shipping from US-Canada

L

lotsa_mpg

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I really got a kick out of reading all the posts in the, now locked, PK damaged cylinder post. It seems to have drifted everywhere and was almost getting a bit too controversial so I completely understand locking it. As a Canadian ebay seller (and occaissional buyer), I just thought I'd toss my two cents worth in and hopefully, explain to some degree, what we canucks go through when buying items from US sellers. First off, I really have had no significant problems with any seller, US or Canadian. But, oftentimes getting an item from the US can be a bit of a hassle through no real fault of the seller....except that some sellers insist on using UPS instead of USPS. I guess they have their reasons (dax explained his point of view well in that post). I can not understand why any Canadian buyer would refuse to pay the brokerage fees and/or taxes as it pretty much a given that we Canadians didn't come out on top in the Free Trade agreement....and most of us realize it and grin and bear it. Nor can I understand how any buyer could end up getting the goods without paying the fees. It doesn't work like that in my town...be it UPS or Post Office delivery. There are a couple reasons why I despise receiving items via UPS (or via any other method than the postal system).

1) We don't have a clue in advance of how much the brokerage fees/taxes will amount to as they seem to vary greatly depending on the item, the declared value, and where it was made

2) UPS and all other courrier services deliver to the door...which is fine if there happens to be someone at home ALL the time, but some of us live alone and do work during business hours and it can be a battle trying to track down our parcels as most courriers will not just leave the item on our doorstep without a signature and, of course, said brokerage fees/taxes

I much prefer USPS because:

1) The item arrives at my nearby Canada Post postal outlet and I can pick it up whenever it is convenient for me.

2) I generally have at least a vague idea ahead of time of what I will have to pay for taxes/fees......Here's basically how it works. If the item has a declared value of less than 20 bucks, there are usually not any taxes or fees to pay upon pick up. If the declared value is over 20 bucks, I usually end up paying 6% GST and 7% PST...and then an additional $5.00. They call this a service charge.....I guess that's to cover their labor costs for charging me taxes...God, that seems insane. Strangely, the odd time, an item will arrive from the US with a declared value of much more than 20 bucks and they let it slip by without charging me any taxes/fees....that rarely happens, and when it does, I just consider it a gift from above. Eastern Canadian buyers pay HST (Harmonized sales tax) which is a combined amount of the 6% Goods & Services tax plus whatever percentage their respective Provincial sales tax is.

I know this is getting a little long, but I just wanted to sort of give the US based sellers in here a clearer view of how it works when we buy an item from them, and why many of us prefer USPS. I won't even get into that socialism hokus pokus......I mean, I can see where some Americans might get that impression, but it isn't the case...Ok, I said I wouldn't get into it. I'm stopping now.

I sell lots of stuff on ebay and ship only through Canada Post, my US buyers receiving their goods through USPS. I am curious to know if US buyers of Canadian items who receive their items through UPS ever end up paying brokerage fees/taxes, etc? Having never shipped items stateside via UPS, I do not know if they end up paying fees like we do or not.

Pete
 
a most excellent post, thank you. i'm appalled at what you guys are going thru to get merchandise from here. i had no idea.

in the case of the aforementioned engine kit from canada, the UPS guy simply dropped it off, no fees, just "see ya later."

because i'm curious: how is online trading within canadian borders? fees/taxes everywhere there, too?
 
re

because i'm curious: how is online trading within canadian borders? fees/taxes everywhere there, too?

If you mean interprovincial trading, there are none of the fees or charges slapped on goods purchased internationally. Although, each province has there own sales tax for an item you might buy. Ontario's provincial sales tax is 8%. Quebec residents pay 7.5%. But that's it. Shipping fees are standard throughout Canada.

It's likely also that Canadians pay extensive fees for goods imported from other countries, not just America.

For the reasons this poster indicated, I insist on USPS delivery if I'm getting anything sent to me. I made the horrible mistake of accepting UPS delivery last year for a guitar shipped from the States; before the delivery guy would surrender my box to me, I had to pay an extortionist fee of $120 to get my $170 guitar, and when he handed me the box, that's when I saw the greasy bootprint mashed through the box, snapping the neck in half.

Damage may yet occur with USPS, but at least I don't get cornholed with "brokerage fees" just because the driver drove the package over the border. Ridiculous.
 
Augie...the PST (provincial sales tax) varies from province to province. From zero % in oil rich Alberta to I think as high as 8 or 9 % in some of the eastern provinces, but most provs are around the 6-7%. And, as I mentioned earlier, everyone in Canada pays a federal 6% GST on almost everything they buy, excluding most groceries and possibly a few other exceptions as well. If I buy something from a Canadian seller in another province, I am not charged either their PST, nor my provinces PST at time of purchase, provided the item is delivered via the seller or a shipping company. But..... and few people realize this, we are supposed to, by law, report the purchase to our provincial sales tax authority and forward the appropriate sales tax amount to them. Ok, so how many of you do that? Believe it or not, they have ways of finding out...at least on larger purchases anyways....I had a Manitoba PST guy stop by my place a few years ago to collect the MB sales tax on a sofa and chair I had purchased in Saskatchewan a year and a half earlier. And at the time, I honestly had no idea that the onus was on me to submit the tax. That being said, I still think it's a great country...though I bet your wondering how I can say that.

Pete
 
re

That being said, I still think it's a great country...though I bet your wondering how I can say that.

By this, I interpret your statement to mean that Canada is great in spite of our horrible tax rates.

It's too bad so many people think that, and I mean Canadians in particular. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Scroll down this article to the graph showing the levels of personal and corporate tax rates, and you'll in fact see that Canada's rates are towards the lower end of the industrialized world, and within shouting distance of U.S. rates. Certainly not even close to the world's worst:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax

You get what you pay for. Like I mentioned in another thread, I'll take Canada above any other. I like knowing I'm not going to get shot in the head, I like knowing I can see my doctor free of charge, I like knowing my kid can attend Queen's university someday without taking out a $500,000 loan, and I like knowing I can travel internationally with a maple leaf sewn onto my bookbag and I'll get a friendly wave everywhere. Canadians should be realizing the good points about living here instead of perpetuating the myth that the government is ripping us off. Things are awesome! Who cares about a little sales tax.
 
UPDATE!!!!

:)
To all who have been watching the now locked busted cylander/ review powerking80, well I have good news! My 100% refund came through from justblissfull earlier today, he's the Canadien seller from ebay. Even though I was not impressed with the quality of the pk80, they handled my refund in a timely manner. I wish I had the money to burn to just try it out against the dax unit. For $91.00 bucks they could crank out hundreds of orders and call it a 50cc, which it is, in my opinion! The UPS shipping for $76.00 bucks must include the tarrifs and taxes the Canadien seller faces, and therefore passed it on to the American buyer in this case. Ii say this kinda sarcastically, as had I sent it back the way it came it would have been $29.00...go figure! Silly me, sent it back USPS for a wopping fee of $47.30 cents! Someone was deffinately playing the system! This is the last time You will hear from me on this subject again, as I purchased the dacs unit and am awaiting shipping perhaps tuesday if all goes well? Memorial weekend slowed my progess down. I want to personally thank all those who emailed me, chatted with me, and helped me here at home! Take care and happy trails to all! :cool:
I'll be watchin! :cool:
 
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