decent price, I mean decent for the BUYER, not for me (the seller).

I'm had a look at quotes on single garage doors (which roll up but are still long) and they're coming in over $1,000 for shipping! You can ship a car for less than a garage door!

Naturally, unless you're selling very small things via post then this would potentially affect EVERY business in Canada.

Who will pay $1,000 shipping when buying an $800 door? Nobody!

UPS, Fed Ex etc are very expensive, and I used a broker U-Ship type system to get the $1,000 quote!

In the UK you can ship a rolled garage door anywhere for £30-£80 using a specialist courier. Could it be the case that you just cannot ship things direct to customers in Canada AT ALL if they have any real size or weight as it just becomes impractical?

A very restrictive and somewhat frustrating situation for any start-up business here, assuming you want to sell anything of any substantial size/weight!

Any ideas or suggestions, or is it just a dead end?
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 5:58 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

I had 3 friends who had a business making sectional garage doors and they went bankrupt, and they had a contract with a local lumber yard. When I went to pick up my pay for some drywalling I'd done for them the guy from Mr Coffee was in their office taking the coffee maker away.
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 6:32 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

There are nationwide companies that sell garage doors (and sometimes install them)- you can buy them just about anywhere.. I think you might struggle with this business, sorry.. unless you could contact some house builders for installation on new builds?


You could try using one of these to get an idea of costs for freight shipping nationwide...

https://www.freightcenter.com/camp/t...SAAEgI8nPD_BwE
https://www.freightera.com/en/regist...iAAEgKKp_D_BwE

For some examples of doors available nationwide...

https://www.ohdns.ca/ca
https://kbidoors.ca/
https://www.garagedoordepot.ca/residential-doors
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...age-doors.html
https://www.amarr.com/costcoca/index.html
https://www.costco.ca/Amarr-Custom-G....10336156.html
https://www.smartgarage.ca/
https://www.rona.ca/en/doors-and-win...s/garage-doors

Last edited by Siouxie; Jun 28th 2019 at 6:34 pm.
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 7:30 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

With a Province like NS most would either pay for delivery or pick up the doors themselves. You might have noticed the odd pick up truck on the roads. If I was living in say Yarmouth and your business was in Halifax and I wanted your product I would be asking how much for delivery (not via mail or courier) or I would pick them up myself.
As Siouxie says lots of competition and several large dealers.
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 8:15 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Logistics are expensive outside major population centres in Canada. You may have noticed that it’s a big country with a small population! Try living on an island where everything has to come via sea or air.
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 8:47 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat
Logistics are expensive outside major population centres in Canada. You may have noticed that it’s a big country with a small population! Try living on an island where everything has to come via sea or air.
I phoned a garage door manufacturer in Manitoba and asked him how they ship their doors. They make hundreds of them and hire a semi (Manitoulin Transport was what he said he uses) to take the whole load to the lumberyard. I asked how I could get one shipped and he suggested I go to Rona.
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Old Jun 28th 2019, 10:23 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Big items are not going to be cost effective to ship in small quantities in Canada, shipping in general for anything here is pricey.

I ordered a big item once a few years ago, only dealer in Canada was in Montreal at the time, would have cost me $1,560 to have it shipped to BC, so I bought it from a US dealer, shipped free to my mom in California from Texas, and I drove down to pick it up, I didn't spend anywhere close to $1,500 in gas/hotels/food and I got to visit family and take a road trip.
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 2:18 am
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Shipping Canada-Canada is infeasibly expensive. In southern Ontario there are brokers who will take your item, drive it to the border and send it back via USPS. Even if you and your customer are close to each other this is the cheapest way to get the parcel delivered. If there's no "drive it to the US" service in NS then this might be a better business than garage doors.
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 2:32 am
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

https://chitchats.com/ might be an option
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 4:45 am
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Originally Posted by CanadaJimmy
https://chitchats.com/ might be an option
I think they are mainly for small packages / envelopes / parcels - they have a weight limitation. Might come in handy for others though - thanks for finding it
weight field max weight for Canadian shipment is 30.0 kg.
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 12:55 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Thanks guys, pretty much as expected.

