Canadians: I Need Advice on UPS Courier Brokerage Fees

Help!!

As a Canadian I need to get parts from our neighbours to the south. It's a fact of life up here. Most suppliers want to use UPS Courier (or other courier services) as they pick up freight at their place of business. As a result, they don't want to use the United States Post Office.

The propblem with UPS and other non post office couriers is that I get charged a brokerage fee by UPS for the part to come across the border. This is in addition to the freight I already paid.

I just I bought a wiring kit. I paid $35.14 for UPS Ground Service. They also charged me $47.70 brokerage fee. What a load of BS!

Fellow Canucks, Help me out. How can we all avoid the phony brokerage fees?

Pissed off in Peace River

 

There isnt really anyway, other then sending USPS....

 

If the supplier refuses to use the the mail,find another supplier,
or get the stuff shipped to a friend down south,and have them mail it.

 

talk to Adamo from autowonderland in Ontario and let him deal with that bs. hes a member on here...
graverobber63
http://www.autowonderland.ca/
I've been getting my stuff though him lately, saves me time and money.

 

It is BS. So much for free trade. We get shafted.
I jotted this down about 6 years ago so it might have changed since then. Remember this is Ontario.....
UPS Charges + Border Fees for 350-500 CDN$ (1-800-742-5877)
Ground for 10-20 LBS. $35.80
Air"""""""""""""""""""""""""" $128.00 CDN

If Ground brokerage is $46.45 + 15% Tax + duty of 6% + tax.
NO Duty if copy of NAFTA

If Air...no brokerage or duty.

Best thing is to order from a Canadian dealer and have them ship it to you. They can bypass a lot of this BS.

Or have a friend in US to bring it to you or you pick it up from them.

Good Luck....

 

Got stung from FedEx the same way. Bought striping brushes from DickBlick, get the dropped off and then get nailed with a bill a week later for more than the brushes were worth. FedEx cashed my check and then DickBlick charges my credit card the same amount 'cause they were told I hadn't paid FedEx and won't credit it back until I mail them the cancelled check! No more business for either of them!! If a supplier won't mail the stuff USPS, I won't buy. Shipping companies are just another middleman picking your pocket.

Sorry, rant over....

Flatman

 

When your American friends send "gifts" through the mail,
they USAULLY come in tax free.

But not always.

 

Should have bought direct from Mack.

 

Do not use UPS. I like DHL, no hidden costs like brokers fee, etc.
As others have said, have it sent by mail. It may take a tad longer, but it's worth it.

 

I won't ever get anything shipped across the border with mail any more. Ordered stuff from SoCal last year waited 3 months for it. The whole time no one could tell me where it was or why it took so long. Even after I recieved it the tracking number still said it was at customs somewhere.

 

Have the shipper mark "antique car parts" on the outside of the box. That should help a little since you then don't have to pay duty. I once called Canada customs about the same problem and the lady was very helpful. She told me that the parcel doesn't have to be brokered at the border by UPS. It could be done right here in Edmonton by Customs and I didn't have to pay the UPS brokerage fee.
On a side note, I've sent a few parts to the U.S. and usually check the UPS site to figure out the shipping charge. If you do the calculation in reverse as if the parts were coming from the U.S. destination into Canada, the cost is way higher even taking in the dollar difference. Looks like UPS is making a good profit off of us up here. I bought a 32 part off e-bay for $60 U.S. and UPS was going to charge $45. For $12 the fellow was able to send it to my brother-in-law's lake lot and we just brought it across the next time we were there. The border lady said no problem.

 

I ship my stuff to Ogdensburg New York (1/2 hour drive for me) and pick it up at the UPS Store. They charge $5 a package to pick up. When coming across I've found if the value is under $50 they don't even ask you to stop at the border to pay tax on the thing. I guess it isn't worth their time. Otherwise you pay 15% tax on your stuff. I've also found shipping rates to be higher to Ottawa compared to Ogdensburg, so with that I figure I save money.

There's also another option to clear customs yourself. I believe you have to have your package shipped to a bonded warehouse. The trick here is you have to pay a secure company to transport your item from the US to Canada and then to the warehouse. They won't charge you any brokerage fee, but I believe are a little more expensive to ship with. Then when your package arrives you take the import slip to customs and do all the customs stuff yourself.

If it's in the mail I have it shipped as gift (and make sure the value is under $200).

 

Also having the item marked as commercial sample is a way to get it through tax free.

 

i've been nicked by the same charges by UPS. I took it to a higher level at UPS and got the usual bull shit answer. I was advocating with some other Canadian guys to launch a class action law suit. Typical Canadian response of apathy.
It depends on from whom you buy but most US suppliers are pretty understanding of our situation and will send by USPS if you talk nicely to them.

