Mail-order or online garment suppliers in Canada?

carol57

A friend living abroad has limited and unsatisfactory garment choices, but she will be visiting Canada in December. Her daughter is studying at a Montreal university, so my friend would like to order garments to be shipped to her daughter just prior to the visit. She's not finding much using online search tools, so I thought I'd ask our Canadian forum members for resources.

The ideal supplier will have a good return policy, because my friend would like to order several garments from suppliers she does not have access to at home, try them on, and then return what does not work well.

We have such great service in the States from Brightlife and other vendors, that I'm hoping there is a similar resource (or two) in Canada. Brightlife will ship to Canada, but from reading their website, it seems the shipping and customs costs can be high. Another friend explained to me that garments can get some kind of certification of medical need that waives customs fees, so perhaps that's an avenue for the friend in need.

So...Canadian swell sisters, where do you buy your garments?

Thanks for any ideas!

Oncearunneralwaysarunner

Hi there,

I buy my sleeves and gloves from Certicare (http://certicare.ca) in Ottawa. I usually pick them up in person but I do know they ship orders too. They carry a few brands as well. They do fittings as well so it might be worth it for your friend to take a drive if she can, it's about 2 hours from Montreal. The staff is really good. Now that I've been fitted, they have my info on file and I just email to place my order and they make sure I have the right size. They have shipped me orders when I was unable to make it in to pick up my order. Perhaps that could be an option for your friend. Or Certicare might be able to recommend a fitter in Montreal that offers similar services.

Oh and I forgot to add, they are really good with replacing garments that might have issues with them. I had a problem with the last gloves I ordered and they worked with the company to get me replacements.

Hope that helps.

carol57

Oncearunner, thank you! I'll pass this great information along.

She

Some pharmacies carry sleeves, try calling your local cancer agency. I got Jobst sleeves at a pharmacy in my cancer clinic's building. They come with half-finger gloves. (You buy the glove and sleeve separately.) They're the "ole lady beige elastic stocking" type (blech lol). A little less expensive than Lymphedivas.

Online - Lymphedivas - shipped out of the US. They have a wide selection of prints and colours, I have leopard print and they look like full sleeve tats. There's instructions for measuring. She can choose what she wants online. They are a little pricey but they have a good return policy. I've been using Lymphedivas for 10+ years.

Both types come in two compression strengths. I've had both light and heavy compression and because my LE is manageable the lightweight work well for me. The heavier weight ones can be a little difficult to put on if she has mobility challenges, but they work well if she has moderate to severe LE. They come separately with either a gauntlet (cut off across the bottom knuckles) or glove (half-finger). I prefer the gauntlet as they're more practical (unless she wants to carry rubber gloves around lol)

carol57

She, when you order from Lymphedivas, are you able to avoid paying customs fees?

Anonymous

I ordered my custom measured Juzo sleeve and glove through a locally certified individual. She works out of the hospital. She ordered them from Germany. They were ~$600 with 75% reimbursed by the province.

As for customs, I have ordered a medical device from the US ($75 + shipping) and was not charged any other fees (sales tax/duty). I recommend asking the company.

She

Carol it's been a year since I ordered, sorry I don't remember. I got an email from them today, 30% off sale until Oct 31.