For the very reason that the country is very big and spread out I thought this is exactly why this problem may have been addressed (likely by specialist couriers). But I guess not.

Likely why online shopping is not there yet compared to the UK. If shipping costs are too restrictive then the whole thing falls apart, especially for larger items.

An example, we need a glass shower screen for a bathroom in our house. Ebay UK £99 for an OK one, £150 will buy Nice one, including delivery and tax.

So, for the reasons mentioned here you like'y cannot order one online in Canada as too big and heavy. In the stores they are $800 and up. So I pay £500 for something that is £100 delivered to my door in the UK.

The whole infrastructure thing is my biggest dissapointment of Canada so far for me. Everything was just so much easier in the UK for buying things. And a lot of it much cheaper as well.

I guess it's just like going back 20 years where you bought most stuff in shops and only a fraction online. Can I get a rewind !
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 1:04 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Originally Posted by Lion Heart

I guess it's just like going back 20 years where you bought most stuff in shops and only a fraction online. Can I get a rewind !
We buy all sorts of things on line. Deliveries this week included a fish tank filter and chemicals, a valve to repair the washing machine, cosmetics, clothes. You just have to be aware that the cost of shipping is likely to be as much as the cost of the item and budget accordingly. It's a different market from the US where reliable low-cost shipping makes on line shopping the cheaper option; here it's just the most convenient.
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 2:21 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Originally Posted by Lion Heart
Thanks guys, pretty much as expected.

For the very reason that the country is very big and spread out I thought this is exactly why this problem may have been addressed (likely by specialist couriers). But I guess not.

Likely why online shopping is not there yet compared to the UK. If shipping costs are too restrictive then the whole thing falls apart, especially for larger items.

An example, we need a glass shower screen for a bathroom in our house. Ebay UK £99 for an OK one, £150 will buy Nice one, including delivery and tax.

So, for the reasons mentioned here you like'y cannot order one online in Canada as too big and heavy. In the stores they are $800 and up. So I pay £500 for something that is £100 delivered to my door in the UK.

The whole infrastructure thing is my biggest dissapointment of Canada so far for me. Everything was just so much easier in the UK for buying things. And a lot of it much cheaper as well.

I guess it's just like going back 20 years where you bought most stuff in shops and only a fraction online. Can I get a rewind !
There is very little I can't buy online.. most of the big box stores deliver - or you can arrange pick up. I bought a washing machine and tumble dryer from 'thebrick'; a gas cooker from 'canadianappliances' - delivery free -
Free shipping from Wayfair
https://www.wayfair.ca/home-improvem...CAAEgIjGPD_BwE

https://www.bathdepot.ca/sliding-glass-shower-door-48in-with-towel-rack-ds620048c-cl.htm

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/search.html?q=glass%20shower%20doors:relevance&sor t=price-asc
(Free shipping from homedepot - or pick up in store)

This is the reason everyone should research their interests before committing to coming to Canada.. it's a BIG country.. (not E-bay friendly for big items)

Last edited by Siouxie; Jun 29th 2019 at 2:30 pm.
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 6:01 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Yes, you can certainly order anything you want online in Canada. You basically a massively reduced selection that the USA (or UK has) - but you can get pretty much anything.

But some things, such as the glass shower screens, are 4-5 times the price of the UK. I guess that's to allow for the shipping costs, as per the original post.

It does hurt having to pay £500 for a shower screen I could buy for £99 in the UK. Especially when you then also have to buy the shower tray as well, and those are 3-4 times the price as well - and REALLY poor quality here in Canada. All the ones I've seen in store look like they're made from cardboard!

But whay are items such as the shower screens the same price in stores that they are on Amazon.ca/.com? I appreciate it will cost $300-$400 to ship one solo, so $700/$800 retail. But then the same price in store when they ship them there in bulk. Weird!
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Old Jun 29th 2019, 6:25 pm
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Default Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????

Think you should phone around get some quotes from haulage company's, I am in BC but used to work for a company that made wood stoves anywhere from 300 lb up to 600 lb they shipped all around Canada for $100/$250 mind that was eight years ago.
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