Source for reasonably priced large-ish plastic project boxes (for Canada)

[torch]

I can't believe a plastic box is really worth $20 or more. Even with the screws. I'm talking about something 6" or 8" by maybe 5"- 6" and say 2" deep. Where are the best on-line sources? (I'm in Canada, but have access to a US address to save a bit on shipping). eBay is flooded with tiny boxes, but little in the larger sizes.

[gxti]

Polycase is good. Not astoundingly cheaper than what you're seeing but they have a great selection.

http://www.polycase.com/dc-96f is 10x6x3 for $12.64, there's also 8.25x5 for a hair less.

[grenert]

Radio Shack has an 8 x 6 x 3 for $9:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062285

[notsob]

Have a look at the EEVBLOG WIKI

there is a list of enclosure sources

[Dago]

I'm gonna hijack this topic a bit and ask if someone knows where I could get USB "stick" cases? Like a very small case for a project that is designed to plug in to USB.

[Bloch]

I'm gonna hijack this topic a bit and ask if someone knows where I could get USB "stick" cases? Like a very small case for a project that is designed to plug in to USB.

http://www.polycase.com/usb-series

[torch]

Ahhh, Radio Shack. I remember it well. Unfortunately Radio Shack died a slow and lingering death up here. It was very painful to watch. The corpse is still twitching in the form of "The Source", a Bell Canada owned retailer of shoddy Chinese made consumer goods available on eBay for half the price and shill for Bell's cell phone and internet services.

I have looked at many of the sources listed in the Wiki. The problem is getting things into Canada. Many won't ship internationally, and the others all seem stuck on courier services like UPS. UPS into Canada is a nightmare. Let's take the case of the Polycase box link gxti kindly offered:

The box is $13. UPS shipping ranges from $18 to $61, depending on the service level. That's up-front, and what the shipper bills. But when it crosses the border, UPS holds the parcel for ransom. $23 each item for an import permit. $4.25 COD fee (yes, you paid the seller, but this is applied because they are collecting the ransom on delivery). Either a "Duty and Tax ammendments" fee ($50) or an "Invoice amendments fee" of $5 (UPS must be female, 'cause this choice varies by the time of the month). Don't forget the "Low value shipment" fee of $15. Of course, if you try to distribute the shipping costs amount several items, there is a "classification" fee of $4.50 per line.

The box could end up costing over $100! At the minimum, it will be over $30. I think Canadian retailers know this and that's why they get away with charging $20 or more for a cheap plastic box. The frustrating part is that Hammond seems to be a major manufacturer in this field, and they are located in Canada -- but they refuse to retail. 

Compare to Canada Post, which charges a flat-rate brokerage fee of $7, and doesn't even bother to collect that 50% of the time. Especially if the parcel is marked "gift" or "commercial sample".  I recently bought some tubes and switches from Russia. Postage was $13, with no extra fees. 

I was hoping a fellow Canadian had already figured out the shipping maze. I apologize for not making that a bit clearer. I amended the subject heading to hopefully clear that up a bit. Anyone know a source of Russian military-surplus project boxes that can be shipped by mail? (I guess they would probably be wood, not plastic though  )

[codeboy2k]

I'm in Vancouver. I haven't found any great place to buy plastic enclosures yet either.  I usually shop on eBay before I need it, and also ship it to my P.O. Box in Washington State. I'm just 30 minutes from the border, 15 minutes to the PO box after that, and I usually burn about 2 hours there and back total.  Fuel is about $15.00 - $20 for that trip but I often save $40, $50 or up to a hundred if I can order multiple items and pick them all up at once in the USA.

There's a few manufacturers in Richmond, south of Vancouver, that make plastics. I haven't checked them out, and they are manufacturers, not retailers, so I would  only use them if I was making something large scale.

Electrosonic sells all the Hammond line, but you're still going to pay $14-15 for a case in the size you want, plus shipping, unless you are in Toronto and can pick it up at their "will-call" door.  When I lived in Toronto back in the 80's, I visited Electrosonic weekly and picked  up stuff all the time. I got to know the guys in inside sales so well they would easily hand me samples of anything new that came in their door. They also let me take home floor samples of their instruments all the time. Got to play with the new toys for a few days back then... I don't know if they still do this.

[Paul Moir]

Digikey(.ca) does excellent service to Canada.  At least for me.  Usually if I order by 7pm it's in at 10am the next morning, and I'm in Nova Scotia.  All for something like $8 shipping.  I don't even buy large enclosures locally anymore, even though two decent suppliers are within spitting distance (RAE and Jentronics).  No brokerage fee because they prepay the taxes.  Sails through customs like a frikin meteor.

I can't figure out how they do that.

[HardBoot]

I buy my project boxes at a dollar store... metal(may rust), plastic(flammable)... but only $0.50-2 each...

[torch]

Genius. I've bought wood boxes there before, should have thought the dollar store might have plastic ones too.

Otherwise, I'll try Digi-Key.  Thanks guys.