How to get swindled - The UPS/Canada Customs way

[upscale]

This is supposed to be a friendly chat area. Unfortunately, I'm not in a very friendly mood at the moment.

I ordered a Bostitch CAP1512 compressor from Nail Gun Depot located in the US to be shipped to me in Toronto, Canada. They're a good company to buy from in my opinion and in no way are they at fault in contributing to this rant. Anyway, the compressor was $136 and the shipping was almost $36. Good price considering the same compressor is $250+ in Canada. I did expect to pay duty of some sort.

The order arrived with an additional $62.10 customs duty fee attached to it ~ a 40% addition on the original sale price of the compessor. Angry at this attempted cash grab, I refused the order and said to ship it back. I was prepared to pay shipping and/or restocking charges.

Get a phone call the next day. Return shipping costs and UPS brokerage fees will cost me $80+. So, essentially it's cheaper for me to keep the compressor. Either way I get cheated. Naturally, I'm not a very happy camper

Just a warning for those of you buying from the US. Your ever friendly local customs agency, freely assisted by UPS, will take you for every cent they can.

Rant Over...

 

[CutsTwice]

I feel your pain brother. I've been duped a couple of times selling Festools to Canada from here in the states. After I'd clearly stated that the buyer is responsible for any and all shipping charges two of them threw a fit and in the end I had to pay half of their import tariffs to avoid getting negative feedback rating on Ebay. Needless to say that I have not allowed any of my auctions to ship to Canada since. It's a tricky business.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Whenever I order anything from the USA, I always talk to the company I am purchasing it from and ask them to ship the item via the regular postal service, not via a courier.  I have found that the companies will usually do this.  In fact, many companies in the USA know about the way Canadians are being ripped off by couriers when items cross the border and, so, have a 'ship to Canada via the US and Canadian postal services' policy.  If a company insists on shipment via a courier, I refuse to purchase from them.

I have always had very good luck with the regular US and Canadian postal services shipping items both ways across the border and have never been ripped off by them.  [thumbs up]

 

[richard.selwyn]

I know it won't help your pain, but you're not alone. I bought some stuff from Lee Valley and had it shipped to France and paid 40% customs duty - I was hopping. Strangely though I recently received a Bridge City jointmaker saw and don't seem to have paid any duty. Enjoy using your compressor and remember the latin motto my father (who never learnt any latin) always used to quote 'nul carborundum illegitimae' or words to that effect ( don't let the..grind you down)
With sympathy,
Richard

 

[upscale]

I have always had very good luck with the regular US and Canadian postal services shipping items both ways across the border and have never been ripped off by them.

Agreed. I usually attempt to request that an item be shipped by USPS, but neglected to do so in this case because of its weight - not that USPS won't handle items that weigh that much, just that I was negligent in this case.

(Now that I've admitted that the fault was likely mine, I'm even angrier now.) Thanks Frank!  [mad]

 

[Kevin D.]

Strangely though I recently received a Bridge City jointmaker saw and don't seem to have paid any duty. Richard

How recent was that?

I bought a couple of their saws they had on promo for $80, and about a month later I got a bill from Fedex, for $26, which I still haven't paid waiting for my general feelings of angst to subside.

What happens if one doesn't pay it I wonder?  It's the first time I get billed AFTER the delivery has taken place.

 

[mouppe]

We've covered this topic before on the thread and it's generally a case of once bitten, twice shy.

There are a few options to numb the pain.

Use USPS if possible.

Ask the shipper to state the value of the item is under $20- that's Duty exempt.

Use a group shipping option like that used by Lie Nielsen 

Pick up the item at the local ups depot and avoid brokerage fees.

Ship the item to a forwarding warehouse at the us border and collect it yourself.

I have used all these methods in the past. It has to be said that the retailers bear a large portion of responsibility for all the hassle-including Festool- as they overcharge Canadians by far more than is reasonable.

 

[upscale]

What happens if one doesn't pay it I wonder?  It's the first time I get billed AFTER the delivery has taken place.

If I'm to understand correctly, they keep track of your name and/or shipping address. If you ever have something shipped to you again that passes through their hands, they will hold that item until you pay everything up to date.

Unless you're on your death bed with no hope of recovery and have zero estate to your name, you're going to have to pay sooner or later. Either that or purgatory will get you. 

 

[upscale]

Pick up the item at the local ups depot and avoid brokerage fees.

Yes, you have mentioned these things before Richard, all of them. And, like last time, I'll ask you the question you've failed to answer.

How does one go about arranging to pick up the item delivered to a local UPS depot? I've asked this question several times when inquiring about ordering from a dealer and they have no idea.

 

[mparka]

I used to live in Vancouver BC before my job moved me south of the boarder.  Never Ever ship anything over the boarder via UPS as their broker fee is the crazy $30+ fee that gets added to everything.

FedEx nor USPS has any of those unexplained fees.

Most often, the stores just across the US boarder line will have a mail receive service that will charge you nominal fee usually less than $10.  Makes it worth shipping to there and go pick it up yourself.

