Official Luthiers Forum!

I 've had shipping costs charged by Canada post for custom fees last time i ordered from Stew Mac, for my strap buttons and it cost $10 or $12!

We get it in Australia, but only if we use DHL, Fedex, or UPS. I got an $80 customs bill from the feds, plus DHL charged me another $60 "customs clearance fee" 'cause they held the package while customs checked it out (which probably means they ticked a box on a form), this on top of the original $50 shipping fee. All this on a $300 order from LMI or stewmac (can't remember which). They wouldn't deliver my package until I paid the fee with a credit card over the phone. Man, I was not a happy bloke at all.

I don't know what the situation is in Canada, but on deliveries to Australia, USPS deliver in about the same time frame without the BS fees. An expensive lesson. There may be a similar way around this kinda nonsense in Canada too.PaulB38925.3325694444

Todd, as I see it brokerage fees are just a form of value adding, which is very good for the economy

As a freight company, you present your customers package to customs for inspection. If it was under a couple of hundred bucks worth, they probably would have just let it go, but now that it has been so diligently bought to their attention, they will of course require import duty (tax) to be paid.

Then, being the good freight company that you are, you take it upon yourself to pay that duty on your client behalf, thereby clearing the way to affect delivery in the most expedient manner.

Now, because you as the carrier have paid the import duty for the release of your clients goods, you have technically brokered the customs clearance that enabled their release for delivery, which after all is the service for which you were initially chartered.

This customs clearance is an extra service and one for which you must surly be entitle to charge handsomely whilst at the same time recouping from your client those monies paid to customs on their behalf (read double the tax)

Cheers

Kim

Its also not a flat fee structure depending on package size - its all about its internal value. The same size box, no added weight, triple the value will cost you a lot more (forget the duties - most things to Canada have NONE) solely based upon its value. Thru the post office, you only pay a flat fdee for shipping and handling, it was 5 bucks, I think its gone up to 8, plus whatever taxes are owed, which you have to pay with UPS or whoever as well. For a package that has 350 bucks worth inside, the difference with UPS is about 30-40 bucks more overtop of the fees you pay anywhere.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I hate the hidden fees. THe postal service is the most economical shipping to use if you can but they can be so darn unreliable. USPS take 3 times as long as UPS or Fed-Ex. I wish there were a better way.
UPS can more than double your shipping costs.
john hall

In the UK we also get charged a handling fee by the shipper for processing goods through customs. So, on top of the charges we have for the goods and the shipping we also have to pay 17.5% UK tax and a percentage to the shipper for handling.

For instance recently a $110 charge for some wood from the US cost me an additional $40 shipping to the UK, then in the UK I had to pay $26 tax (yes we have to pay tax on the shipping costs as well!) and $20 handling charge from the shipper so my $110 of wood ended up as $196. We don't have to pay these tax and handling charges when we import from an EU country, Spain or Italy for instance, so it pays us to shop around and buy in Europe when possible.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Yes I've had to deal with this. I think they generate the amount randomly or something. I've had shipments that are worth $150 get charged $50 for broakerage fees and $1000 shipments that get $30 broakerage fees. Only with UPS though. All other shipping companies I've delt with include this fee in the shipping cost.

I hate UPS.   

My personal favorite is USPS. Good rates and good service. Second is Fedex. Amazing service, but high fees.

UPS's brokerage fee is the reason why I only use USPS to ship items to Canada. They're just as fast (if not faster), and usually cheaper to boot (before the fee is added in).

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

So if i understand you guys well, the most economic way to receive a package from the US is to have the sender send his shipment through USPS?

For Canada to US shipments USPS is the way to go.

For the same UPS, they do tack on UPS Brokerage Fee. I spent some time on the phone and was finally directed to their charges for such.

USPS for me.

I ship some out of the US and it's always a pain in the patukey!

Thanks Bruce!

Todd,
I always ship via USPS and have had no problems at all with a duty fee. I can ship USPS Global Express for 4-10 days for really cheap, and it gets there on time and no hassles. Anytime I ship outside the US, it goes USPS. I've actually had Canadian customers request that I ship via USPS because they complained about UPS charging all these extra fees. So I don't even have an option to ship via UPS or Fedex.
Tracy

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

Y'all need to pay attention more often. I've gone over this multiple times...

All couriers charge a customs handling fee, which is what you've run across. They also charge any taxes due at this same time. The brokerage fee runs around $40 these days..., if not $49

The post office has a flat rate of $5. $5, no matter the size or value. They will also make you pay taxes at this time.

So, unless it doesn't fit into the post office, or it needs to be there faster, always use the post office for the little stuff going across the border.

How many times must I say it <bg>. Sorry for your friend, but there's no way to recover the $55....

