Adventures shipping ammo

Longwalker

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GunNutz
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Location
Saskatchewan
It can be done gun nutters, but you have to be persistent!
I just sold an antique rifle and some old Kynoch 9x57 Mauser ammo to a nice guy on this site. He wanted the ammo, since it is obsolete and no longer manufactured. Ammo is on its way, after a bit of an adventure.

I first studied the courier companies websites and regulations, and the ammo manufacturers info, and Transport Candada regs. What a lot of "stuff." But figured i had it all understood before my trip to the city.

Purolator refused outright, they will no longer ship any dangerous goods if customers do not already have an account. NO mention of this on their website and you cannot call the Saskatoon office directly, only a central office somewhere. Strike them from the short list.

DHL/Loomis first said no, then I told the counter gal that I had checked with their dangerous goods expert at head office and with Transport Canada.
Pointed out my nice orange 1.4S Dangerous goods stickers, the UN number, the packing code, and the limited quantity sticker.
She still didn’t know.
The warehouse guy said, “yes, no problem’ so she wrote up and invoice.
For $85. I explained the “limited quantity exemption under Transport Canada provision 1.31 and gave her a MSDS sheet for Winchester factory loaded rifle ammunition.
She changed the invoice to cancel the dangerous goods surcharge.
The bill came to $48 so not a unreasonable amount different than my estimate. - and the package is on it’s way to the buyer. Whew!

LOOMIS EXPRESS GROUND ( 2 day delivery) & tracking number.

it was nice to be able to type that last number in my email to the buyer.

Any suggestions on how to make this a little less painful?
 
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CanPar, tracking is weird at best, but done it many times

Norinco 1120 rounds in a wooden case (~45 pounds 5x16x14), sent 2 cases for $85 from Edmonton to Kelowna in 3 days

Easy Peasy
 
I bought Ammo from tradex 2 times , it went through can par , I had to ship to my aunts house as I am in the country and have a PO box address . Both times I got called to pick up at the post office . It had a canpar sticker on it. What's up with that ?
 
Use Canpar, In Saskatchewan, Saskatoon and Regina have drop off places. Ammunition are considered safety cartigages You have complicated the issue. Use Canpar, ship ground with a signature, and ship in packaging that has no marking. You don't need anything more unless in very quantities. And no need for dangerous goods sticker. I'm surprised Loomis said yes, if you don't have a commercial account to ship such.
 
I was not the one to complicate matters, I was given this advice from transport Canada, from Puolator, DHL, and from UPS. Can you confirm that a shipper does not have to declare and mark a package containing ammunition? That is the law as I understand it.
 
Lol canpar dropped 300rds of 12gauge at my door while I was in the back 40 today. Nice suprise no signature or documents required will use from now on. + I live in the country so extra points for them.

Black wrapped cardboard box with just my name and address showing.
 
Most of the "front desk" staff that you run into at a (retail) courier location are not well versed in the shipping rules.

The are used to Mom sending a few treats to their kid in university or someone sending a flea bay purchase across the country.

For those of us who have commercial accounts and deal simply with the drivers, the process is not all that complicated and they, the drivers are used to carrying all manner of dangerous goods - they don't get "freaked out" by a few cases of ammunition or flares or limited quantity flammables or small packing group pesticides etc - but the one behind the counter gets most of their life's reality from the few they follow on twitter.

Yes, you need to declare that you are shipping Dangerous Goods. Yes, in some cases they need stickers. No, the average retail customer counter clerk has no idea necessarily that "their company" even transports such dangerous things.

CanPar HAS been doing it for years - carried when no on else would. Even if their price is a little more (and don't know if it is, but IF) it would be worth a small premium to deal with someone that knows what they are doing.

(we ship almost exclusively with Purolator - commercial account - and they certainly have no issue taking our money to ship countless cases of ammunition on a weekly basis)
 
When I dropped off the ammo I shipped, they were in 2 wooden surplus ammo crates, the receiver knew it was ammo. I was expecting to pay extra or fill out forms, he said "no". I left it in their hands, got there in a few days.
 
Beware CanPar. I used them twice with no issue. No stickers, no hassle, no bs.

Got a different guy the last time and it turned into a nightmare. Must have been ' quota ' day to upcharge and ended up being twice as expensive. Told them to stick it and had to cancel the sale. gl
 
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