WARNING: Additional Fees on Canadians purchasing items online!

[Rail Grinder]

I thought this was common knowledge to people using FedEx or UPS.

 

Customs fees and fees tacked on by the courier are nothing new. The same applies to Americans when ordering from abroad.

 

I simply don't order anything from the US unless the option for USPS is there.

 

Yeah, this is common knowledge to me. I learned my lessons back in 1998. This has been going on for ages. Basically, the couriers set their fees for clearing customs on your behalf. It's utter crap because it's not readily disclosed and the cost is ridiculously high. I only order from the US if:

1. There is a USPS option (which goes through Canada Post or Purolator when it passes through customs). You will still have to pay duties/import fees depending on what you're purchasing but it will not be ridiculous like FedEx/UPS/DHL.

2. If there is no USPS and the merchant only offers UPS or FedEx, I will use the shipping option that covers the brokerage charges (ex. UPS Standard vs. UPS Worldwide Express, see

http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html) or I keep the purchase cost to a minimum (below $20 or so) which sometimes won't be worth it.

3. If neither are feasible or too expensive, I ship to a mailing address in the US. You can either use a relative in the US and pick up from them or use a US mailing service like CBI in Buffalo (http://www.cbiusa.com I guess this will benefit southern Ontario folks) or something similar on a border town. Shipping within the US is generally cheaper or free plus you get to go on a road trip. Just be honest when clearing your items with customs and pay the taxes and duties. It still ends up being cheaper than buying from here or getting robbed by the couriers. My brother tried to sneak some car parts past customs and lied about it now he's flagged as fraud threat.

There's another option to clearing customs yourself even when using UPS or FedEx by having the port of entry hold your package and driving down to pick up the packages yourself. However, I find this process is a bit too complicated. You can just google this info if you're compelled to do so.

 

Just my 2?...

 

[+Mirumir Subscriber¹]

Next time, when you expect a shipment from the U.S., monitor its status online, and once it's crossed the Canadian border, call  UPS/FedEx up and give them your credit card details in order to pay the custom dues. This way guarantees that no additional fees like brokerage will be charged later on and your shipment won't ever be send back. Make sure to write down the reference number so that the delivery guy doesn't try to charge you twice for the dues.