Does anyone else feel restricted because of shipping fees?
I know that many of us have ditched Amazon, but it’s hard to ignore their free shipping policy.
When you’re looking for Canadian products sold by Canadian companies, and have to pay $10-$20 extra for shipping because it’s not available locally, it’s like a premium on top of a premium.
And yes, some places offer free shipping past a certain amount (usually well over $100), which just incentivizes buying extra stuff you don’t need.
I mean, shit, you can get products shipped from China for free, so why can’t we offer free or very low cost shipping within Canada (via Government incentives)?
Does anyone have any tips to ease this pain point?
What I’ve been trying to do with food items directly from farmers, is to see where they sell their products locally. Most are at farmer’s markets (which aren’t year-round) and others are at specialty shops that are even more out of the way.
Some things, I just bite the bullet and take some extra effort to go get. The Canadian yeast I bought for bread making had me bike over to the next municipality to pick up. Which I’m happy to do!
Yup, I’ve been doing this for certain (non-perishable goods and non-food consumables), but shelf-life and product type can make this difficult or impossible to do on a practical basis.
I am in the process of optimizing my pantry, and will do the same on a need-to basis with other areas of my life. I really only plan to buy things that I can reliably get locally or with little effort, while still supporting Canadian businesses.
I’m proud to say that I haven’t given Walmart any of my money since the trade war began, despite being a place I would shop at multiple times a week.
Look into community supported agriculture boxes. It’s like a subscription box to a local farm. They usually deliver - maybe not to your door, but close.
I subscribed to an organic CSA years ago, and it was amazing.
But I did recently look for other CSA boxes, and they just don’t offer enough value. The amount of stuff you get is listed to feed 4 adults, but I’d probably use it all up in two meals.
I’m hoping that local farmers markets will be more reasonably priced this year, especially if farmers aren’t selling as much to the states.
I gave up Walmart and am shopping mainly at Longo’s. I’ve shut out Best Buy for Canada Computers. Amazon has been a tough replacement though. I’m using well.ca but their selection isn’t as expansive (as expected).
When my dad finally moves out of my house I think I’m going to try what you’re recommending and getting stuff directly from farmers. It’s something I should have done ages ago.
But free shipping over $35, which is VERY reasonable. I’ll keep them bookmarked for future reference!