What do you think of this incubator?

Hi CoopSlave. Incubator looks pretty good, good enough price too. I wonder how easy the unit is to clean after a hatch...

If you were wanting to buy this you would need to see if seller will ship to Canada, as it is not listed as an option. The shipping probably will be the opposite of free then Also, many people are not familiar with the wonderful duties you pay on top of the shipping. It will be a % of the sale price of the item. Probably between 15-20%. (I imported textiles in for a time and got good at the shipping thing). On Ebay in particular you see some items are super cheap priced, and the shipping is 3 times the price, well the trick here is that the seller gets his money, and the buyer only pays tax on the item price, shipping price is not taxed. Get it? Aaaa Hah!

Thanks for the heads up about the shipping. I am only an hour from the border and I have an address in the US I get stuff shipped to and then just drive over for it. It is just HST at the border now, I don't remember the last time I paid duty on anything.
I find these interesting. I wish I could have a look in person.

Katsuki, explain that shipping thing again. I'm not getting it (I was recently run over by a Zamboni)

I just had something shipped here from Kansas. It got here in around 8 days but cost $130 to ship, which was almost 50% of the purchase price! Daughter bought a cell phone off Ebay at start of November and is still waiting for it to arrive! (getting a bad feeling) It was coming from Quebec to BC and the shipping was free. She was grumbling that something can get here faster from Kansas than from Quebec...but I paid a whopping $130 for that privellege!

Incubators....I like them all.

I myself would be a bit leary about an incubator that heats with light bulbs, a small power surge and both bulbs could burn out, and if one does burn out will there be enough heat from one, I woudl also imagine that the lights go out when temperature is reached snd come back on when heat is needed. Turning bulbs off and on many mnay times causes them to burn out faster.

This is a fixed shelf unit. Will be a huge job - 3 times a day at least - to turn eggs if the incubator is full! Note it comes with outlets to plug in turners (Hovabator at around $75 each).

If you live close to the border full featured "Sportsman" Incubators - with electronic control, automatic turning, and real heating elements can be obtained for around $600.

http://dickeyincubators.com/
http://www.cutlersupply.com/

You'll have to include shipping costs whatever way you go.

www.berryhilllimited.com is a Canadian distributor of the GQF "Sportsman"

Uno, what I mean about shipping is this...(As long as the two prices together are a decent value for the item in question, you are ahead because you will only pay duties on the value of the item, and this does not include cost of shipping.) A great deal on ebay for example.. an item is listed as way way under value, wedding dress $19.99, but shipping is $110. Here you pay only $2 duties tax @ %18, if the post office even collects such a small amount. This is favorable to a deal like this instead: wedding dress $100, shipping $19.99. Here you will pay extra $18 duties tax, @ %18, because dress is $100.


Another thing about purchasing international. I will NEVER use a private shipping company such as DHL, UPS, etc. I insist on the national shipping systems such as USPS, Can Post, etc. These shipping companies charge a steap fee for clearing the item through customs for you. So, you pay shipping, border duty, + clearance fees. Yikes!
Sometimes you cannot get around using a private shipping company, but if you have the choice, pick the national service.

Incubators used to cross the border duty free. I don't know if they still do or not. We bought a GQF hatcher cheaper in the USA than Berry Hill at that time. Berry Hill sells more of them now and the price differential is quite a bit smaller now.
You can buy an element for a Sportsman at Berry Hill and keep it on hand for a spare if the light bulbs are trouble. Elements are cheap and easy to wire in.

Jocelyn

coopslave wrote: I am only an hour from the border and I have an address in the US I get stuff shipped to and then just drive over for it.

What!! Now I really need to find out where you live, I thought Beaverdell was much closer to me than that, eeeks!!!

let's see....... $380 for the incubator; 6 turners at $62 (+HST); heater coil @ $33.95 (+HST) + additional shipping charge for turners + (Canadian customs will/might collect HST on $380) = Real Bargain!

CynthiaM wrote:

coopslave wrote: I am only an hour from the border and I have an address in the US I get stuff shipped to and then just drive over for it.

What!! Now I really need to find out where you live, I thought Beaverdell was much closer to me than that, eeeks!!!

Well, that is a bit of a fib as I am probably and hour and a half from the border and about an hour to Kelowna.
CynthiaM, if you know where Big White Ski hill is, we are just over a half hour from it. Up in the mountains we are!!!