# We only ship to the US and Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 10, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521 "2006-12-10T01:22:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/41 "2006-12-10T18:01:13Z")
[QUOTE=Fish Cheer] ([http://www.randomshirts.com/faqs.htm](http://www.randomshirts.com/faqs.htm)) This is a minor rant. Well, no, it isn’t. I’m really angry. But they’re “really sorry.” WTF? Ok, I get it, there’s no civilization outside of North America, and while we’re dancin’ 'round our campfires fuelled by unfortunate LDS missionaries, we don’t really need cool T-shirts. We’re warm anyway. Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/42 "2006-12-10T18:04:53Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] Maybe you’d have to repeat yourself less if you explained how they would be safer from fraud without money orders. [/QUOTE] [http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/mofeatur.htm](http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/mofeatur.htm) for starters. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/43 "2006-12-10T18:05:08Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] [QUOTE=Fish Cheer] ([http://www.randomshirts.com/faqs.htm](http://www.randomshirts.com/faqs.htm)) This is a minor rant. Well, no, it isn’t. I’m really angry. But they’re “really sorry.” WTF? Ok, I get it, there’s no civilization outside of North America, and while we’re dancin’ 'round our campfires fuelled by unfortunate LDS missionaries, we don’t really need cool T-shirts. We’re warm anyway. Gotcha. [/QUOTE] Damn, what happened? Guess I hit submit before writing anything. Need coffee. Anyway, your statement is inaccurate. It should read: ‘there’s no civilization outside of the contiguous 48 states’. Many companies won’t ship to Alaska or Hawaii, or if they do, it’s only by 2-day Fedex, which means that if you need a replacement gasket for your milk frother (as I did recently), they will want $25 on top of the $5.95 for the part to send it to you. MOTHERFUCKERS! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/44 "2006-12-10T18:09:12Z")
Submitted too early… [QUOTE=CarnalK] Regardless, the amount they make from US&Canada money-order paid shipments could be greater than their total overseas shipments, making your idea a money loser still. [/quote] “Due to growing problems with counterfeit money orders, we are unable to accept these as payment for shipments to outside the US & Canada.” Job done. > [@](#): > > The poor German thinks that the Yanks are looking down on his backward country. Trouble is, I don’t think that’s what the T-shirt guys intended. I don’t think it’s what they intended, either. But it comes across that way. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/45 "2006-12-10T18:12:31Z")
Well, **GorillaMan** , that article does tell that there are security features to check for and nowhere does it say that money order fraud is a bigger problem than credit card fraud- which I would have a hard time believing, actually. Also, you could always wait to ship until the money order cleared. I don’t think your repeated point is much of a clincher. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/46 "2006-12-10T18:29:18Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Why are we still talking about credit cards? [/QUOTE] From the subject website, quoted in the OP. > [@](#): > > Those mean people with stolen credit cards ruined it for everyone! Now, these people may be really stupid, but I think they know when they’re hit with Money Order fraud and when they’re hit with Credit Card fraud. For some reason you’re locked into the idea that they were defrauded via Money Order, when they themselves said it was Credit Cards. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/47 "2006-12-10T18:35:19Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] [QUOTE=Chefguy] Damn, what happened? Guess I hit submit before writing anything. Need coffee. Anyway, your statement is inaccurate. It should read: ‘there’s no civilization outside of the contiguous 48 states’. Many companies won’t ship to Alaska or Hawaii, or if they do, it’s only by 2-day Fedex, which means that if you need a replacement gasket for your milk frother (as I did recently), they will want $25 on top of the $5.95 for the part to send it to you. MOTHERFUCKERS! [/QUOTE] You can’t blame the company for that, UPS and Fed-Ex limit the options to only overnight and 2-Day there is no ground option for the shipper take. Hard to blame even UPS and Fed-Ex for that really. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/48 "2006-12-10T18:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Cheesesteak] From the subject website, quoted in the OP… [/QUOTE] Good point, I’ve no idea how I misread it :smack: Which brings me back into the _WTF?!_ camp seen on page one. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/49 "2006-12-10T18:40:29Z")
[QUOTE=Stuffy] You can’t blame the company for that, UPS and Fed-Ex limit the options to only overnight and 2-Day there is no ground option for the shipper take. Hard to blame even UPS and Fed-Ex for that really. [/QUOTE] UPS Ground to Hawaii would be… interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grits_and_Hard_Toast)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/50 "2006-12-10T18:43:01Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Like not accepting money orders as payment, for example? Why do I keep on repeating myself? [/QUOTE] What makes you think that is the end all solution to this problem?(again not being snarky, just curious.) So they stop with the money orders. Do you know for a fact that the countries where they had problems with the stolen credit cards are now offering a solution that is secure for the seller? It seems your knowledge of phony money orders should add to your understanding of why other countries besides the US and Canada had to be dropped. They explained the couldn’t find a secure way to take credit cards from other places. And as you know, taking money orders from these places has problems as well. So just how are they to get the money? Really, if you know of a way that could work with their system that would allow them to sell to these other countries, please let them know. If they could find a way to make it work, I am sure they would. Still not getting the reason to blame them for not being able to do something I am sure they would love to do. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/51 "2006-12-10T18:51:17Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] It requires about 2 minutes worth of work to write “Australia” as the destination country on the parcel and write three lines on the Customs declaration to the effect that the parcel contains “Books” or “DVDs” or what have you. . [/QUOTE] How long does it take to look up the list of items banned for import into Aus, or those which have special rules or fees? ---
