Steve’s has a bone to pick with us.

I’m a loyal Canadian. I enjoy Tim Hortons, and don’t mind the Canadian Tire guy. But as Canadians, I think we need to get the message across to Americans that we’re not all that much different from them, and not that far away.

Why do I say this? Because one too many times I’ve been shopping online, found the exact product I want, and then find the dreaded statement:

Sorry, we are able to ship (and mail printed catalogs) only to the US, its territories and possessions, and APO or FPO addresses.

Why? Why why why?

What you need to do is convince FedEx and/or UPS to offer virtual mail addresses. Packages sent to a virtual address would automaticly get forwarded to a real Canadian address, with the recipient paying the additional fees. It’s mailbox forwarding, except with non virtual bits. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Steve gets his reasonably priced borosilicate lab glassware, the vendor makes a new sale, and the delivery company makes a few dollars (or loonies).