Ordering parts on-line

[Graham Holmes]

There are lots of horror stories and an equal amount of happy-endings when I ask around about ordering parts on-line.

Specifically for me is the shipping. Residing in Canada there are usually high shipping/duty/taxes etc. Are there any fellow Canucks who have successfully ordered parts on-line?

Does anyone have any suggestions of reputable sites?

Thanks.

Topic

[David]

not a Canadian, but I believe RockAuto ships across the border – they have a dropdown menu for which currency costs are displayed in, etc.

[zero]

I’m Canadian, I have used RockAuto several times and will continue to.

They include customs and duties in the shipping prices and it’s in Canadian dollars.

I believe most larger places will include the customs fees int heir shipping, but the pricing is usually in USD. The few specialty Items I’ve priced out I just purchased locally for a small amount of money more and far less hassle.

Even with RockAuto’s low prices you have to apply some common sense and due diligence. Heavier, bulkier items cost exponentially more to ship than small items. You should also search out at least 1 quote from a local supplier and check for possible sales to figure if the extended time frame is worth the savings. The basic shipping is 5-8 business days and the faster shipping gets really expensive really fast. I upgraded my last order from 5-8 to 3-5 days and the shipping cost almost doubled. Likewise shipping 1 $10 cabin filter costs about $10.

In general though, even after shipping, the total including parts and shipping is around what most shops pay wholesale as far as I’ve witnessed.

[Author]

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