Question about UPS brokerage shipping fees to Canada - Page 2

BassBinDevil · 08-30-2006, 10:15 PM

I've heard that you can clear stuff through customs yourself, and save the UPS brokerage fees. But you have to go to UPS's warehouse or something and take the paperwork to Canada Customs.

Or if you're close enough to the border to do that, you could get it shipped to someplace like Mailboxes Etc in the US and bring it across yourself.

American companies that only ship by UPS must be missing out on a lot of business from Canadians. I love Digikey: they have some arrangement where they clear stuff through customs in bulk, then ship by Purolator, next day, for something like $8.

jschrauwen · 08-30-2006, 10:28 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BassBinDevil

I've heard that you can clear stuff through customs yourself, and save the UPS brokerage fees. But you have to go to UPS's warehouse or something and take the paperwork to Canada Customs.

I believe that you can do that too, but require your own broker to process it. Companies that routinely ship items cross border will have specific brokers "on retainer" like you would a lawyer. Very inefficient for your occasional consumer like you or I though.

Quote: Originally Posted by BassBinDevil

Or if you're close enough to the border to do that, you could get it shipped to someplace like Mailboxes Etc in the US and bring it across yourself.

Now that would be handy. I'm not sure if retailers are comfortable with shipping to "Mailboxes Etc". There's a number of reasons that retailers utilize specific couriers. Not to get long-winded about it, but let's just say that collusion between retailers and couriers is nothing unusual. It's quite prevalent on Ebay.

Quote: Originally Posted by BassBinDevil

American companies that only ship by UPS must be missing out on a lot of business from Canadians. I love Digikey: they have some arrangement where they clear stuff through customs in bulk, then ship by Purolator, next day, for something like $8.

I wouldn't mind finding out more about them. I would imagine that there would be some serious logistical arrangements needed between the retailer/courier/Digikey to be an effective alternative.

kamikaze2112 · 08-30-2006, 10:40 PM

Best bet is to have a relative or close friend who is close to the border, then just go for a road trip when their place get's all filled up with your purchases

lol

I wanna get some struts for my car from the US as they are way cheaper there, so i figure I'll have them shipped to a relative's place, then just go down and install them in the driveway. Then on my way back up, if they ask me to declare my old ones i'll just say that i bought them at a junker for $50

BassBinDevil · 08-31-2006, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by BassBinDevil
I've heard that you can clear stuff through customs yourself, and save the UPS brokerage fees. But you have to go to UPS's warehouse or something and take the paperwork to Canada Customs.

[quote=jschrauwen;910804]I believe that you can do that too, but require your own broker to process it. Companies that routinely ship items cross border will have specific brokers "on retainer" like you would a lawyer. Very inefficient for your occasional consumer like you or I though.

I read about it in some other forum; basically you do what the broker would do, which isn't anything magic. Pick up the documents from UPS, take 'em to Canada Customs, pay them, take paperwork back to UPS and get your package.
If you have to take an afternoon off work and drive for an hour to do this, maybe you're better off paying UPS $50.

2k1Toaster · 08-31-2006, 12:20 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by BassBinDevil

I read about it in some other forum; basically you do what the broker would do, which isn't anything magic. Pick up the documents from UPS, take 'em to Canada Customs, pay them, take paperwork back to UPS and get your package.
If you have to take an afternoon off work and drive for an hour to do this, maybe you're better off paying UPS $50.

But in most cases it is not just $50. The computers I ship can be in the hundreds of dollars US extra!

So basically you need a lawyer. Rent-a-lawyers work. Give them like $50, they stamp it, and you mail it with all the papers in a special sealed pouch on the box.

Alot cheaper, but still a hassle. In some of my cases, it was cheaper for me to ship it to one of my family members in the Carribean, and then for them to ship it into Canada or Western Europe. Saves most duties.

2k1Toaster · 08-31-2006, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Now that would be handy. I'm not sure if retailers are comfortable with shipping to "Mailboxes Etc". There's a number of reasons that retailers utilize specific couriers. Not to get long-winded about it, but let's just say that collusion between retailers and couriers is nothing unusual. It's quite prevalent on Ebay.

MailBoxesEct is no longer. They wear the evil brown pants now...

kamikaze2112 · 08-31-2006, 12:23 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by 2k1Toaster

MailBoxesEct is no longer. They wear the evil brown pants now...

And for a company that wanted to race the truck, they sure aren't too quick about getting packages delivered

jschrauwen · 09-01-2006, 01:52 AM

Just got my speakers/amplifier from millionbuy.com this morning (8 days in transit - UPS). Total fees assessed on $914.29 usd was;
$128.01 cdn - GST
$63.80 cdn - Brokerage fee
$3.83 cdn - GST on the Brokerage fee
$195.64 cdn total extra on an approximately $1,100.00 cdn spent

*Venting here* - The dam Performance Teknique (ICBM 5.1) amplifier came without the IR remote control and the IR remote reciever. Also came with a rough photcopied manual/instruction booklet. I think I'm about the 4th or 5th one on this BB that didn't get their remote.
*Vent over*