import fee (us to canada)

[sorny]

I bought some speakers online from the states for $146. At the border I had to pay $62 in import fees. Isn't that a little too much???

Anyone know what BROK FEE is, this was the biggest chunk of the total at $40.

[coopaloop]

Did it arrive buy UPS...They'll screw you everytime...

[sorny]

As a matter of fact it did. But I paid shipping when I purchased it from store ($14).

[rborek]

As a matter of fact it did. But I paid shipping when I purchased it from store ($14).

That would be UPS Ground... which doesn't include customs fees. The brokerage fee goes to the customs broker that arranged for the importation of the item, paid the taxes/duties on your behalf, etc.

NEVER have anything shipped UPS Ground to Canada. Always pay for UPS Expedited or higher - the brokerage fees are included, so you basically get the package quicker for the same (or possibly even cheaper) cost than UPS Ground.

[Paksis]

Or use option 2 which is USPS which is delivered by Canada Post and if Canada Customs holds it up all you pay is GST/PST and $5.00 fee charged by Canada Post. I would never use UPS unless I absolutely had to and it was an amazing deal. Shop around until you can have it shipped at a lower cost..


My 2 cents

[Drew_W]

Clear as day:

http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html


Do a search here, I won't rehash all the conversations, but it's NOT a ripoff if they post prices and you're an aware consumer. If you're ignorant, then you deserve to unexpectedly get hit with a large bill.

And to the person who said Express is cheaper and faster? Is it really? Standard to Canada is 2-5 business days from any of the 48 states. Considering Express usually starts at triple the price of Standard, brokerage will have to be quite expensive to make Standard equal that and more often than not, Standard + Brokerage < Express.

[Drew_W]

Or use option 2 which is USPS which is delivered by Canada Post and if Canada Customs holds it up all you pay is GST/PST and $5.00 fee charged by Canada Post. I would never use UPS unless I absolutely had to and it was an amazing deal. Shop around until you can have it shipped at a lower cost..


My 2 cents

Exactly. Canada post HOLDS IT UP. Maybe for a few days...maybe for a few weeks. I had to wait 6 weeks for 2 separate packages. $5 gets you clearance at the speed of "when we feel like it".

[Drew_W]

Did it arrive buy UPS...They'll screw you everytime...

Not if you're not an ignoramus.

[john widow]

It's hard to calculate what your total fee at the door will be if you order by UPS ground.
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html
that link says if you are under $20.......It should be for free? Also, the more the item is worth, the more you have to pay. I paid for a $70ish item, I got charged $42 in brokerage fees at the door. It was actually worth more, but I asked the shipper to lower the value.

I am about to purchase a few items from the USA. I am gonna ship USPS, will I have to pay $5 at the door or any gst/pst? When you say "gst/pst" does that GST or PST? or both? Do I get the total by saying X times 1.14%? or is it 1.13% now? Will I have to wait a few weeks? I dont think so?

[Drew_W]

It's hard to calculate what your total fee at the door will be if you order by UPS ground.
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html
that link says if you are under $20.......It should be for free? Also, the more the item is worth, the more you have to pay. I paid for a $70ish item, I got charged $42 in brokerage fees at the door. It was actually worth more, but I asked the shipper to lower the value.

I am about to purchase a few items from the USA. I am gonna ship USPS, will I have to pay $5 at the door or any gst/pst? When you say "gst/pst" does that GST or PST? or both? Do I get the total by saying X times 1.14%? or is it 1.13% now? Will I have to wait a few weeks? I dont think so?

Its not difficult. There's nothing under $20, no tax, no brokerage.

Above $20 you pay:

- GST and PST on the value of the item
- UPS brokerage fee
- UPS COD fee ($4.25)
- UPS disbursement fee (2.7% of the total of the above 3 items, $5.85 minimum)
- GST on UPS charges

A part of UPS charges are just GST and PST, so for a $70 item, $42 sounds abut right.


When importing you ALWAYS pay GST AND PST above $20. USPS you ALWAYS pay $5 unless it's Global Priority/EMS then you pay $8. You should know how to calculate those taxes on your own. GST is 6% since July 1st. Will you have to wait a few weeks? Random draw. UPS Standard to Canada is 2-5 days...I guarantee you USPS will never be that fast.

[john widow]

Drew W, thanks for the calculation of UPS fees at the door. It should be stickied.
But that's a lot to remember.
Okay, myself, I've gotten packages from USPS maybe twice....they never took any longer than usual compared to UPS. Usually I expect to wait 1+week..but nothing like 2-6 weeks.

I thought the 6 gst was a 1 day sale. Okay, so...I will be asking for some items to be shipped to me by USPS. Should I do that? the value will be $150 USD, and then $330 USD....I will get the packages to my door within 2 weeks I hope, right? Then I will have to pay $5+ the gst/pst? r u sure I have to pay this?........I don't want to, I'm an rfder...I wanna save money.

