Save Money on Alternative Shipping Arrangements of Hobby Lobby Products to Canada

The popular Hobby Lobby retailer ship to Canada by ship by Canada Post but in this article, we will introduce another shipping option.

It’s not uncommon for U.S. merchants to refuse to ship to Canada because of all the extra paperwork, increased expenses, and complex rules for shipping across the border.

Canada only represents about 10% of the market in the United States, so smaller companies don’t bother offering cheaper shopping prices to Canadian customers as incentives or loss leaders.

Best Option for Getting U.S. Products Shipped to Canada

Getting Hobby Lobby products shipped to Canada involves the following five steps:

1. Enroll with a U.S. shipping forwarder.
2. Get a free U.S. shipping address.
3. Sign up to ship products from the company’s warehouse to your Canadian address.
4. Complete your order at Hobby Lobby.
5. Use the U.S. address provided by the forwarding company as your shipping address for your Hobby Lobby order.

The only problem is finding a trusted and reliable shipping forwarder. You spend a lot on your art supplies, so you want to ensure that any supplies you order arrive safely in a timely manner.

Finding a Reliable Forwarding Service

Choosing a reliable forwarding service takes a bit of research — especially if you’ve never used one before.

The right package forwarder charges reasonable rates, forwards packages quickly, and handles and ships packages carefully to prevent your art supplies from arriving damaged. When researching package forwarding services, check the following criteria:

Service Fees

It’s important to check and compare the services on their core prices for accepting and re-shipping packages and any ancillary services like storage, package consolidation, re-packing, etc.

It’s also important to find what the monthly fees are for maintaining an account, or whether the company provides a free U.S. address.

Transparency

The right company provides pricing transparency and hidden fees. Reliable mail forwarders also reveal the address of their warehouse and generally describe their security measures. Find out if the company provides any type of shipping insurance.

Speed

Find out how long the company usually takes to process packages. How are the products shipped, and how long does shipping take? Does the company offer a way for you to track your packages?

Customer Service

You can check online reviews and customer testimonials to get some idea of how each forwarding company handles complaints, answers questions promptly, and scores in consumer ratings.

It quickly becomes obvious when a company places a lot of focus on their customer service that the company regards service with respect.

Re-shipping Benefits of Bundling

When looking for a re-shipper, you might benefit from a company that offers a re-shipping service where you can bundle purchases. This option allows you to consolidate shipments to get a considerably lower shipping price than paying for each package separately.

Some companies simply offer a U.S. address near the border — such as a post office box — to receive packages for Canadians living near the border.

In these cases, Canadians can simply step across the border to retrieve their packages, but this practice is fraught with risks and not recommended.

Driving across the border to claim your packages poses risks — such as increased exposure to Covid-19 — and possible restrictions of products accessible in the United States but banned In Canada.

A re-shipper clears your order through customs and pays all duties and taxes before shipping the products to your front door.

The Benefits of Canadians Having a U.S. Address

Numerous small companies specialize in parcel and courier services designed to make it easier for Canadians to get their mail and packages shipped from the United States.

The primary benefits of this strategy include saving money on shipping costs because domestic shipping costs are considerably cheaper than international shipping.

Another important benefit includes getting access to U.S. products from companies that won’t ship to Canada.

Getting and maintaining a U.S. address comes in handy for Canadians because many companies won’t ship to Canada. That’s because the market is viewed as small or requires too much red tape to ship internationally.

Canadians often want to take advantage of lower U.S. prices and wider selections of related products.

Extend Your Benefits

Getting a U.S. address allows you to re-order from Hobby Lobby as needed. You have a direct pipeline to the company’s art supplies, decorative home accessories, materials for crafting, specialty seasonal decor for the holidays, and much more.

A U.S. address can also save you lots of money. According to shopping experts, Amazon.com features a selection of products and lower prices than Amazon.ca, which is the Amazon Canada version.

According to these experts, Amazon.com often has prices that are 50% lower than the same products at Amazon.ca, even after factoring in duties, taxes, extra credit card fees, and the currency exchange rate.

Choosing Your Method of Shipping

Most reliable package forwarding companies offer at least four options for shipping your products. When your products arrive at the forwarding company, most reputable companies send you a photo of the contents to confirm safe arrival.

You’ll be offered various shipping options that allow you to focus on speedy delivery, the lowest price, or a combination of both. You might have as many as 10 or more choices based on the size, weight, and value of your shipment.

Conclusion

You don’t have to buy a house in the United States to have a U.S. shipping address. You can use a simple workaround to ship Hobby Lobby and other products from U.S. merchants that won’t ship to Canada. All you need is a virtual U.S. address supplied by a mail and package forwarding company.

As a Canadian, you’ll enjoy the lower prices and extended selection of products offered at Amazon.com and other major U.S. retailers. Shipping to your U.S. address qualifies you for lower shipping costs and other benefits.

It’s a worthwhile approach to pursue if you buy lots of products online, and who doesn’t these days because of Covid-19 concerns.