Almost every week there is someone on here grousing about $hipping fees. A key factor in what it costs is how the thing is sent.
If an item comes from the US, Priority is likely to be $30 or more. If the item is big or heavy, - much more. If you see a small inexpensive item, you can always ask a seller if they will consider shipping USPS First Class International to Canada - which costs a whole lot less. There are size & weight restrictions, though, so it is not always possible.
At the same time, Priority provides the seller with Delivery Confirmation (necessary in the event of a pp claim), which First Class does not. You have a low feedback and may find sellers reluctant to simply trust you at this point. If a seller refuses, it is a seller's prerogative and must be respected.
Shipping within Canada, on the other hand, is just plain expensive. Have you yourself mailed a parcel lately? Postal service rates are not the fault of the sellers, however often they get blamed for it. Shipping fees are a part of online shopping, -- that's just how it is. The trade-off is being able to buy things which we simply cannot get any other way, - and have these items delivered. Try to look on the bright side. 🙂
And if you want to see for yourself what it costs to mail things, US postal rates can be found here:
http://ircalc.usps.com/?country=10054
And the Canadian prices here:
http://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/personal/findARate?execution=e1s1
And if you find a US listing where the seller uses a courier, since you have expressed a concern about costs I suggest you avoid sellers using couriers. They charge big brokerage fees, plus any item over $20 in value is subject to duties and taxes. If it comes by the mail, CP only charges 8.50 (plus the duties & taxes), and that is only IF it gets assessed, which quite often it does not but simply sails through to your door. . . . Sometimes. 😉
