Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
Jun 29th 2019, 10:06 pm
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
I think that you should also consider the differences involved between the UK and Canada.
1. geography ...... UK is tiny compared to Canada ...... Vancouver Island and PEI are not that much smaller than England
2. population
3. geography and population combine for huge distances between centres.
Canadians have long been used to buying online, or the equivalent of online ........ the Sears or Eatons catalogues. In those catalogues people could buy a house for heaven's sake, either a plan or the components shipped to you by rail from Toronto or wherever to somewhere out in in the wilds of northern Manitoba. You would have to pick things up at the trail head.
You can still see those houses in many areas of Canada.
This was catalogue ordering country long before it was common in the UK ............. often the only way for pioneers to get things.
The catalogue would arrive before Christmas with everything you could want or need. You kept it for a year until the new one arrived, then the old one was moved to the outhouse for use there ........... shiny paper had a nicer feel than newsprint.
However, those companies have both disappeared in recent years, Eatons first, then Sears Canada more recently. Their catalogues disappeared before the stores did, but we used to get the huge catalogues in the 70s and 80s.
I think that your plan of large items is a loss leader here ......
........ even when we had the cabin in remote BC, we could contact the local Home Hardware or the local lumberyard (always one of those around). They would deliver it to us out at our small cabin.
No-one thought of ordering from any further afield.
As an aside, I order a lot of things online, and could even order furniture now that Wayfairer is here ........ free shipping and all. Most of the sites I use offer free shipping if I spend more than a certain amount.
I also think that you should stop comparing Canada with the UK so much.
They are two very different countries.
1. geography ...... UK is tiny compared to Canada ...... Vancouver Island and PEI are not that much smaller than England
2. population
3. geography and population combine for huge distances between centres.
Canadians have long been used to buying online, or the equivalent of online ........ the Sears or Eatons catalogues. In those catalogues people could buy a house for heaven's sake, either a plan or the components shipped to you by rail from Toronto or wherever to somewhere out in in the wilds of northern Manitoba. You would have to pick things up at the trail head.
You can still see those houses in many areas of Canada.
This was catalogue ordering country long before it was common in the UK ............. often the only way for pioneers to get things.
The catalogue would arrive before Christmas with everything you could want or need. You kept it for a year until the new one arrived, then the old one was moved to the outhouse for use there ........... shiny paper had a nicer feel than newsprint.
However, those companies have both disappeared in recent years, Eatons first, then Sears Canada more recently. Their catalogues disappeared before the stores did, but we used to get the huge catalogues in the 70s and 80s.
I think that your plan of large items is a loss leader here ......
........ even when we had the cabin in remote BC, we could contact the local Home Hardware or the local lumberyard (always one of those around). They would deliver it to us out at our small cabin.
No-one thought of ordering from any further afield.
As an aside, I order a lot of things online, and could even order furniture now that Wayfairer is here ........ free shipping and all. Most of the sites I use offer free shipping if I spend more than a certain amount.
I also think that you should stop comparing Canada with the UK so much.
They are two very different countries.
Jun 30th 2019, 12:21 am
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2009
Location: Langley, BC
Posts: 1,955
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!
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!
Jun 30th 2019, 5:49 am
#18
Banned
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 19,879
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!
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!
If you are buying the tray as well as the door - why not just buy a new shower kit, complete - with free delivery / pick up?
for example - starting at around $420 (£250) Home depot
Rona
New country - new way of doing things.. try to forget how things were done in the UK - it's not relevant and will only do your head in if you constantly compare
Last edited by Siouxie; Jun 30th 2019 at 6:07 am.
Jun 30th 2019, 2:36 pm
#20
Stand-up Philosopher
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 16,344
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=shower+gla...tb=v1-1&ia=web
Jun 30th 2019, 4:03 pm
#21
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 207
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
Jun 30th 2019, 6:55 pm
#23
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 207
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
Good to hear from you. Did they suply the whole set up including frame/runners etc, or just the glass? If only glass, where did you get the rest from?
Can I ask what kind of cost from memory?
Thanks!
Jun 30th 2019, 8:02 pm
#24
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
First place to look.
Jun 30th 2019, 9:47 pm
#25
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: TBD
Posts: 6,005
Re: Cost-effective Shipping in Canada????
they supplied everything, though I never needed runners or hinges as they were large wet room type environments. Last piece was approx 8ft x 5ft and cost c$750 a few years ago.
