Stock up now!

This just isn't right.

Oh dear fellow Canadian I feel your pain. I cannot tell you how many times I have carefully selected items only to discover to my horror that shipping and duties push me way above my limit. It is so sad and quite maddening!

I was wondering along the same lines as Kerry - retailers in Canada like BR/Gap/ON and the new Nordstrom stores in Canada have to be paying the duties on non-Canadian goods somehow, and the difference in exchange rate, too. Presumably they get some savings by importing in volume, but at some point they'll have to pass the higher cost on to consumers.

When I order online, it's because I want something that I cannot get in my small Canadian city. I love clothes and shoes (and boots and jewelry ... I'm sure you see where this is going), so I'm willing to splurge occasionally to get something wonderful that I can happily add to my wardrobe. With sales and coupon codes, I can often get great deals.

What I don't understand is the variation in shipping costs from the U.S., even with BorderFree. One clothing company has flat-rate shipping of 9.99 (US); a second has shipping start at 16.99; a third starts shipping at $42!!!