 

I have found, to my sad experience that there is no way to fight the Bastards and win. If you order thru an aftermarket supplier in your area, they will charge you a small mark up, but they are able to avoid the brokerage fees. It ends up being cheaper to buy thru a Canadian hotrod shop and pay their mark up than it is to order direct from USA to your house. Free Trade my ass!!!!

 

Yep...there is virtually no way around this.

You can get the sender to fib about the contents/ value but that could end up a raw deal if your stuff goes missing in transit.

Brokering your own stuff isn't a big deal here in Edmonton but does require a drive out to the airport to fill out a bunch of paperwork. Kind of a hassle but would save you money.

I'm sure it would be a bigger hassle in Peace River.

My advice, buy it from a Canadian shop whenever possible.

 

Just about everything I buy from the States I contact the company or individual BEFORE I buy and ask if they are willing to use the Postal Service. In a lot of cases I have asked them also to ship two different invoices -- one in the package with some kinda bulls&*t price and either email me or mail another envelope as a letter with the proper invoice. Have things marked gifts and you'll get through with that as well. Most places are pretty receptive if you ask nicely.
As fas as being SOL if the package gets lost I have been through the process of trying to get UPS to pay me for a damaged parcel and it wasnt even worth my time. When it comes to lost or damaged parcels they are as easy to get money from as any other insurance company so I dont even feel it gives me any piece of mind to use them.

 

I deal with this shit everyday. Story of my life.

FordF1 is right, if you can't buy in Canada, drive down and pick it up yourself. Always, always, always ask if they can send it USPS instead of UPS. If they must send it UPS (which most shops do) don't even bother aking them to mark it as 'gift' 'sample' or lower the price of the value. It's illegal, and you're in big shit if it gets opened in customs and they suspect something. also, if it gets lost, you're fucked. Not to mention it causes Americans not to want to ship to Canada because something always goes wrong when you try and 'cheat' the system.

How I avoid it, is I place BIG orders. I have a broker that takes care of all the paperwork for me, and nothing gets stopped at the border. Before I had this broker, shipments would be held in customs for like 2 weeks! thats crazy. It saves on fees aswell, which get passed onto the customer.

What pisses me off, is that 90% of our goods come from the U.S, we are supposed to be sister countrys with free trade, nafta and blah blah blah.

and we still have to deal with this bullshit.

 

If you and the companies you deal with are willing to commit "mail fraud" then go for it. When the boys from the Government show up and nail your bag to the wall, and leave you hanging there, rejoice in the fact that you saved a couple of bucks before they hammered the spike in.

 

ha ha exactly. Happened to a friend of mine two years ago.

He bought a 65 Pontiac 'vert in AZ, mint condish for $15000.00 usd. Drives down to pick it up, gets the seller to make a bill of sale for $8500. Goes home and gets to the border with it at 3am, in the pouring rain (the car is now gleaming) and gives the canadian customs broker the paperwork. the border guy starts saying there was no way in hell he paid $8500 for it, so after an hour of arguing, my friend says " Okay what do you want from me? let me go home" so the border guy says "I think it's worth $18000 usd, so you can leave if you pay the tax on that" so my friend is tired and just wants to leave, so he agrees to pay it. As soon as he agreed, he was asked to park his truck, trailer, and the car in the holding compound, slapped with a $5000 fine for "admitting" that the value was higher than the bill of sale, and all the vehicles where impounded. they told him to call someone to pick him up, and that he had to be back at the border for 8am the next moring to wait for the government appraiser to get there!

So he realizes he just fucked himself hard.

Next moring he ends up waiting around ALL DAY for the appraiser, he gets there and appraises the car at $20 000. so now, he ends up paying a $5000 fine, tax on $20g's AND the impound fees.

Now you think thats bad, EVERYTIME he now tries to cross the border, he is automatically red flagged. they pull him in and give him the third degree for at least an hour evertime he wants to go stateside. So when we go to carshows etc, he ends up taking his own vehicle and leaves at least an hour before we do.


DO NOT try and fuck the government.

 

The did the same thing to me...I went after them with the appraiser however, and was not red flagged, or fined.

I bought a car an ebay and had a bill of sale from the seller. It was a really good deal, otherwise I would not have driven to the states to get it. I did not bring the ebay information.

Did all the paperwork before hand and faxed it in, and when I get there they tell me that I didn't pay $3500 for a 67' Lemans convertable (with some GTo bits like the front clip). They take my ramptruck with the car on it and park it in their compound and tell me to find a ride home.

Same thing...asshole customs guy thinks hes a car guy and that the car is "worth 20g's because its just like a GTO".

