Online shipping to Canada

[Darnold9999]

Nope - not confused - $50 brokerage fee AND PST and GST - no duty.

 

[CA TAH]

Ups and Fedex's "brokerage" fee is not duty. The brokerage fee is what UPS/Fedex and any other shipper charges to file the import paperwork at customs and prepay the GST/PST if applicable.
If there was duty on the particular item it would be imposed on the item on top of the brokerage fee.
USPS is ideal for cross boarder shipping as it just gets turned over to Canada Post and they just have a flat-rate $5.00 brokerage fee. UPS and Fedex have a sliding scale that increases with the value of the parcel/mood of the person doing the paperwork.
As mentioned above Scubatoys uses UPS expedited, this shipping method includes the brokerage processing so you just have to pay GST/PST upon delivery.
For example I had a package from ST, was charged $60 shipping it arrived in one day, and had to pay taxes upon delivery, had they shipped it regular UPS it would have been about $38, BUT there would have been about $48 in brokerage, plus taxes, and it would have taken a week.
The expensive shipping saved be about $25 and I got the gear a ton quicker.

 

[Darnold9999]

USPS is always my preferred method of shipping, but I live a block from a post office and I walk by it every day so it is convenient to pick up when they can't deliver.

 

[MarkH]

I've bought quite a few things from US sellers on E-bay. Usually they ship to me using the US Postal Service. At the border, the item is handed over to Canada Post to complete the delivery. Not all items are opened and inspected. I've found that around 30-50 % of packages sent to me were opened/inspected. Canada Customs tries to figure out what the value of the item is and charges you duty (not GST or PST, but import duties). The value they come up with isn't always the price you paid for the item or the value written on the label by the seller. I've found quite a few good deals on E-bay, but apparently Canada Customs sometimes thinks that it is too good of a deal and charges me duties based on a much higher value. I've had to pay duties that were almost double the price I paid for the item.

 

[MarkH]

By the way, If Canada Customs gets their hands on it, expect to wait 1-3 months for delivery.

 

[nadwidny]

I've bought quite a few things from US sellers on E-bay. Usually they ship to me using the US Postal Service. At the border, the item is handed over to Canada Post to complete the delivery. Not all items are opened and inspected. I've found that around 30-50 % of packages sent to me were opened/inspected. Canada Customs tries to figure out what the value of the item is and charges you duty (not GST or PST, but import duties). The value they come up with isn't always the price you paid for the item or the value written on the label by the seller. I've found quite a few good deals on E-bay, but apparently Canada Customs sometimes thinks that it is too good of a deal and charges me duties based on a much higher value. I've had to pay duties that were almost double the price I paid for the item.

You must be dealing with a different Customs than me then. I've only had to pay duty once, for reasons noted in a previous post. It's always been just GST and I've gotten all sorts of items including Apeks regs from Britain.

 

[grf88]

When buying from the US I always make sure they are willing to ship USPS as the brokerage is only $5.00 payable to Canada Post. In addition there are sales taxes to pay but I have never had to pay any duty on anything I have bought. USPS International Priority provides insurance and tracking and the cost is not high which is useful for higher value items.

My experience with UPS was very painful as the brokerage was almost as much as the purchse price.

 

[scubatoys]

We get a discount UPS rate to Canada using overnight service, and it includes the brokerage fees. (Doesn't hurt I was the UPS Poster boy!) You still have to pay your duties - from 7 - 15 % depending on where you are, but our discount overnight rates are just a bit more than ground, and with no brokerage fee, it makes it much cheaper. You can't see the rates on our cart as it can't take into account our special rate - but it's typically 1/3 the published rate or so. You can run an order, then just put in the notes that you want a shipping quote before processing, and we'll shoot it over.

With that service, we many times have had people order stuff at 4 in the afternoon, and it's on their door step the next morning at 9 am for a reasonable shipping rate.

Just use overnight for UPS where the brokerage fees are included and there is no problem.

 

[adrisen]

I have ordered from Scubatoys many times and I have never had any extra fees when the package arrives at my door.

As for the person who states that if Canada customs gets it dont expect to see if for 1-3 months. I had ordered some supplies that had to be inspected and took a few extra days. I was soposed to recieve it on a tuesday, it arrived the following Monday morning. No where did it take a month or longer. I ship a lot from my brothers in the states to my Home and my stuff has never taken 1-3 montsh to be inspected.

 

[Jimmer]

FWIW, a friend of mine ordered a pair of high end racing wheels for his bicycle from the US, and he waited 2 full months for them AFTER the tracking number had shown the item in Canada. Now that's the only case I have ever heard of that happening personally, but obviously it can happen.