Calling on US member to help with shipment to Canada

[msommers]

Looking for someone to give me a hand getting an item onsale in the US only. Shipping is free in the US and all that would be required would be to put my address on the box and send it away via USPS.

Contents is audio equipment.

I'll of course pay for shipping, insurance etc and would compensate you for your time.

[FraserB]

Ship to the border storage place and have them forward it.

[ExtraSlow]

Do the border storage places forward packages? I thought there was some liability issue with that and they wouldn't do it?

There are repackaging services, but they are very expensive.

[98type_r]

If you know anyone in Vancouver, ship it to Point Roberts and have them pick it up for you.

[Pacman]

You could use the Kinek pickup point in Babb Montana. THey will hold the package for $5 per month, per package.

[Red@8]

I can help you out depending on when you need it. I wont be at my US home address until the end of January. Let me know if that is suitable. How big is the audio equipment?

[pheoxs]

There are a bunch of holding places by the Montana border, most are a couple bucks a week or a dollar a day or something to hold a package. Just ship it there, drive down and grab it and just pay duties.

[D'z Nutz]

If you're not in any rush, I'll be in Arizona in March.

[FixedGear]

I live in the US and can help you, aend me a PM.

[eblend]

Before you send a ton of equipment to FixedGear, verify he isn't bastardchild :burnout:

[msommers]

All good, thanks for the feedback guys. Got it sorted out.

[eblend]

What you end up doing if you don't mind me asking? I find myself in those situations sometimes as well, and almost always I just say fuck it and don't get the stuff I want.

[msommers]

I had actually forgotten I've met a couple Americans while travelling abroad so I got in touch with someone this morning; hopefully it works out haha.

I looked into a couple options for me to do it on my own. Either driving down to Montana or getting a forwarding service was going to be pricey and given the item is ~500USD worth, it didn't make sense. The Vancouver option I had no idea about. Unfortunately the one friend in Vancouver lives downtown and she doesn't have a car (in Yaletown and can't afford a car, wtf).

Wish I could have given better advice! I know there are a couple regular members in the US but I didn't want to push anything on them without an initial offer.

[Street_Soldier]

This is somewhat related so I thought id ask here.

So i want to buy a used item from a private seller in the US. The item will be insured so the full price will be on the package. Id be using UPS over night shipping.

The reason I ask is because a colleague of mine told me if i ship air i wont need to pay duties.

Can someone confirm

[msommers]

If you're stuck on using UPS, call them to see what would be the cheapest route. I remember an item I paid extra for to try to avoid these brokerage/customs fees (duty and tax are never exempt) but still got charged random crap like a bond fee and something else. I called and asked about it and if I had shipped via ground, the import charges would have been way more!

Use USPS if you can help. Or learn how to clear your own items.

This is the info you had in mind though. Bond fee is I think a minimum of $10 + $4.25 for the UPS guy to collect it at the door. Plus your appropriate duties and tax but UPS doesn't any any jurisdiction there. When I had an amp coming in the seller would only do UPS so I called ahead to pay the charges using my CC. The only charge I avoided was the $4.25, not the bond fee which was stupid as I had given my CC info before it even reached Canada. She was not able to give me an estimate for taxes and duties and I had to call Canada Customs.

http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html?srch_pos=1&srch_phr=customs+fees

[clem24]

OK now you started it.. What did you buy? :nut:

[ColoDano]

Oh how much I enjoy my parents holding parts for me at their house. Makes it even easier since I have most of my bank accounts and credit cards down there still, so address verification is easy.

If anyone needs something small, and legal, shipped to a US address and then sent up here, I should be able to make it happen. My wife has done the same for a couple of her co-workers via her parents as well.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Street_Soldier
This is somewhat related so I thought id ask here.

So i want to buy a used item from a private seller in the US. The item will be insured so the full price will be on the package. Id be using UPS over night shipping.

The reason I ask is because a colleague of mine told me if i ship air i wont need to pay duties.

Can someone confirm

You will still pay a COD amount on air, but you won't be bent over nearly as far as if you used ground shipping. UPS waives the duty on their premium air services (UPS worldwide express and worldwide saver).