[sorny]

I never knew you have the option of asking stores to ship it using a different method. Interesting. . .

[john widow]

Some people/stores, will let you choose. Some will not.

[angelove]

What's the difference between UPS ground and expedited besides price? How can we make sure to let the seller know about this?

When the UPS comes to my door with a package, sometimes they'll ask me to sign for it and pay the import custom fee. And sometimes, the UPS person would just drop it off at my house without signing or paying for it.

Never order anything internationally (like Japan) and have it ship by EMS - it's MURDER! I paid $185 USD for some clothes and was sent a $60 CDN custom fee. ;_; Sometimes, if the person sending the item by EMS marks the pkg as a "gift" you may get away from the customs. Isn't that so weird?

[rborek]

What's the difference between UPS ground and expedited besides price? How can we make sure to let the seller know about this?

1. Speed
2. Brokerage fees, which are included in the cost

Yes, Expedited is more... but since the brokerage fees can easily total up more than 3x the cost of the price to send the package, it's generally well worth it to pay the extra money and get it Expedited.

[Drew_W]

it's generally well worth it to pay the extra money and get it Expedited.

No it's not. Only for very small items is the price close enough. Anything over a few hundred dollars and about 15lbs, and Standard is cheaper.

[Drew_W]

Drew W, thanks for the calculation of UPS fees at the door. It should be stickied.
But that's a lot to remember.
Okay, myself, I've gotten packages from USPS maybe twice....they never took any longer than usual compared to UPS. Usually I expect to wait 1+week..but nothing like 2-6 weeks.

I thought the 6 gst was a 1 day sale. Okay, so...I will be asking for some items to be shipped to me by USPS. Should I do that? the value will be $150 USD, and then $330 USD....I will get the packages to my door within 2 weeks I hope, right? Then I will have to pay $5+ the gst/pst? r u sure I have to pay this?........I don't want to, I'm an rfder...I wanna save money.

Let me bold it.

YOU ALWAYS PAY GST AND PST ON ALL IMPORTS ABOVE $20CAD REGARLDESS OF CARRIER

Granted there are occasions where postal Customs people miss packages and you get them without Customs charges, but this is an exception, not the rule. It happens less than 10% of the time.

USPS is NOT guaranteed to get you the packages within 2 weeks. Airmail Parcel Post standard is 4-10 business days even WITHOUT Customs. The only service that will do that is Global Priority EMS which is insanely expensive for large items, much more than UPS Standard + brokerage...and UPS Standard (Ground) is again, 2-5 business day GUARANTEED standard.

Want to save money? Buy in Canada. If you buy from abroad, always factor in Customs fees when evaluating the degree of "deal".

[JaGWiRE]

Let me bold it.

YOU ALWAYS PAY GST AND PST ON ALL IMPORTS ABOVE $20CAD REGARLDESS OF CARRIER

Granted there are occasions where postal Customs people miss packages and you get them without Customs charges, but this is an exception, not the rule. It happens less than 10% of the time.

USPS is NOT guaranteed to get you the packages within 2 weeks. Airmail Parcel Post standard is 4-10 business days even WITHOUT Customs. The only service that will do that is Global Priority EMS which is insanely expensive for large items, much more than UPS Standard + brokerage...and UPS Standard (Ground) is again, 2-5 business day GUARANTEED standard.

Want to save money? Buy in Canada. If you buy from abroad, always factor in Customs fees when evaluating the degree of "deal".

I only read your post, but you are right. You always pay GST/ PST. You also usually pay a small handling fee with USPS for about $7.00 or so. There are ways to evade some fees like marking as a gift, but for your own good I recommend not doing so. UPS is very expensive becasue of the brokerage fee they tack on with the standard service.

Either use USPS, or FED EX EXPRESS, or any express service from any of the courriers I think and you should be fine. If you can't get over 15% and a small fee, then I suggest you not order from the US.

[Drew_W]

I only read your post, but you are right. You always pay GST/ PST. You also usually pay a small handling fee with USPS for about $7.00 or so. There are ways to evade some fees like marking as a gift, but for your own good I recommend not doing so. UPS is very expensive becasue of the brokerage fee they tack on with the standard service.

Either use USPS, or FED EX EXPRESS, or any express service from any of the courriers I think and you should be fine. If you can't get over 15% and a small fee, then I suggest you not order from the US.

USPS regular handling charge is $5, $8 for EMS.

Again, depending on the VALUE of what's being shipped, UPS may be a better option. USPS will only insure international Parcel Post up to $675USD.

When you look at it with taxes removed, how much extra does UPS REALLY cost?

First, factor in the fact that UPS Standard is more often than not cheaper than even USPS Economy (Surface) Parcel. So you save money on shipping right from the get-go, plus it's a guaranteed standard 2-5 business days from anywhere in the CONUS. You also get detailed tracking and the ability to insure for over $675US. To actual value - well, considerng you're paying $5 to USPS, that offsets a portion of the UPS cost.

