I don't know how good their prices are, but free shipping isn't bad. They do sell turning supplies.
Lee Valley Free Shipping - No Min
- Thread starter TonyL
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Lucky2
Member
Thanks Tony, good to know.
Len
Len
sbwertz
Member
Absolutely nothing to do with pen turning but their jar opener is the best I've ever found. It will pop the seal on vacuum packed jars easier than anything else I've ever used, without damaging the lid. I bought ten of them and gave them as Christmas gifts one year, and they were a big hit. One side is for standard lids, and the other for the deeper, taller lids. Just hook it over the edge and gently press down with your palm. Even those of us with arthritis can open jars with it.
got to look into that for my wife. thx!
Curly
Member
They've actually had the free shipping with no minimum order size for about 6 weeks. Can't go into the stores unless by appointment but they do have curb side pick up for orders. The bad thing about LV is that there are a ton of gems among the things they sell, tempting one all the time. 
Curly
Member
The catalogs on line have the products made in Canada and the USA at the end of the descriptions listed.
lathe monkey
Member
yes nice to have free shipping , but,, I live less then 3 hours from lee valley in Ottawa, it took 8 days to get my order, that was on UPS, it sat in the warehouse 80km from me for 2 days , said weather delay!! not sure how sunshine delayed it, considering I have been out on my spyder every day.
I guess the Corona virus had something to do with it, but really poor service from UPS, I did send them a email about it.
I guess the Corona virus had something to do with it, but really poor service from UPS, I did send them a email about it.
sbwertz
Member
We have had excellent service from UPS. They delivered a couple of days ago at 10:30 pm because their truck overheated. We are well into triple digits here now.
Curly
Member
All the courier companies and postal systems are having problems with hi volumes of shipping to people that are buying online that would have gone to the store instead. Everyone needs to relearn to be patient. Remember when you mail ordered with a check and waited 2 to 4 weeks to get your order.
Out-of-store shipping service should not be a criterion. . UPS is normally excellent and always has been in my experience.
Superior order fulfillment and rapid out-the-door timing has always been my experience from Lee Valley. . Can't fault them.
Lee Valley uses UPS, so overall and in general the time to delivery should be very acceptable under normal circumstances ... what's normal today ?
In general, they sell brands and products which are the most highly regarded and sought-after.
In addition, they have products that you would not find anywhere else and which, too, are outstanding ... like the jar openers that Sharon bought.
A visit to their brick-and-mortar stores, if you live in Canada or are visiting, is a delightful experience, whether you know what you are looking for or whether you are "just looking". . Certainly, you will find something that you did not know even existed ... again, those jar openers and lots more.
Now, as regards the subject of pricing that Tony raised. . The prices are fair. . Lee Valley does not offer sale pricing except on clearance items.
You will not be gouged, but you can expect to pay "fair market value". . For US customers, that means a price similar to your home price.
As an example, consider the pricing on the Virage twist ballpoint pen kit. . That is a Berea product and, for pen kits, Lee Valley sells only Berea.
Now, Berea is one of the well-regarded names for quality pen kits, and Lee Valley chose to sell the Berea line of pen kits for that reason.
This Virage pen kit, one-off, is listed on Lee Valley for $13.50 CDN or for $9.50 USD. . The bank exchange rate has been 1.42, so pricing is the same whether you buy in CDN or USD. . For Qty 51, the unit pricing on LV is $10.30 CDN, while direct from Berea the price is $7.30 USD, again the same.
I think you will find similar situations for other products, like Rikon, or Taig, with well-regarded brand names.
At Lee Valley, you won't find "cheap" but you will find "fair" and "quality". . And their Customer Service is Top-Notch, First Class, A-1, at least from my experiences over many years from within Canada. . And shopping in their stores is ... I think I said "delightful". . Worth a visit to Canada !!!
For you folks in the US, free shipping at this time may not be a big deal, but it may be one of your considerations. . For us, in Canada, at this time, it can be quite a significant "deal". . All things considered .... well, you have to be the judge of that.
Superior order fulfillment and rapid out-the-door timing has always been my experience from Lee Valley. . Can't fault them.
Lee Valley uses UPS, so overall and in general the time to delivery should be very acceptable under normal circumstances ... what's normal today ?
For the products they sell, Lee Valley is generally known as the elite "general hardware retail store" in Canada.
In general, they sell brands and products which are the most highly regarded and sought-after.
In addition, they have products that you would not find anywhere else and which, too, are outstanding ... like the jar openers that Sharon bought.
A visit to their brick-and-mortar stores, if you live in Canada or are visiting, is a delightful experience, whether you know what you are looking for or whether you are "just looking". . Certainly, you will find something that you did not know even existed ... again, those jar openers and lots more.
Now, as regards the subject of pricing that Tony raised. . The prices are fair. . Lee Valley does not offer sale pricing except on clearance items.
You will not be gouged, but you can expect to pay "fair market value". . For US customers, that means a price similar to your home price.
As an example, consider the pricing on the Virage twist ballpoint pen kit. . That is a Berea product and, for pen kits, Lee Valley sells only Berea.
Now, Berea is one of the well-regarded names for quality pen kits, and Lee Valley chose to sell the Berea line of pen kits for that reason.
This Virage pen kit, one-off, is listed on Lee Valley for $13.50 CDN or for $9.50 USD. . The bank exchange rate has been 1.42, so pricing is the same whether you buy in CDN or USD. . For Qty 51, the unit pricing on LV is $10.30 CDN, while direct from Berea the price is $7.30 USD, again the same.
I think you will find similar situations for other products, like Rikon, or Taig, with well-regarded brand names.
At Lee Valley, you won't find "cheap" but you will find "fair" and "quality". . And their Customer Service is Top-Notch, First Class, A-1, at least from my experiences over many years from within Canada. . And shopping in their stores is ... I think I said "delightful". . Worth a visit to Canada !!!
For you folks in the US, free shipping at this time may not be a big deal, but it may be one of your considerations. . For us, in Canada, at this time, it can be quite a significant "deal". . All things considered .... well, you have to be the judge of that.
TellicoTurning
Member
My UPS driver in Texas lived a few blocks from me and knew that I worked and no one home during the day... he would take my packages home with him and then deliver them after I got home from work...which sometimes was as late as 10 or 11 pm...
Local guy here wheels up to my drive way, throws it in reverse and digs up my gravel driveway trying to back up the hill.... plus he usually leaves the packages on the back steps which can be in the rain and in view of the streed if the car is going from the left of our house to the right.....
but he usually has a dog treat for Maggie when she greets him.
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sbwertz
Member
Once, years ago, I bought a bird net to put over my peach tree. (I wouldn't mind sharing with the birds, but they want to take one bite out of EVERY peach on the tree LOL.) I put the net on, only to discover that the openings were just a little too large. The birds could get in, but didn't seem able to get back out again. Every morning I'd have to go untie the bottom of the net and let the birds out. I told Lee
Valley about the problem. They immediately took the net off the market, and sent me another net with smaller holes. THAT is customer service.
Curly
Member
Bought a book about birds of prey from LV. In the fall they sent me a check for $10.00 along with a note saying the price of the book they were getting from the publisher went down mid year and they were refunding the difference to the people that bought them earlier in the year. That to me is customer service! They are almost always my first stop for a tool and only if they don't have what I need/want do I look elsewhere.
pshrynk
Member
Maybe it was more of a behavor modfication net...
"Listen George - Don't go after those peaches! They make you fly funny!"