The secret, unfortunately, is to not use UPS. They offer great service & shipping rates, but anything coming in to Canada seems to get their special Customs Clearance Paperwork/Admin charge of about $30 on top of whatever the 15% GST/PST (in Ontario) taxes on the landed Canadian value of the purchase price is. I've had occasion to use UPS several times, not by choice, but due to the fact that many US sellers like using UPS.
I've not used any other services, beyond US Postal Service and Canada Post, so, can't speak to how they assess administrative charges. You are right in stating that the bill could leave you shocked. I have purchased hundreds of items from the USA and typically try to use US Postal Service. They really are pretty good, timing wise, especially with air shipments (ground shipments can take a month). These items always get cleared by Canada Customs and are always assessed about a $5 paperwork prep charge + the GST & PST. The only difference is you usually get a postcard from Canada Post alerting you to pick up the goods and pay the charges at the local postal outlet. It appears as well that packages shipped with a declared value of approx. $10, or less, get cleared without any charges. It's "buyer beware" when it comes to shipping of goods from the USA. If you do it right you can still save a few bucks over purchasing from a local Canadian retailer. Regards, Albert On 6/14/02 9:35 AM, "Jim Freeman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > While we're on the subject I'll tell you how screwed I got one time. > Before we moved to Montreal my Canadian girlfriend and I lived in > California. We were going to Quebec to her parents for Christmas. I > found some nice jewelry to get her for Christmas in a mail order > catalog. There wasn't enough time to have it delivered in California > before we left so I asked them if they could deliver it in Canada. No > problem. When UPS showed up at my in-laws house they wanted something > like 60% of the value of the item in tax before they would hand it over. > I was shocked and refused to pay. They UPS guy went away with the > package, I had my credit card block the charges and my girlfriend didn't > get a Christmas present that year. > > That was back when I had the illusion that the US/Canada border was just > a formality. > > Jim > > On Friday, June 14, 2002, at 05:48 AM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> There is no sure way to avoid duty and taxes. Even if the item is used, >> you >> will still be liable for duty and taxes. Occasionally (as in Blue Moon >> and/or Hell Freezing Over time) the overworked boys and girls down at >> the >> customs office might be on their donut/doughnut break and overlook a >> chance >> to gouge you, but that is rare. >> If you receive it by mail, especially if you insure it, you will almost >> certainly pay tax on it. >> The US expatriates who go home to visit now and then are the only ones >> with >> a good way of beating the system. For everyone else, this it'd be a good >> time to reach across the border and make an American friend, a "GST >> Pal" if >> you will. Enduring friendships have been built on less solid ground >> than the >> hope of saving money. >> And how 'bout that nafta... >> >> Chris H > -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