Consider a $200CAD item, maybe about 20lbs or so (average item).

I'll guess that depending on where it's coming from, and pretty much everyone in the US with a UPS account has discounted rates, you'll pay maybe $10US less for UPS Standard than USPS. Add that to the $5CAD USPS processing fee, and we're at about let's say $20CAD for the sake of easy math.

UPS: $29 brokerage fee + $5.85 disbursement. Call ahead with a credit card to avoid COD - not hard, saves you $4.25. Now deduct from that the $20 savings from above and UPS actually costs you about $15 more in total.

Is it worth it? Well gee, I like to have my packages in a few days rather than a few weeks...if I'm lucky. And I tend to like to know where they are.

It's really up to you how you want to receive it, but in general all this whining about the brokerage fee is unfounded.

Let's recap:

- You always pay GST and PST which makes up a large portion of the UPS fee.
- Don't forget that USPS brokerage isn't free. It's less than UPS, but...
- UPS Standard shipping often costs you much less than USPS at the outset, saving you money at checkout you can apply to offset some of the brokerage cost.
- Tracking + guaranteed service standard. Days, not weeks.

[john widow]

So no matter what, I will be charged an extra 13% from gst+pst.
Is this gst+pst added from the labelled value of the item in US currency or Canadian currency converted?

Is USPS global priority mail guaranteed? tracking?
Are you saying UPS would have been a better choice for my situation?
Can I create accounts with Canada post or UPS? I am confuseed. Can I make it so I pick up my package at the post office instead of having it delivered at the door? How? Would it be cheaper? Would I get it sooner? Could I find out the fees before hand?

It's just not too fun knowing you get a shipment coming at ur door, and u have to pay some fees but you dont know how much. I'm still confused.

[Drew_W]

> Is this gst+pst added from the labelled value of the item in US currency or Canadian currency converted?

Canadian dollars. Since when does our Canadian government collect tax revenue in USD? lol

> Is USPS global priority mail guaranteed? tracking?

No and very bad.

> Are you saying UPS would have been a better choice for my situation?

That's up to you. Do the math.

> Can I create accounts with Canada post or UPS? I am confuseed.

You can have shipping accounts with both, and a brokerage account with UPS for discount rates. What I talked about above is for the shipper...if they get discount rates, they usually pass them on to you, hence you save more.

> Can I make it so I pick up my package at the post office instead of having it delivered at the door? How?

Yes. If the sender uses Canada Post EST Desktop, you check the CARD FOR PICKUP box. Very complex to do. It usually goes there if they miss delivery at your door.

> Would it be cheaper? Would I get it sooner? Could I find out the fees before hand?

All the stuff I'm telling you is not a secret. You can find out service standards on the carriers' respective websites. You can also do the math of total import fees based on what I posted above.

> It's just not too fun knowing you get a shipment coming at ur door, and u have to pay some fees but you dont know how much

Like I said, do the math, it's all above.

[JaGWiRE]

Drew, I won't argue with you, but I will say that the general consensus is that UPS is a piece of **** company and their service is **** too.

Brown = CRAP.

Exscusemy cursing, but I've read so many horror stories specific to UPS (yes, every company will have horror stories, but UPS seems to be the most hated), that my cursing does not annoy me in this case.

[Drew_W]

Drew, I won't argue with you, but I will say that the general consensus is that UPS is a piece of **** company and their service is **** too.

Brown = CRAP.

Exscusemy cursing, but I've read so many horror stories specific to UPS (yes, every company will have horror stories, but UPS seems to be the most hated), that my cursing does not annoy me in this case.

The reason for this is because they are the MOST used carrier, especially in the US. It's all proportional. Glitches do happen, but on a fundamental level, UPS simply reigns supreme. If what you say was the general concensus, they'd be out of business, not enjoying huge shipping contracts with a huge number of major North American corporations.

[Drew_W]

PS. I've had 1 slightly damaged package by UPS in about 200 or so received since I switched from FedEx.

Over the same time period, I've had about half a dozen damaged USPS shipments out of about 30.

It should be clear that the longer the package is in transit, the more risk it has of being damaged. That is proven by all the importing I do by various carriers for my business (and to a smaller extent, my personal stuff).

[sorny]

Does anyone know if UPS Expedited Mail is also charged broker fee?

[Drew_W]

Does anyone know if UPS Expedited Mail is also charged broker fee?

Did you look at the link above on the UPS site??

[sorny]

I was just about to edit my comment but you were too quick for me. So it looks like its free. I will have to tack on gst and pst though.

Anyway my broker fee was 39.10, this amount is not listed there when I shipped using ups ground before.

[Drew_W]

I was just about to edit my comment but you were too quick for me. So it looks like its free. I will have to tack on gst and pst though.

Anyway my broker fee was 39.10, this amount is not listed there when I shipped using ups ground before.

Broker fee for what? What's posted there is the amount that is NET of GST, PST, disbursement and COD.