To our cousins in the US...

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Drache

Drache

1971 Dodge Dart Swinger
Joined
May 10, 2011
Messages
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Location
Williams Lake, BC, Canada
Please PLEASE if someone from Canada buys something from you, never ship by UPS. :banghead:

IF we ask for UPS then slap us, call us dumb canucks, and ship by USPS :D

First off... UPS charges us Canadians Brokerage fees. How much? Well last time I got something that had a worth of $100, I was charged $40 in brokerage fees. USPS on the other hand doesn't charge fees.

Secondly, UPS is dumb as a sack of wet mice. Here's my latest shipment with them. I'll post the dumbest moments from the tracking.

Davenport, IA, United States 08/02/2011 8:00 Adverse weather conditions.

Ok this means my package was delayed due to the weather. Now this one might make sense since on that day it was 35 degrees celcius without a cloud in the sky and chance of thunder storms that night.

Richmond, BC, Canada 08/04/2011 13:11 Package data processed by brokerage Waiting for clearance / Receiver's customs broker has been assigned The shipment is now released to move in transit

And here come the brokerage fees. What does that involve? It means someone opening the package and looking inside to make sure the item can be imported BEFORE sending it to customs who does the same thing.

It's now stuck on another plane to fly to Prince George for the next sorting location. Once in Prince George it gets out into a Semi truck which heads back down to Richmond dropping off packages to the local UPS deliverers in each city along the way.

Prince George, BC, Canada 08/05/2011 12:14 Adverse weather conditions

Another delay by weather. But this one I can't understand since I was in Prince George that day actually. It was 17 degrees celcius, cloudy skies with sunny periods, no wind. There is NO reason for the weather to effect my shipment.

Williams Lake, BC, Canada 08/08/2011 7:52 Destination Scan

Oh look it's in my city! And it's early enough to easily make it out for delivery on the exact day it's supposed to!

Williams Lake, BC, Canada 08/08/2011 13:12 Missorted to an incorrect location

Oh wait it's UPS, my mistake. 5 hours after reaching my city, it's put back onto the semi truck and continues south back towards Richmond. My parcel is now on it's way BACK in Richmond.

The truck doesn't turn around and there is no truck headed north. So my parcel has to go back down to UPS in Richmond, sorted again, put back onto a plane, flown back to Prince George and placed onto another Truck headed south.

Scheduled Delivery Updated To:
Friday, 08/12/2011, By End of Day

Yup it's going to take them 4 more extra days for them to turn the parcel back around and get it back here.


I should say this is no problem of the shipper's. My problem was when he said UPS I thought he meant to type USPS and never asked for clarrification.
 
I as well as other members have started several threads on UPS...fondly referred to as FU PS. Dont be fooled, Canada Post may hit you with broker fees as well. I just bought a set of used manifolds, shipped USPS to Canada Post and was hit with $25 in broker fees. The fees with our Post Office is somewhat random and always waaay lower than ANY of the couriers. Sorry to hear about the worldwide trip your parts are taking.....
 
hmmm seems I remember some bonehead sent stuff to you guy's UPS after you requested usps.....what an imbecile he was/is :banghead: I think next time i ship to you guys i'm gonna put a plastic window on the box :cheers:
 
I have had issues with USPS too, though slightly fewer than with UPS.

Part of the issue is how Canada accepts stuff into the country......CANADA makes the rules, not UPS or USPS. The broker fees are part of that. And there are fees like that for other countries as well. SOMEONE has to do the inspections and SOMEONE has to pay for it.

Weather delays? Well, who knows what happened really -- could have been sunny where you were and a blizzard or storm just down the road. Happens here all the time. Or maybe it was another issue and there was a mis-key by the operator.

Looks to me like the mis-sort is the only UPS mistake you can really grouse about.

And things do happen.

They cant turn a truck around every time one package is mis-cued.

USPS loses/mis sorts too.

I have gotten packages from the USPS that have been mangled and they have a wonderful "we are sorry!" sticker on it...whooppeeee....its still mangled. LOL

I ship/receive a lot of stuff from overseas via UPS and have had few issues.

Dont get me wrong -- I ***** and moan when my toys are delayed too....I have a schedule in my mind and when they screw that up I get angry...:violent1:

It sucks that you have to wait a few extra days for your parts.....but there are worse things that can happen in the grand scale of things.

Just my $.02 US.
 
4spdragtop said:
Dont be fooled, Canada Post may hit you with broker fees as well. I just bought a set of used manifolds, shipped USPS to Canada Post and was hit with $25 in broker fees.
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Are you sure that charge was for brokerage and just not Duty/taxes?

Canada Post charges only $5 for Brokerage ($8 for Priority Packages) IF they charge you at all. In 14 years I've only had Canada Post charge me once and that was taxes on said item because it wasn't made in the US.
 
Drache said:
Are you sure that charge was for brokerage and just not Duty/taxes?

Canada Post charges only $5 for Brokerage ($8 for Priority Packages) IF they charge you at all. In 14 years I've only had Canada Post charge me once and that was taxes on said item because it wasn't made in the US.
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That's exactly right. UPS "brokerage" fees are $40 (unless you buy their costly overnight shipping, in which case the brokerage fee magically disappears). Postal brokerage fees are $5/$8 and often don't get charged at all. You never heard such BS as you get from UPS when asking about this. "Oh, the government sets the brokerage fees, we're obligated to charge the $40, we have no say in the matter"…lies.

At least UPS complies with truth-in-advertising laws by painting their trucks BROWN.
 
