Shipping to Canada from the US
- Thread starter PunchOut
- Start date
USPS priority
I have a cue in transit with USPS priority right now, as long as you set the price of the product not too high, normally they won't charge much tax on it.
I've heard that UPS charges brokerage fee, not sure about FEDEX, anyone had problems with Fedex?
I hope this helps.
I have a cue in transit with USPS priority right now, as long as you set the price of the product not too high, normally they won't charge much tax on it.
I've heard that UPS charges brokerage fee, not sure about FEDEX, anyone had problems with Fedex?
I hope this helps.
USPS works just fine. Most of the sellers have sent it that way. The waiting times seem to vary. Seems as tho once it hits Canada Customs, its a crap shoot and it will get processed when they feel like it.
I've had great luck and never had anything go awol.
If the seller claims the value at $100 and as a used pool cue, you generally never get charged tax or a handling fee.
Someone once told me that sporting goods should be exempt from duty under NAFTA, but don't know 100% as I have been charged at times and other times not.
I've had great luck and never had anything go awol.
If the seller claims the value at $100 and as a used pool cue, you generally never get charged tax or a handling fee.
Someone once told me that sporting goods should be exempt from duty under NAFTA, but don't know 100% as I have been charged at times and other times not.
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I think you are right, since these cues are made in NAFTA, there shouldn't be any tax, maybe GST.
I've read a canadian customs document before, and I remember seeing pool cues with zero tax.
I'd recommend USPS...no custom charges, no hassle, satisfaction guaranteed
UPS and FEDEX are the most ridiculous / retarded when it comes to doing the job rite. I agree, UPS will get there faster but still, I'd rather wait 2 extra days and not pay $80 custom charges on a $500 cue..
Declare "used pool cue" with a value of $100 or less and that will do it ...
UPS and FEDEX are the most ridiculous / retarded when it comes to doing the job rite. I agree, UPS will get there faster but still, I'd rather wait 2 extra days and not pay $80 custom charges on a $500 cue..
Declare "used pool cue" with a value of $100 or less and that will do it ...
whats the most efficient/cost effective way? Im guessing usps priority, enlighten me
cheap= first class mail parcel
decent= priority mail
smooth= express mail
you can calculate pricing on the website www.usps.com
I just received a cue case yesterday, delivered by UPS. The guy asks me for another $46. I asked what the heck is that for. He said its a brokerage fee.
On top of the $30 I paid for shipping. So, just a word of caution for anyone
using UPS to ship to Canada. Never had anything happen like that before using USPS, so to me, its just another little money grab.
On top of the $30 I paid for shipping. So, just a word of caution for anyone
using UPS to ship to Canada. Never had anything happen like that before using USPS, so to me, its just another little money grab.
Bump................
There is currently a class action suit against UPS Canada because of the brokerage fees.
It seems right now you can get the fees waived by UPS if you're persistant and you use the magic words....
"I did not authorize you to be my brokerage agent"
It also helps to mention that you are aware of the class action suit.
Of course the best way to avoid this extortion is to have things mailed by USPS
There is currently a class action suit against UPS Canada because of the brokerage fees.
It seems right now you can get the fees waived by UPS if you're persistant and you use the magic words....
"I did not authorize you to be my brokerage agent"
It also helps to mention that you are aware of the class action suit.
Of course the best way to avoid this extortion is to have things mailed by USPS
Here's how to get around the UPS Extortion!!!!!
LVSinfo
6/21/2010 at 8:40 pm
If you have a CBSA office reasonable close to you, than you can pay the duties and taxes your self and avoid the brokerage fee. Here is how:
A courier need your permission to represent you as a broker. The authority for this is found in D1-6-1 http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/d…d1-6-1-eng.pdf
“4. Any person who proposes to transact business with CBSA as the agent of another person is responsible for ensuring that the proper authority has been granted. The written authority is often referred to as an agency agreement or a power of attorney.”
This means of course you always have the right to clear your goods yourself or using any broker you want. Generally couriers get permission to act as your broker when you sign for the goods, in fact the LVS (low value shipment) regulations specifically allow for them to do this, however they also give you the right to decline to use them.
Now I should mention the information I am referencing for this post is only LVS courier casual goods. That means the goods have to be valued at under $1600 Canadian and not be controlled, prohibited or regulated by an act of Parliament. To qualify as Casual the goods have to be for the personal use of an individual and not be commercial goods.
We find the regulations for LVS courier goods in D 17-4-0
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/d…17-4-0-eng.pdf
“1. The Courier Low Value Shipment (LVS) Program streamlines the reporting, release and accounting procedures for certain goods imported by courier. Couriers authorized by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to participate in the program may have qualifying goods released by presenting a cargo/release list to the CBSA. To qualify under this program the goods must:
(a) be valued at less than CAN$1,600; and
(b) not be controlled, prohibited or regulated by an Act of Parliament”
So what does LVS mean?
from D17-4-0 again
“11. The cargo/release list for authorized participants of the Courier LVS Program is to be used in place of individual cargo control and release documents for goods valued under CAN$1,600. The list must be presented to the CBSA by the courier before or as soon as the shipments arrive in Canada. It must contain a concise description of the LVS qualifying goods so that the border services officer can determine the admissibility of the goods.”
