[Bglug] A new definition of Free Trade

[Brad Rodriguez]

Oh, I've been hit with this.  Years ago I ordered a $25 book from a
publisher in the U.S.  When it arrived, UPS charged me a $50 "customs
brokerage" fee.

As a result, I always instruct shippers in the U.S. to use either FedEx
(if I'm in a hurry) or U.S. Postal Service (if I'm not).  On eBay, I
*always* ask if the seller will use U.S.P.S. *before* I make a bid or
purchase.  If they'll only ship UPS, I buy somewhere else.  

If I recall correctly, Canada Post lets parcels with a value less than
Cdn$40 through with no extra charge.  For parcels worth more than $40,
they charge a $5 fee, plus whatever duty or taxes are owed.  Typically
there will be no duty from the U.S., but you might get charged 13% HST.

The last I checked, FedEx includes brokerage service as part of their
(high!) shipping fee.

Never use UPS from the States.  (Within Canada they're ok.)

- Brad


On Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:28:11 -0400
ted leslie <ted.leslie at gmail.com> wrote:

> I can't understand the 101$ extra dollars, duty isn't that high a
> percentage, and the extra "paperwork"? just tell them to take a flyer.
> In all my orders to the US, never seen a hit like you took.

-- 
brad at bradrodriguez.com