New Canadian Distribution Center: FAQs

[sephoraadmin2]

We are excited to announce that as of this past weekend, we have started shipping to Canadian addresses from our new warehouse in Canada. By being able to ship directly within Canada, our clients will receive many new benefits, including faster processing and delivery times, elimination of duty charges and the addition of new brands and items to our Canadian product assortment. If there are certain favorites that appear to be out of stock, try searching for the product by name; in some cases the product item number for the product may just be different now. For other products that no longer appear on the site, we apologize that this is due to language compliance on packaging that is required to adhere to by law in order to ship within Canada. Please continue to check back as these products may become available again in the future.

Q: What are some of the brands that have been removed?
A: SK-II, select Murad, Peter Thomas Roth, and Kate Somerville acne and SPF products are not available for now, but we are working hard with all our brands to get their packaging Canada compliant so that we can offer them to you in the future.

Q: Which brands have been added?
A: We recently added shu uemera and Biotherm.

Q: Why are some brands no longer available on Sephora.ca but available in store?
A: Depending on the region, some Canadian stores may be able to carry these brands due to French language compliance. Store assortment is not affected. Please contact your store directly for specific product availability.

Q: How do I find out if Sephora.ca still carries the products I love?
A: Search by the product name as the product item number (that is used in your basket or love list) may have changed.

Q: Will I still be able to get early access or limited edition products and promotions?
A: Yes! We are working hard to get the hottest launches that are available and compliant for our Canadian clients.

Q: How much faster will I get my Sephora orders?
A: Much faster! Because we are now shipping from Canada, you save the time between our US distribution center to Canada.

Q: Do I still have to pay duty on my orders?
A: No duties are charged now that we’re delivering from Canada.

Q: What about returns?
A: If you aren’t happy with your products, returns are now free!

Q: Will this move affect my BI points?
A: Yes, actually. Your BI points on Sephora.ca will now be allocated based on the CAD list price, vs the USD price.

[brennab]

I placed an order on July 2nd and it still hasn't shipped. The status says 'sent to warehouse'. Is there an issue getting orders shipped from this new warehouse already??

[SweetSkittles]

I ordered BeccaxJaclyn skin perfecter on Jul 2nd, and the ETA is Jul 9th!!! How is this faster shipping than shipping from the USA distribution centre? BTW, it's already available in store at the Sephora Robson location. So I got mine today in store.

Spoiler

[Chickibum]

Yes my champagne pop order on the 2nd says the same thing, and my friend is having the same issue as well. So much for the process being faster.... 

[brennab]

It would be nice to receive some kind of communication as to what's going on...*sigh*

[Mochapj]

I had an order I placed on the Saturday that they made the change, and I received it by Tuesday.

I also ordered champagne pop on the 2nd and mine hasn't shipped yet either.  

I've been wondering if they forgot to send the Champagne Pops to the Canadian warehouse and are waiting for a shipment from the US, LOL...

[StyleLynn]

I live in Canada and received my shipment confirmation for Champagne Pop on Saturday.

[kbmatthews]

I ordered the Champagne Pop too, and still haven't received my shipment confirmation. Hopefully today?

[danimazz]

My thoughts exactly.  It probably did not launch on time because there was no actual stock in the Canadian warehouse.  Mine still has not shipped either. Hopefully whenever they do manage to get it out, it gets here fast 😞

[clemon]

I just noticed some price increases when I switched items on my love list to the new Canadian listings. Some of them were $1-2, others like the Living Proof Restore Instant Protection Spray went form $33 to $40. That's a 21% price increase, it almost feels like whatever duty fees we are not paying are being put toward these price adjustments! 😞

[liz204]

I guess I will have to order off the American website and have things shipped to my PO box again. So sad....but at least I'm saving money by having things unavailable.

[tbuss]

Sephora, thank you for continuing to offer some of the products by most of the brands you carry 😉

A distribution centre in Canada should be seen as an investment in our economy and further expansion into the Canadian market.  Rolled out correctly, it would have been viewed as a measure that demonstrates the importance of Canadian spending to Sephora.  My question to Sephora is do you have a plan in place to remedy the issues with lack of product availability?  What is the plan, what is the timeline? Tell us how you plan to handle the upcoming holiday season with gift sets and promotions that we spend too much money on each year.  The gift sets and promotions are certainly off the table for Canadians right now, do you plan to fix that?

[calcutta]

I wouldn't hold my breath for any answers, seems Sephora is very good at dodging questions that puts them in a bad light. 

[jeannie11]

You are so right.

I emailed them about the poor packaging from the Ontario warehouse and they didn't even have the courtesy to reply!

[tbuss]

For sure! Brutal, eh!

[Melissa136]

I haven't explored many brands that Sephora carries, fortunately the brands that I like are still available. My local Sephora's are also in high demand locations so they normally carry the brands that I'm looking for. They're just always sold out of popular items. I only purchase online if I can't find it at a nearby location.

In terms of shipping times, I think it's definitely faster. I placed an order early afternoon on June 29, so it was considered same business day. It processed on June 29 and got shipped June 30 in the morning. It arrived at my Canada Post distribution centre July 1. And arrived July 2. It took 4 days if you count order day to arrive, and a statutory holiday in there as well. Shipping from the US normally took 7 days (weekends and business days).

In the end, Sephora should have posted this earlier. First they mistreated Canadian consumers with the conversion on the American site, duties, and long shipping times. The only reason we pay premiums is because we can't find it elsewhere. For Sephora to have our money, they need to continue being the only store that carries high-end products.

[spiderlashes]

I want to also add my voice to those who wish we could have been notified before the change. This must have been in the works for many months, so it seems almost deliberate that Sephora kept completely silent. Not sure why, as I would have been among many I'm sure placing orders for brands I was excited to try that would no longer be available to me, especially Sunday Riley and Drybar.

I admit I was curious to see if the shipping would be very fast compared to what it was (which I actually never had a problem with) so I placed a small order on Canada Day mostly so I could redeem for a point perk I missed in store. The status on my order is still "sent to warehouse". Not counting the holiday of course, that is two days, when I only ordered 1 item not including the perk and samples. I usually got a shipping confirmation in a day or so from the US warehouse. I realize the warehouse is probably still getting organized, but I guess I am feeling discouraged what with the fewer products and promos, and hope Sephora steps it up a bit for their Canadian customers.

[Anonymous]

This post would have been fantastic two weeks ago. Now it just makes Sephora look unprofessional and unprepared. 

[KellW]

So does that mean that Rouge Canadians will receive the option to get Flash 2-day free shipping?

[BeautyBee92]

I think that sounds like an excellent idea IMO

[maraschinocherry]

I have submitted a complaint regarding several products I regularly purchase being unavailable before I saw this post, mostly BareMinerals. I've since found two. I hope the rest become available soon or Sephora and I will end our relationship and I'll deal with BareMinerals directly.

[calcutta]

There is only 57 things on sale on the Canadian site, VS 184 on the US site. It's so unfair!