So the courier gives customs information on the goods they are bringing in to Canada.
Next if the goods are not being released at the office they enter Canada at they can move inbond to the office of release. This is important to note because UPS will often argue that the goods have to be released at the office of arrival but this is not true and we know it is not true because the LVS regulations tell us so.
Again from D-17-4-0
“16. When Courier LVS goods arrive in Canada at an office other than the office of release, the in-bond movement of the shipments to the office of release is permitted, provided that the entire container or load is moved inland.”
So the courier following these regulations moves your LVS parcel in bond eventually to a distribution centre near the importer. At this point the goods have not been accounted for, that is no duties and taxes have been paid yet, and the courier can not release them to the importer until they have.
So now the goods are in the UPS warehouse near your house and they bring them to your door. Lets see what the D 17-4-0 says about what happens next.
“Release and Accounting
54. Once the CBSA releases the casual goods, the courier delivers the shipment to the importer. The duties and taxes owing are paid by the importer to the courier. Afterwards, the courier or its agent accounts for the goods on an “F” type entry which is presented to the CBSA before the 24th day of the next month, with the duties and taxes payable by the end of that month.”
Ah so you pay the courier your duties and taxes (and brokerage fee), receive your goods and then the courier goes ahead and acts as your broker and pays the duties and taxes with an F type entry the next month.
So what happens if you decide you don’t want to pay the duties and taxes and brokerage fee to the courier? Surely the regulations state that the goods have to go back to the office of arrival right? and you have to pay the duties and taxes at that office right?That’s what UPS told my friend. Wrong.
D 17-4-0
“56. If an importer wishes to account for the goods himself or herself, the courier does not release the shipment to the importer but holds the goods until the importer presents satisfactory proof that the appropriate duties and taxes have been paid directly to the CBSA. The importer must note the unique shipment identifier number and contact the courier to determine where the goods are held in a bonded warehouse until the release is effected.”
So the courier hangs on to the goods which are still in-bond at their warehouse. The courier must provide the importer with information as to where the goods are, what the unique shipment identifier number is (they would have provided this to customs earlier as part of the cargo/release list noted in section 11). Now you the importer can take that information along with a bill or invoice from the shipper to your nearest customs office and get a B15 done for free. Customs will do all the work. Take that back to UPS and then as noted in section 56 of D17-4-0 they must release the goods to you.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Now simply put if a courier, say UPS, arrives at your door and you refuse to pay the duties and taxes, you want to do this:
Ask them where the goods are going now, which will be the nearby warehouse. (they may threaten to take them back to the border warehouse but this does not make sense from a economical sense on their part, is not supported by the LVS regulations and even if they do you can still clear your goods at the office closest to you)
Next ask for the unique shipment identifier number.
Print out a copy of the invoice from the shipper (most online shippers email this to you if not request a copy after you place your order)
Take these three pieces of information with you to your nearest CBSA office and ask for a B15.
Return to UPS with your B15, which will show you paid your duties and taxes and receive your goods.
If they give you any kind of hassle print out a copy of D 17-4-0 to support your right to clear the goods yourself and show that the goods do not have to be accounted for at the border entry office.
Armed with this information my friend was able to get a number from UPS that he brought to customs and was able to get UPS to accept a B15 and release his goods.
Hope folks that are forced to use a courier find this useful. Knowledge is power. By the way all the customs regulations can be found on the CBSA website at http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/menu-eng.html
LVSinfo
6/21/2010 at 8:40 pm
If you have a CBSA office reasonable close to you, than you can pay the duties and taxes your self and avoid the brokerage fee. Here is how:
A courier need your permission to represent you as a broker. The authority for this is found in D1-6-1 http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/d…d1-6-1-eng.pdf
“4. Any person who proposes to transact business with CBSA as the agent of another person is responsible for ensuring that the proper authority has been granted. The written authority is often referred to as an agency agreement or a power of attorney.”
This means of course you always have the right to clear your goods yourself or using any broker you want. Generally couriers get permission to act as your broker when you sign for the goods, in fact the LVS (low value shipment) regulations specifically allow for them to do this, however they also give you the right to decline to use them.
Now I should mention the information I am referencing for this post is only LVS courier casual goods. That means the goods have to be valued at under $1600 Canadian and not be controlled, prohibited or regulated by an act of Parliament. To qualify as Casual the goods have to be for the personal use of an individual and not be commercial goods.