**Author:** ![Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grits_and_Hard_Toast)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/52 "2006-12-10T18:52:23Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] Maybe you’d have to repeat yourself less if you explained how they would be safer from fraud without money orders. Regardless, the amount they make from US&Canada money-order paid shipments could be greater than their total overseas shipments, making your idea a money loser still. I think I understand this pitting, **Grits and Hard Toast**. The poor German thinks that the Yanks are looking down on his backward country. Trouble is, I don’t think that’s what the T-shirt guys intended. [/QUOTE] Oops, also meant to respond to CarnalK… It must be something like that. But in this case, with it being a small time, barely getting by company, I just feel a little education is needed. Either I need to be educated, if the pitters have a justification for feeling the way they do, I would like to hear it. Or the pitters need an education in that there are likely legitimate obstacles preventing these guys from being able to securely do business in other places. I just hate seeing what looks to me to be an unfair blaming of this company. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/53 "2006-12-10T20:16:14Z")
[QUOTE=Stuffy] [QUOTE=Chefguy] You can’t blame the company for that, UPS and Fed-Ex limit the options to only overnight and 2-Day there is no ground option for the shipper take. Hard to blame even UPS and Fed-Ex for that really. [/QUOTE] Didn’t mean to imply that it’s the fault of UPS, et al. Why can’t companies use the fucking USPS? The same gasket, dropped in an envelope, would cost about $.50 to mail. Even Priority mailing would only be $3.95. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/54 "2006-12-10T20:26:06Z")
Agree totally with the OP. On the rare occasion I can actually _get_ something from the US, their website usually can’t handle the fact that I don’t have a ZIP code, and it freaks out. I’ve had to even email them sometimes because I couldn’t use the web-based form. Yes, my state abbreviation is three letters not two, you fuckers. It’s NSW. I shudder the think how much stuff has come to me via Nova Scotia because the W has fallen off the end. But what’s even more infuriating are the websites that will ship _some_ things to Australia. Invariably, it’s the REALLY COOL stuff that they won’t. Recently. there was a link on this board to a site for nerd toys. There was all the usual cutesy stuff like USB-powered coffee warmers and what all. I didn’t want any of that shit. No, I wanted the freakin’ uber-cool indoor easy-to-fly RC helicopter. But would they ship it to Australia? Would they arse. It was the only thing I wanted and the only thing they wouldn’t ship. The reason? Some bullshit about voltage and the transformer supplied. Do you think I can’t by an adaptor in my heathen, non-opposable thumbed hick country, you dumbshits? I live in a city of four million. I can get my hands on a fucken US/Australian electrical adaptor, fuckers. Just send me the goddam helicopter. I want to land it on my boss’s head. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/55 "2006-12-10T21:11:21Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] How long does it take to look up the list of items banned for import into Aus, or those which have special rules or fees? [/QUOTE] Not long. Might be a hassle\* for you wanting to send a bottle of hooch to your great aunt in Brisbane, but for a company that is in the freakin’ export business, they should already know all that stuff. If you’re exporting a narrow range of products (computer peripherals, food, whatever), then your employees should have a basic knowledge of import laws in one or two dozen major countries, and access to reference material regarding the rest of them. If they can do it for Canada, they can do it for elsewhere. \*five minutes with Google. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/56 "2006-12-10T21:11:57Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I didn’t want any of that shit. No, I wanted the freakin’ uber-cool indoor easy-to-fly RC helicopter. But would they ship it to Australia? Would they arse. It was the only thing I wanted and the only thing they wouldn’t ship. The reason? Some bullshit about voltage and the transformer supplied. Do you think I can’t by an adaptor in my heathen, non-opposable thumbed hick country, you dumbshits? I live in a city of four million. I can get my hands on a fucken US/Australian electrical adaptor, fuckers. Just send me the goddam helicopter. I want to land it on my boss’s head. [/QUOTE] Well, don’t they sell indoor easy-to-fly RC helicopters in your hick country? I’m sure they’ll deliver. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/57 "2006-12-10T21:13:47Z")
[QUOTE=CarnalK] Well, don’t they sell indoor easy-to-fly RC helicopters in your hick country? I’m sure they’ll deliver. 😛 [/QUOTE] Ouch. 😃 I was asking for that one… ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/58 "2006-12-10T21:22:08Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] [QUOTE=Stuffy] Didn’t mean to imply that it’s the fault of UPS, et al. Why can’t companies use the fucking USPS? The same gasket, dropped in an envelope, would cost about $.50 to mail. Even Priority mailing would only be $3.95. [/QUOTE] For my company, that would require a special trip into the post office. Not that big a deal, but not something that we’re _eager_ to do, especially if it’s for a sale of that size. There can be lots of things going on behind the scenes when it comes to shipping. For example, we get charged extra by UPS for our packaging, so we don’t like to use UPS. Because we don’t like to use them, we don’t have the same systems in place to use them as we do for FedEx and FedEx Ground. We’re a small company, so we try to serve the outliers, but it’s not always reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/59 "2006-12-10T22:09:12Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] [QUOTE=Stuffy] Didn’t mean to imply that it’s the fault of UPS, et al. Why can’t companies use the fucking USPS? The same gasket, dropped in an envelope, would cost about $.50 to mail. Even Priority mailing would only be $3.95. [/QUOTE] Except you can’t track in real time which leads to Customer Service problems. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521/60 "2006-12-11T03:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=kushiel] No. _laughs_ But there have been times I have been so desperate to get something only sold in the States that I’d pay a premium for it to make it worth the while. Smaller stores can get a pass for this, but it irks me when I go to someplace like [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) because something isn’t sold on Amazon.ca, and they won’t ship outside of the US. [/QUOTE] FWIW, I was on the [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) website a couple of weeks ago, and though I didn’t actually order anything, it appeared that Amazon out of the US will now ship to Canada. If you were actually interested in something on US Amazon, and this wasn’t just an example, you may want to check back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-only-ship-to-the-us-and-canada/383521.md?page=4)