Status of Free Freight for Canadian Orders
2022 Update – Our free freight policy remains for orders over $150 (pretax value of your order). Unless the carriers’ surcharge exceeds the standard Shipping Rates in Canada (see below). Surcharges are beyond our control and are caused by fuel, remote location, large order, or multiple boxes. In some cases, we may contact you to collect a small additional fee to cover the extra costs. We run several shipping comparisons to ensure that every order gets the best rate possible and then deduct the shipping rate for your location before asking you to pay the difference.
- Free shipping may not apply to A/R Accounts.
- Priority shipping options of various carriers do not qualify for free shipping.
- In the event that your order exceeds our allowances your freight will be calculated as follows:
- (freight cost) – (shipping fee of your province) = (amount owing before tax).
Free Shipping Exceptions (below) for details on exceptions.
Shipping Rates Canada
Flat Fees are charged at checkout.
- Canada Alberta & Western Canada $17
- Canada (Eastern) $22
- Canada (Territories) $22
- Canada (Eastern) $22
Shipping Rates USA
Our website prices are listed in Canadian Dollars. See the current exchange rates. Place your order online and provide a complete shipping address.
- United States ( North / West) $22
- United States (East / South) $27
In rare instances, shipping costs may exceed the $27 Flat Shipping Rates. See list of exceptions below. We may contact you if additional charges apply. We will provide delivery suggestions and a quotation for shipping for your approval by email within 1 – 3 business days. Customers are responsible for additional charges such as duties and brokerage deemed by customs of the country of destination.
Shipping Times in Canada
Our standard shipping is based on the dollar value of your order, before tax. The rate and delivery time will vary depending on where your package is traveling to in Canada. We endeavor to have all items in stock, and new stock arrives regularly. You will be contacted within 1 – 2 business days if there are shortages or back-ordered items.
The majority of our orders are shipped via Canada Post. We may also use Canpar, Purolator, or Loomis when price or service proves a better option. With delivery via our standard shipping option, you can expect your order to arrive in 2 – 5 business days within Alberta. Orders outside of Alberta usually take 4 – 9 business days; however, some rural or remote areas may take longer. Buffalo Air Express is often a good option for fast delivery to the northern Territories.
If you prefer an alternative carrier for your package, please telephone us toll-free within Canada at 1.800.363.0546 to place your order.
Do you have an urgent deadline? Please call us at 1.800.363.0546.
Free Shipping Exceptions and Things to Consider
If your order is subject to additional shipping charges, we will contact you within 1 – 2 days for approval.
If you have questions regarding these shipping exceptions or other concerns, please contact our order desk at 1.800.363.0546 or e-mail us
Tiny Items
Small inexpensive items like nibs, watercolour pans, or markers may be able to be shipped via letter mail. At our discretion, we may choose to credit back to you the minimum shipping charge. Call us if you have questions. Shipping via envelope and bubble wrap envelope is still risky. Letter mail is not trackable and packaging may not provide enough protection.
Multiple Boxes
High volume orders (particularly with gallons of paints, and multiple sketchbooks or stretched canvases) will need multiple boxes. An order that contains something delicate (like flat packed paper) with something heavier might need to be packed in more than one box.
Full Sheets of Large Paper
An order like this might not weigh much, but its dimensions are larger than usual.
Large / Heavy Items
High-volume orders (particularly with gallons of paints and multiple sketchbooks or stretched canvases) will drive up freight cost.
Heavy items like larger containers of paints or resins, clay, and printing presses will drive up freight cost.
Depending on the dimensions of an order, carrier services may apply an oversize fee to the freight cost. This is more likely to occur on an order that has a large number of canvases or a large easel in it.
Remote Locations
Often, remote locations can be identified by postal codes containing “0”s. However, that is not always the case. Canada Post and other freight carriers, such as Purolator, UPS, etc., add freight surcharges for service to certain areas. Additional shipping fees may apply to orders shipped to an island, rural route, residential area, or orders shipped to places that are far from shipping hubs. In instances where freight carriers deem a shipping address as remote, within the bounds of their extended shipping area policies, or any instance where the carrier adds a surcharge to the order, our shipping rates that are based on the dollar value of an order do not apply; the actual shipping fees will be applied to your order.
We are located in Edmonton, Alberta. An order will generally cost more to ship the farther out of province it goes.
In-Store Only Items
Some items are only available in store only and not available for delivery. This exception includes the following:
- Frames with Glass Couriers will not be responsible for glass.
Tables with Glass Tops, such as The Futura Craft Station and Solano Adjustable Drafting Table, are highly susceptible to breakage during shipping. These items can only be shipped within the Greater Edmonton Area by a same-day service carrier. - Stretched Canvas Larger Than 30″x40″ The Paint Spot does not ship stretched canvases larger than 30×40″ as these larger sizes are frequently damaged in transit. We recommend that you order bulk rolls of canvas and stretcher bars. It is more cost-effective to build larger canvases yourself than to pay for oversize shipping charges and risk damage.
- Hazardous Materials such as spray paint, spray varnishes, and solvents can be shipped only by ground: they cannot be shipped by air.
- Temperature-Sensitive Products While most paints can handle a few freeze-thaw cycles, latex-based products such as mold-making latex and watercolour masking fluid will not survive being frozen. Other products that should not be frozen are: Pebeo Cerne Relief, and calligraphy pen cartridges. If these products are required in the winter, they may need to be sent via heated truck and additional charges may apply. We will call you for pre-approval.
- Plaster Sculptures The Masters Torino Sculptures are very fragile and are only available for in-store pick-up.
- Paper Sheets We ask for a minimum order of 20 sheets. We do endeavour to package your orders to ensure they arrive safely and without damage, but small quantities of paper are fragile and may not survive their journey. Thin papers such as washi, tracing, vellums, films may be rolled to ensure they arrive to you undented.
If you have any questions regarding these shipping exceptions or other concerns, please contact our order desk at 1.800.363.0546 or e-mail us at orders@paintspot.ca.