I would recommend that the Canadians buying from people in the US state very clearly every time that you want it shipped through the Post Office and NOT UPS or FedEx. USPS and UPS are too similar, maybe, and since the shipper doesn't necessarily know about brokerage fees, spell it out every time, including an explanation of why you do not want UPS and FedEx. Really spell it out.

Heck, even if someone asks for USPS (not necessarily Canadians), I may be inclined to ship FedEx ground because it's way more convenient for me. Sending stuff USPS is a PITA here. The local post offices close from 12:00 to 1:00 every day, and it takes me about 45 minutes to drive to the post office and back, which is time I miss work. and the local carrier will drive by my house each day, leaving a package on my porch and not pick it up. Some say it's super easy, but the service isn't the same everywhere.

I guess my point is that if I was Canadian, I'd totally agree with you, but you need to explain the situation every single time to your seller.
 
Well I know a guy that on another forum that rents storage in Minn. has his parts shipped there and drives across the border once a month to pick up what he has ordered.
 
Drache said:
I laughed so hard I swallowed an entire piece of bacon whole :D
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Real (peameal) bacon? Or that strip-shaped stuff the Americans think is called "bacon"?

redbeard.gif
 
old tired rebel said:
Well I know a guy that on another forum that rents storage in Minn. has his parts shipped there and drives across the border once a month to pick up what he has ordered.
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I wonder what his experience is like at the border. when I was taking an axle across the border back in June, I thought the guy was going to drag me from the car and beat money out of me for taxes on items being left in Canada. I guess each province is probably different. BC's taxes are like 12%, but Alberta's are only 4%, if I remember correctly.

Back in 1993 when I drove into BC, they threatened to search my vehicle for firearms, because apparently someone from Montana probably had guns hidden everywhere in their car. Now, in 2011, it more about money, I guess.
 
damnimcooltom said:
I wonder what his experience is like at the border. when I was taking an axle across the border back in June, I thought the guy was going to drag me from the car and beat money out of me for taxes on items being left in Canada. I guess each province is probably different. BC's taxes are like 12%, but Alberta's are only 4%, if I remember correctly.

Back in 1993 when I drove into BC, they threatened to search my vehicle for firearms, because apparently someone from Montana probably had guns hidden everywhere in their car. Now, in 2011, it more about money, I guess.
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I wondered about that too but he would not go into details.He says he saves more money that way. He even goes as far to order Canadian parts through a distributor in the states because it's cheaper than buying in Canada go figure.
 
old tired rebel said:
I wondered about that too but he would not go into details.He says he saves more money that way. He even goes as far to order Canadian parts through a distributor in the states because it's cheaper than buying in Canada go figure.
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The place I visited in BC this June had 4-wheelers that the owners bought in Kalispell, Montana (no sales tax). They then took them to Canada through Alberta, and licensed them there. Then they distributed them to their other sites, including BC. I bet they saved a ton doing it that way.
 
slantsixdan said:
Real (peameal) bacon? Or that strip-shaped stuff the Americans think is called "bacon"?

redbeard.gif
Click to expand...

American Bacon. No way in hell I could swallow a piece of Canadian Bacon whole! :D

damnimcooltom said:
I wonder what his experience is like at the border. when I was taking an axle across the border back in June, I thought the guy was going to drag me from the car and beat money out of me for taxes on items being left in Canada. I guess each province is probably different. BC's taxes are like 12%, but Alberta's are only 4%, if I remember correctly.

Back in 1993 when I drove into BC, they threatened to search my vehicle for firearms, because apparently someone from Montana probably had guns hidden everywhere in their car. Now, in 2011, it more about money, I guess.
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Just remember that antique car parts are not subject to taxes/duty. My grandpa used to ship his parts just south of the Border and drive into the US and bring them back himself to save on brokerage fees.

As for Americans and guns, you'd be surprised. There has been a couple hundred cases this year.

damnimcooltom said:
The place I visited in BC this June had 4-wheelers that the owners bought in Kalispell, Montana (no sales tax). They then took them to Canada through Alberta, and licensed them there. Then they distributed them to their other sites, including BC. I bet they saved a ton doing it that way.
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A coworker was looking into mobile homes in Canada. He contacted two companies and got quotes. He then contacted a third company which actually builds the mobile homes he was looking at here in Canada and sells them to other companies to sell. To make a long story short, this company sells the homes to companies in the US and it was cheaper for this coworker to buy the mobile home in the US and have it shipped up here (even though it was made here) than it was to buy one locally.

old tired rebel said:
Ok Dan time for Bacon Pictures.
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Canadian Bacon
Peameal-Bacon.jpg
 
I think peameal is ground up yellow peas. But don't they actually use cornmeal most of the time now, but still call it peameal bacon?
 
Drache said:
Just remember that antique car parts are not subject to taxes/duty. My grandpa used to ship his parts just south of the Border and drive into the US and bring them back himself to save on brokerage fees.
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Someone needs to explain that to the border guard. He wanted to see receipts. I had 8.75" axle parts. From cars I parted. Basically one axle, disassembled for easier transport. He let me through, but wasn't very happy about it.
 
damnimcooltom said:
Someone needs to explain that to the border guard.
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That's it right there, the whole problem: The law is whatever the border guard says it is. Doesn't matter that another guard said something totally opposite last week. Doesn't matter that the same guard said something totally opposite an hour ago. Doesn't matter what's printed in a book. Doesn't matter whether you're entering the US from Canada or Canada from the US. And it doesn't matter whether you hold a US or a Canadian passport or both.
 
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