Just thought I'd start a thread on Canadian online bike retailers. Always nice not having to worry about duty and the like. Please reply if you know of any or have recommendations.

Thanks,

Jon :)

www.bikeroom.com
http://www.labicicletta.com/edatcat/cad/tlsstore.cgi?user_action=price_login&curr=CAD

I must say that I've never ordered from either

the low US dollar and the lack of duty on bike parts makes ordering from the states attractive.
just make sure they ship USPS, not UPS or FedEx.

Peter was helpful in getting me parts that were not highlighted on his website. Service was excellent and was able to use Paypal.

Smoothshifting was a good experience for me as well.

I must say that I've never ordered from either

the low US dollar and the lack of duty on bike parts makes ordering from the states attractive.
just make sure they ship USPS, not UPS or FedEx.

What difference does the ship method make? I've been avoiding the US as well, but any tips you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks.

What difference does the ship method make? I've been avoiding the US as well, but any tips you can give me would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Even though there is no duty on most bike parts coming in from the states, you will still need to pay GST (and maybe PST) on your purchase.
FedEx and UPS charge ridiculous brokerage fees for this.
Canada Post clears USPS packages themselves and charges a flat $5 fee regardless of the value of the package. Brokerage on FedEx and UPS seems completely arbitrary. charges of $50+ are not uncommon.

the downside though, is that you don't get a shipment tracking number with USPS

Even though there is no duty on most bike parts coming in from the states, you will still need to pay GST (and maybe PST) on your purchase.
FedEx and UPS charge ridiculous brokerage fees for this.
Canada Post clears USPS packages themselves and charges a flat $5 fee regardless of the value of the package. Brokerage on FedEx and UPS seems completely arbitrary. charges of $50+ are not uncommon.

the downside though, is that you don't get a shipment tracking number with USPS

Thanks a lot for the info Baxter! I had counted on duty, but not brokerage fees.

Thanks again.

Even though there is no duty on most bike parts coming in from the states, you will still need to pay GST (and maybe PST) on your purchase.
FedEx and UPS charge ridiculous brokerage fees for this.
Canada Post clears USPS packages themselves and charges a flat $5 fee regardless of the value of the package. Brokerage on FedEx and UPS seems completely arbitrary. charges of $50+ are not uncommon.

the downside though, is that you don't get a shipment tracking number with USPS

No duty on Bike Parts ? Why ? Just wondering... Also: Does this just apply to Bike Parts or also to other bike stuff (clothing, books, gels, ...? )

Thanks in advance.

L.

No duty on Bike Parts ? Why ? Just wondering... Also: Does this just apply to Bike Parts or also to other bike stuff (clothing, books, gels, ...? )

Thanks in advance.

L.

no idea why. Parts are duty free.
Accessories (including clothing/helmets/shoes) are not.
to make things even more confusing, there is apparently a 13% duty on complete bikes. and an 8% (?) duty on built wheels, but no duty on hubs/rims/spokes individually.
The complete set of rules is somewhere on the Canadian Customs website, though its almost impossiblke to decipher.

However, places like nashbar/performance will ship your oder as "bike parts" rather than "bike accessories" if it contains a mix of parts and clothing.