Because of good prices and no-duty easy shipment into Canada, I often used Bimmer.ca which later morphed into mbzspecialist.ca. There were US equivalents of both.

But today when I tried to access those sites, I was re-directed to Pelican Parts! This was the link that came up:

https://www.bimmerspecialist.ca/checkout

Just bough a few weeks ago and no inkling that this was happening!

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

No one had any inkling, as far as I can tell. I had a cart saved at www.mbzspecialist.ca, waiting to check out there. I went back to pay and check out a few days later (was waiting to see if one item would come back into stock)... boom, hello auto-redirect to PeachParts website.

The cart I had there was $127 + $27 shipping to Canada.

I went to PeachParts and priced the same cart. $157 + $87 shipping.

Uh, no, thanks anyway.

It would have been nice for PP to make some arrangement to honour the existing saved shopping carts from mbzspecialist.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

That's bad news. I used Bimmer whenever I couldn't find a better price in Canada.

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I have a few friends in Canada, my usual recommendation is for them to check auto parts way.ca (take out the spaces). They're pretty competitive on most things, and since they're already north, there aren't any additional charges to you.

Before the mods jump all over me, yes, I understand. But until you guys have an arm in Canada that works for people, please know that we're here to help each other, too.

Some parts sellers "export" parts as "gifts" or "samples" to skirt duty so that may explain the difference.

I recently bought a water pump for an industrial engine on ebay, the seller showed 2 USA addresses, claimed to be shipping from USA but some research showed they originated from India.

The pump arrived _next day_ ,. . . . from India. . . The export papers listed the parts value at a few US $ and called it an evaluation sample.

The outfit you suggest is one of the worst I have ever dealt with.

I won't go into the sordid details of my bad experiences with them, but I would not buy from them again if they were the only parts store on earth.

BBB summary:

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

I understand what you are getting at, but that is not the case here. Some US online vendors DO offer an all-in service where the purchaser can prepay the Cdn federal tax and customs charges on orders, but that is whole different ball game and it is a separate calculation at checkout. UPS does not do that for shipments originating in the USA, and I was being quoted UPS (if the vendor doesn't collect at checkout, they collect from the customer on this side if those other charges apply).

The reason for the big shipping quote here is that PP only offers ultra-expedited (two-day or three-day, I forget which) UPS service into Canada. That is the equivalent, price wise, of a vendor only offering overnight in the US. UPS or FedEx Ground services (one week) are the usual standard for US -> Canada parts shipments. The UPS fast service is at least double conventional ground charges, maybe even 3x. Not sure.

They are a mixed bag from what I have heard. What Graham says is worse than even I was aware of.

I think they rely on some 'partners' to drop-ship stuff. On complex auto parts catalogue dealings, 2x when that is an older Mercedes, that is not ideal.

The best thing about mbzspecialist, apart from the reasonable shipping, was their catalogue, which included some items not even listed at PP.

It really comes down to a chicken and egg situation. I understand that the original PeachParts was a small operation and as such, the additional work of arranging Canadian shipping was not a viable option, business-wise. Get it.

However a larger operation like Pelican would need to spend some time explaining to me why a competitor like the well-known one whose name sounds like a stone, which has just about from day zero on the internet made every effort to facilitate ordering by Canadians, is apparently able to accommodate cross-border orders in a nearly seamless and cost-reasonable manner, and they are not.

If you only offer high-priced and unnecessary (for most orders) premium shipping, then find there is little or no order traffic from Canada, that is not a business argument for the Canadian market not being worthwhile. PP might want their server dudes to track how many visits from Cdn IP addresses, that result in a shopping cart being created, are suddenly terminated at the checkout when the shipping is calculated (like mine was).

Incidentally, I just checked and the shipping for my order, from the above-referenced company, UPS Ground, was $21.77 (and was identical to the original cart contents, save for the tranmission service kit). That company pre-billed me for the Cdn charges as well (another $3.65).

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Thanks for the feedback; this is the first time I've heard negative feedback about autopartsway, either here or up north, including the friends to whom I've mentioned them who bought stuff from them. I'll pass along the cautionary words as well.

Zacharias, just because PP doesn't list something doesn't mean they don't have it or can't get it. Email is free, and it never hurts to ask.

If it is under four pounds the only way I want it mailed to me from the usa is usps first class. You are asking for a real event bringing stuff into Canada ups or fedex. Even usps priority mail is a better call when available and will suffice.

I doubt in many cases the American vendor is aware of what a profit centre ups and fedex can be. Generally they can not give you a bath on things with a value of less than 20.00 Canadian. That valuation or less ties their greedy little hands.

This prevents them from adding on any charges whatsoever. They may have changed their ways reciently but most Canadians like myself stopped using them once we were burnt nicely.

Ups and fedex do not tell the shipper that the charge that is paid at the point of sale will in most cases be a lot higher when the item gets to the Canadian customer. Starting with a documentation charge of twenty dollars for canadian customs.

