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MerBear OriginalsI too agree that Canada Post is slow but I haven't had too many problems. I've shipped to the US, Australia, and to Thailand and the parcels have arrived - in due course. I've ordered supplies and such from the US and they seem to take about 2 wks on average to get here, without being opened. I've only been charged duty once, several years ago, on a mohair order.
Oh...and I remember 5 or 6 years ago I sent a box of chocolate bars to a friend in Washington and SHE was charged duty!
Marion
Teddies to TreasureOh Aleta-does this mean you will never sell me a bear?? I bought a bear from Oz Matilda for Christmas(For myself of course!!!!LOL!) It cost $127.50 to have it shippedEXPRESS to Canada. We tracked it and it reached LA overnight and then took a further 3and1/2 weeks to get to my door-that is EXPRESS ladies and gentlemen!From Australia to Canada.I was "told" that it gets held up in BC.Why???Well no one knows the answer to that one!
:redface: Okay I admit...I have an agreement with the posties that all bears have to come to my house for snuggles as they pass through BC!!! :redface: I will let them know straight away that we have been caught on to and have to stop :crackup:
Hugs,
Krista
bears by beesley TMAwe Aleta ! You should'nt have! My bear should take about 10 working days would be the norm but 15 is not unusual! (I am kidding about the bear) Ha Ha. It can take 10-15 business days both ways. It was a holiday here Monday in Alberta for Family Day.
I had one bear tak 4 weeks to the states. We cannot even check on them through the post office until 30 days has passed. I Hope my bear comes soon! 
Hugs Louise
Canna Bear PaintI was once told by a US postal service employee that the "estimated delivery time" to Canada really is an estimate of how fast the USPS delivers it to Canada... as in, delivers it into the hands of Canadian Post at the border. I would never use express or priority to ship into Canada, it is a total waste of money, and I really do think they go out of the way to slow down the supposedly *fastest* stuff the most.
I've had very good luck with airmail shipping around the world, but particularly to quirky Canada. Airmail letter post accepts small packages up to 4 lbs (though cannot be insured), and Airmail Parcel Post can be insured and even accepts boxes of a gigantic size mailed into Canada (I once shipped a full-size insured painting to Canada this way and had no problems at all). Airmail Letter Post estimates 4-7 days for arrival, though usually runs at about 10-14 days for delivery in my experience, and Parcel Post usually runs just a few days longer than that. Even to B.C.
Edited to add:
I once shipped an air letter post package to the UK, and it got hand-delivered on a Sunday in record time. I received an incredulous email from the buyer, asking what kind of influence I had at the local post office to warrant that kind of delivery!
Cheers,
Kelly
Newcastle, OntarioI agree, Kelly. Shipping to Canada by Airmail Letter Post or Airmail Parcel Post is the way to go!
hugs,
Brenda
I think I shall scream now. 
It appears that one package (the trunk and contents) was delivered late yesterday afternoon. The bears, however, are still in the wild woolies somewhere. What really chaps my hide is the fact that the bears actually cleared customs FIRST!!, yet there has been no posting with USPS since February 15th....last Thursday. (sigh)
I wish I'd have asked about shipping to Canada earlier. Learn something new every day! This whole experience makes me really appreciate the US Postal Service.
Charge it up as a learning experience: 1) Only mail boxes as Airmail Parcel Post. 2) I really have zero patience.
Warmest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
P.S. Thank you for posting everyone! You've been most helpful. Perhaps this little hiccup will help someone else learn about shipping to Canada.
ontario, canadayikes! yer lucky to have gotten those parcels through (sorta!) without a customs broker! there was quite a high value on that set, no? and i'm surprised Canada customs didn't have a cow over the trunk and all the goodies in it.... "that's not a bear" - i can hear them now! it's slow service but consider yourself lucky Aleta.
Little Bear GuyI am getting such a kick out all the comments going back and forth. You guys kinda make Canada sound like a third world country where we deliver everything by dog sled 
.
As my mother use to say "it takes as long as it takes", I have never had any major problems with Canada post, I find shipping to the US is the same amount of time and this is because of Customs. Perhaps there is a problem in BC with packages coming in that way, perhaps there is not enough customs officers, lord nows that everything has to be checked and rechecked for security purposes (I know I know but it could be an exploading teddy bear )
I sent a bear to Australia last yr, it was shipped on the 15th of Dec and finally received on the other end Mid April, we had already started the process of collecting the insurance on it when finally we heard it had been received and all was well. Now that's bad service if you ask me, I get stuff from the US all the time and the longest something has taken was three weeks (Maybe I have a horse shoe up my butt, or perhaps the entire horse :crackup: ).
I think we get concerned when we are told shipping will take x number of days and it doesn't, remember 5 business days is around 9 calendar days and the day you take it to the post office does not count, nor do weekends or holidays
We ship with UPS or FED EX because in most cases it is much cheaper for postage than Canada Post, I can track it and when they say 3 days or 5 days it gets there in that time frame. Now UPS will say it will take 3-5 days but they also tell us as long as it does not get caught up in Customs. We were advised we could get a NAFTA form from Customs which gives us a special number for (stuffed toys) then customs does not even bother with it and they zip it right through. Since stuffed animals are duty free that saves time at customs and poof goes right through. We are working on this since a fair amount of our sales are in the US, plus we ship all our bears to the shows in the US so makes sense for us to do that.
I know it is frustrating Aleta and you do get worried, but at least you know it has cleared customs and trust me it will make it to it's destination. The next one you do to Canada you will be prepared and know that it will take a bit longer than what USPS states 
Big Hugs All
Flying Fur StudiosThis has been funny to read.
I know why the packages get held up in BC, it's so obvious. B.C. grows alot of........um.....mind altering plants........so the people there are REALLY relaxed! :crackup:
Glad it's not just me that goes crazy with them. Nothing worse then paying over $100 for a mohair order, only to have to pay $20 just to get the box, let alone having to pick it up, wait in line etc......grrrrrrrrr.
Charlotte Des Roches DesignsOhhhhhh...I think "postal" is a good meaning of the word...I bet Pony Express would work better!!!!!
Little Bear GuyThis has been funny to read.
I know why the packages get held up in BC, it's so obvious. B.C. grows alot of........um.....mind altering plants........so the people there are REALLY relaxed! :crackup:
Glad it's not just me that goes crazy with them. Nothing worse then paying over $100 for a mohair order, only to have to pay $20 just to get the box, let alone having to pick it up, wait in line etc......grrrrrrrrr.
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: I never even thought of that one.
I don't even order mohair from the US anymore unless it's an outstanding unbelieveable deal or something that I can't get here, it's so expensive and then tack on the shipping cost and the duty and the exchange on the money it's outrageous. I do however tend to buy a little if I'm at a show and don't have to pay the shipping, but again it has to be a piece of mohair to die for, mainly I only buy paw pad fabric because it is cheap. Mohair if I buy it here is half the cost. I'm not putting down suppliers at all trust me, I know they have overhead and expenses to cover just giving my explanation of why I buy so little of it from the US.
big hugs
Shane
