Official Luthiers Forum!

I came accross the post on radius jig that USA export regulations prohibit shipping to Canada.

"Thank you for your order. Unfortunately, due to the ever-increasing complexity of U.S. Export regulations, McMaster-Carr can no longer process orders for private individuals outside of the United States . We sincerely regret any inconvenience this causes you."

I got this same reply when I ordered from them too. What's with this? I was able to get similar materials from another USA supplier. They did not have trade problems with Canada. Is there really a trade embargo with we Canadians or does this company just not want to be bothered to ship here? My own business is not good enough that I can tell clients to go away.

Greg39063.7998263889

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

Sounds more like a decision made by McMaster-Carr's bean counters. I've never had a bit of trouble shipping stuff to Canada, but I know enough to use the USPS and NOT UPS, cuz UPS dings you Kanucks for a handling charge. Maybe that's it?

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

McMaster-Carr sells quite a few items that would be restricted for export. In particular, high accuracy switches, measurement equipment, etc. I bet, when they have an order for export hey have to prove that it's not a technology export. I'm guessing low quantity orders, which most private orders are, would cost them more to process than they would make.

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nay

My blogs
Hand Made Gutar
Woodworker++

Makes sense. Do you suppose they have those pots that go to 11? I've been trying to get those. I'll bet that it is some kind of security issue so USA doesn't have to have loud neighbors.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

Hi, everybody-
I was the original poster on the McMaster-Carr refusal to ship to Canada.
I don't actually need anything from them right now, but somebody suggested I order under a bogus company name and see if that made a difference.
My guess is that they have big US govt and military contracts/purchase orders and the restrictions are in response to some govt red tape. Keepin the homeland safe and all that....
John

I reckon you have product distribution rights at play here.

It is common practise for a manufacturer to require that any prospective distributor of their products sign an agreement which places an area restrictions on their intended market place. This restriction can be delineated by state or national boarders of what ever boundaries they see fit.

Manufacturers do this for a number of reasons but in the main this exclusion affords them an element of control and protection of the over all marketing and margins that are available to their partners.

Distribution companies like McMaster Carr handle countless different products from thousands of different manufacturers. I would imagine that its just easier for them too not ship outside the USA rather than attempting to sort through which product is allowed to go where in the world.

Cheers

Kim

I think it has more to do with the whupping our men and women's olympic hockey team gave their U.S. counterparts at the 2002 Olympics

All kidding aside - Grizzly too -- won't ship to Canada unless you make arrangements for drop shipping (expensive).

Greg - what is it you are looking for from McMaster-Carr -- some of the Canadians here on the OLF might be able to give you an alternate source.

Or a way to build it!

I was able to get what I needed from Stock Drive Products and Kite Studio (both in the US). I think McM/C just couldn't be bothered with small orders to insignificant places

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

[QUOTE=nathan c] McMaster-Carr sells quite a few items that would be restricted for export. In particular, high accuracy switches, measurement equipment, etc. I bet, when they have an order for export hey have to prove that it's not a technology export. I'm guessing low quantity orders, which most private orders are, would cost them more to process than they would make.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, because we really have to worry about our northern brothers .... there are much bigger kettles of fish out there....   

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

It sounds to me like the issue is "private individuals". Many of these companies like using UPS exclusively (I think they pick up so that no one from the company has to go to the post office) and therefore will not deal outside of the US except to campnaies that buy in volume to offset the huge border charges associated with UPS. Just my guess, they will usually tell why for sure if you just ask them though.

Anthony, the Grizzly thing is a totaly different issue, that has to do with exclusive market rights. Grizzly in the US is the same product as Craftex (Busy Bee Tools) in Canada. The down side to that is that Grizzly has a much broader line of tools, especially for the luthier, than Craftex does. But they have these agreements in place and that buggers it up for us. You can bring them across duty free though, I called customs about a thickness sander, they said no duty, so deliver to a friend close to the border and drive over and pick it up.

Shane

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Canada