My Experience re. shipping to Canada

There's also brokerage fees when shipping by courier, which can add up quickly. Some courier companies charge more than others. Suppliers that ship to Canada sometimes say they ship free BUT they aren't aware of the fees we pay to get that item across the border...fees other than taxes.

I've also known a shipper to insure the parcel at a value they wish the auction had reached, like $100 to $200 more than my winning bid. & then had Canada Post use that value for charging GST amount.

Thus, if I think of it, I'll send a message to the shipper to please use the auction amount for the value and explain about our GST. Most seem to understand that.

:C

Hi,

I hate the brokerage fee. It is little more than a scam. It used to be $50.00

Taxes are a fact of life. UPS brokerage fees can be pretty brutal. Don't know about other couriers. Mail is probably the best way of shipping across the border. Living close to the border, I am fortunate being able pick shipments up and bring them across myself. A $2 to $5 handling fee is pretty normal. Always print off the details of the purchase and take it with you as proof when you declare it. Shippers don't always include that in the package.

If I order something from another part of Canada, I am charged GST and PST, why should the CBSA charging me the same tax be any different.

Luckily, there is a UPS store in Ogdensburg, NY, a 40 minute or so drive away, that will accept and hold packages for you for a small fee. Considering I do quite a bit of online shopping, I've saved quite a bit on these brokerage fees and Canada Post charges.

Since My Post was closed I could not respond to the GST and PST remarks!
In short I have no problem paying the Taxes provided that they are calculated on the correct value of the Goods and Service! I do resist compounding taxes on already taxed merchandise and that lead to my comments.
The Brokerage Fee charged by The UPS Broker is my main objection! It is a whole lot of Bunk and My principle complaint !
Had the product not been absolutely necessary I probably would have refused to accept it ,but since it is something that I absolutely had to have ,I paid the piper!
That said I really hate to knock a business that has a great reputation and does deliver the goods on time within the USA !
Just watch out if You need something from the States delivered to Canada. Choose another carrier.

FedEx is far more reasonable when it comes to brokerage.
Even so, I usually request shippers use the US Postal Service. It works just fine, gets things across the border without delay, no extra fees, and I can easily track the shipment, Canada Post's tracking picks it up when it crosses the border too.

Here in Yukon, I have to drive 65 km to get my mail or parcels anyway, as nobody here delivers mail or packages to a GPS coordinate. Propane guy finds us though, which is a good thing.

robatthelake wrote:
In short I have no problem paying the Taxes provided that they are calculated on the correct value of the Goods and Service! I do resist compounding taxes on already taxed merchandise and that lead to my comments.

The Brokerage Fee charged by The UPS Broker is my main objection! It is a whole lot of Bunk and My principle complaint !

Can you explain what you mean by "compounding taxes"?

As for brokerage fees, different companies charge varying amounts for any service or product, we as consumers have the freedom of choice. There's no gun to anyone's head.

Hi JaxDad,

No, often the seller will only ship by one source. So if you need the product you may end up paying egregious fees. I have paid $10 for an item and $50 for brokers fees.

I agree they often will ship by only one carrier.

That doesn't mean you only have one way to get it across the border and/ or cleared through customs.