I have been getting a lot of calls from prospective massage chair shoppers in Canada. The US dollar (USD) must be getting a little stronger lately. Our family just got back from our annual pilgrimage to Canada (the birthplace of both my wife and I and 3 of our 6 children) and when I reviewed my debit card statement upon coming back to Utah, I saw that the exchange rate favored the US. I was a bit surprised by that as the USD had gotten so weak that the Canadian dollar was stronger than ours just a few short months ago.
Usually when I start getting more international inquiries, that is a pretty good indication that the currency in another country is dropping in value.
Well, I figured I'd write a brief blog post about shipping to Canada since I've been getting the same questions more frequently as of late. For most of our massage chairs, free shipping still applies to Canada. If you live somewhere "way up north", like Fort McMurray or into the Yukon or NWT, the shipping will be more. But, for main cities and business centers, the free shipping usually applies. Just call me to make sure.
The only hold up and logistical issue that needs addressing is customs. When you are importing a massage chair from the US you will need to pay customs/duty tax. I am not sure how much it is, but it is probably comparable to the current GST rate. Don't take my word for it, though. Call a customs broker to be sure.
Now, here is what you have to do when you order a massage chair from the USA:
Contact a customs broker! They are businesses that will process your chair paperwork into Canada by working through the customs duty/tax fees. You MUST go through a customs broker. The rule is that the owner of the chair has to make that arrangement. I can't do it for you, as I am just the facilitator of the sale. You will need to contact a customs broker to make arrangements for duty. Here is one that my shippers recommend:
YRC Customs Brokerage (866)-568-5588
Here is how it works:
1. Buyer needs to contact and sign up with a customs broker (small fee required)
2. Buyer passes along customs broker contact info to Massage-Chair-Relief.com
3. We pass the customs broker contact info to our shipping broker
4. Shipping broker passes contact info to the driver of the truck carrying your new massage chair
5. When the truck hits the border, the driver will contact the customs broker and complete the process to get the chair into the country.
6. The shipping company will contact you to make arrangements for a convenient delivery time to your home or business.
I hope this helps those of you who are Canadian residents looking to get a massage chair from the US. These basic customs principles apply to any international shipment, but logistics can be different, i.e. ocean vs. air freight vs. land freight, protocol for paying the customs duty/tax, etc.
Dr. AlanWeidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com
