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The problems of shipping to Canada

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laz
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The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby laz » Sat Jun 15, 2013 6:48 pm

Recently I shipped a kite to Canada through UPS. I payed for the shipment in full. Once they received the kite since I had insured the package to the full value they got hit with a rather high charge to be able to receive the kite. Tax? Strange.

I believe to get around this fee you would have to say the value is $0 and that it is a gift. Problem there is then the package is uninsured which to me is a risk I would not want to be liable for.

Anyone else have similar issues with shipping to Canada or know of any solutions? Thx

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby j_rock » Sat Jun 15, 2013 6:58 pm

I have bought lots of gear from the USA and had it shipped to Canada.

Best practice is to have the seller ship via USPS. (United states postal service)

That will save you any broker, customs or import fees. Using UPS seems to always have these fees.

If your close to an American city or border. Many have Border pick up box areas and you can save on shipping and hopefully duty crossing the border.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby Burness » Sat Jun 15, 2013 7:01 pm

Agreed. The problem is not so much the tax but the outrageous "brokerage fees" charged by UPS, Fedex and the like. For a $300.00 kite I was charged $70.00 "brokerage fee". This is not to be confused with the normal tax on the kite.

As just mentioned, the best way to avoid this outrageous sum is to simply use USPS. No brokerage fees.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby jumarcil » Sat Jun 15, 2013 8:35 pm

I had used kite from best ship to one of our business location in lenox, i am about an hour from montreal. The kite costed me 250 dollars. My friend which was suppose to bring it back was called on another location so the guy from the shipping shipped it through ups. It costed me 210 dollars in shipping, broker fees etc.. what a ripoff.. the broker fees are outrageous. All that money just tofill out a stupid form.

On my lastshipment fromcanada to us, i filled it out myself and it costed me about 25 dollars plus fifty dollars for shipping for something equivalent...

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby marlboroughman » Sat Jun 15, 2013 11:59 pm

The best way as it was mentioned is to set up US address. Even though I live 1.5 hr from the border the trip pays for itself just by filling up on the state side. On the way back I pick up a case of beer for $17 which cost $34 in Canada. They never ask me to pay nothing for the beer even though I was not there for anything close to 24 hrs. I order motorcycle parts, car parts you name it, all to US and save a fortune. Most of a time I go on my motorbike to make a nice day riding out of it. I use https://www.kinek.com/ for setting up the address.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby GregK » Sun Jun 16, 2013 12:34 am

To have Canada Post clear a package from abroad, if gets routed through Canada Customs, they now charge an $8 brokerage fee. it used to $5. To that they will add on GST and PST if your province has it. International duties are uncommon now, so rarely will an imported item have a import duty on it. Seems like the decision point on going through Customs is a contents value of about $150. Sometimes below about $150 they may skip Customs.

The fees that the big couriers ( UPS is the worst offender ) charge for brokerage ( clearing your package through Canadian Customs - a matter of submitting the RevCan/ CC form filled out correctly and accompanied by the shipper's waybill and a commercial invoice from the seller ) is extortion. When I lived in a big Canadian city that had a Canada Customs office, I used to clear my UPS international packages myself and avoid the extortion. That used to get the UPS guys so choked, but it's your decision who will clear your shipment through customs, not theirs. You don't have to be a customs broker to do it, anyone with half a brain and a pen can do it. You do have to collect the shipment waybill & commercial invoice from the courier's office and go to the RevCan/CC office and submit the brokerage documents, wait 15 - 30 minutes for them to be processed, then take the "Cleared Customs" receipt back to your courier and get your package. In Vancouver those offices were right beside each other, out by the airport. Most people don't have the time or freedom to do that, so they've got you by the short and curlies !!

Now that I've moved to a small town, no more international shipments by UPS. If a US seller won't ship USPS, then I use Ship-it-to ( http://www.shipito.com/ ), a California service that accepts UPS or courier shipments and then forwards them on to you by USPS.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby Kamikuza » Sun Jun 16, 2013 1:49 am

USPS is the shiznit. Use the globally-available EMS service and it's cheaper and all tracked & insured, like a courier company without all the bullshit.*

Takes two weeks from the US to here, but there's never EVER been a hassle. FedExcrement, on the other hand - thieving swine.

FWIW Japan Post to the world uses EMS too, a kite will cost about $70 to send fully insured & tracked, and we're so damned good it usually gets to the destination within a week.

So often I watch the tracking data of FedEx as my package sits over the weekend, going nowhere.

* You may cop import duties. Avoid that by making out like it's a gift or something, and NOT including fancy receipts that look like a business transaction.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby Dan Glyaire » Sun Jun 16, 2013 4:49 am

you can be your own broker.
the shipping company will call you to ask who your broker is.
tell them you are..
they fax you the forms.
you go to the nearest customs office.
they sign it.. you pay your taxes or duty if applicable.. and you can check to see if they are charging the proper duties.
then fax form back to shipping company.
easy.,, especially if youre near a customs office.

i think you can do the customs by fax now too.. but ive never done it that way.

or as mentioned, ship usps, but sometimes their shipping fees are higher.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby Metaphor_ » Sun Jun 16, 2013 8:41 am

marlboroughman wrote:The best way as it was mentioned is to set up US address. Even though I live 1.5 hr from the border the trip pays for itself just by filling up on the state side. On the way back I pick up a case of beer for $17 which cost $34 in Canada. They never ask me to pay nothing for the beer even though I was not there for anything close to 24 hrs. I order motorcycle parts, car parts you name it, all to US and save a fortune. Most of a time I go on my motorbike to make a nice day riding out of it. I use https://www.kinek.com/ for setting up the address.
Note that to get any exemption you need to be outside of Canada for at least 24h. See the government site here. I can't tell if alcohol/tobacco are duty exempt under 24h, but given the relatively high "sin tax" in Washington state, I can't be bothered.

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Re: The problems of shipping to Canada

Postby marlboroughman » Sun Jun 16, 2013 6:52 pm

Metaphor_ wrote: Note that to get any exemption you need to be outside of Canada for at least 24h. See the government site here. I can't tell if alcohol/tobacco are duty exempt under 24h, but given the relatively high "sin tax" in Washington state, I can't be bothered.

I knew about 24 hr rule but one time the lady at US duty free told me I can buy beer and I will be paying only small amount extra at the border. Well I got to the border and told them I got 24 cans of beer and under $200 in other items and it was carry on sir and I buy beer every time now and never payed a cent while always declaring. Not only that I tried to return the empties to the beer store for the 10 cent rebate and it worked until one guy said it was from US so I squash the cans now and I get $2.40 back every time so I pay $14.60 for the case of beer which is less than Americans. Not bad ehh. :lol:


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