B&H Now Using Purolator to Ship to Canada

[cornreaper]

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed this, but B&H has added a Purolator ground shipping option for Canadian customers, and it's a lot cheaper than UPS. Also, they now collect all taxes, duties (if applicable, photo/video equipment is usually duty-free) and brokerage fees up front. This means once you pay, you don't have to fork over another dime when it shows up at your door. That's just nice.

[Tuluws]

Nice find CR!!

I did a quick test and compared shipping a camera using UPS vs Puro, cheapest UPS is 28.50 vs $9.00 for Puro Ground. If you can wait the extra few days it MAY take to get here, then Puro is definitely the way to go!!

I'll try it for the next order and let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

PJ

[Timbit]

Wow! I like the sounds of that! When I ordered from B&H this past summer, I had to pay money that I wasn't expecting to have to pay (it was good I had some extra cash in my pocket!) when it arrived, so this will be much nicer! Thanks Cornreaper!

[Phantai]

Purolator really, really sucks though. It is known to have terrible service, horrid tracking, and lying employees. I ordered my HF21 from bhphotovideo and used purolator. I checked the tracking every day, until I saw the "en route to destination" in my city. I waited all day for them to come, but they never showed up. Checked the website, and it said "Receiver unavailable", which basically means they TRIED to deliver it, but I wasn't there. I was sitting in front of the door for like 12 hours that day. Not a single truck passed by. So, I called in to complain, and the guy gave me some bullshit about how the driver must have simply not found my house number. He told me they would try to redeliver tomorrow, and I declined, saying I want to pick it up. He then told me that they'd have it at the depot in my city. After a few more minutes of talking, he tells me it's in a depot in ANOTHER city. Seeing as the city isn't too far, I tell him that I'll go pick it up from there. He tells me that the location that has my shipment isn't picking up, and gives me the number to call myself (damn lazy ass). I call them, and explain the situation (not mentioning the shipping mishap, and the lying tracking information). The customer service rep tells me that my package never left the depot, because they made a mistake with sorting (meaning that I was lied to previously). I came to pick it up, and she asked me for an ID. I showed her an I.D., and she would not hand over the package, as the address on my I.D. was different from the shipping address (I recently moved). The name was exactly the same. I had the damn tracking number. Yet still, they wouldn't give it to me. I had to get my dad to come in and show a piece of ID with our new address on it before she finally let me take it.

Point being is: DO NOT USE PUROLATOR. The twenty~ dollars you save are NOT worth all the hassle, lying, delays and potential mishaps. Just get it shipped with UPS.

[Tuluws]

Phantai,

What part of the country are you in? I'm west ot Toronto and I haven't had any issues with Purolator as you have described. They've always delivered on time for me - although I haven't ordered from B&H yet, I have had other deliveries made throough Puro. I have a few things on my B&H wish list, which I'll order tomorrow, and have them shipped via Puro. I'll update this thread with my experiences.

Cheers,

PJ

[drapeama]

Just get it shipped with UPS.

Last time i've ordered something from the US that has been shipped via UPS (not USPS) it cost me another 57$ for custom clearance fees...never had it with Purolator/USPS and others delivery companies.
It's a nice thing that Purolator has been added to the list of available shippers. I think it has been added a while before december thought, but i never ordered anything from B&H...

[Tuluws]

Never, ever had a problem with UPS when ordering from B&H.... but then, there is already a thread that details my experiences.

[Phantai]

Custom's fees are a bit tricky. There's really no "science" to how they are handled. Sometimes you are charged, sometimes you aren't. I'm sure they have guidelines, but I've had pretty ridiculous things shipped over here via UPS, and wasn't charged a penny. Other times, I'd order something ridiculously insignificant, and I'd have to pay extra. P.s., you still have to pay those fees with purolator on bhphotovideo. It won't let you order via purolator unless the website can estimate custom's fees, which it will charge you on top of your order. Which is GREAT for transparency's sake, and not having any surprise fees -- but the fees are still there.

[Phantai]

Tuluws, I'm in Toronto as well. Well, a suburb of Toronto (Richmond Hill). Keep an eye on the tracking, as BHPhotovideo ensures every product you buy has a tracking number (I lalalalalalooooovee this. I've ordered from so many other sites before that used UPS/purolator, and got bullshit like "Tracking number not available"). Ideally, when the shipment leaves your local depot, and it says that it is en route for delivery to your address, it means that the package will arrive that day. Pay attention to how many times they'll "attempt" to deliver to your location and fail because of things like "receiver unavailable," or "bad weather". Try asking their customer service about it. And most of all, good luck.

