Info for our Canadian BzzAgents

Greeting all,

Okay, I tried to post this on the BeeLog but I'm not seeing it there (could be I'm blind).

When I tried to repost it, I keep getting 'You've already posted this yada yada yada' or something similar. I figured I'd post it here since it seems a lot of BzzAgents also frequent this site.

BTW: I'm Darby415 on the BeeLog


I did some research for Canadian BzzAgents that keep saying there is NOTHING for them. I did NOT check out every GiftCard at MyPoints so there are probably more available to you in addition to Amazon which is currently out of stock and the universal GiftCard for Canadians also out of stock:

Pier 1
has what it takes to liven things up. And we've got over 1,100 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada for your convenience.

The Starbucks Card
is currently accepted at over 6,000 participating Starbucks locations in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec, Puerto Rico, and Guam. © 2006 Starbucks Coffee Company. All rights reserved.

Spiegel
has partnered with Access USA to help facilitate shipping to our international customers. Access USA is an international mail forwarder that provides customers with a private U.S. street address to receive mail and merchandise. Access USA consolidates your Spiegel order and ensures proper delivery to your international address.

Home Depot
gift cards are available for use in both the United States and Canada. Gift cards used at Canadian locations will be converted to Canadian dollars.

Newport News
has partnered with Access USA to help facilitate shipping to our international customers. Access USA is an international mail forwarder that provides customers with a private U.S. street address to receive mail and merchandise. Access USA consolidates your Newport News order and ensures proper delivery to your international address.

GameStop
is the largest video game retailer in the world, with over 4,440 domestic and international stores, there is always a location close by. They do have stores in Canada

Barnes & Noble
Ships to Canada. Link

L.L. Bean
Currently ships to Canada. .Link

Hope this helps some of you Northlanders

Thank you Baron/Darby, and welcome to our board. I hope that when all the fuss is over, you stay and continue to be a part of it.

I'm wondering if the companies that say they ship to Canada will do it duty-free, or if the Canadian agents will still have to deal with that? Anyone know? Either way, it's clear there are at least a few rewards that Canadians can get, and that's better than what we feared.

Baron/Darby, you are very kind to do this for our northern neighbors.
Thank you very much.

Thank you very much! I'm glad giftcertificates.ca is just out of stock! I have redeemed for that twice in the past, and was looking forward to being able to redeem again for it.

thebigscott wrote:I'm wondering if the companies that say they ship to Canada will do it duty-free, or if the Canadian agents will still have to deal with that? Anyone know? Either way, it's clear there are at least a few rewards that Canadians can get, and that's better than what we feared.

Actually, all of these stores do deliver to Canada, but we have to pay duty fees and with Access USA you also have to pay another fee (which my brain is forgetting the name of). These fees can range in price from $30 to over $1,000. That is unacceptable in my view.

Thanks Darby for the list, though. I am hoping for either the Amazon GC or that nifty universal GC you mentioned yesterday.

Thank you all for the warm welcome guys ... or girls as the case may be

Hopefully there's even more for you ... but ya gotta admit pretty much anything is better that $10 donations to weird charities you've never hear of, right?

BTW: You Canucks can still give your points away if that's your thing and to a charity I've even heard of; The Red Cross

That's not me, tho - I'm one of those evil, greedy BzzAgents that's wants them all for myself

Thanks Baron, that's some nice information

Thank you for doing that research Baron, and welcome to UB!

From past experience, watch what you are doing with reference to border charges. The consumer would like to be told up front of additional charges, however, when the package/parcel hits the border, it is then up to the discretion of Canada Revenue Agency (or whatever they call themselves now - all I do is curse them). It is hit and miss, but if they decide to hit you, you could end up paying X2 or X4. Personally, I would love to take a 2 X 4 and smack them all on the side of the head!

If a person sending a parcel to someone in Canada registers the parcel as a 'gift', no charges, no hidden fees are applicable.

Thanks for the info Baron, but we will no doubt get hit with Duty at the border because those companies won't put "gift" on the customs form. Even if they would do that, the cap is something like $20 anyway. On top of that shipping costs to Canada, which I'm sure we'll have to pay, are much, much more than they charge to ship to the US. Many of those stores do not have locations in Canada and if they do they are only in big cities which I know still counts a lot of us out for Gift Cards and then using them in the stores.
Nice to see you posting and welcome to the site. I know we all appreciate your effort anyway!

Welcome Darby! Thanks for the info and for trying to bring along some news to lift some spirits

I'm in Canada and I am so completely unimpressed with this new system for redeeming and that there are so few Canadian retailers where we can use our points. I'll have a ton of points when mine are turned over June 9th and there is absolutely nothing at all I'm interested in redeeming them for ....... I think the number of points needed to redeem for even a $10 gift card at some of the stores listed is TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

I am starting to think that my association with BzzAgent will soon be coming to an end.

I believe (not positive) that the 'universal gift card' is actually a Gift Pass from Giftcertificates.ca Kind of like a gift certificate for a gift certificate purchased on their site.

Here is what the site says:

Make selecting a gift easy and purchase a GIFTPASS for your recipient. GIFTPASS is a gift certificate that is redeemable for original merchant gift certificates at Giftcertificates.ca. GIFTPASS gives your recipient the freedom to select the gift certificates from national retailers, restaurants, hotels and entertainment providers that THEY want.

