Comments

1. 
   naoise | Mar 19, 2010 02:31pm | #1

   I would really appreciate anyone with experience of ordering from Grizzly from Canada. any comments would be helpful.
   thanks,
   Dave

2. 
   charlton | Mar 20, 2010 10:05pm | #2

   I may have been one of the first people to order from Grizzly after they officially began shipping to Canada. When I ordered, it was Pacific Custom Brokers that was handling the brokerage and the were extremely good to deal with. Since that time, it appears as though Grizzly is allowing UPS to do the brokerage. The brokerage for me was cheap and efficient and I had my new jointer within a week. Grizzly customer service has been stellar even with me being in Canada. I would have no reservations about ordering from Grizzly again in the future.

3. 
   patrick_mccombe | Mar 22, 2010 01:49pm | #3

   Thanks Charlton. Was this your first experience with Grizzly? How much we're the brokerage fees, if I may ask?

4. 
   Halz57 | Mar 25, 2010 01:26am | #4

   Grizzly may be great to deal with but I'd be very careful about dealing with UPS unless this is a special arrangement. Anytime I've been caught with UPS delivering from the U.S. to Canada the brokerage fees have been nothing less than extortion, sometimes more than than value of the article I purchased.

5. 
   cocobolo1 | Mar 25, 2010 03:33am | #5

   I had previously understood that Grizzly did not ship to Canada due to some sort of an agreement they had with Busy Bee tools. I do not know if this is absolutely correct or not.

   However, my experience with UPS shipping from the States into Canada has been that they are outrageously expensive on their "brokerage" fees. In view of the fact that just about everything comes into Canada duty free, I find these fees to be nothing but outright greed.

   I received an item from California on which the shipping was $80. The "brokerage" was another $80 also. If the item had come via the U.S.P.S. the brokerage simply wouldn't exist. We may get nailed for the regular taxes, which is fair enough. But there are no other charges added on.

   I have my own policy now with anything that comes up from the US, if you can't send it by your postal service, I don't want it.

6. 
   patrick_mccombe | Mar 25, 2010 01:22pm | #6

   The brokerage fees spelled out in the link above seem reasonable to me. Maybe Grizzly has arranged for special rates.

7. 
   Mitre | Mar 26, 2010 06:28pm | #7

   I echo the comments posted by others on the usurious "brokerage fees" charged by UPS. I actually opened a brokerage account with UPS in the name of my company because I could get a slightly lower (yes-but only about 4% lower) brokerage rate.
   Since I live only about 100 miles from the US border, I have actually resorted to using a drop ship service in Sweetgrass, Montana. I have large or heavy orders delivered to them. I arrange for the freight company to deliver the items to this hold for pickup service address. I ask the freight company to give me 24 hours notice before they drop the shipment off in Sweetgrass. I meet the truck in Sweetgrass, inspect the goods for damage (a very necessary step) and then transport the goods across the border in my pick-up truck. If you think this is inconvenient and expensive, it is. But it is still a lot cheaper than UPS for large shipments. In some cases, furnaces, air conditioners and large machinery for instance, it is the only way to get goods across the border since the manufacturers have contracts with Canadian distributors forbidding direct marketing to Canadians. In the era of free trade, this is a sad state of affairs.
   For smaller shipments, I agree with cocobolo1. If the sellers can not or will not ship via the US Postal service, then I don't buy anything from them. I simply will not pay the bend over fees that UPS charges. I have since closed my account with them,

8. 
   Cybarr | Mar 27, 2010 04:21pm | #8

   I'm luck enough to live 20 mins from the border and just under an hour from my front door to the Grizzly store in Bellingham Washington. I and my fellow WW buddies have purchased many big ticket items from the Grizz over the last few years, when the Can$ is strong. These guys are the Lee Valley of the US, very good people, good product, great service.

   UPS on the other had is the worst choice for shipment of anything across the US/Canadian border, bar none! Their
   outrageous brokerage fees are a total game of gouging. Take it from one that imports many items for both hobby & profession. UPS is to be avoided at all costs when dealing with cross border exchange. Have whatever you're buying shipped US Postal Service, especially smaller items. Failing that deal with a brokerage firm at the border, like Pacific Custom Brokers, call them first and they'll inform you how to ship and who to use, to avoid the big brown ripoff.

9. 
   RonInOttawa | Apr 02, 2010 04:37pm | #9

   I had understood that Grizzly used Pacific Customs Brokers to handle the paperwork involved with bringing goods across the border. If that has changed I am no longer considering getting something shipped to Canada via UPS. I've been gouged by UPS several times and it won't happen again! There is a rumor out there that UPS Parcel and UPS Freight do things differently but, until I know that for certain, I'll hold onto my money.

   Regards,

   Ron