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Hello! What a gorgeous little Kitsune! Perfect wintry colours! Could you please add me to this month’s raffle? Thank you so much !
Moondust Dragon
You can use UPS or FedEx to Canada. From the U.S. end, it looks as though they cost about the same, with Postal sometimes being a bit more. From the Canadian end, the brokerage fees these companies charge are so high that it is prohibitively expensive for us to want to use UPS, FedEx, or DHL. All of the Canadian collectors I know avoid these shipping options like the plague.
When you ship via USPS, Canada Post will clear your package through Customs for a flat rate of $9.95, no matter the value of the contents. When you ship using any of these other companies, they charge an exponentially higher “Customs Clearance Fee” that is proportionate to the value of the package, and maybe also based on the type of goods being imported.
Whenever anyone ships to me from the U.S. using UPS, I am asked to pay somewhere from $30 -$ 150+ on top of the price of the item ($10-$15 brokerage fees are a thing of the past; I was recently asked to pay $183 in UPS fees for a larger sculpt – large, but smaller than an SK), plus the already expensive shipping cost, and then the duty/tax as well. Another Canadian collector recently told me that she once paid $97 CAD to UPS for an item valued at $100 CAD. This is why we do not like UPS.
99% of Canadians don’t know that you can self-clear your own package if it was shipped by any of those couriers, and thereby avoid the Clearance fees altogether. I know this because my husband works for Customs and was stationed at the largest postal facility in the country for over a decade. Self-clearing is possible, but it involves a lot of red tape and a trip *in person* to a Custons office. At this time, there is no option to self-clear online, although that is rumoured to be coming. Canada is a big country, and
most of our citizens do not live near a Customs office. While all of this is happening, the courier is withholding your item and pestering you incessantly to pay their fees, which can cause a significant delay in actually receiving the item. It is really, really upsetting, especially if the item in limbo is a bigger-ticket and/or OOAK, irreplaceable item like a GB or a TP.So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t ship to us via UPS, FedEx or DHL without checking what our preference is first, although I realize that it’s a pain in the butt to have to do so. For me personally, I am asking Windstone people if I can pay them just for the item upfront, then have them hold onto my purchases until after the strike is over, at which point I will pay for the shipping via Canada Post. You gotta be a dedicated collector to go through all of that!
Moondust Dragon
The strike is ongoing, and there’s not a lot of information in the news. I’m checking every day and can let you know when anything changes. My husband works for Customs and has friends at Postal, so he hears things sometimes. With previous strikes, Canada Post has been legislated back to work, but because we have a minority government right now, it looks like that’s not possible (the official opposition has said they won’t support back-to-work legislation). So it may be a while. I’m waiting on my PYO Swap piece, a package from the factory, a package from another collector, and I have 2 other people holding pieces I’ve bought from them until the strike is over. The backlog will be massive. I also live in a very small town and do most of my Christmas shopping online. 😭 Nothing is moving at all except for benefit cheques (it’s a full strike as opposed to a rolling strike). 😱 Sorry it’s not better news.
Moondust Dragon
Hello! I would love to enter the November PIF Raffle. My choice if I were to win would be the surprise painted PYO. Thank you for hosting!
Moondust Dragon
Hello! What a fantastic prize – the winner is in for a treat! I already have a copy, so I will forego entering in order to give others a chance. Good luck, everyone! – Moondust Dragon
Moondust Dragon
Hi Stephanie,
if it’s not too late, could you please enter me in the August PIF Raffle? She’s so cute, and I especially love her nail polish!
Thank you! – Moondust Dragon
P.S. Thank you also to etruscan for the instructions re. how to get photos down to a size where they can be posted here in the Forum. I’ve been trying to figure that out for months!
Moondust Dragon
Hi Sherrie/Dragon Kitty, I am unsure of the etiquette of entering the Raffle the month after I’ve hosted – I’ve asked a few people and have been told that it’s okay to do so. So, if it’s cool with you, I would like to enter for July. I would choose the Ori Clutter (Qi-Lin or Ki-Rin). I’m not sure if you would like participants to specify a particular sculpt or colour, or if that part will be a surprise? I’m assuming surprise, but if you are looking for a more specific choice, please let me know. Thank you so much for hosting! Good luck to all of the participants. – Moondust Dragon
Moondust Dragon
The Wheel of Names has spoken, and the winner is…
Sherrie Salinger – Dragon Kitty!
Congratulations!
I would include a photo of the Wheel of Names here, but the Forum doesn’t like PNGs or PDFs, and I can’t figure out how to save it as a JPG. But I did take a screenshot of it. XD
Sherrie, I will PM you re. shipping details etc. Thank you for playing, everyone! – Moondust Dragon
Moondust Dragon
Sherrie Salinger, I’m about to do the raffle draw and I’ve added your name into the running. 🙂
Moondust Dragon
Different circumstances, but same basic question: I live in a century home where the attic was converted into living space by a previous owner. It’s not very well insulated, so it gets cold (but tolerable) in the winter, and ridiculously hot in the summer. Since I started collecting Windstones and displaying them up there (away from pets and kids), we purchased a portable A/C and a couple of larger fans to cool things down, so it’s *much* better than it was. Also, I keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading, but the lights in my display cabinets give off some heat, which concerns me. I only turn the lights on for short periods of time when I’m admiring them, dusting them, showing them to someone else, etc. The cabinets get cooled down a fair bit by the A/C etc., but I don’t want to blow air directly on the cabinets, as that would blow dust and pet hair in through the little gaps between the glass doors. So I have been meaning to ask about Windstones and heat for a while and just hadn’t gotten around to it. I would also appreciate any information about this. Thank you! 🙂
Moondust Dragon
List of entrants in June 2024 PIF Raffle:
Gryphy18
Fincat
Bodine
Linda Watson
Rachel Sokolowski
Gamma R
Ela_Hara
Bodancia
Cheryl MundeeMoondust Dragon
Updated list of entrants in the June PIF Raffle:
Gryphy18
Fincat
Bodine
Linda Watson
Rachel Sokolowski
Gamma R
Ela_HaraEla_Hara, you’re welcome. 😉
Good luck, everyone!
Moondust Dragon