There are lots of retailers on there, not limitless.

There are shipping charges.

From GiftCertificates.ca

Shipping Method

Please select your shipping method from the list below. We strongly suggest that you select one of the courier shipping options if your order totals over $200.

Regular Mail
3-7 business days. Please note that Giftcertificates.ca is not responsible for undelivered merchandise due to incorrect address information or misdirection by Canada Post. $3.50

Canada Post Xpresspost
2 business days between major Canadian centres $10.99

Purolator Overnight
Next day delivery. Some destinations may require more than 24 hour transit time. Orders must be received before 12pm (Noon) Pacific Standard Time for next day delivery. $16.99

FedEx Priority Overnight
Next day delivery. Orders must be received before 12pm (Noon) Pacific Standard Time for next day delivery. For most major metropolitan areas, FedEx delivers by 10:30 a.m. the next business day. $23.50

That is insane that they are charging $3.50 to ship a gift certificate. *sigh* It just is disappointing.

Nichellelp wrote: That is insane that they are charging $3.50 to ship a gift certificate. *sigh* It just is disappointing.

OMG - I was just gonna say the same THING! The old Universal GCs we used to have had a small (like 5%) surcharge but they were an online only escrow company.

The shipping info $20+ for FedEx for a damn GiftCard?!?!?!?

Now I understand why Canadians are complaining!!!

All I can say to you North-landers is how about:

1. A nice Special-Edition copy of Lord of the Rings Online or pre-order for Mines of Moria from GameStop?
(LotRO is my fav thing to Bzz - Wish we'd get a Turbine campaign - I'd be lvl 4 in an hour)

2. After that a nice lb of Starbucks Espresso so you can stay up 24 hrs or longer playing LotRO

3. Don't forget to hit Pier 1 for some soft comfy cushions to lean on after you pass 30 hours STRAIGHT in Middle Earth

4. Please remember, both of these companies are AMERICAN companies . I've NEVER received a damn thing from any Canadian company other than loss of work due to Runaway production taking away Jobs from me and MANY others here in Hollywood

I'm always shocked when I think about the fact that an imaginary line (the border) makes such a big difference.

Baron, what do you do in Hollywood? Are you a big movie star? Or a gaffer? I love the word gaffer.

thebigscott wrote:I'm always shocked when I think about the fact that an imaginary line (the border) makes such a big difference.

Baron, what do you do in Hollywood? Are you a big movie star? Or a gaffer? I love the word gaffer.

I WISH!

I'm a struggling member of SAG - The Strike... oops I mean Screen Actors Guild.

My asshat union is SO HOT to strike it's SAD! They are SO out of contact with the real-world they are KILLING us.

I suspect after the NEVER-ENDING WGA Strike ALL production will be moving to Canada if we can't block SAG on their hell-bent Actor's strike.

The worst part is ALL they want is attention as they become LESS and LESS relevent. I went to the last REAL E3 - for you non-gamers -THE biggest GAMING show in the WORLD at the LA convention Center.

Checked my e-mail in the morning before leaving. I have a very popular Underground Music site and have to clear out a couple hundred spams a few times a day.... Might be why I WELCOME MyPoints..... anyway had an e-mail from the SAG morons asking me to PICKET E3!!!!!!!

Because the game developers who have NOW surpassed Hollywood box-office don't pay the voice-actors that drop by for 2 hours to do the voices for games residuals!!!!!

The Game Devs that don't sleep for weeks don't get residuals but my MORONIC Union thinks some poser that comes in for 2 hours should receive a life-time income for doing something ANYONE could DO!

Sorry for the RANT... I warned you in another post I'm an Italian and voting AGAINST a SAG Strike is my NUMBER 1 Bzz right now

WOW. The last time I redeemed for a giftpass there wasn't any shipping charges. The only way they would charge for shipping is if I didn't redeem the giftpass in one shot (say I wanted a $10 GC, then waited awhile and ordered another smaller giftcard with the same giftpass). I'm not too impressed about the high shipping for regular mail of a GC!

I just looked on the giftcertificates.ca site, and this is what it says under redeem a giftpass.

The cost of shipping your gift certificates on your FIRST redemption has already been paid for. If you do not redeem your entire GIFTPASS the FIRST time and have a remaining balance you may come back and redeem up to the value of your remaining balance. The cost of shipping for your SECOND redemption is NOT covered and you will be asked to pay for the shipping cost with your credit card.


I'm not sure if this is still the case. I didn't search the whole site yet for the other information.

The shipping charge might be included in the Universal GC. It's hard to tell. I'm not sure if the universal gift card is more than the face value because it includes the shipping costs or not. It's hard to understand.

oops... just read dawn's post.

Perhaps I did not post that correctly. In Canada shipping a package from the USA, the destination will get charged gst, pst, and appropriate border taxes. I have shipped several parcels to the USA from Canada and had no one complain of taxes. The parcel must clearly state - gift. Even with that, the Revenue Canada Agency does ---depends I guess on who is working - can and will slap on a $5.00 service above and beyond gst/pst.

Many curse words, I do believe not only are we north of the magical border, we are