Buying US and Shipping to a US Location for local pick-up

Many businesses will provide free shipping within the US via UPS or other couriers.
The problem for Canadians is paying all the ridiculous Customs/Duty/other miscellaneous fees that are often charged. One way around this is having your order shipped to a business in the US so that you can pick it up in the US and take it accross the border yourself.

Below is a list of businesses that provide this service in Calais, Maine. A friend of mine recently purchased tires this way and saved at least $500. Please let me know if you can add other businesses to this list.

Your name C/O
Johnsons True Value
188 North Street
Calais, Maine
04619

Your name C/O
Ace Hardware
295 North Street
Calais, Maine
04619

Your name C/O
C&E Feeds
482 North Street
Calais, Maine
04619

Your name C/O
Derringer's
14 River Street
Calais, Maine
04619

The following link is also helpful:

http://isaintjohn.com/classifieds/archive/index.php/t-30871.html

Loonie surges to 2-month high

Loonie surges to 2-month high
3-cent gain in last 2 days
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 | 12:21 PM ET
CBC News
The Canadian dollar has jumped in value for the second straight day — reaching its highest level in two months.

The loonie was up 1.61 cents US Tuesday against its U.S. counterpart to $1.0209 US in mid-afternoon trading. It gained 1.67 cents US on Monday.

That's the Canadian currency's highest level since Dec. 28, according to Bank of Canada figures.

Currency analysts said rising commodity prices were behind much of the loonie's recent strength. Canada's commodity wealth is widely seen as being a major factor in the value of its currency, so when commodity prices rise, the loonie usually follows.

Oil futures were above $101 US a barrel in New York trading on Tuesday, natural gas prices were up, gold futures gained more than $9.80 US to $950.30 US an ounce and wheat traded above $12 US a bushel for the first time ever.

The U.S. dollar also came under renewed pressure after a measure of wholesale inflation rose by a full percentage point in January — the biggest increase in 16 years — and the U.S. Conference Board said consumer confidence fell dramatically last month.

The loonie went as high as $1.10 US in early November, capping a spectacular climb from below 62 cents US in early 2002. It then slid to around the 97-cent US level in January before beginning its most recent rise.

Loonie back at par

Last Updated: Thursday, December 20, 2007 | 11:18 AM ET
CBC News
The Canadian dollar was trading above par with the U.S. dollar for the first time in more than two weeks on Thursday.

The loonie was quoted at $1.0018 US in mid-morning trading, up just over half a cent from Wednesday's close. It went as high as $1.0045 US in earlier trading.

"It doesn't appear that there was any news to fuel the move, likely just a big buyer," said BMO Capital Markets economist Benjamin Reitzes.

The loonie hit a modern day high of $1.1030 US in early November before it began a steady retreat as investors sold off positions in the Canadian dollar as commodity prices slipped from record highs.

The dollar fell below 98 cents US on Dec. 13 before slowly recovering to parity.

Since early 2002, when the Canadian dollar was worth 61.79 cents US, the currency has seen a steady increase in value as prices of oil and other commodities Canada surged and the U.S. dollar weakened against a wide range of currencies.

Lofty loonie named Time's top Canadian newsmaker

Last Updated: Thursday, December 20, 2007 | 6:41 AM ET
CBC News
The Canadian dollar made headlines throughout 2007, and its turn from lacklustre to lofty secured its fame Thursday as Time magazine's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year.

Over the past 12 months, the loonie has flirted with parity and smashed record highs against the U.S. greenback.

It began the year at 87 cents and for the first third of the year seemed to be a currency that had peaked.

Then in April, the loonie's value began to climb. It was trading at 96 cents by July.

"And suddenly what seemed unthinkable was entirely possible — that we could have a Canadian dollar worth the same as the U.S. dollar," said CBC's business host Danielle Bochove.

In late summer, though, the explosion of the subprime debt crisis south of the border created a bit of a setback as global investors scrambled, abandoning the Canadian loonie.

But as markets stabilized, the loonie resumed its climb and hit parity in September.

The Canadian dollar rose to $1.10 US in early November before falling in the middle of that month.

Michael Elliott, international editor of Time, said there were other candidates for the title, such as former media baron Conrad Black, but the loonie interested him because it represented a wider issue.

"The currency of Canada is not solely a Canadian story. It's a global story that has to do with changing balances in the international economy and significantly … a weakening of the American economy," he told CBC News.

Time's Canadian Newsmaker of the Year is an annual editorial special that began more than 10 years ago.

Time defines the newsmaker as the person, place, group or thing that has the most impact — for better or for worse — on the news in Canada.

Loonie briefly dips below parity as oil prices tumble

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 | 5:30 PM ET

CBC News

The Canadian dollar briefly fell below parity with the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, as oil prices shed more than $3 US a barrel.

The loonie dipped as low as 99.97 cents US in mid-afternoon trading, the Bank of Canada told CBCNews.ca.

That marked the first time since Oct. 4 that the Canadian dollar was worth less than its U.S. counterpart. But the loonie's journey below parity lasted only a few minutes. The dollar quickly regained ground to close the trading day at $1.0050 US, which was off 0.39 of a cent from Monday's close.

The Canadian dollar reached parity with the U.S. dollar on Sept. 20 — the first time it had been that high in almost 31 years. It continued to rise over the next few weeks, topping out at $1.1030 US on Nov. 7. In the three weeks since, however, it has been on a long slide.

Some analysts say it's simply a case of the value of the dollar falling after going up too quickly.

Allison Mendes, portfolio manager with MFC Global Investment Management, said the loonie needed to come down. "It was in overbought territory," she told CBC News.

Steve Butler, director of foreign exchange trading at Scotia Capital Markets, called it "a healthy correction."

BMO Capital Markets said the number of Canadian dollar "net longs" — the difference between the number of futures contracts that are betting the loonie will rise and the number betting on a fall — is it the lowest level in eight months. That "net long" number has fallen for six straight weeks as traders increasingly bet against a rise in the Canadian dollar.

Curbing the loonie's ascent has been the expectation that the Bank of Canada may cut interest rates to keep the economy going. The bank's next interest rate decision comes on Dec. 4.

Also weighing on the Canadian dollar Tuesday was a sharp drop in the price of crude oil. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, January light sweet crude was down $3.28 at $94.42 US a barrel.

The sharp drop came amid reports that members of OPEC are considering an output increase to help reduce the price of oil, which hovered near $100 US a barrel recently.

Concerns over an economic slowdown that could reduce demand were also cited by analysts as contributing to Tuesday's drop in prices.