American Websites
 

Does anyone order from any of the popular american websites ?
Aquacave,marine depot ?
I was thinking of ordering a protein skimmer from aquacave but was worried about brokerage fees and cumstomer service issues/repairs
Any thoughts ?

I have ordered from Aquacave and the experience was a very good one. There was a breakage issue and they handled it completely professionally. In regards to duties, i don't recall anything that stuck out for fees.
I was planning on getting an XP-5000 internal cone from Reef Specialty but one of the vendors on here has indicated that they can get it for a reasonable price so I plan to support them with the purchase.
I think the Octo Cones are a very good value so any purchase you make should be a good one.

Depend on what kind of skimmer you want, there are a lot of places in Canada who can supply you with the same at a reasonable price. I prefer to support our local economy since they support me in my addiction. I would recommend JL AQUATICS in bc as they have awesome pricing, or if you must go abroad then BULKREEFSUPPLY has a good selection on all the name brand and economical skimmers. The best part with brs is all prices are upfront, there are no any extra duty or brokerage fees. I have dealt with them on multiple occasions and top notch on all aspects.

I have purchased several items from Premium Aquatics that I could not find at all in Canada. They were very good to deal with. The way to get around brokerage or handling fees is to have the item shipped with UPS express. It's fast and brokerage fees are fully covered.

Usually by the time you figure in shipping things will be the same or cheaper if you buy from a place like J&L, who are excellent to deal with also.

J and L are good and Canadian, but a good US company is Salty Supply in Florida. Wicked knowledgeable. Lots of choice. Actually called me back in canada about some questions I had. Just don't ship UPS!!! Brokerage fees will kill you. If you ship USPS there is something about it being a government run deal that the brokerage fees are lower..

to clarify:

UPS Ground - BAD (high brokerage)
UPS Express - GOOD (fast and no brokerage fees)

i have been told that as well. Vendor came back with a price $250 higher than the REGULAR price in the States. Problem is a lack of competition but vendors are getting smarter and prices are getting better.

you have a ton of local venders in Ontario (retain stores and online)...what were you looking for specifically? I always try to support local vendors whenever possible.

I was just pricing out skimmers and wondering how the us websites were for canadian orders. I did end up going with one of the canadian sponsor websites who price was very competitive and great help over the phone. They shipped it same day and the skimmer will be here tomorrow.
Thanks

Glad to hear that. support local, always.