Vallisneria Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 That sucks, I hope he can change and make it "air letter post". WItht aht amount of shipping it isn't really much cheaper getting it at kensfish.com then it was at petsolutions.com(and they have cheap equipement to choose from too). RD, let me know if you cna get ken to change the shipping. I"d still be interested in ordering soem later on(next time i need food) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Yeah, I have no idea what's up with that? Petsolutions gave me some song & dance how they were only set up for shipping to Canada via Parcel Post, and there would be no shipping to Canada (in the near future) via Airmail Letter Post. I just emailed the following to Ken: Subject: New Life Spectrum to Canada Hey Ken,Glad to see you are now carrying NLS. There's a lot of folks up here in Canada that use this food, but the shipping cost has always been an issue. Is there any particular reason why you don't ship items under 4 pounds to Canada via USPS Airmail Letter Post ? FYI ..... Air Mail Letter Post allows parcels up to 4 pounds, with the following dimensions: Max. length 24", Max. length, height, depth combined 36" The shipping rates from the US to Canada are all the same (no matter where in Canada you live) and the fees applied can be calculated here: http://ircalc.usps.gov/weight.asp?err=badc...inue&Contents=1 Here's what I get on a single 300 gr container of NLS Cichlid Formula. Order Subtotal: $11.53 Shipping: $13.25 The shipping on that single container could be $3.70 if shipped via US Postal Sevice Airmail Letter Post, instead of $13.25 via US Postal Service International Parcel Post (Air mail) As you can see, it's a rather large difference, for the exact same service? (Air Mail) Thanks, Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Ok, Ken & I went back & forth on this, and it appears the matter has been resolved. Ken's response to me was: Hello Neil, I can ship that way to you. The only problem why I do not offer that on my site is there is no way to put insurance on the package this way. They usually do not accept insurance if it is shipped this way. Just let me know what you would like and I would be more than happy to ship it this way. Thank You Ken Menard 32 Fourth Ave. Taunton, MA 02780 kenm333@comcast.net I explained to Ken that in 7 years of shipping world wide I have never had a Small Packet/Letter Post parcel go missing, or get damaged, so insurance was not an issue with me. Canada Post recently came out with $100 insurance on all Small Packet parcels, so perhaps the USPS even offers this option now? I'll check later when the USPS servers stop acting up. Either way, I explained to Ken that I didn't want to open the flood gates until he was sure that he could provide this service to everyone/anyone from Canada who asked, and he said he could, and that it would not be a problem. I also told Ken that between the lower shipping price, and the lower sticker price of NLS on his site, he'll be putting a serious dent in petsolutions future orders from Canada. :hey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 BTW - if anyone plans on ordering *anything* from Ken that with combined weight of the box & packing material will be under 4 pounds, make sure to email or call him directly, and make sure to ask for US Postal Sevice Airmail Letter Post to Canada. This shipping option is not on his online ordering form. Quite frankly I'm surprised that no one in Canada who orders from Ken has thought of this before? Am I smart or what? Ken seems like a very nice guy, and I was amazed at how swiftly he to got back to me, especially this late at night. He told my order would go out tomorrow AM. I'm not easy to impress, and I'm very impressed with Ken's service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Thats great to hear Thanks Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ÐÉÅÑ Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 (edited) Neil, could you give us an example of about how much US Postal Sevice Airmail Letter Post to Canada would cost ? Thanks edit- Nevermind, I read through the prior replies and found the answer. :chair: Edited January 15, 2005 by ÐÉÅÑ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Anyone interested in doing a group order any time soon? Im thinking that everyone is always talking about NLS food, and I wanna give some of it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Yep. Start it up, Ty. I'm in, as I'm sure others will be. How much could we order without going over the weight restrictions of the cheaper freight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 ah, me? I've got lots going on right now... I think I'll pass on the starting of one up... I'd much rather join one and let someone else do the dirty work. My hands are "dirty enough" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Keep in mind the 'total' weight (including the box & packing material) must be under 4 pounds in order to fly via Airmail Letter Mail. Depending on the total weight of the parcel, the price for shippiing will vary between $3.75 - $11.75 US. (if under 4 pounds) Also, if Ken is correct, this will also mean that insurance will not be available when shipping via this method. I personally don't consider this a HUGE risk factor, but between Canada Post, the USPS, and Canada Customs, the risk is always there. Also, if the order is over $20 Cdn, by law Canada Customs & Revenue will add on GST, and PST in those