We find the regulations for LVS courier goods in D 17-4-0
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/d…17-4-0-eng.pdf
“1. The Courier Low Value Shipment (LVS) Program streamlines the reporting, release and accounting procedures for certain goods imported by courier. Couriers authorized by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to participate in the program may have qualifying goods released by presenting a cargo/release list to the CBSA. To qualify under this program the goods must:
(a) be valued at less than CAN$1,600; and
(b) not be controlled, prohibited or regulated by an Act of Parliament”
So what does LVS mean?
from D17-4-0 again
“11. The cargo/release list for authorized participants of the Courier LVS Program is to be used in place of individual cargo control and release documents for goods valued under CAN$1,600. The list must be presented to the CBSA by the courier before or as soon as the shipments arrive in Canada. It must contain a concise description of the LVS qualifying goods so that the border services officer can determine the admissibility of the goods.”
So the courier gives customs information on the goods they are bringing in to Canada.
Next if the goods are not being released at the office they enter Canada at they can move inbond to the office of release. This is important to note because UPS will often argue that the goods have to be released at the office of arrival but this is not true and we know it is not true because the LVS regulations tell us so.
Again from D-17-4-0
“16. When Courier LVS goods arrive in Canada at an office other than the office of release, the in-bond movement of the shipments to the office of release is permitted, provided that the entire container or load is moved inland.”
So the courier following these regulations moves your LVS parcel in bond eventually to a distribution centre near the importer. At this point the goods have not been accounted for, that is no duties and taxes have been paid yet, and the courier can not release them to the importer until they have.
So now the goods are in the UPS warehouse near your house and they bring them to your door. Lets see what the D 17-4-0 says about what happens next.
“Release and Accounting
54. Once the CBSA releases the casual goods, the courier delivers the shipment to the importer. The duties and taxes owing are paid by the importer to the courier. Afterwards, the courier or its agent accounts for the goods on an “F” type entry which is presented to the CBSA before the 24th day of the next month, with the duties and taxes payable by the end of that month.”
Ah so you pay the courier your duties and taxes (and brokerage fee), receive your goods and then the courier goes ahead and acts as your broker and pays the duties and taxes with an F type entry the next month.
So what happens if you decide you don’t want to pay the duties and taxes and brokerage fee to the courier? Surely the regulations state that the goods have to go back to the office of arrival right? and you have to pay the duties and taxes at that office right?That’s what UPS told my friend. Wrong.
D 17-4-0
“56. If an importer wishes to account for the goods himself or herself, the courier does not release the shipment to the importer but holds the goods until the importer presents satisfactory proof that the appropriate duties and taxes have been paid directly to the CBSA. The importer must note the unique shipment identifier number and contact the courier to determine where the goods are held in a bonded warehouse until the release is effected.”
So the courier hangs on to the goods which are still in-bond at their warehouse. The courier must provide the importer with information as to where the goods are, what the unique shipment identifier number is (they would have provided this to customs earlier as part of the cargo/release list noted in section 11). Now you the importer can take that information along with a bill or invoice from the shipper to your nearest customs office and get a B15 done for free. Customs will do all the work. Take that back to UPS and then as noted in section 56 of D17-4-0 they must release the goods to you.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Now simply put if a courier, say UPS, arrives at your door and you refuse to pay the duties and taxes, you want to do this:
Ask them where the goods are going now, which will be the nearby warehouse. (they may threaten to take them back to the border warehouse but this does not make sense from a economical sense on their part, is not supported by the LVS regulations and even if they do you can still clear your goods at the office closest to you)
Next ask for the unique shipment identifier number.
Print out a copy of the invoice from the shipper (most online shippers email this to you if not request a copy after you place your order)
Take these three pieces of information with you to your nearest CBSA office and ask for a B15.
Return to UPS with your B15, which will show you paid your duties and taxes and receive your goods.
If they give you any kind of hassle print out a copy of D 17-4-0 to support your right to clear the goods yourself and show that the goods do not have to be accounted for at the border entry office.
Armed with this information my friend was able to get a number from UPS that he brought to customs and was able to get UPS to accept a B15 and release his goods.
Hope folks that are forced to use a courier find this useful. Knowledge is power. By the way all the customs regulations can be found on the CBSA website at http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/menu-eng.html
Ship by UPS and you can be certain that you will be paying the full quota of taxes in addition to the brokerage ripoff.
If the shipper sends by USPS it may sail through without ever being inspected. I've had a fairly high percentage of packages ignored in the past two years, including a snooker cue and aluminum case from the UK.
Syberts, ever helpful, described one shipment thus - 'product sample' - with a nominal value
Ups
UPS doesn't advertise this but if you must use them the best way to ship is priority expedited. although more expensive, the package will arrive very quickly 2-3 days i think, and they waive the 50 dollar brokerage fee.
if it were a high dollar cue, i'd prefer to go this route rather than USPS. but USPS is fine for most anything else, out of 10 pkges i've ever received out of the US, only one arrived in a condition which was cause for worry.
UPS doesn't advertise this but if you must use them the best way to ship is priority expedited. although more expensive, the package will arrive very quickly 2-3 days i think, and they waive the 50 dollar brokerage fee.
if it were a high dollar cue, i'd prefer to go this route rather than USPS. but USPS is fine for most anything else, out of 10 pkges i've ever received out of the US, only one arrived in a condition which was cause for worry.