UPS outrages brokerage charges

P.J. · #1 04-26-2006, 06:59 PM

I thought you might want to know. I ordered a council gauge wireing harness from
a US company.The cost was about 44 dollars.the weight of the package is about 1 pound in weight.
UPS charged me $29.55 for brokerage fees to cross the border
into Canada. Talk about hiway robery??
The driver told me if its under 20.00 Us there is no brokerage fee. Nice to know for the next time
PJ

**PeteLeathersac** · #2 04-26-2006, 07:48 PM

Unless a broker is necessary, always ship items into Canada by Postal Mail! . As I've learned to understand, if the value noted on the customs sticker that's applied to the box (filled out by the mailing party) is under $50.00 there is supposed to be no duty, tax or broker fee req'd. . Make sure the value noted is the item itself, not your total invoice amount w/ shipping charges as including shipping cost often bumps it over the $50 and the foolish-fees added. . Every now and then there's a glitch and you get pegged w/ a fee when you shouldn't but I always let it go as there's been many circumstances where the opposite is the situation when I shoud've been hit w/ fees but because of using mail it's missed. .

~ Pete

Thomas · #3 04-26-2006, 08:13 PM

I too have been outraged by the UPS brokerage charges and try to avoid using them whenever I can. I always ask the sender whether it can be shipped with US Mail.

**olredalert** · #4 04-26-2006, 08:47 PM

-------If you Ontario guys live anywhere near Sarnia I am more or less just across the bridge. Send the stuff to me and then come and get it if its small!!!.........Bill S

Pantera · #5 04-26-2006, 09:10 PM

This is to all of you, be sure to call Fed-Ex and get a quote also. I have found that they are usually 1/2 or less than what the big brown truck charges. I don't like paying any more than I have to just to ship something and especially small stuff. We have been stuck with UPS for so many years that we forget that they have some commpetion nowdays. And beleive me they want to beat out the brown truck with lower rates. Give them a try and you just might save some money.

Pantera

**BARRY** · #6 04-26-2006, 10:05 PM

U P SHAFT

CamarosRus · #7 04-27-2006, 12:13 AM

My comment has NOTHING to do with US/Canadian shipping....I only want to also suggest that www.fedex.com (ground) is significantly less than UPS ground. You do need to ship from a FedEx center or KINKO's(FedEx now ownes), as the mom and pop shipping stores will upcharge from normal rates.

**PeteLeathersac** · #8 04-27-2006, 12:16 AM

[ QUOTE ]
-------If you Ontario guys live anywhere near Sarnia I am more or less just across the bridge. Send the stuff to me and then come and get it if its small!!!.........Bill S

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for your offer Bill! . Looks like we'll soon be needing some type of identity card to get through the border?

~ Pete

**John Brown** · #9 04-27-2006, 01:03 AM

After a first time learning experience, I send everything that I ship out-of-country by US Postal Service. Packages under 4 pounds (about 2 kilos) go Air Letter Express. Cheap and really fast. I sent a set of main bearings to London England for $7.95 postage and they got there in 4 days!! Try to match that with any other delivery service. Oh, Canadian Postal only charges about $5.00 brokerage + the percentage of value taxes, according to the people I have shipped to.

Marina66SS · #10 04-27-2006, 01:44 AM

Yesterday I had to ship out 4 Viper wheels to a guy in California. I quoted him $80 since that is what I was charged before. I went to a UPS broker in town and the shipping charge was double that. I found out that his "profit" for this was $80. This is rediculous. I have found DHL to be the cheapest of them all. Use DHL whenever possible, they even come to your place and pick up. That may only be for businesses but I know they will.

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