Thread: Which US mail-order firms are best?

Almost all shipping from the US is very expensive (then again, I recently sent two books from Aus to the US and it const me over $40, so let's not throw stones...)

Surface shipping has just about died out (even with the USPS) so there is always going to be a significant uplift for shipping.

That said, I have had good experiences with both Lee Valley and Rockler, both of which have good range and pretty competitive US prices and they both wait till you confirm that you are happy with the shipping before processing the order.

I have bought from Woodcraft on a few occasions for lighter items and have found them to be excellent to deal with. Lee Valley have an unsurpassed reputation. I haven't had stuff shipped here but bought some stuff when in the USA via the net. No problems as you would expect.

Ok thanks fellas, good to have a couple of recommendations - Rockler, Woodcraft, Lee Valley. Any other recommendations still welcome too.

Yeah, shipping from US might only be airmail, since USPS dropped international surface mail in about 2007. Thought I'd ask though in case anyone's come across another way.

I've also bought from Woodcraft & found them to be excellent in their service.

https://www.garrettwade.com/

http://www.ptreeusa.com/

http://routerbitworld.com/

http://www.7corners.com

http://www.woodpeck.com/

http://www.starrett.com/


That should keep you occupied for a while.

Mike

http://routerbitworld.com/

as usual your looking at $40+ for shipping, but if your going to go for a decent sized order, it makes it worth while. i feel bad for not supporting the local economy and aussie tool shops, but needs must and im not made of dollars.

im going to put a big order through them real soon. need some decent blades and a new dado. along with a heap of router bits. Im keen to hit it while the aussie dollar is pushing high .83's pundits are saying its not going to last.

Should arrange a bulk order if anyone is interested.

Another thing people need to understand too is there bank. yes its great buying when the AU is high, but most credit cards out there will smack you hard when converting currencies. Ask your bank, if they dont offer options, then take your business elsewhere. on a side note, ever noticed how paypal never reflects the daily exchange rate?, scumbags will stall for a day or 2 on putting it up when it goes up, but when it goes down they change their rates immediately. i would have thought this was illegal but apparently its not. /rant

Originally Posted by Gunnaduit

Yeah, shipping from US might only be airmail, since USPS dropped international surface mail in about 2007. Thought I'd ask though in case anyone's come across another way.

There is often a third option - called SAL = Surface Air Lifted (I think) - where the long haul is by air, but the in-country haulage is by truck.

Last month I bought some stuff from Scotland which was SAL mailed - it was trucked to London, airfreighted to Sydney, then trucked to Hobart. Total delivery time was eight days.

Cheers

Graeme

Originally Posted by dreilly

im going to put a big order through them real soon. need some decent blades and a new dado. along with a heap of router bits. Im keen to hit it while the aussie dollar is pushing high .83's pundits are saying its not going to last.

Should arrange a bulk order if anyone is interested.

Be careful to keep your order below Aus$800 or you may get hit with customs and GST charges. GST is 10% and Customs is 5%; Most goods made in USA are zero rated for Customs under the free trade agreement but not for GST. Businesses (ie companies) must pay Customs and GST irrespective of value.

Cheers

Graeme

I can echo above sentiments re: Lee Valley. Over the past few years I have bought 3 shipments worth of tools from them and have received impeccable service every time. Shipping is expensive, but even so I have achieved major savings compared to buying locally. To maximise cost effectiveness I always buy light items to be shipped with heavier tools. They have a large range of hardware, sandpaper (including the 3M fine stuff) and other stuff so there's plenty to chose from. These are either unavailable or much more expensive locally and add very little to shipping costs.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Be careful to keep your order below Aus$800 or you may get hit with customs and GST charges. GST is 10% and Customs is 5%;

Yeah forgot to mention that, i only run the gauntlet when factoring in the savings - freight - currency exchange then figure out the savings from there and when you can potentially save more than 60% on purchases, even getting stung with the customs you can sometimes still come through ~25%+ better off.

BUT, is saving ~25% on certain purchases a viable tradeoff if you have to return the item? i take the thought that blades/bits/hand tools are going to be pretty safe out of the box, but always think hard if its an item with many moving parts.

i suppose that people like myself offshoring for these items in the first place is probably one of the reasons why we pay more than 60% more on them locally.

wow, 2 rants off on a tangent and i still kept on topic, well kinda.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Be careful to keep your order below Aus$800

Wrong, it's $1000, has been for at least 2yrs.

Yes, below $1000. All the fine print is at
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5653
on "general imports"
"... you will be required to lodge a formal Customs Import Declaration if their value is above A$1000, and pay the calculated duty and taxes."

Its also worth reading
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=5549
on "importing when buying over the internet" - stuff on forms you might need to sign if it doesn't come by post (but by FedEx, for example).

I was having a look at buying a Leigh D4R dovetailer with accessory pack (VRS and a range of router bits). Got a price from Woodcraft (thanks for the recommendations fellas). USD599+FedEx USD132, so about AUD920 to my door. If I bought from Carbatec it would be AUD1188 plus any freight from Brisbane. So sorry Carbatec, but that's a $270 or so difference. Damn globalisation is cruel.

Lee Valley will usually offer you a surface post rate when they quote - they use Canada Post which has a lot of choices.

Surface mail IS still available from the USPS, you just have to be a major shipper to have access to it. OR have the shipper or local post office forget to put airmail stickers on the parcel which you have paid airmail rates for, in which case it goes by banana boat aka 3+ months to arrive (DAMHIK)

As an indicator, heres the quote i got for shipping at lee valley for a Kreg bandsaw fence and a K3 Pocket hole jig set. inspite of these prices its still cheaper by a couple of hundred than buying locally. This seems to be the same across the board across all the bigger retailers in the US.

*Surface Mail 8-12 Weeks $97.48 *Xpresspost 8-10 Business Days $166.48
*UPS Express 5-6 Days to Major Centers $107.86