Cross-Border Shipping....

[Neil Morrison]

Yes, this is quite normal. FedEx is the same. By mail it would cost
you GST + PST + $5.00 for the pleasure of paying the fees if the
total of GST + PST is greater than CAN $2.

You'd do better to clear it through customs yourself. Just tell UPS
to hold it for clearance. You'll just have to drive back and forth
from UPS to customs.

OTOH, I get my stuff shipped to the border, drive down and pick it
up, and as often as not pay nothing coming back, even on US $300
worth. It's a crap shoot.

Neil

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eddy Swynar" <gswynar at DURHAM.NET>


> Hi All,
>
> I don't mean to start a long, involved discussion thread on this
topic---and
> neither is it my intention to go off "UPS-bashing"---I just wanted
to share
> with you fellows an experience I just had with an item I purchased
from a
> location within the U.S., as we ALL engage in a bit of mail order
> cross-border shopping from time-to-time via eBay, these Reflectors,
etc. ...
>
> Now, keep in mind that what happened to me probably could---indeed,
probably
> DOES!---happen to you fellows south of the border, too. Read on...
>
> I won an eBay auction for a $20.00 (U.S.) item: the seller advised
that
> "shipping" would cost another $10.00 (U.S.)---fine. I sent him the
cash, &
> yesterday a knock came on my door...
>
> It was a UPS man, with the item in one hand, and a bill for $36.01
in the
> other! This was their "...brokerage fee", he said, for getting the
item
> across the border from the U.S. & into Canada. I grinned (well,
maybe it was
> more like a grimace!) & paid the bill.
>
> FACT: the item was worth about $30.00 in Canadian dollars. The
$10.00 (U.S.)
> original shipping cost comes to about $15.00. Add $36.01 to the
fifteen
> bucks, & you get a delivery figure that is ALMOST TWICE what the
item was
> worth in the first place!
>
> CONCLUSION: I don't know about my fellow Canadians, but I can NOT
afford
> such gold-plated delivery standards. I'm not blaming the seller: he
probably
> does business with UPS all the time---but strictly within his own
country.
>
> I have no doubt that UPS would extract the very same "toll" (albeit
in
> American dollars) from you fellows in the States who might elect to
buy
> items from us up here. Beware!
>
> It's the good ol' U.S. Post Office/Canada Post for me from now
on---BOTH
> ways, and for always...I have NEVER paid a "...brokerage fee" with
the post
> office---similarly, anything valued at $20.00 & less gets delivered
right to
> my door with NO extra billing accompanying it.
>
> Sorry to vent like this, but it is certainly something to be
considered on
> BOTH sides of the border as we enter into rather tight & uncertain
economic
> times...

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