Knife repair shipping information

My return S&H cost notice:

June update for 2023:

For US customers, the borders are open without restrictions, I will travel to US at ends of summer month.
I can pick up your package at my Sumas WA shipping address, and mail it back on my next trip.
The only other shipping option is to my Canadian Post Office Box, by international mail.

To all my customers, past and future, I pray for your good health.
Take care, stay safe, bless you all.
Tony
Do not call my cell-phone for any inquiries. I will not call you back, use the repairs form.
International calls are prohibitively expensive and I do not have that plan.
Missed calls from US without message - those phone numbers are automatically blocked.

About international Shipping with Canada Post:

Canada Post is at war with Us postal services for some time now. Canadians are gouged and defrauded in every way.
Canada Post Insurance is for taking and not paying, and responsibility at best goes only to the border.
That includes all insured packages and registered letters.
Mailing a registered letters to USA is discontinued - and only way to mail one is through Express mail at the cost of $35.00.
Registered mail that has NO guarantied delivery.
Through 2022 several packages from online purchases, domestic and US got "lost" in shipping, and was even shiopped to the nanamesake place elsewhere.
It would be devastating to loose any of your shipments this way.
That may no longer be true, but I will not ever trust this outfit with any customer's family heirooms, or important correspondence.

Until Canada Post does revise the Expedited Parcel Post shipping labels to include the recepient's signature, the only return shipping option is Xpresspost.
This only option is to force customer to pay about $55 Shipping one folding pocket knife or one KaBar without insurance ot signature.
Canada Post also has to revise conditions under which the insured value is paid up in full in case of "lost" package.
At this time if you do not have a PROOF OF PURCHASE / proof of value, you are not getting a cent.
The fine print on the back of shipping labels suggests that collecting parcel insurance has conditions that void payment.
It is so long that you will fall asleap reading it. The actual items and conditions allowing the payment would only take few words.

I have received this note: "Dear Mr. Tony Hnilica, Regretfully without proof of value * proof of value (documentation acceptable to Canada Post showing proof of the sender’s value, either the sender's cost, retail cost, repair cost, depreciated value or replacement value as deemed appropriate by Canada Post)* claim cannot be assessed properly."

I am sure that USPS is no different - packages get stolen at post offices continent wide, and no one is ever held accountable.
So in case your package does get stolen while in care of any mail delivery system - do not expect any insurance payment.
If no proof of purchase, you may get some refund of your repair payment as deem appropriate by Canada Post, last took me 6 month and cost of professional assessor.
It is the main reason why I do my receiving and shipping with Package Express in the USA. If no travel to US for me is not possible, and I must ship from Canada, a proof of value will enable me to insure the package for the same amount that you paid me for the repair, and initiate the claim in case of loss.

I will be mailing your custom hand made knife you have purchased upon receiving your cash payment.
I will be mailing any service order after finishing the repair/refurbishing and there are no outstanding issues.

Shipping & Handling:
Consists of Postage, Insurance, Shipping container(box or padded envelope) packaging and mailing.
This cost is no longer included because of many cost increases, dollar exchange, fuel surcharge, taxes etc.
Delivery time depending on the method of delivery chosen is usually 8-14 days.
Be patient, it took over a month for a couple of deliveries - but it was/is an exception- genuinely stuck in the warehouse in transit.

At this time the Xpresspost mail is the only option for shipments from Canada to USA with tracking, and smallest chance of being not delivered
Express means nothing more than a name in Canada, regular snail mail was several times a few days faster to same locations in US. Expedited Parcel US does not have a recipient signature option - being wide open to mail fraud
So there you are.

Insurance

To any corrupt individual who handles mail, being a PO employee, in transit, through customs and mail Couriers,
the high amount of insurance on the package sticker is like a red flag to a bull.
Throughout the year, but especially around holidays (Christmas) expensive gifts can be found in parcels.
When packages get "lost", the value listed on the package seems to be determining factor.
Would you think that it is because of the mail system overload ?

In over 40 years of my shipping/receiving, no uninsured package was stolen in USA or Canada to date.
But this said, if the package gets lost, this is all you going to get, so if the knife is valuable, insure it for the value that you have proof of.

As I observed over the years, the Canada's Postal services has gone to the dogs. "Privatized" is the term.
Nothing new about prices going up, but not as ridiculously as when mailing packages.
At first insurance and registration was a norm for all mail.
Then you could no longer register the package unless it was mailed by Air Mail, of course for 5 x the cost - insurance was not yet a problem.
When you could mail small items in a padded envelopes in the past at regular postage, like the folding knives,
now you have to pay in full for a delivery of a small package.
Small packages and padded envelopes no longer can be registered, or insured if mailed Outside of Canada
One can register only letters at $35 per letter. All cheaper options were removed.
Insurance no longer covers the well-being of the parcels contents if it get busted while being handled by "happy" postal employees (during transit).
Collecting extra package insurance fees is a fraud on public, as large variety of content is not insurable (lawyered up fine print) yet the PO happily collects the fee.
In case of loss or theft insurance is paid only if the content was insurable, and you have the proof / receipt of its value. Fuel surcharge is another parcel cost hike up.

ORDERS FROM & SHIPPING TO COUNTRIES OTHER THAN CANADA & USA IS DISCONTINUED

- important delivery proof against the mail fraud:

Expedited Parcel US can be tracked and insured to US - but no longer my shipping option. The delivery can not be guarantied without receiver's signature. Canada Express post is the only one with the tracking and signature at the jacked up cost, of course.
Other theft deterent is to ship your pocket knife in the apple box (obviously that can not be smuggled out of PO under on's coat)
Again problem is the large cost for shipping large box, or ship it uninsured.
No visible value, not worth taking.
Private couriers will deliver to some location for extra $65 or more.

- Important risk notice

This goes in general for any items you purchase in, and that have to be shipped to you from Canada.
The mail services anywhere are mostly reliable, but there are many exceptions, and history.
Past losses confirm the even though the risk is small, it does exists, and can not beforeseen or prevented.
Take this risk into consideration before shipping the knife for the repair, or buying one.
My responsibility is fully discharged when I hand your knife over the counter to the Canada Post Office.
If you are from a country that has a corrupt system - (Customs and/or Postal Services)
The list was topped by Mexico, but just came to my attention that even the US Postal Service is not immune to theft by opportunistic employees.
Remember that I can do almost nothing after I place the knife I am returning after repair, or the knife you purchased, in the mail. I will initiate the claim in case of such mishap, but collecting the fee will always be a lengthy fight.
Any claims to recover the value of your knives "lost" in transit from me may NOT be accepted by PO claims.

The money you paid me - either for a new knife, or the repair, are NOT refundable in case of the parcel loss (theft) while in transit

However I would forward to you any and all money recovered from package insurance, if any, and when received.

Do not purchase any Parcel Insurance if you do not have a proof of value/purchase receipt for the content - you will not collect it.

CANADA

Price and service changes to our domestic, U.S.A. and international parcel services.
For more information on price and service changes for Parcel Services, please click Business postal rates