The sponsors all know the drill. Some of the larger ones act as their own broker, thus elilinating the courier(s)brokerage fee, so it's no big deal with them.

It's the individuals that need to learn.

the last shipment I got from an Aussie supplier, the post office handling rate was 8 bucks. It was always 5 before as you mention, dont know if the sheisters at this one charge more, but they did. Maybe small town PO's have lower rates !!!!

Anyway, I will take 5/8 bucks over 40 any time. Unfortunately, Allied doesnt have access to tracked USPS service ... the last big order from them (before reshipping thru UPS) has never arrived - some postman has my mad/EI rw sets , a bunch of rw binding and a duz truss rods.

_________________
Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

[QUOTE=Mario] Y'all need to pay attention more often. I've gone over this multiple times...

All couriers charge a customs handling fee, which is what you've run across. They also charge any taxes due at this same time. The brokerage fee runs around $40 these days..., if not $49

The post office has a flat rate of $5. $5, no matter the size or value. They will also make you pay taxes at this time.

So, unless it doesn't fit into the post office, or it needs to be there faster, always use the post office for the little stuff going across the border.

How many times must I say it <bg>. Sorry for your friend, but there's no way to recover the $55....

The sponsors all know the drill. Some of the larger ones act as their own broker, thus elilinating the courier(s)brokerage fee, so it's no big deal with them.

It's the individuals that need to learn.[/QUOTE]

Gee Mario -- sorry for not hanging on every word of wisdom you impart!

Anytime I purchase from the U.S. I clearly specify USPS. I hate UPS as well

Another option is DHL which has a deal with Canada post -- DHL to the border and Canada Post delivers from there. Service is good and you don't get dinged by UPS types custom brokerage robbery. DHL is the service that LMI uses upon request by Canadian customers.

I agree Anthony, just ordered some stuff from LMI and that's exactly what Jeff told me there.

sorry for not hanging on every word of wisdom you impart!

I love you too....

Fact is, if someone would have paid attention, that someone wouldn't be out $55 right now, would they?

I hang out here to help, and it's frustrating when an avoidable mistake is made, one that has been covered at elast twice here already.

Ignore me all you want, but I've made enough mistakes, and learned from them, and have for the past few years tried to share what I've learned, and can still help a whole bunch of y'all yet.

Or I can slip away quietly...

[QUOTE=Mario]Or I can slip away quietly...[/QUOTE]
No, no, no! Curb your frustration, my friend, there's always going to be someone who falls asleep in class. Some things need repeating.

Mario,
I always listen.

Trouble is there are so many new faces, the OLF starts over about every six months.   

Many early OLFers are somewhat silent, mainly because for them much is old hat.

But I've continued to be amazed at folks showing up like Todd Stock. He seems to bust in with something profound every now and then. That's what keeps me coming back to forums like this one. New blood, whether it comes from a relative newcomer, or a seasoned veteran.

Thanks Mario. Hey, I like your pooch pic. Here is one of my new litter, Rat Terriers, these guys are real squirrel hunters. I wonder if I could ship them UPS without a brokerage fee?

I always insist that items be shipped USPS but some suppliers don't seem to get it. When I get a call from USPS telling me there is a Brokerage fee I tell them to ship it back. A while back Grover sent me some warenty parts (no Charge) and they shipped them UPS despite what I told them. Even though they were no charge UPS wanted Over $200 (more than the items were worth) I told them to send them back to Grover and had grover send them USPS as I had requested and I didn't even have to ay the $5 Canada Post fee. I have no idea how UPS figures there fees.

It doesnt pay to go with UPS or FedEx or any other overnight service {to Canada anyhow} from my experience - not unless money is no object!
These types of companies apply a customs broker to every packg >whether you want one or not - this incurs a fee - the brokers rate - which ends up being more than the parcel and shipping in some cases!
its really messed up
especially when you can send the same parcel USPS Global Priority with tracking for much less and have the same garauntee it will arrive safely, and the reciever of the pckg will only get dinged for tax and duty {"and only sometimes"} - I have never had tax and duty add up to an entirely unreasonable amount before.
The package will end up taking a couple extra days, but well worth it in the long run.
Cheers
Charlie

[QUOTE=Dickey] Mario,
I always listen.

Trouble is there are so many new faces, the OLF starts over about every six months.   

Many early OLFers are somewhat silent, mainly because for them much is old hat.

But I've continued to be amazed at folks showing up like Todd Stock. He seems to bust in with something profound every now and then. That's what keeps me coming back to forums like this one. New blood, whether it comes from a relative newcomer, or a seasoned veteran.

Thanks Mario. Hey, I like your pooch pic. Here is one of my new litter, Rat Terriers, these guys are real squirrel hunters. I wonder if I could ship them UPS without a brokerage fee?

[/QUOTE]


Bruce, what kind of seed did you plant in that pot?

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......