COVID shipping delays

August 3, 2020

While most of our business operations at CLS/House Guitars continue as normal, the biggest impact we have seen from the COVID-19 fallout is increased shipping times. The postal system within Canada, and other countries around the world have implemented COVID precautions which have significantly slowed down parcel processing. We've noticed that the increased shipping times can be around 3 - 4 times longer than the were pre-COVID. For example a parcel in Canada that would usually be delivered in 1 day may now take 3-4. Shipments to the US which normally arrive in 1 week, may take 3 weeks. In some cases the delays are significantly longer.

As of August 2020 we are noticing that the Canadian postal system is doing a bit better, with the delays gradually becoming less. However we are still seeing some significant delays on the US side of the boarder and to some overseas countries.

Nothing is getting lost, but it is common for parcels to go several days with no update to the tracking information. In these cases it usually means the parcel is at a high-volume sorting centre waiting to be processed. 

We have investigated other options for shipping, but as many of our products are oversize (guitar-cases), or heavy (radius dishes), these items become extremely expensive to ship by courier. With courier shipping prices often equaling the value of the product itself, the post remains the only reasonable shipping option from a cost standpoint.

Please be aware of these delays and plan accordingly when you place your order. If you would like to receive a quote on having your items shipped by courier please let us know.