Middleman Shipper

[Corrie]

Hey guys!

I really want this plush on Amazon for my sister but it won't ship to Canada. Is there anyway around that? I've heard of these "middleman" shippers where you can pay to get a US address and have Amazon ship it there and then they ship it to you but I'm a little weary. Has anyone used one and can recommend it to me? Or does anyone know another way around this?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[mayortiffany]

If the pandemic were not raging and if you lived close enough to the border, my best advice would be to send the plush to a mail service that allows Canadians to use their address to ship items to, then drive across the border to pick it up. My family have used services like that a couple of times before, and as long as you do the research, they're pretty reliable. You just have to pay a small fee to the mail service for your troubles, usually dependent on the size of the package. Make sure you have all your receipts in order and that you check that the contents of your package are correct before you go back across the border to make customs easier.

The only other option I can think of is asking a friend/family member in the US if they can ship something towards you? I've never used a middleman service before where they ship to you, but I'm sure there are reliable companies out there that can do it for you safely - for a fee, of course. I totally understand why you'd be weary though.

 

[Chris]

I've not used a US one, but I've used several Japanese shipping services with no issues. Just make sure whichever company you use has a lot of good reviews.

 

[Alienfish]

I've not used a US one, but I've used several Japanese shipping services with no issues. Just make sure whichever company you use has a lot of good reviews.

Was about to post yeah, I've used and use a Japanese one for gaming stuff before and these days some idol stuff but I haven't heard about US ones. And agree, make sure to look up reviews and possible extra fees so you don't end up paying a lot for a cheap item.

Best of luck finding one @Corrie

 

[Corrie]

Thanks for your responses guys! I spent lots of time last night looking up reviews on various websites. The shipping prices are killer, especially when converted to CAD from USD. I have no friends or family in the US so maybe I'll just have to suck it up lol. You win some, you lose some.

 

[Alienfish]

Thanks for your responses guys! I spent lots of time last night looking up reviews on various websites. The shipping prices are killer, especially when converted to CAD from USD. I have no friends or family in the US so maybe I'll just have to suck it up lol. You win some, you lose some.

Yeah, US prices can be pretty expensive especially if it's outside the states. Hope you can find a good option though Wish I could help more, but yeah I only used one (or two but technically they are owned by the same people so) from Japan.

 

[Corrie]

Yeah, US prices can be pretty expensive especially if it's outside the states. Hope you can find a good option though Wish I could help more, but yeah I only used one (or two but technically they are owned by the same people so) from Japan.

The very worst is when you don't realize it's not in your currency and you're thinking well gee, that price is not bad! Take it to check out and then you're just like welp, that explains the cheap price lol.
That's okay! Even a confirmation that these types of sites work is comforting! I just purchased the plush off Amazon using the US address so we'll see what happens in a week when it arrives there! Hopefully the shipping and import fees don't bankrupt me lol

 

[Alienfish]

The very worst is when you don't realize it's not in your currency and you're thinking well gee, that price is not bad! Take it to check out and then you're just like welp, that explains the cheap price lol.
That's okay! Even a confirmation that these types of sites work is comforting! I just purchased the plush off Amazon using the US address so we'll see what happens in a week when it arrives there! Hopefully the shipping and import fees don't bankrupt me lol

Yeah, luckily Japanese yen is pretty good towards my currency so it's kinda cheap but yeah I hate dollar/euro ordering because of VAT/tax etc. it always adds up

No problems, as I mentioned I only have experience with Japan but I hope everything works out and you get your plush Yeah, shipping and feeds can quickly add up and double the price so yep hope everything goes smooth

 

[Mikaiah]

Yeah, my mom works in Ontario (we live in MI) so usually she ships stuff here and drives it up. She says a lot of her coworkers ship stuff to the border and drive across to pick it up, though with the border shutdown I don't think that's a viable solution. Your best bet is probably just to find somewhere that ships directly to Canada or really do your research because it can (and will) get pricey.