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/shi...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/shi...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/shi...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.