This is “A User’s Guide to Point Roberts, Washington,” or “How-to Get Stuff Shipped From The USA on a Shoestring.”
Step 1:
Want to order something from a US retailer, likely because it’s being sold for less than the cheapest Canadian retailer will sell it for, or because it’s just plum not available above the 49th parallel.
Step 2:
Notice that said US retailer either won’t ship internationally, charges damn near the original value of the item for shipping to Canada, or offers really attractive free shipping to US addresses. Now is the time to pound your fist against the desk, swear, or grumble something about living in a country that’s understood only as the land of “igloos” and “eskimos.”
Step 3:
Calm down. Click that “checkout” button. When it comes time to put in your shipping address, try this little number:
{Your Name Here}
1591 McKenzie Way
Point Roberts, WA
98281Step 4:
Register yourself with Point To Point parcel, so they know to notify you when your package arrives.
Step 5:
You’ve received notification that your parcel has landed in Point Roberts! Grab your passport, a knapsack, your bike and get on the 601 bus. Take it all the way to the end of the line (52A street and 2nd), ride through Diefenbaker park, and locate the big orange square in the sky. That’s the border crossing.
Step 6:
Visit your good friends at Point To Point parcel, show your ID, and grab your goods!
Step 7: Ride back across the border and pay your taxes. Y’know, the ones that paid for the bus ride down?
There you have it! Enjoy near-free shipping, competitive prices, a whole new world of selection, and good exercise. It’s the Point Roberts difference.
Other Point Roberts depots include TSB Shipping and The Letter Carrier. These instructions are intended as guidelines only – always plan ahead, read the depot’s terms and conditions, check the latest transit schedules, and make sure that you understand the implications of cross-border travel and trade.
