Oh my god. I'm at work and I'm SO hungry. I can't go for lunch yet, so I did something terrible. I went to sephora.com. Why does online shopping always feel like I'm spending pretend money? this is terrible. Anyway, I ordered the Sun Safety kit, which is on sale from $25 to $10. I will talk more about it and do a little review of the products once it comes. In the mean time, can we please talk about the ridiculous cost to ship almost ANYTHING in Canada? its ridiculous. Sephora's shipping charge was $10, and thats pretty mild in comparison to many sites. Ok, so here are some of the alternatives I've discovered over the years. I realize that there are many more out there, but these are the ones I have figured out, and I love finding out about more!
1) American P.O. Boxes. - This only works if you live close to the border. When I am in Calgary, this is essentially useless. BUT my mom is a shoeaholic, and loves to order from DSW, which only ships to the US. So, she bought a P.O. box just across the border, and we have things shipped there.
Positives - oh the possibilities! everyone ships to the U.S! You can order whatever your little heart desires! you dont' have to pay ludicrous Canadian shipping charges!
Negatives - Ok, maybe this isn't the best option. You obviously can't be running across the border every two days, or the government might start to think you are a drug smuggler, so you can only order evert so often. Also, because you have to pay for the P.O. box, you might not save all that much money in shipping. Also, you have to pay for gas to drive down there, and if you don't have a car, this adds even more problems.
2) Spending quotas. - Ok, this is a hard one for me, because I like to buy the odd little thing every once-in-a-while to cheer myself up, I don't do the whole big haul shopping spree thing. But, if you can try to save your orders until you want a whole bunch of things, then this is what you can do. Find websites that offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. I know sephora and urban outfitters does this, among others.
Positives - You don't pay shipping costs, AND think about how much fun it is to open a HUGE package full of new clothes or beauty products! Its like a wardrobe rejuvenation!
Negatives - you have to spend a fair bit of money. You might end up with things you don't really want because you are trying to meet the free shipping amount. That can be wasteful.
3)Canadian websites. - Ok, again I struggle with this. BUT if you order something that is being shipped within Canada, the cost will be significantly less (likely). Canadian sites include ebay.ca amazon.ca, and strawberrynet.com, for a few. again, there are others, these are just a few.
Positives - You dont have to spend 3 times the amount of the item you are buying to ship it. And it usually comes a little faster because there are no issues dealing with customs and the such.
Negatives - Selection SUCKS. Thats all I have to say about that.
4) Suck it up. - this seems to be my go-to resolution (obviously). Just pay the money and order what it is you want.
Positives - You get what you want, you don't have to screw around trying to find it offered on a Canadian site or a site with free shipping.
Negatives - YOu have to wait for it to arrive (boo) and you have to spend more money than you want to.
Good luck with your online shopping!
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