Went back the next day with all the ebay paperwork, and the appraiser was already there and had appraised the car for $12,000. I nicely pointed out that the appraiser had his head up his ass because it is a lemans with a 326 V8, and automatic, need floors, the trunk, and doesn't run. Azzhole appraiser points at the fenders with 6.5L GTO badges and I point out that the entire front clip is from a 66' GTO and doesn't match the car. I also point out that he better start checking things like body numbers, and engine numbers, or I am going after his appraisal licence.

So the dipshit didn't bring the books to actually do his job, because he only brought GTO information. He = realizes that it is actually a lemans with a 326 that is seized solid, that the floors and trunk are rusty, and "adjusts" his original appraisal to $8000.

Customs guys tell me I have to pay tax on that. I whip out all the ebay documentation (auction, corrispondence between the seller and me, the paypal transfer, etc) and ask to see his supervisor. After lots of arguing a old grey haired supervisor comes down threatening to arrest me, and I explain what is going on and show him the documentation I have on buying a car for $3500 american that comes out at the time to $4400cdn and them trying to force me to pay tax on $8000 which is pretty much an arbitraty number that the appraiser came up with because he didn't bring any information on the car and had already been wrong on even what type of car it was in the initial appraisal.

The supervisor just told me to take my truck and leave, and to try to have a nice day.

 

nice!

 

I try to support Canadian dealers/rod shops.

THEY have already done the dirty work of clearing customs, paying the duties, (most have some pretty "savy" brokers; and are clearing in "bulk") and THEY are paying the freight.

Then when there is a problem with the part(s); THEY can handle the problem "on the spot." (locally; or least in Canada)

If THEY don't have the part(s); waiting a week or so, for THEM to place a "bulk" order - and take care of all of the above - in my mind is worth the extra few bucks THEY charge.

I did a comparison of what it cost me to buy direct from a US supplier on some parts; (with customs duties, brokerage fees and freight - UPS - included) against what it cost to buy the same parts (needed another set) from a Canadian dealer; guess what?

The Canadian dealer was cheaper!!

I realize buying a vehicle from the states is a different "can of worms"; but my former neighbour Customs Agent always told me, ...
"Don't screw around with the value of stuff your importing." "We know where you live!" "Always, always, always; have the proper documentation WITH YOU when you pull up to the border crossing." "If you don't know what your supposed to have; ASK!"

 

But, then your out an hour(s) plus time, half a tank of gas, (@ $1.10 a liter OR $4.00+ a gallon ... maybe 15 gallons round trip = $60.00!!) and some "wear and tear" on your vehicle.

But, then again, if you enjoy the drive; ... OK.

 

Any more info on this? How does one ensure that the package isn't brokered at the border?

I'll be buying new floor pans for my Merc pickup through Carolina Classics and I was told they can only be shipped UPS (big package) but I think they'll mail them if I ask nice. However, if I can avoid brokerage fees I'd prefer to use a courier so I don't have to wait as long. I don't know any Canadian suppliers that will have what I need.

I've been burned by the brokerage fee before too. There was an additional $30-$40 charge on the pistons and rings I got off eBay for my 223 six. The guy at the courier office told me I could recoup the additional charges by claiming they were parts for farm use. Somewhat plausible, since the 223 was used in tractors, combines, swathers, etc. But there's no way I was going to try and pull that one off.

 

I'm not really sure where you would go in Red Deer but here in Edmonton, if it's sent by courier, it will arrive at thier warehouse and sit there until you show up with the paper work from customs.

You need to go to the customs outlet where your paper work is ( In Edmonton it's the international airport) and fill out a bunch of paper work.

You will pay a duty fee if it's appropriate and if I recall, they don't take credit cards or cheques.

Once the paper work is filled out, you take the release forms to the warehouse and either have your stuff delivered or pick it up.

It's actually pretty simple to do yourself if you have the time to do a bunch of running around.

 

Before you go any further; check with Canada/US Post.
There ARE limitations on the size of a package that can be shipped by mail.
(I'm afraid "asking nice" might just get them shipped UPS anyway)

Do a search for Canadian suppliers ... there are several that sell what your looking for.
Once the parts are in Canada, Grey Hound Courier will ship anywhere in Canada.
(and they even stop in Dead Rear!! )

 

I need the names of your hotrod shops then if it's cheaper for you to buy here than the USA. I always find it cheaper to shop USA.

 

Think that will depend on size, weight, value and what kind of part your buying.
(are you forgetting some of the "little incidental" expenses?)

I'm getting ARP fasteners quite a bit cheaper from a local Rod Shop; than ordering direct from ARP.

Do a search on "Canadian rod shops"; you then can compare prices.

 

Horton Enterprises in Milton, Ontario 1-866-648-2150