Adorama shipping to Canada

[ontarian]

I'm impressed with Adorama for replying to a forum post but I agree with many Canadians here that UPS sucks.  USPS or purolator is the way to go to bypass the brokerage fee troubles.  I've personally never had an issue with USPS shipping to Canada.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

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.

When you ship using the low cost standard shipping, they add a brokerage fee based on value (none for low cost items).  When you use premium shipping, its included in the cost of the shipping.  They also collect your taxes as required by the Canadian government.  You really can't blame Canadian taxes on UPS.

[Helen Oster]

I will not order from Adorama again until they ditch UPS as their courier to Canada.

..........I will not be ordering from Adorama until UPS scamsville is no longer an option

USPS or purolator is the way to go to bypass the brokerage fee troubles.

Provided your order is below the insurance, weight and dimension threshold you can currently have your order shipped USPS - you only need drop me an email: Helen@adorama.com

Going forward, within the next 3 weks or so Adorama will be introducing the new shipping option which will be available to our Canadian customers.

[eosguy444]

whenever I order ANYTHING from the U.S. I always specify USPS and NOT UPS-I wont let them leave the parcel at the door or wherever if Im not home-CanPost will leave me a card to say come and pick it up-and its realitively close to get-brokerage fee is $5 I think thats it-and the taxes too-but not the outrageous fees UPS attaches to anything over 20 bucks

[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.

When you ship using the low cost standard shipping, they add a brokerage fee based on value (none for low cost items).  When you use premium shipping, its included in the cost of the shipping.  They also collect your taxes as required by the Canadian government.  You really can't blame Canadian taxes on UPS.

One of those shipments that gave me problems was from B&H using UPS Worldwide Saver. I was told that brokerage was included.... WRONG, I got charged $65 dollars ONTOP of the shipping charge of $35 when I went to pick up my 32GB Lexar 600x CF card. After that, I said no more. Purolator on most packages shipping is 9 or 10 dollars, add in the taxes and it comes up to around 30 or 35. That's it. No more fees for me. That's the way it should be.

[rumorzmonger]

Purolator always charges brokerage fees, and often often charges duty (even on on duty-free items)... and I have lots of B&H invoices to prove it.   B&H will usually refund the duty if you contact them to inform them of the mistake, but you're stuck paying the brokerage fees.

There is no brokerage fees with UPS expedited or express services - only with ground services.  Sometimes they charge duty (usually due to an error on the part of the retailer in filling out the customs paperwork) but I just deduct the incorrect charges from my UPS invoice when I pay it, and seldom have a problem.

[ions]

The current B&H system is great apparently. I've yet to try it firsthand but I know a few people that have used it for shipping to Canada. When going through checkout you input the obvious stuff regarding your address and choose a shipping method you want. One of the options is to let B&H handle taxes/brokerage and that's the amount you pay to the penny. Or so I've been told by people who have used it. YMMV, hopefully mine doesn't when I order a 70-200 MK II later this Spring.

[bigblue1ca]

This is an old thread, not sure why it was bumped.  But, since I'm here reading, I can tell you I've looked at Adorama and while they look like a good company, I won't buy from them because their only shipping options to Canada are UPS and Fed Ex Air.  Both UPS and Fed Ex air shipping fees to ship to Canada are steep, not taking into account the brokerage fees they change on the delivery end are ridiculous.

Whereas B&H uses Purolator to ship to Canada and all taxes, brokerage fees, duty is paid directly to B&H at the time of purchase at very reasonable rates.  Order what you want, pay online, and they're delivered, nothing else is required.  A caveat is that the items are shipped by ground, but I still get them within 4-5 business days (I'm 1700 miles from NYC), which works for me.

[Helen Oster]

This is an old thread, not sure why it was bumped.  But, since I'm here reading, I can tell you I've looked at Adorama and while they look like a good company, I won't buy from them because their only shipping options to Canada are UPS and Fed Ex Air. 

Adorama also ships USPS to Canada.

You are most welcome to email me directly for details: Helen@adorama.com
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

[Jamesy]

Going forward, within the next 3 weks or so Adorama will be introducing the new shipping option which will be available to our Canadian customers.

Hi Helen,
I hope it resembles an 'All in to the door' option similar to what B+H introduced last year - then there will truly be an option to Canada from the USA. The Purolator all in 'The price is the price' option is awesome and win you a lot of Canadian business I am sure.