You will pay 5%, $4.25 for the COD collection, and a bond fee of 2.7% or $6-$10, whichever is greater (Depends on service used). You can avoid the bond fee by paying in advance but it's too much hassle IMO. I *think* you also pay 6.1% on anything not made in the USA but that might just be for ground.

The only unknown is the exchange rate you get, but otherwise I've always been able to calculate pretty easil what my COD amount will be from UPS. Never any surprises.

[Seks]

Is Sweetgrass the best location to ship stuff to and to go to from Calgary in terms of distance and convenience?

[ExtraSlow]

sweetgrass is the closest to calgary. But there's nothing else there, so if you wanted to do any shopping in the USA while you were down there, it's a poor choice. If you are just pickup up a parcel, it'sa good choice. You can be in the USA for well under an hour.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
You can avoid the bond fee by paying in advance but it's too much hassle IMO.

I definitely tried (as described above) and couldn't. I seem to remember chatting with the girl on the phone that the only way to do this was to have a corporate account with them. Then, I needed to give them my business number and proof that I require shipments from the US for business.

Also, using their air services don't get around paying duties, just their outrageous customs brokerage fees.

[black13]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
sweetgrass is the closest to calgary. But there's nothing else there, so if you wanted to do any shopping in the USA while you were down there, it's a poor choice. If you are just pickup up a parcel, it'sa good choice. You can be in the USA for well under an hour.

An hour? unless you drive a Bugatti I don't see how you can do a 300km drive in an hour.

How much does sweetgrass charge though?

[Supa Dexta]

You run into some good people down there for this type of thing.. I know a guy off a motorcycle board who receives packages for me, and then just uses his corporate shipping at the office to pass them along to me!

[Seks]

Originally posted by msommers


I definitely tried (as described above) and couldn't. I seem to remember chatting with the girl on the phone that the only way to do this was to have a corporate account with them. Then, I needed to give them my business number and proof that I require shipments from the US for business.


Same thing here when I asked years ago.


Bond Fees

Customers are responsible for payment of duties and taxes. When funds are not provided in advance by the customer, and UPS must post a bond to allow UPS shipments to be released in advance of payment to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), a fee of 2.7 percent (minimum $6.00 on Worldwide Standard®; minimum $10 on UPS Worldwide Express Plus®, UPS Worldwide Express®, UPS Worldwide Express Freight™, UPS Worldwide Express Saver® and UPS Worldwide Expedited®) of the amount advanced by UPS will be charged. To avoid bond fees, call 1-800-PICK-UPS and ask about our Prepayment or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) plans.


I think it's just a cash grab for UPS. I'll be happy to provide the funds in advance! What's the point of UPS indicating that prepayment option on their website if a majority of us don't qualify for that?

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by black13


An hour? unless you drive a Bugatti I don't see how you can do a 300km drive in an hour.

How much does sweetgrass charge though? I think you misunderstood me. I meant you'd be in the USA for under an hour, not that you'd get there in an hour.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by msommers


I definitely tried (as described above) and couldn't. I seem to remember chatting with the girl on the phone that the only way to do this was to have a corporate account with them. Then, I needed to give them my business number and proof that I require shipments from the US for business.

Also, using their air services don't get around paying duties, just their outrageous customs brokerage fees.

Interesting about the corporate account. I've never tried to prepay them anyway.

Yeah it's the "entry prep" that's free, not the duty. I had the wrong name haha. I think duty is still 6.1% on non-American items.

I used to use these methods all the time with B&H and Monoprice until they got Purolator/USPS going which take longer but are way less hassle with paying COD.

[msommers]

Bump. Ordered a shell jacket and for some reason, Rab won't let the seller ship to Canada so I'm hoping to find someone in the US again.

[master hec0]

Originally posted by msommers
Bump. Ordered a shell jacket and for some reason, Rab won't let the seller ship to Canada so I'm hoping to find someone in the US again.


il be in AZ and LA in October (21st-26th) I could bring it back with my bags if your willing to wait.

[Mixalot27]

Check if Campsaver has the jacket you want. I've found that they don't seem to care about the brand shipping restrictions and will ship all brands to Canada. Also they offer free shipping on orders over $200.

[Nickerjones]

I am traveling to Calgary next week, back home to the US for a week , and then back to Calgary. If you still need help, I can help.