Selling Items - Duties To Usa Or International From Canada?

[DavidL]

If you are worried about brokerage, etc. don't ship a courier company from Canada to the US. They will nail the customer with fees. Our saddle trees are $600 and up. No duties, etc. at the other end in the US at all. Europe, of course, has them. Maximum insurance on parcels to the US or Internationally is $1000.00, though you have to declare total value even if it is over that. I know the USPS won't insure for even that much. That covers loss only, not damage, I think.

I wouldn't recommend splitting into smaller parcels unless you need to insure for full value and it is over $1000. The cost of shipping two small parcels outweighs the cost of one larger one in most cases.

Shipping Canada Post is a lot more expensive than USPS, but when you are 10 hours from the border, that's what you do. Never shipped via USPS, so can't give you any more info that way. Just know that shipping couriers is not the way to go across borders...

I think il go with Canada post or USPS thanks. Il have to relook at UPS/FEDEX/ DHL because on paper they seem like a good deal, but the fees are on the high side.

[NVLeatherWorx]

I am USA based but I only use USPS Priority for ALL shipping, domestic or international, and I do that because I refuse to give UPS or FedEx any of my money as they are the biggest gougers out there. Sometimes the USPS rates might seem high for the international customers but anything going over there is a high dollar value item anyway so it is all relative. We have both UPS and FedEx using the USPS to finish delivery of most smaller items here in the US anyway under their special shipping programs and we are always charged their higher rates for these packages. I pretty much don't even give anyone my business if I don't get the option of selecting WHO I want handling my packages anymore; why pay twice as much for a shipment when it isn't necessary? I also prefer to support my smaller package handler versus the big guys as they are always here for us; can't say that about the other ones. What was UPS using as a tagline not too long ago: What can Brown do for you? I always looked at it this way: What has Brown done for you? And FedEx with their "The World on Time", who's time? They have the worst record for prompt service so they obviously meant on their time and not that of you or your client.

If you can get good rates and service that meets your needs through your local postal agency go with it; cut out any need for UPS and FedEx when you can.

[DavidL]

Good advice. Pointing more towards USPS/ Canada post now.

I wonder if UPS is more geared towards sellers from say Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, countries where their post office is slow or can't send certain stuff out. Bigger companies usually use UPS as their carrier I find for letters or sending documents.

[NVLeatherWorx]

I have found that UPS is used by just about everyone from the overseas areas and that their involvement with standard letter size items has increased as well. When you look at how much the Postal Service now handles items that are technically UPS or FedEx, who in their right mind would even think about using those two? For that reason I have made my primary shipper the USPS; not to mention, the ability to obtain free Priority Mail shipping boxes and such items makes it even more beneficial and to be able to just go online, log into my business account, and then print my postage and other documentation for anywhere I need it to go, was a no-brainer. Now I just walk into my local Post Office and just set my stuff on the counter and walk out because I already have all of the tracking information I need and they have not let me down yet.

Best move you can make is to keep the Postal Services alive because we all know that it ain't easy for them nowadays.

[bruce johnson]

Not that it relates to this topic directly but a heads up to NVLeatherWorx and others who use the online USPS shipping for internationals. You can no longer print the small flat rate box labels through the website. You have to go in and do it at the window. A couple weeks ago they took that option away with no notification or explanation on the site. Medium and larger boxes and all the envelopes are still there. I tried a few ways and no go. Spent 1-1/2 hours on hold for customer service one day before the live person lost me 3 seconds into it. Got a guy the next day after a 50 minute wait. His shift had started an hour earlier and his "log" so far had 36 calls in that hour asking where the small flat rate box option is. The statement is the label is too large for the box. He also told me that regional flat rates are gone too if you use those.

[NVLeatherWorx]

Thanks for the heads-up on that one Bruce. Don't know why the label would be too big for the box considering I have always used their label sheets anyway and there is no different information that prints out on them; customs documents are a separate form so that would not apply. However, knowing how the USPS tends to operate within a zone of confusion sometimes it would not surprise me if it wasn't thought through very well before the decision was made to eliminate it from our options.

Good thing is that I only ship the larger packages overseas anyway as it is really not cost effective to ship a small box with a little old wallet to Europe or anywhere else anyway.

Again though, thanks for that info; guess we need to keep an eye on other unannounced changes coming out of the USPS.

[leatherwytch]

Shipping with fedex to,from, and in Canada. Will be one of the most painful experiences of your life.

[MonicaJacobson]

My husband has sent a mandolin to Canada no problem.... He sent it via UPS. He prefers using UPS because they act as your customs broker for you. It's more expensive because you (or the customer) pay all the fees in advance, and they resolve any insurance problems for you, he says. I sent an expensive package via USPS to Malaysia, and the customer ended up having to pay an extra hundred or two in customs fees. Very annoying for them, but not something I could have helped.

However, I've sent to several European countries and Australia via USPS, and never had anyone complain before that. I wouldn't be able to do this if I had to go to a UPS store or the post office all the time. I can order a pickup, buy postage online (I never use flat rate), and put my boxes out on the front porch. Kind of cool.

[DavidL]

The thing about the sending items through customs is that there aren't very tight rules. sometimes items I get from USPS are taxed + duty added and others aren't, even though they are the same price.

In my experience I have bought a few things with UPS and the first 2 times I was taxed a lot for brokerage I figured it was just to do with the items I bought but I have been charged at the door byUPS 100 dollars at least twice. First time I had no idea that majority of the price was a brokerage fee (fee for them to do the paperwork). Second time the driver suggested I go to do the paperwork myself which took only a few minutes minus the trip downtown and it would knock off 80+ dollars for them to do the paperwork. However this was shipped with UPS ground which I now know to avoid cause they overcharge for brokerage.

My understanding is USPS ground hand it off to Canada post, UPS doesnt do that and the shipment comes from UPS vans. I believe the flat rate for brokerage by Canada post is 5 dollars for items over 60 dollars, plus the duties and taxes if it applies. Very rarely do I get any fees even on items over 100 dollars from USPS. UPS air shipping is a bit different as they bypass the border and avoid the brokerage fee (call to get rates first as it could change)

Just wanted to put this out there for canadians buying from USA or Americans shipping to Canada. Its better to go with USPS rather than UPS unless you can get UPS let you prepay.

Monica - Did your husband ship UPS by airmail or does he have a business account with UPS? I have a feeling that only insured or the more expensive shipping option UPS items you can prepay as the items I received never was prepaid.

The one time I got a shipment from UPS that wasn't charged taxes, duties or any fees was by Springfield leathers and it was around 200 dollars.

[bruce johnson]

To back up here and update my previous post from August - You can now print postage from home for the small flat rate Priority Mail boxes again. Not beimng able to do that lasted about a week. The word I got it was that they realized it was either a glitch in the website update or the complaints were huge and they had to bring it back. Either way - good to go again.