Canadians have estimated they have a total of fourteen different charges they can also levy. The customer gets to pay whatever is charged at the point of delivery. In my case the vast bulk of items received through usps have no additional charges even when over the twenty dollar import limit without sales tax being collected. as well.

This week my order of two front rotors, ceramic pads, rear brake shoes, timing belt and an oil filter arrived. Sourced in Canada for 143.00 incuding shipping.

These items for a 2oo3 hyudia elantra. Autoparts way Canada would be substantially higher. Quality of parts very similar if not identical to what they handle.

Just went and checked autopartsway as they do not have rotors for that car in a reasonable price range. Cost 410.50 for the same package with slotted rotors being the only difference. They stock nothing cheaper it seems and each order has the fifteen percent sales tax included. Slight cost differance in my mind by a factor approaching three.

All this is true.

UPS seems to have given up having its drivers trying to collect its extortion, err fees, at the door. At least in my area. I felt sorry for the drivers and was polite about it. Others I know were not. Exceedingly so.

At least for me, UPS now does like FedEx and sends a bill in the mail later for their tacked-on "processing" or "customs" fees. This is a remnant of the old days, when some guy sitting at a counter had to look at each package and then dive into a row of customs schedule binders to find the correct product code and applicable duty, and print out a supplemental sticker and affix it to the box.

No more. Now it probably takes a system operator 30 seconds to call up the code on the computer and attach it to the barcode file. The charge remains as a handy profit center, as Barry points out.

In any case, UPS and Fed send the bills and I ignore the bills. They then waste postage sending fake collection threats from bogus collection agencies for six months (the alleged agencies have the same street address as the courier companies... I checked). I ignore the harassment. They go away. (Sometimes they call as well. I challenged one phone operative to report the alleged 'collection' to the credit bureau... they hung up, and I received no further calls.)

They continue to deliver to me. The system works. Sort of.

I am old enough to remember the propaganda put out when our governments agreed to NAFTA. Only later we learned that the concept of free trade was for corporations only, not citizens. My refusal to play the UPS-FedEx game is my small way of pushing back.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Old thread, but I recently ordered from PP. (First time, as they now ship to Canada.) I did not find the shipping out of line, but the main reason for the order was my front wheel seals. I have 2 sets on my shelf, ordered from other sources. One pair isn't even the right size, the other is a very thin single lip seal, nothing like the OEM seals. PP parts seem to be OEM equivalent.
As far as "stone" is concerned, they seem to add shipping charges to CA orders that total more than the actual order.

A hint: always request that the shipper put 'auto parts', not gift (illegal) or merchandise (subject to duty) on the customs declaration. Because of the AutoPact, auto parts for most vehicles are not subject to duty.
But you WILL be on the hook for HST/GST if it has not been collected.

And +2 on NOT using Unlimited Pricing Schemes. USPS has worked for me.

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1984 300 D runs, interior
1984 300 D light hit in front, RUST, mint/perfect dash, decent interior (see above), parts car
(hate to kill one)
1998 Dodge diesel

In the past I had sent more than a few of the Homemade Tools I made to Canada USPS Furst Class Parcel.
The same with some used Tools I have sold.


All of the Packages got there and no one I ask said they paid any additional fees.

I alway write what ever is in the Package I am sending on the Coustoms Forms and the Value the Customer paid for the item.
If it is a used Tool; I write used Tool. If it is a Homeade Tool I write that.

I recentely contacted a Surplus Seller (this was not eBay; but a business with their own website) here in the US that had 2 each DGK-301 Fuel Pump Repair Kits listed for sale.
I had Email for the Price because He did not post it on his site.
I had to again Email to find out the shipping and was told "the shipping would be what ever the shipping is".
The result is I said No to buying the Kits; because I felt the need to know the cost of the total order.
He Emailed back a slightly sarcastic " I am sorry I wasted your time" Email.

I sent an Email Back detailing how I when I sell stuff all the prices are posted before hand and how I had been shipping stuff (He only wanted to ship by Fedex).
Thankfully I got no Email back.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Same here...I ordered some new cap nuts for my valves last year....they sent me someone elses old ones and only 9 when I ordered 10. I phoned and they said they were going to send a courier to pick up the screw up. The nuts are still sitting here and I was put on some sort of "do not answer list" cause everytime I phoned to ask them for a refund they won't answer. I hate them. If you are from Canada and want parts....Don't get them from this place..as enticing as their prices are, they are scammers.

Couldn't agree more. One of the problems is that APway also operates under other names. I once asked a different site a question and received the answer from APway. When I asked why, no reply.

But for us Canadians, with the demise of Bimmer/MBspecialist who did a good job, let's hope that PP duplicate Bimmers good service for Canadians. No sign of that yet.

FCP grot offer good service for us, but don't have a wide selection of parts.

I spend a few months in USA each year and try to stock up on parts when there. Even then, I have some problems because the place in Az won't ship to a different address than that on the CC. Rusty C. was always helpful, but he has closed down.

I bought a water pump recently from an outfit in Toronto that seems very good

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5