Good fabric- problems at the border
[QUOTE=SoftBlockLady;6928771]I am thinking of using Thousands of Bolts. I live in Canada and wonder if there are any charges that I should be aware of.
Because of the astronomical prices of fabric in Canada, I often order online. Thousands of Bolts has good fabric and the advantage of a huge selection. They will not have the latest fabrics to come out, however, that's not usually a problem. I don't know why, but their packages tend to get flagged for duty at the border for GST, etc. more often than other retailers. The killer is that, in addition to those charges, the government assesses an extra fee of their own for having to figure that out.
Then you have to take into consideration the difference in the dollar right now, which is getting close to 20%.
My advice is to get on email lists from as many retailers as you want to deal with. That way you will be notified of sales and special deals. Equilter.com is very good to deal with and has periodic half price shipping specials to Canada.
Fabricdepot.com just had a free shipping offer to Canada-- very unusual. Hancock's of Paducah had a 20% off sitewide, Quiltcloseouts has some good deals, etc.
You can email fabric stores and ask how many yards they put in a flat rate envelope. I mention this because the priority flat rate envelopes usually fly under the radar at the border, whereas a box is more likely to incur charges.
Another thing to think about-- if you visit friends or relatives in the States, you can take advantage of places that have free shipping within the country, and have packages sent to wait for you. Then you can bring them back as part of your duty-free allowance.