Disney North: Collecting Vinylmation North of the 49th

OK, so I don't actually live north of the 49th parallel, but most of Canada (land wise) is.

You may have read other articles about collecting Vinylmation outside of the US, but I wanted to give some specific challenges of what we face as collectors in Canada. So here we go...

Availability:
For obvious reasons, we have only two options for purchasing Vinylmation: The Disney Stores and online (official websites and secondary). I'm lucky enough to have 1 Disney Store 2 minutes away from my office and 2 more 45 minutes away from home. Most Canadians are not as lucky as me, as most Disney Stores are in southern Ontario (where I live).

Disney North's local Disney Store

Of course we have no restrictions buying online. We have all vinylmations available to Canadians that are available to Americans. But availability is not the issue buying online.

Disney North's local Disney Store Vinylmation Display

The only other option for Canadians is to purchase Vinylmations in person at the parks. But that can make for an expensive shopping trip.

Custom/Duty fees:
When having something shipped to Canada, collectors run the risk of having to pay for Custom/Duty fees and taxes. The challenge here is that you never know if you will be hit with those fees. Sometimes the packages flow through with no fees, sometimes we have our mail carrier waiting at your door wanting money.

Shipping fees:
This, above all, is the biggest road block for buying Vinylmation in Canada. It's great to have everything available to us that Americans have available but it is ridiculous when the shipping fee doubles the price! And this issue applies to all online venues.

For instance, for me to purchase the 9" Animal Vinylmation from the Disney Store, shipping would cost me $19.99.  This in contrast to my fellow collectors south of the border who enjoy free shipping, on most occasions.  I've tweeted the Disney Store President about the issue and they are "apparently" looking into it.

eBay is a little better, but it depends on the seller. For some reason some sellers won't even ship to Canada. Those that do, will sometimes charge you the right fee where others will take advantage of the incorrect eBay shipping estimations and overcharge you.

But the worse shipping offender is Disney World Mail Order Services. As you can see in the chart below delivery charges automatically double the price of the item. It doesn't matter if you order more items because the delivery fees increase exponentially.

Merchandise Value	International Shipping Charge
$00.01 to $20.00	$10.00
$20.01 to $30.00	$25.00
$30.01 to $40.00	$40.00
$40.01 to $60.00	$50.00
$60.01 to $100.00	$75.00
$100.01 to $250.00	$100.00
$250.01 to $500.00	$125.00
$500.01 to $1000.00	$150.00

*Add $10 for each additional $100.00 over $1000.00


Why is it so expensive? Three letters: DHL. I have complained many times to Cast Member both on the phone and in person at Guest Relations (which they have encouraged) and yet nothing has changed. I have asked for them ship it via USPS but it isn't an option.

Final thought:
I know I am lucky enough to have Vinylmation available to me, but there are opportunities for the Walt Disney Company to right a wrong and change their shipping policies and pricing for Canadians.