Provinces where it is applicable, and Canada Post will charge a $5.00 fee for accepting the taxes on their behalf. (unless you get damn lucky & it flies under their radar) Ok, that's the bad news, the good news is that I've once again been asked to distribute this food in Canada, and depending on how things go, I may in fact be able to offer this food in the future at a reduced cost to fellow Canadians. (wholesale, as well as retail) Stay tuned ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ÐÉÅÑ Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 I also just e-mailed Ken about that. If it all works out I will be very happy. Thank you Neil :thumbs: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Glad to help, Dean. Knocking $5-$10 US off the shipping price is always a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted January 16, 2005 Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Any idea how soon that might happen, RD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 Cpt ----- No, not really. I suspect it may take a month or two to work out all of the kinks. I actually looked at this several months back, but decided that between the wholesale costs, the shipping costs from FL, Cdn taxes, the work invloved, etc, that it wasn't feasible for me to take on. When Pablo recently called me it was mentioned briefly, but that's really not we discussed. Now it seems things may have been taken up a notch, and if everything looks okay at this end, I may indeed be carrying this food in the near future. Obviously this would work out well for many people in AB, as the shipping costs for the most part could be eliminated, or at the least greatly reduced. People in Provinces with PST, would also have that tax eliminated, as being in AB I don't have to charge PST. And of course, no $5 fee to Canada Post when they collect the Canadian taxes on orders over $20 Cdn. I think the savings for Canadians would be substantial, especially on group orders. The real market would lay out East, in some of the larger privately owned franchises. Individual sales really wouldn't be much in the way of a money maker, but of course I'd make sure everyone here was taken care of. This food is HUGE in the USA, and Pablo says the demand in Canada is also very substantial. He told me he gets calls & emails every week from Canadians, so he knows the demand is there. He also knows the owner of petsolutions & the other online vendors in the US, so I imagine he has a pretty good idea how much gets shipped to Canada every month. As soon as I know, you guys will know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2005 BTW - I wanted to address something Cpt posted to me in another thread, which concerned my comments about this food sounding more like sales pitch, than an enthused hobbyist. The truth is, up until a couple of days ago (Jan 13th) I really had no 'serious plans of carrying this food in Canada. It's been tossed around in the past but nothing ever became of it. (for reasons mentioned above) As of Jan 13th Pablo offered me a business arrangement that I now find rather difficult to refuse, so things have suddenly changed. Jan 13th is the same date (later that night) that I pressed Ken for getting reduced shipping costs to Canadians, so obviously my intentions aren't based on 'sales' and $$$$. If they had been, I would have let things lay with Ken, and when/if I began carrying this food my shipping costs would have been a small fraction of Ken's, obviously making direct purchases from me FAR more inviting than ordering from the USA. Anyone that's read my comments about NLS over on C-F knows I'm a huge fan of this food. I've been feeding NLS since Oct 9th 2003, and every fish I've owned has eaten it with gusto, and improved 100% in both overall health & color. Most people consider NLS to be a 'color enhancing' food, because it's usually the first thing they notice with their fish, improved coloration. I consider it a 'health' food, because the truth is NLS is a premium fish food that will do far more than increase the color in your fish. If your fish already have great color, you might not notice any serious improvement in the coloration of your fish, but I guarantee their overall health & vigour will improve. You will also notice that you have to feed far less then some of the more popular brands of foods, as NLS is a highly nutritional & highly digestible food. Less food = less waste in your tank. I don't feed low grade poorly digestible food to my dog, and I'm certainly not going to go that route with my fish. With regards to color improvement, it won't make a poor quality fish look great, no food will (unless it contains hormones) but it will give your fish a diet that closely resembles what it would eat in the wild. If your fish doesn't 'shine' with color with this food, it never will. I've fed this food to various species including numerous species of Lake Malawi Haps & Peacocks, Mbuna (both herbivores & omnivores), and a couple of Tangs including N. brichardi & Alto compressiceps. Every last one of these fish ate this food with gusto from the very first feeding, and those that still remain in my tanks, still are. Those that know me also know that if I didn't believe in this product, I wouldn't endorse it. I know that I posted this in the Africans folder, but the truth is all species of fish can & will improve on a diet of NLS. I wouldn't hesitate to feed this food to any species of Tropical Fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.