I'm looking to get some sliders but the price to ship and then the brokerage fees are quite pretty steep. There aren't any discounts to be had buying locally either as they just pass their costs on and then markup as they are also trying to run a business. Most of the forum vendors on here use FEDEX to ship to Canada which is the worst provider from a Canadian customer perspective due to their excessive brokerage fees. As an example if I purchase a $50 item from a vendor, to me it adds up to this:
Item $50 US
Shipping $20 US
FEDEX $25 US
Total $95 US or about $114 Canadian for a $50 part - the FEDEX charges get higher with the item total so as an example my rear coils that I had shipped here came with $90 fee on top of the shipping fees paid to the vendor.
There are two ways around this - ask the vendor to ship USPS so that you only pay true duty & taxes or try and arrange a group ship so that we only have to clear one package. I haven't raised this with any vendors yet but am thinking if we can get 5-10 people looking for sliders we can have them shipped freight here on a pallet and cleared by the carrier. I can look into this here but thought I would put out a feeler to see if anyone else in Ontario would be interested in a group ship/buy for sliders (I'm leaning towards AllPro).
If you shipped to someone in the US and then picked the item up, would you still have to pay duty? Don't know the legal aspects of a transaction like that either.
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i do both of these regularily- ship into canada & go to USA & bring the stuff back.
This seems obvious but it has come up before more than once- ive asked something to be sent 'USPS' (us postal service) and it gets shipped 'UPS'- make sure whoever is shipping to you can spell & understands what you want- UPS charges the ridiculous brokerage rates too.
If thinking of picking up in the US, I cant imagine getting across the border duty free with several sets of sliders or something like that- you'd have to stay down there a while & still i think you'd be over your alloted duty free amount.
I don't think the issue is duty but excessive brokerage fees; basically inordinate charges the shipping companies charge to facilitate something coming across the border. I've found UPS to be the absolute worst ($20 on a $25 item was my favorite) but FedEx isn't that far behind. As the original poster noted, USPS is the best bet outside of bringing it back yourself.
I personally will not use UPS for anything unless I am totally desperate (for the item that is) and can not get it any other way.
When I got my sliders (trail gear) the free US shipping convinced me to have them shipped to a relative & brought up. I think I only paid GST at the border, less than $20 canadian. This was easy for me, since I had visitors coming anyways. The alternative is to have them shipped to a Mail Boxes Etc store in the US, the ones near the border will be used to this. They charge $5 per package received. From Ottawa people use the one in Ogdensburg, Toronto should be even easier...
Could ya not, ride over the border and pick um'
up and install the and drive back with no fees...
heck, they only take 1/2 hour at the most, you
can paint them up later... I ran mine for about a
month before they got removed and painted....
Save on Brokerage fees and broker the item yourself. If you have it shipped, let FedEx know you will clear the item, then when you go and pick it up at the customs office at the air cargo facility, they will charge you importation and GST themselves. But, if I remember correctly and all the pieces are manufactured in the US, their should be no custom fees (Free Trade Agreement). Phone Canada Customs and ask - they are usually quite helpful the times that I have called to ask for brokerage info.
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