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 Replies: 19 / Views: 4,124 |
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
So I was trying to see what the shipping charges would be if I bought all 12 of the O Canada 2013 1/2 ounce silver coins from the Mint's website and made a mock purchase. (I did everything but the final step.) To my disbelief, it claimed the total shipping cost would be $7.99 for 12 coins. Surely this can't be correct. I could easily believe there would be a quantity discount, but not 12 for the same price as one. Is this some glitch in the website that would not hold up if I actually purchased the lot?
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Pillar of the Community
570 Posts |
They use highest shipping cost among all coins in you basket.
Unless one of them has free shipping and all could be shipped using the same shipping method. Then it is free.
Edited by mts
01/20/2014 10:10 pm
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
 United States
12252 Posts |
Per the RCM web site, they use a "flat rate" model for shipping charges - it's the same charge for one coin or multiples. Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Valued Member
 Canada
300 Posts |
I know you have ordered quite a few things from the Mint, Commems, and so I have to believe you!
Please correct me if I'm making a mistake, but this means it would be cheaper to buy them all after they were all released, and bought them all together, than to subscribe. (Unless you're a MC member, which I am not and probably never will be.) If I'd subscribed to the series, I'd have had to pay $95.88 shipping costs by the time the last coin arrived.
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CCF Master Historian of USA Commemoratives
United States
12252 Posts |
Quote:
this means it would be cheaper to buy them all after they were all released, and bought them all together Yes, if you are not an MC member and all of the coins of a series remain available until the last coin is released, it would be cheaper to buy them at one time and pay only one shipping charge. Alternatively, you could place individual orders at Canada Post. I believe they almost always offer a free shipping option (without any required club membership). Collecting history one coin or medal at a time! (c) commems. All rights reserved.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
871 Posts |
Just remember if you aren't a MC member, subscriptions can be expensive like the O Canada series.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2124 Posts |
It doesn't make sense to get a subscription if you are not MC member.
You have several options instead:
1) Buy all the coins together after the last coin is released throught a dealer, usually at issue price or lower.
2) Buy 1 by 1 with Canada Post.
3) Buy several $20x$20 and $100x$100 coins so you become MC member at a glance and you get free shipping.
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
Arianzo, you are totally correct! I did a little comparison and so thought I'd summarize the differences between buying a subscription from the Mint, purchasing from the Mint one by one from the website, purchasing from them or Canada Post at a boutique (i.e. so no shipping), or buying the whole set from another dealer once complete. I used Gatewest because I live in Manitoba so I could probably avoid shipping by arranging to pick up at their storefront location.
As soon as I figure out how to format, I will post.
Edited by Ravenzcoin
01/22/2014 6:49 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2984 Posts |
Ravenzcoin, maybe it will be advantageous to order the coins from out of province to avoid PST. I know Manitoba has 8% PST which can be avoided by buying out of province.
I have the same situation in BC where most coins are charged 7% PST even though there is no GST. I usually order from Gatewest, Colonial Acres, and other dealers to avoid PST.
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
Well, sadly, formatting problems defeat my preparing any meaningful tabular presentation. So allowing for shipping and taxes (where applicable), my total costs would be: Gatewest: $517.27 Mint Subscription: $626.06 Mint non-subscription web order, individually shipped: $587.98 Boutique/CP or similar storefront vendor individually: $578.92 Note that silver is not PST exempt in Manitoba, and the two non-subscription methods mean I would have to buy an empty box (typically about $45.00 on ebay listing, which I have factored in). Gatewest is the best option for me. If someone lived in another province, another authorized Mint dealer with a local pickup might be a better option. |
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
@ MoneyPenny--good point about the buying out of province to avoid PST, but there is a trade-off with shipping charges. Of course, a possibly even better option might be to buy on ebay, if one can keep the shipping charges to a reasonable limit. I'm actually looking into the possibilities currently. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3690 Posts |
Ravenzcoin, I assume you are formatting a spreadsheet for display here. The only way I've found to do that is to screen capture and paste that into jpg format (I use MS Paint) and then post the image.
Not a great work around but with a bit of cropping/resizing of the image it works.
Just one note on ordering from another province to "avoid" tax. Technically, you are required to self assess and remit the tax owing on the imported good to your provincial government. Failing to do so could be viewed as tax evasion. Yes the chances of you being caught are slim especially if you are dealing with small dollar amounts, but they exist. The same applies for any item that would be taxable in your home province/country that is imported from another jurisdiction (province or country) without proper taxes being applied.
Edited by CC-Ottawa
01/22/2014 7:35 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2124 Posts |
Also you can buy with The Coin Shoppe, orders over $300 is free shipping so you avoid taxes and shipping.
Other option is to wait for Black Fridays.
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Valued Member
Canada
300 Posts |
CC-Ottawa, I did not know that about provincial taxes. I have bought a lot of coins from ebay and while a few sellers have collected GST, only the ones in Manitoba have mentioned PST. I confess to being fairly ignorant about tax laws, but had assumed what I was doing was totally legal. May have to rethink! Thanks for the tips on formatting. You assumed correctly. I initially tried to copy and paste a spreadsheet. When that failed, I tried to simply copy the values, manually, but then they didn't line line up when I looked at the preview feature. So I gave up and summarized. I may well try that if I'm ever in a similar situation in future! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
815 Posts |
There's no way that item bought in another province is taxable, if for no otherreason, NAFTA
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2984 Posts |
Quote:
Just one note on ordering from another province to "avoid" tax. Technically, you are required to self assess and remit the tax owing on the imported good to your provincial government. Failing to do so could be viewed as tax evasion Why is it tax evasion if the out of province dealer is not legally allowed to charge PST on out of province customers? From Gatewest Coins: Quote:
Prices in US Dollars are valid only on orders to the USA. Prices in Canadian Dollars are valid only on orders to Canada. Taxes charged to Canadian customers are as follows (where applicable):
•5% GST only applies to all shipments to YK, NU, NT, BC, AB, SK, QC.
•13% HST applies to all shipments to ON, NB, or NL.
•14% HST applies to all shipments to PE.
•15% HST applies to all shipments to NS.
•5% GST and 7% PST applies to all shipments (where applicable) within Manitoba. Effective July 1, 2013 Manitoba PST increases to 8% |
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Replies: 19 / Views: 4,124 |
Posted 01/20/2014 8:29 pm