I must echo the other comments about UPS to Canada - you never know that the final price will be and the degree of variability on the cost can be outrageous.

[photophreek]

The only reason why I don't buy anything from Adorama is the shipping options.  While USPS is cheaper than UPS/Fedex, the B&H/Purolator system is the best.  With shipping via US Postal Service (USPS), there is a delay at Canada Customs and HST/GST is collected at the purchasers door on delivery by Canada Post. 

For Adorama to compete with B&H for Canadian online orders, Adorama needs to collect the taxes/duty and make the brokerage fees reasonable at time of purchase.  It is not just the cheaper shipping costs that make the transaction bearable, it's that B&H is collecting and remitting the duties and applicable taxes on behalf of Purolator. 

I placed an order with B&H on a Sunday night and the order was in my hands on Thursday morning and nothing was collected at the door by Purolator.  The shipping cost of the order was $9.26.  Applicable handing and brokerage was $2.00 with any duty and GST/HST extra. 

Hope the new Adorama system can match B&H.  I really don't think Adorama has any idea the Canadian online business sales that they are foregoing to B&H.  My guess is that this number is quite substantial. 

[bigblue1ca]

Adorama also ships USPS to Canada.

You are most welcome to email me directly for details: Helen@adorama.com
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

Hi Helen, I just checked on your website under shipping option information http://www.adorama.com/catlite.tpl?op=shipinfo and I don't find any mention of the USPS option?

However, even if Adorama does offer the USPS option, I concur with the following:

The only reason why I don't buy anything from Adorama is the shipping options.  While USPS is cheaper than UPS/Fedex, the B&H/Purolator system is the best.  With shipping via US Postal Service (USPS), there is a delay at Canada Customs and HST/GST is collected at the purchasers door on delivery by Canada Post. 

For Adorama to compete with B&H for Canadian online orders, Adorama needs to collect the taxes/duty and make the brokerage fees reasonable at time of purchase.  It is not just the cheaper shipping costs that make the transaction bearable, it's that B&H is collecting and remitting the duties and applicable taxes on behalf of Purolator. 

I placed an order with B&H on a Sunday night and the order was in my hands on Thursday morning and nothing was collected at the door by Purolator.  The shipping cost of the order was $9.26.  Applicable handing and brokerage was $2.00 with any duty and GST/HST extra. 

Hope the new Adorama system can match B&H.  I really don't think Adorama has any idea the Canadian online business sales that they are foregoing to B&H.  My guess is that this number is quite substantial.

[MrDill]

I was just about to place a order with Adorama being that B&H is closed for holidays and thought I had better see how there shipping is to Canada. I googled "shipping to canada from adorama or b&h" and came up with this Posting on canonrumors, and am glad I did. I have also been soaked by UPS, being charged more for brokerage fees that the product was worth. Fedex wasn't any better either.

I guess I will just have to wait until the boys at B&H get back from holidays. :p

[Jamesy]

I was just about to place a order with Adorama being that B&H is closed for holidays and thought I had better see how there shipping is to Canada. I googled "shipping to canada from adorama or b&h" and came up with this Posting on canonrumors, and am glad I did. I have also been soaked by UPS, being charged more for brokerage fees that the product was worth. Fedex wasn't any better either.

I guess I will just have to wait until the boys at B&H get back from holidays. :p

Keep in mind that Helen from Adorama mentioned earlier here that they are making changes to the shipping policy to Canada, perhaps another 'all in' option like B+H is in the works.

[noisejammer]

I swopped a few emails with Helen in August... the "new system" was going to be implemented within weeks. Well, I looked a few weeks later and there was nothing new. I looked a few months later and there was still nothing new. It seems the idea was abandoned (or maybe B&H has Purolator sewn up in an exclusive deal or maybe Adorama figures Canadian business isn't worth the hassle.)

Having used it several times, B&H prepaid Purolator option costs $8.15 including brokerage and delivers to Toronto in less than two days... I can't even get the same service from a Canadian supplier. Sure, you're going to pay HST on whatever you buy... we live with it - call it the price of living in a solvent country.

I'd really like to have the option to order from Adorama... but there's no way in Hades I'm springing an extra $65 to pay UPS for kicking my package off the truck. Nor will I wait the extra two weeks that USPS delivery implies.