P.s. Googling purolator gets me a million hits detailing situations very similar to mine.

[dop16mm]

I don't care if I have to wait an extra day as long as I don't have to pay $30 brokerage on $3 gst like ups ground charges. Absolute extortion that needs to be investigated. Never ever use ups ground to import from the US unless there is no other option. I only import photo/video products and there are no duties to clear, only tax. How come stuff ships from Hong Kong for like $2 postage and I never get a tax bill, but to get something from New York cost $30 shipping, some completely arbitrary brokerage fee, I've seen as much as 10 times the tax they paid on my behalf, plus the tax. I've only used purolator domestically but have never had a problem, if there is a guarantee of no brokerage I would definitely use them.

[drapeama]

Absolute extortion that needs to be investigated.[...] How come stuff ships from Hong Kong for like $2 postage and I never get a tax bill, but to get something from New York cost $30 shipping.

1) Tell me about it, 57$ fees when UPS knocked at my door when i ordered my Twoneil adapter in 2009. Bought it used for 130$ or so...finally cost me ~as a new one in the end...
2) Funny isn't it? Something's wrong somewhere...

[Tuluws]

I've documented my experiences with UPS and how you can avoid brokerage charges - they are a fact, and are controlled by the companies that handle the cross-border transfer of goods. This has nothing to do with NAFTA or the suspension of duty charges that should, for the most part, allow goods to pass freely between Canada, USA and Mexico. The source of the goods purchased is where any duties come into play.

That being said, my impression of Purolator so far, is that they don't update the package status very often, at least with UPS, you can see things happening with your package. I'm expecting that I will see the package sometime by the end of this week - I placed my order on Tuesday @ 6 AM.

More feedback on Purolator once I receive my order.

[drapeama]

[...] at least with UPS, you can see things happening with your package.
More feedback on Purolator once I receive my order.

1) I like that with USPS, it's updated frequently.
2) I'll keep an eye on this, but last time i've ordered something at Newegg.ca, the info has been updated after 1-2 days after it's been shipped, and contained 3-4 different location in one notification. Anyway, knocked at my door the day after, so it's not bad!

[charlie_tango]

1) Tell me about it, 57$ fees when UPS knocked at my door when i ordered my Twoneil adapter in 2009. Bought it used for 130$ or so...finally cost me ~as a new one in the end...

ouch.........

[Tuluws]

Okay, just received my order - no problems, the tracking system said it was on the truck for delivery today and the Puro guy rang the doorbell AND knocked on the door - which seems to be contrary to some of the reviews I've read on-line. I signed for it and no talk of extra charges or anything. The package looked PERFECT on the outside, no discernible marks or deformations. Packed expertly by B&H as every other order has been from them.

Here's a recap of the timeline - Ordered Jan 25 @ 6:00 AM - Arrived Jan 27 @ 1:15 PM.

So far, from a curb to curb experience, Purolator from B&H has impressed me - but, I would like more frequent updates on their tracking website.

Cheers,

PJ

[zahidskateboards]

if your currently looking for a hv30, i recently saw it @ bestbuy (CANADA) for $500

[Dr. Benway]

UPS is 28.50 vs $9.00 for Puro Ground.

Yep, some of those companies are mercenary.

[drapeama]

BTW, I purchased the Azden EX-503 Lav that Huey suggested in another thread and it's been real fast, low-cost and a very nice first experience!
Mic: 19$
Shipping : ~5-6$
Custom fees/taxes: ~4-5$
Total: ~30$ all paid and shipped. Shipping took something like less than 4 buisness days.

[Pictor100]

I like Purolator. Their service is prompt, and the drivers and staff are friendly and professional. And since I'm almost never at home to receive a package,
there is a depot where I can go to pick it up that's not too far away, and it's usually open late, so that people who work during the day won't have a problem
getting their packages. Mind you, I've had similar experiences with UPS, but they have dinged me for brokerage fees. I've never had that issue with Purolator.
FedEx isn't quite as good as Purolator or UPS, because they don't have a pick-up depot in my city. They did at one time, but for some reason they closed it.