Imagine shopping online for your favourite new paperback only to get to the checkout and find out the company doesn’t ship to Canada. That problem is a thing of the past with package forwarding services.
But does Barnes and Noble ship to Canada?
While Barnes and Noble doesn’t directly ship to Canadian addresses, there are ways to get around that and have your order shipped to your house.
Use a Package Forwarding Service
To get around your delivery problem, you can enroll in a packaging forward service that delivers all your goods directly to your home in Canada.
The Basics of a Packaging Forward Service and How It Works
Package forwarders offer solutions for Canadians shopping online at U.S.-based stores. They work to get your items delivered to your home. Here’s how to start.
- First, you sign up for your preferred service and receive a virtual address. Most services have different levels of memberships and costs. Once you make your selection, you will receive an address in the U.S. Most times, the address is within a warehouse the service uses for shipping purposes.
- After that, shop to your heart’s content. When you go to the online checkout, use your virtual address as the shipping option.
- The forwarding company will receive your package and prepare it for international shipping.
- The package forwarding service will then ship your goods directly to your home. They will deal with customs clearances and provide you with discounted shipping rates.
Advantages of a Package Forwarding Service
Obviously, the biggest advantage of a package forwarding service is that you receive a package you would not have otherwise gotten. But there’s much more these companies do that lessen consumer burdens.
- These services will unpackage the shipment when it comes to the warehouse to verify the order is correct. It makes it easier to return while the product is still in the country.
- Most services generate a set list of fees and shipping costs no matter where the purchases originate.
- Forwarding services will take care of all border and customs clearances needed to get the package into Canada.
- The customer will always have access to tracking information and know where their package is at all times.
- Because freight forwarders need to move packages quickly and efficiently, they develop large networks of global partners. These relationships are important for moving freight in a reliable and cost-effective way.
- Because forwarders have a large volume of packages, they can negotiate better shipping deals. In turn, these lower prices will carry over to the customer, making it more affordable for those living in Canada.
- While most people want their packages as soon as possible, freight forwarders give customers the option of warehousing their purchases. Depending on the service, this may include an added fee, but it can be worth it if you do not need your goods immediately.
Finding the Right Service: What to Consider
There are many package forwarding services, so you need to do your research to find the one that will work for you. To pick the right freight service, here are the factors to consider.
- Fees. Each service will typically have one charge to accept packages and ship them from their warehouse. In addition, there could be additional fees for storage, repackaging, and package consolidation.
- Speed of service. You want your order quickly, and the freight service wants it out of their warehouse, so how long will that take? Each forwarder will have some sort of timeline outlining how quickly orders get repackaged and shipped.
- Customer reviews. Before deciding on one service, check out their reviews. Now, you might have to take individual reviews with a grain of salt – people often like to complain. However, looking at the reviews, as a whole, you should get a solid answer as to how the company works and does business.
- Reliability. Find a service that is dependable and delivers packages on time. Most services will tout their on-time performance rating, but if not, you could usually find out from customer reviews.
- Quality. Cheap and fast service is great, but if your package arrived damaged, it would not really matter. Before deciding upon a freight forwarder, check out the company’s loss ratio to see how many packages arrive safely and without damage.
Final Thoughts
While Barnes and Noble don’t ship directly to customers within Canada, there are ways to receive your package without delay or added costs.
Package forwarding services offer customers living in Canada a simple way to shop at the book retailer and still get their goods.
These types of services will verify your order, package it up for shipment to Canada, and deliver it to your doorstep – all while tackling the border crossing and tricky customs clearances.
Looking for other companies that use package forwarders? Check out my article on this big-name UK clothing retailer.
