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OPW postage to US

Started by poplar1, June 28, 2013, 08:03:44 PM

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DavePEI

#30
Quote from: Doug Rose on June 30, 2013, 09:27:23 AM
Not to beat a dead horse, but OPW and Phoneco charge shipping by the cost of the item, not the weight. Go back to my order, the more clear covers I ordered, the higher postage went up. They are not that heavy. Postage calculates by what you spend, not the heft of the item. It is now a year later and they are still doing the same gouging. Buyer beware!...Doug
Yes, Doug:

But what you selected was the most expensive shipping method - via Fedex 2-4 days which is $18.25 (from your own screen capture)

By Canada Post/USPS by selecting that method via the drop down box, the shipping on the same order is $10.25, $8 cheaper..

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Doug Rose

Dave....at the time, it was the only option...Doug
Kidphone

poplar1

1 dial card: 20 cents + $9.45 postage
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

DavePEI

Quote from: poplar1 on June 30, 2013, 12:15:04 PM
1 dial card: 20 cents + $9.45 postage
This just proves what I said before. They ship in boxes to lower chances of loss from envelopes. 100 dial cards cost $10.50 to ship via Post (just looked it up).

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

New England Tel.

Quote from: New England Tel. on June 29, 2013, 09:24:19 AM
I have to chime in here as well. I ordered a few small things (flat, and will fit in envelope) from OPW and the automated system came up with a $13.55 shipping charge. This was for, perhaps, an ounce of weight. Well, there was no way that I would pay that, so I wrote them an email. They got back to me and worked it out that the shipping would be $2.00. Much better! Unfortunately, I placed this order on May 7, and still have not received it. Not incredibly thrilled with their customer service response since they've got my money. But, we'll see what happens. I have to agree with those of you that say, "I'll only do business with them if I absolutely have to".

Above, I quoted my original post from June 29. Now, I will bring my experience up to date, and, to a close. Last week, the 3 month anniversary of my placing the order had come and gone. Still hadn't received the order! So, I wrote them a very serious email stating basically that I had had enough. I'd waited 3 months for this order, and wasn't going to wait anymore. I wanted something done about this right away. To OPW's credit, this time they were very apologetic in their reply, and promised to pack up and ship my order immediately. They were true to their word. I received the order today. They even threw in some extras of the items I ordered!

So they (eventually) made good on my order.

-Bob Archambault

Sargeguy

I think there is some guy in the Classifieds selling OPW cords with lower shipping and faster turnaround time. ::)
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Babybearjs

be sure to watch the postage, I ordered the cloth line and handset cords and didn't pay attention to the shipping and wound up paying for express instead of regular postage... also, because of OPW being in Canada, postage is higher because of the duty fees. even though they aren't shown.... I'm sure they are there...   and a reminder.... we have to pay more when we send stuff to Canada too!
John

Babybearjs

... and for some reason they are shipping in the tinyest boxes they can find....
John

AE_Collector

#38
Every time one takes a box into Canada Post to ship they measure it in every direction with the "official Canada Post tape measure". So presumably the smaller the box (not just weight like it seems to be in the US) the less expensive the shipping might be.

Terry

Ktownphoneco

Be aware of several factors when ordering from OPW.     In my opinion, and some may disagree, they produce some of the best quality antique telephone cords on the market, "BUT", FYI, they don't stock cords.        They make them once someone places an order, and not before.     If your waiting an inordinate amount of time for cords, that's why.     As far as I know, only "ONE" guy makes the cords.       If he's backed up with orders, or he's off sick, be prepared to wait.
I live in Kingston, Ont., but OPW prices are in U.S. dollars.    A 3 conductor handset cord costs $15.54 USD.    That costs me $20.47 Canadian.     I save a little on shipping, since I can drive over and pick up the cords once they're actually made.    Once I order a cord(s), it's usually a week to 10 days before they're ready for pick up.

Packages to the U.S.A. :   Contrary to popular belief, there is no duty or cross border taxes for items going from Canada to the U.S.A., unless they were made outside of North America.    The free trade agreement between the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico, has pretty much eliminated duties or tariffs on domestically made products.   

Items coming north into Canada from the U.S.A. :  there isn't any duties or federal excise charge for antique telephones, or parts, but Canadians have to pay provincial and federal sales tax, just as if we purchased the item from a retail store here in Canada.     The tax varies depending on the province, but in the province of Ontario, that's a charge of 13% of the purchase price.
Every north bound package to Canada has to be inspected by Customs and Border Protection officers, which takes time.     The sales tax is collected by the post office at time of delivery.

eBay sellers in the U.S.A. have jumped on board the U.S. Postal Service shipping method "Priority Mail International" which provides "FREE" boxes.     Of course it's a total rip off for Canadian buyers, with prices starting at $37.50 according to the USPS web site.    That costs Canadians $49.39 Canadian dollars with the current exchange rate.     Most Canadian buyers would be more than happy to pay for the box, shipping peanuts and tape, and have the item shipped by USPS shipping method "First-Class Package International".     
If I purchase a dial for example, at a cost of $45.00 USD, and the seller ships using "Priority Mail International", it will cost me a total of $82.50 USD, or, $108.66 Canadian.     
If the seller is willing to ship using "First-Class Package International", a dial should ship to Canada at around $14.65 USD.     Add $5.00 for a box, shipping peanuts, bubble wrap and tape, the total would work out to $64.65 USD, or, $85.15, which is a saving to the buyer of  $17.85 USD or $23.51 Canadian.
Between the currency exchange rate at the moment, and "Priority Mail International" shipping, my purchases from U.S. sellers on eBay.com at the moment are "nil".      I just can't afford it, and I would imagine that most potential Canadian eBay buyers are in the same situation.

The cheapest method for sending something small in size, i.e., 6" x 6" x 6" weighing 1 Lb., to a U.S. address is a postal classification called "Small Packet - U.S.A., - Air".    Cost is around $10.79 Canadian dollars, or $8.19 U.S. dollars.       Individual telephone cords can be shipped in a bubble pack or similar size / type of package, are a little less, but not much.

Jeff Lamb