Where to Buy#

Where you order from can affect factors like how long you’ll be waiting (days versus months) and whether it comes with a predictable shipping charge or an import fee. “Fast” and “predictable” sounds better, all things being equal, but there will be times when you’ll have to settle for “slow” and “surprise!” if you find a sword you really like from an overseas armoury that only sells direct-to-consumer.

OEMs and Distributors#

There are (broadly speaking) two major sources of HEMA gear:

1. Original equipment makers (OEMs)
2. Distributors

OEMs generally make equipment to order, have multi-week or multi-month production queues, and sometimes offer customizations. Most OEMs have enough demand that they do not carry an inventory of ready-to-ship items, though there are exceptions. Most OEMs are outside of Canada, meaning that one must account for currency exchange, shipping, and the possibility of customs/import fees. Customs enforcement is inconsistent, so hope for the best and plan for the worst.

Distributors on the other hand are more like storefronts that stock ready-to-ship gear. Some distributors stock the same equipment you would otherwise buy from OEMs, sometimes whitelabelled, and often competitively priced because they can bulk order. Stock tends to ebb and flow, and when something is in stock it is almost always the fastest way to get something. These tend not to be drop-shippers, since they must bulk order their inventory to achieve margin and overcome their import costs.

The line is a bit blurred in cases where distributors have entered into partnership with swordmakers, but the above distinction mostly holds.

Customs and Self Clearing#

International orders that ship through Canada Post tend to have reasonable customs fees, but private couriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL often inflate this by bundling their clearance fees with the shipment. For private couriers, consider self-clearing if the numbers don’t seem to add up.

List of Sellers#

Below is a non-exhaustive list of OEMs and distributors that are broadly considered trustworthy. Any omission does not mean a seller is untrustworthy, that’s just the nature of curation. There is one exception: it’s strongly recommended to avoid buying from Amazon or similar online megastores with marketplace sellers. This is to avoid a counterfeit of something meant to keep you safe.