I order fabrics from US companies all the time. I usually wait for sales (for example Hancock's of Paducah always has fabrics in a sale section, and has a current free shipping offer: note, they price by the 1/2 yard)
Back To School Free Shipping
Type BK2SCL in the promotional code box during checkout.
Offer expires August 30, 2011.
United States minimum: $30.00
International minimum: $100.00
Limit 2 battings per order; all oversized items excluded from this offer
Orders places before the receipt of this email are not valid for this offer.
Please call 1-800-845-8723 or Email Us if you need assistance.
If you are paying for shipping, you have to figure out if the added shipping charges and any potential duties are still less than you would pay for the same fabric in Canada.
Many companies ship free to US addresses. If you have friends who spend part of the year at a second home in the US, they may be kind enough to have things shipped to them and bring them to you. Many of these "snow birds" do not buy enough for your fabric to make a difference in their declarations.
Find out where the fabric is made by phoning the company. That way you can know if it will be duty free.
As others have said, you are more often "dinged" on boxes than you are on USPS flat rate envelopes.
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