Adorama shipping to Canada

[DomD]

Has anyone here ordered from Adorama?  What was your experience like?

There reason I want to know is this.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Adorama is one of the top stores, along with B&H.  However, compare prices with Canadian stores, for lenses, at least, they are competitive.

[Helen Oster]

Has anyone here ordered from Adorama?  What was your experience like?

If there is anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to email me directly Helen@adorama.com

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Has anyone here ordered from Adorama?  What was your experience like?

If there is anything I can help you with, please don't hesitate to email me directly Helen@adorama.com

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

Helen is one of the reasons I buy from Adorama, she is there to help.  I've never had to ask her for help though, all my many orders have been perfect.  I just ordered compact flash cards last night, and when the 5D MK III is available, I'll be ordering from Adorama on day 1, just as I did with my MK II.

[neuroanatomist]

I routinely order from B&H and Adorama.  Customer service has been excellent with both of them.  The only downside when I order from Adorama is their free shipping option.  Adorama uses a trans-shipper (StreamLite) who uses USPS for the end-point delivery - it's reliable, but someone could carry the package from New York to Boston on a bicycle and it would get here faster.  B&H's free option is UPS 3-day, which in reality is overnight to Boston.

[DomD]

I must say my experience with Adorama has been excellent.

On Tuesday monring, July 26, I ordered a 60D body, Hoya ND-400x 77mm filter, and a SanDisk 16 GB SDHC card.  By that evening I recieved an email stating that the order had been shipped.  I thought I would get it sometime the next week.  It was at my door Thursday morning, July 28!!!

[Helen Oster]

Helen is one of the reasons I buy from Adorama, she is there to help.  I've never had to ask her for help though, all my many orders have been perfect. 

That is very kind of you to say so, thank you so much.

I routinely order from B&H and Adorama.  Customer service has been excellent with both of them.  The only downside when I order from Adorama is their free shipping option.  Adorama uses a trans-shipper (StreamLite) who uses USPS for the end-point delivery.

I'm pleased to advise you that we stopped using Streamlite for delivery several weeks ago!!

I must say my experience with Adorama has been excellent.

On Tuesday monring, July 26, I ordered a 60D body, Hoya ND-400x 77mm filter, and a SanDisk 16 GB SDHC card.  By that evening I recieved an email stating that the order had been shipped.  I thought I would get it sometime the next week.  It was at my door Thursday morning, July 28!!!

Really good to hear - we appreciate you taking the time to feed back your experiences with Adorama.

[henryp]

Mt Spokane Photography and neuroanatomist - Thanks for your kind words. Very gratifying.

Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Glad to hear from you Henry. 

My very first mail order purchase of AV equipment was from B&H was back in the 1980's, the days of Magazine advertising.

I still have my Panasonic AG series VCR's that were delivered quickly and in perfect condition from B&H.  I've been a B&H customer every since, buying often from B&H or Adorama depending on availability of the product.

[ions]

I will not order from Adorama again until they ditch UPS as their courier to Canada. I'd recount all the ways that UPS has pissed me off, both in my one Adorama order (not again until they ditch UPS), and other times I haven't paid attention to what service is being used, but I wish to avoid an aneurysm this evening. UPS? Not buying. They're absolutely horrible in every conceivable way and even manage to suck in some inconceivable ways.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I will not order from Adorama again until they ditch UPS as their courier to Canada. I'd recount all the ways that UPS has pissed me off, both in my one Adorama order (not again until they ditch UPS), and other times I haven't paid attention to what service is being used, but I wish to avoid an aneurysm this evening. UPS? Not buying. They're absolutely horrible in every conceivable way and even manage to suck in some inconceivable ways.

I use UPS to ship and receive.  I run a small business, and 10's of thousands of deliveries to the US and Canada with no problems. They are great.

I'm not saying that some people do not have problems, but I suspect its more related to a specific driver or manager in UPS that covers your area.

It would be good if alternatives were offered, but typically, only one shipper is offered because a business gets low rates as a incentive for being a sole source.

I doubt if there is a delivery service that someone has not had issues with, and as a result dislikes. 

[ions]

I sat in the distribution centre in North York Toronto for 2 hours waiting for what the UPS person on the phone told me was there and waiting in the office. The people at the distribution centre told me it was on the truck. I was not the only one in this predicament. Several people came in and were severely disappointed. Unfortunately this was not my only poor experience with UPS but I guarantee it will be my last.

A quick Google search of "UPS Sucks" brings up many many valid results. USPS is a better alternative to UPS. UPS is the worst regardless of issues with other delivery services.

[neuroanatomist]

USPS is a better alternative to UPS.

Ah, yes.  I just love the detailed and accurate tracking information provided by USPS, especially when their website tells me Delivered one day, a day on which the item is not in my hands, only to change to Delivery Failed the next day.

Then, there's the cost - as mentioned above, vendors have preferred arrangements with shippers and tiered pricing accordingly.  For me, 1-2 day USPS shipping from B&H costs nearly 7 times as much compared to UPS Ground, and UPS Ground to me is next day delivery.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I only ship by UPS to Canada when the customer requests it.  Usually, a customer with a business that has a contract with UPS wants UPS.

I no longer ship to Canada by USPS at all.  I can track it to the border, usually takes 1 day.  Then, Canada Post and Canadian customs take so long to deliver mail that I get hate letters blaming me that it takes a month or more when it should take 4 or 5 days.

In the USA, USPS is good for packages up to about 10 lbs, or for heavy items that fit in a flat rate box.  For large items, UPS is best, and for overnight must get there tomorrow, Fedex is best.

However, I get equal numbers of don't ship UPS or don't ship USPS, so I do not see that one is worse than the other, the rate of loss is so low that I see maybe 1 in 5,000 lost, and most of the losses were by Canada Post.

[DeepShadows]

You are all forgetting the scam UPS runs on the end user (which I've been told directly from two different UPS employees) "Brokerage fee" which does not exist when using usps. I have been charged over $200 3 months after receiving a product and $187 a week after receiving my monitor worth $400 from the states. I have not had ONE good result using UPS in over 25 times. USPS is cheap, fast for me, and have never lost or damaged a package. I will not be ordering from Adorama until UPS scamsville is no longer an option (fedex blows too). B&H got it sooooo right with the purolator service, they have my business because of it.