 

[upscale]

FedEx nor USPS has any of those unexplained fees.

Maybe the circumstances were different, but I beg to differ. The one time I used FedEx, I received a bill from them about a month after receiving the order.

 

[mouppe]

Pick up the item at the local ups depot and avoid brokerage fees.

Yes, you have mentioned these things before Richard, all of them. And, like last time, I'll ask you the question you've failed to answer.

How does one go about arranging to pick up the item delivered to a local UPS depot? I've asked this question several times when inquiring about ordering from a dealer and they have no idea.

Wow. I didn't realize I was under subpoena to answer. Besides,
I don't remember being asked the question before but I'll answer it.

When you get the tracking number go on the ups website and change the delivery option to pick up at depot or something like that.

 

[Frank Pellow]

I used to live in Vancouver BC before my job moved me south of the boarder.  Never Ever ship anything over the boarder via UPS as their broker fee is the crazy $30+ fee that gets added to everything.

FedEx nor USPS has any of those unexplained fees.

Most often, the stores just across the US boarder line will have a mail receive service that will charge you nominal fee usually less than $10.  Makes it worth shipping to there and go pick it up yourself.

I have had the same problem with FedEx that I had with UPS.  The simple rule is: Don't use a courier to ship items across the Canada.USA border.     Ever since I started using that rule, I have been happy with all my cross-border shipments..

 

[upscale]

Wow.  I didn't realize I was under subpoena to answer. Besides, I don't remember being asked the question before but I'll answer it.

You're not being put on the spot, but perhaps you missed the message(s) posted this year some time. I'm not the only one to ask you how to do it. But, it doesn't matter at this point. The point is to help others (and myself) avoid the difficulty I'm having right now. And, the capability to go to depot might have changed since you last looked. As of now, the following message is posted on the UPS site when one I go to change the addressing.

"Note: Prior to the first delivery attempt, contact the sender to request a change in delivery instructions or to correct your delivery address."

The sender (dealer in this case) must make the request and if they aren't aware of a depot delivery option, then customer has a problem. Also, brokerage charges are not the same as duty. When there's duty on a delivery, is UPS willing to collect it and forward the funds to revenue Canada?

Apparently, it's as Frank says,
The simple rule is: Don't use a courier to ship items across the Canada.USA border.

Maybe if I repeat it enough times to myself, I'll get it through my thick head to remember it the next time.

 

[mouppe]

Don't accept delivery when they try the first time, then you can change the delivery instruction yourself.

You still have to pay duty, but you can avoid the brokerage.

 

[lambeater]

yep always sux, here is the best way to buy. Demand that anything sent from the states comes USPS only!! that way our canadian government with deliver via Canada post and you only pay gst or hst NO brokers fees or duty.

Lambeater

 

[Jesus Aleman]

The brokerage fee is the killer.  UPS and Fedex charge 50 bucks to tell you that the package is NAFTA exempted and therefore doesn't incur in duties. 

 

[Kevin D.]

Here's some interesting reading about UPS and class action lawsuits involving cross border fees. 

The first one from a suit filed in BC in 2006 was dismissed it seems by the BC Supreme court...

http://www.fasken.com/supreme-court-of-british-columbia-dismisses-class-action-against-ups/

But the second one filled in Ontario is still rolling along....

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/09/07/ontario-judge-rules-against-ups-in-consumer-protection-case/

 

[tbellemare]

retailers bear a large portion of responsibility for all the hassle-including Festool

At the risk of sounding picky, Festool USA is not in the retail business. They are a manufacturer's subsidiary that sells directly to retailers, without the traditional middleman (wholesaler). The supply chain is shrinking.

Having dealt with International sales and shipping in the past, primarily to Europe and Canada, it is not as easy for the retailer as just changing the country on the shipping label if using USPS. There is extra paperwork and standing in line, etc. If you are buying from someone in the States that does all of that free, they are bending over backward for you. It is not an insignificant hassle. If they aren't making a profit and the total of the monetary exchange is below a certain threshold (i.e., a friendly exchange), it's slightly easier.

I read about this thing called NAFTA quite some time ago. I have yet to figure out what the "F" stands for that can be mentioned in polite company...

Tom

 

[Ken Nagrod]

retailers bear a large portion of responsibility for all the hassle-including Festool

At the risk of sounding picky, Festool USA is not in the retail business. They are a manufacturer's subsidiary that sells directly to retailers, without the traditional middleman (wholesaler). The supply chain is shrinking.

Having dealt with International sales and shipping in the past, primarily to Europe and Canada, it is not as easy for the retailer as just changing the country on the shipping label if using USPS. There is extra paperwork and standing in line, etc. If you are buying from someone in the States that does all of that free, they are bending over backward for you. It is not an insignificant hassle. If they aren't making a profit and the total of the monetary exchange is below a certain threshold (i.e., a friendly exchange), it's slightly easier.

I read about this thing called NAFTA quite some time ago. I have yet to figure out what the "F" stands for that can be mentioned in polite company...

Tom

[thumbs up] Agreed!