I need to chime in as I deal with a lot of imports and exports in my line of work (frozen food).
I feel the need to clarify that the $20 or $50 charge that a lot of people talk about is not a customs charge, but a brokerage fee. When I have commercial courrier shipments coming to Canada, I have a 3rd party customs broker registered with Fedex, so Fedex never touches the customs side. I pay generally a flat clearance fee of $12 no matter how large the shipment ($20 samples vs. $70,000 truckload), in addition there may be taxes or duties on top of that, depending on what is being imported and how the CCRA classifies it. Remember that - all the brokerage is doing is pushing papers, and for that they have a flat rate, no matter what the value is of the item you're importing. The only exception I know of is the LVS (Low Value System) which basically passes anything with a declared value between $0.01 and $20.00 (CANADIAN). As an individual importing a small value item, you generally don't have the ability to use a 3rd party customs broker, and are therefore stuck with the brokerage department of the courrier you are using. I believe the cheapest is Canada Post, followed by UPS then Fedex. Even if the item is marked GIFT or FOR REPAIRS with zero value declared, you're still liable for the brokerage fee. It's a crappy system, but it's the only one we've got. Dave -----Original Message----- From: Mac Canada [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Michael Hackett Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 5:10 PM To: Mac Canada Subject: Re: Shipping from US to Canada On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 22:09:39 -0400 Eric Dunbar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi all, I've got a question on a topic that's caused me headaches in > the past. > > I'm trying to get an $850 USD laptop shipped from the US but am > fearful of the customs crap that the likes of FedEx have a tendency of > pulling (I don't ship FedEx anymore b/c you can be guaranteed that > they try to milk you for another $50 _or more_ even for little > packages. Once I ordered a $20 7600/180 and was hit with $25 CAD worth > of "extra" fees that FedEx decided to tack on). One thing everyone who has responded seems to have missed is that these extra custom clearance fees (which I agree are extravagant) =only= apply for ground service. UPS or FedEx, same deal. With their air service (at least with FedEx, I know), clearance fees are included -- you only pay the tax, and sometimes a small fee for them to pay your GST up front. My experience with FedEx air from the US has actually been =great=, but you do pay a fair bit more for it (unless the shipper has a commercial account). Personally, for an expensive laptop, I would pay the extra money for FedEx air. But most of the time, I use USPS/Canada Post air, which, as most know, generally results in a flat $5 charge on top of GST on imports. It is pretty reliable, but slower. Your choice. On the "gift" topic, while it is generally true that the recipient won't have to pay any taxes, it is quite possible that the shipper/customs broker will come after the sender for the taxes, in that case. So think twice before doing someone a favour, as it may cost you. -- Michael -- Mac Canada is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Shop Canadian, visit Mantek Services <http://www.mantek.mb.ca> Low Prices That Will Keep YOU and Your MAC Smiling Educational discounts are now available Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Mac Canada info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/mac-can.shtml> --> 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/mac-canada%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
