Canadian Owners' Shipping Experiences

jethro · « **on:** 25 Apr 2003, 02:26 pm »

I've had somewhat heavy amplifiers (85 lbs) shipped from the US to Canada with relatively few problem. The RM2 and RM40, however, are in a different league, weight and girth wise. Are there any Canadian VMPS owners out there that would like to share their shipping experiences with me ? I know I will have to pay the HST, brokerage fee, and federal entry fee. I guess my big concern is the approximate shipping fee. I would ask VMPS or one of their US dealers directly however I will not be buying for at least the next 6 months so I didn't want to use up their time. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Thanks.

sharper · « **Reply #1 on:** 25 Apr 2003, 09:53 pm »

I've always ordered from and picked them up from the nearest dealer to me. When I lived in Montreal, it was The Listening Studio in Boston - 5 hour drive. Now I'm in T.O., I go to Today's Audio in Flint, MI - 4 hour drive. But Halifax, is a little bit more than a 4 hour drive from the nearest VMPS dealer...hmmm...

The only problem I've had with shipping VMPS speakers was with the New Original Subwoofer. It was damaged in transit somwhere between California and Flint, MI. I drove down to Flint, MI only to find the cabinet bashed up...should have called ahead...so, I guess, my suggestion would be to order from the nearest dealer (Dynamic Sound in DC? I don't know if the Listening Studio is open), have them inspect the speakers when it arrives at their store and then have them ship it on to you.

...or if the Listening Studio is open, you could take the Yarmouth to Portland, ME ferry

Scott

jethro · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 Apr 2003, 12:53 am »

Boston's not too far away, but my car is too small anyways. Since posting, I have been talking to a VMPS dealer, and have further information. It looks like the trucking company that VMPS uses has an agreement with other trucking companies across North America. One of the associated trucking company's depot is about 15 minutes away from my home. Next week I'm going to contact the local company and try to get a feeling for shipping costs.

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Apr 2003, 03:46 pm »

We get a 55% discount on all truck shipments including into Canada, so if you need a freight rate contact us directly.

tmd · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Apr 2003, 09:12 pm »

I got the 626R kits when still living in Calgary last summer. Jim Romeyn at ribbonspekers.net can tell you more about the shipping costs. I can't remember them. They arrived without any shipping damage. I know they are smaller and lighter than the 2's and 40's though.

jethro · « **Reply #5 on:** 3 May 2003, 01:08 pm »

I checked with TST Overland which handles shipping into my area in combination with G.I. Trucking, for a rough estimate on shipping a pair of RM40's from El Sobrante. The shipping cost to the local terminal would be around $800 CDN. There are extra charges for home delivery, if a lift truck is required, and possibly brokerage fee. These 3 items are approximately $50 CDN each. As Brian said, GI Trucking has a 55% discount plan for VMPS. The person at TST Overland indicated that the price wouldn't necessarily be 45% of the $800 CDN price because G.I. Trucking's quote might not be the same as provided by TST. However, this $800 CDN fee should give about the worst case cost to ship a pair of RM40's from El Sobrante to Canada (except far north). The TST Overland salesman indicated that the quoted price would also provide insurance on the RM40s. Evidently a standard amount of insurance is provided per pound shipped. So shipping costs aren't really a big factor when it comes to buying RM40's from Canada (relatively speaking). Now I just have to decide whether I want to switch to VMPS. If anybody in Nova Scotia has VMPS speakers that I could have a listen to, it would certainly make the decision easier.