I state in my listings that I don't ship to Canada (had a very small $7 item that was lost in the mail to Canada a few years ago) but I had a buyer email me yesterday asking if I would sell to him.
It wasn't a huge ticket item, a LV agenda, only $260, so I agreed.
First, I asked the ladies on LV lovers how to proceed. They told me to send Priority in a larger Priority box, because the small FRB cannot be tracked.
So, I went to the post office this morning to get a box. Waited in line...with two very bored children. Asked the postman what my best option would be to send a small item with $250 insurance that could be tracked. He said that you can't track a package to Canada, and you can't get signature confirmation either..which left me uneasy... But he said that I definitely could use a small flat rate box, and that in actuality, that would be my best bet.
So I got my frb, got my customs form, got my insurance form and dragged my kids to my husband's office to package the item all beautifully and fill out the form.
Now it's 1:20, I have an appointment at 2:00, which is within minutes of the post office.
Go back to the post office, wait in line with the kids, hand my package to the same guy, ask him to check my customs form and insurance to make sure I did it correctly.
He clicks and clicks and clicks....and then tells me, "Oh wait, it looks like you can't insure a Priority flat rate box, you can only insure a Priority box!" Ok...but I have it packaged beautifully, all wrapped up in the frb, every inch of the box wrapped in tape to protect the package from rain or a nuclear blast...and I have no packing supplies with me.
He hands me a giant Priority box, and says, "you'll have to put the small box in this one...oh, and for this one you need a DIFFERENT customs form, you need the LONG customs form..."
So..time is ticking, kids are getting restless, I go to the table, fill out a new customs form, relabel the bigger box (and I have NO tape to it shut or seal the edges) and he gives me a box of junky old shipping peanuts that people have left in the post office that I can use to fill the box.
I wait in line AGAIN.
It's 1:50 when it's my turn again. I give him the box...he has to painstakingly type the customs form...click click click...soooooo slow. Finally the package is ready to go... You may or may not want to imagine the behavior of two kids 3 and 6 after spending 40 minutes in a post office..lol
and the total??? $30! $30 to ship a teeny tiny item that weighs about 3 ounces to Canada with only $250 insurance. And no tracking number.
I left the post office at 2:02.
That's why I don't ship to Canada..lol
It wasn't a huge ticket item, a LV agenda, only $260, so I agreed.
First, I asked the ladies on LV lovers how to proceed. They told me to send Priority in a larger Priority box, because the small FRB cannot be tracked.
So, I went to the post office this morning to get a box. Waited in line...with two very bored children. Asked the postman what my best option would be to send a small item with $250 insurance that could be tracked. He said that you can't track a package to Canada, and you can't get signature confirmation either..which left me uneasy... But he said that I definitely could use a small flat rate box, and that in actuality, that would be my best bet.
So I got my frb, got my customs form, got my insurance form and dragged my kids to my husband's office to package the item all beautifully and fill out the form.
Now it's 1:20, I have an appointment at 2:00, which is within minutes of the post office.
Go back to the post office, wait in line with the kids, hand my package to the same guy, ask him to check my customs form and insurance to make sure I did it correctly.
He clicks and clicks and clicks....and then tells me, "Oh wait, it looks like you can't insure a Priority flat rate box, you can only insure a Priority box!" Ok...but I have it packaged beautifully, all wrapped up in the frb, every inch of the box wrapped in tape to protect the package from rain or a nuclear blast...and I have no packing supplies with me.
He hands me a giant Priority box, and says, "you'll have to put the small box in this one...oh, and for this one you need a DIFFERENT customs form, you need the LONG customs form..."
So..time is ticking, kids are getting restless, I go to the table, fill out a new customs form, relabel the bigger box (and I have NO tape to it shut or seal the edges) and he gives me a box of junky old shipping peanuts that people have left in the post office that I can use to fill the box.
I wait in line AGAIN.
It's 1:50 when it's my turn again. I give him the box...he has to painstakingly type the customs form...click click click...soooooo slow. Finally the package is ready to go... You may or may not want to imagine the behavior of two kids 3 and 6 after spending 40 minutes in a post office..lol
and the total??? $30! $30 to ship a teeny tiny item that weighs about 3 ounces to Canada with only $250 insurance. And no tracking number.
I left the post office at 2:02.
That's why I don't ship to Canada..lol