Kevinsrodshop
Well-Known Member
Plus supporting Canada Post you are keeping your money in Canada, not adding to the bottom line of a US based company.
Brokerage on shipping - again.
- Thread starter jvo
- Start date
I know we've all been bent over by FedEx/UPS, and there's a lot of talk about avoiding those shippers (which I do as well).
But, does anyone have any experience with the link that the OP posted...any experience about paying your own customs when using UPS/FedEx?
But, does anyone have any experience with the link that the OP posted...any experience about paying your own customs when using UPS/FedEx?
UPS now wants you to sign a "Power of Attorney" for them to clear your package through customs.
I recently had a replacement part shipped to me from California. I get a call from UPS stating I needed to sign a POA for them to clear the package, I told them to go to hell and I was not signing anything.
Apparently this is a new requirement from the government.....
Well I got the package before they faxed me out a POA to sign, they will be waiting a long time for the paperwork to make it to them.
I recently had a replacement part shipped to me from California. I get a call from UPS stating I needed to sign a POA for them to clear the package, I told them to go to hell and I was not signing anything.
Apparently this is a new requirement from the government.....
Well I got the package before they faxed me out a POA to sign, they will be waiting a long time for the paperwork to make it to them.
The Big M
Active Member
It seems that UPS is much more receptive to self-clearing, or perhaps taken steps to ensure their front-line staff is aware of the procedure. I suspect they've encountered some pushback from consumers and have adjusted their stance on this as a result. In my last dealing with them I was told it was impossible to self-clear a ground shipment here in Calgary if it entered Canada via Vancouver, but today I was told that it's no problem. So it seems you don't have to fight them anymore (or you don't need to fight as much, at least, lol).
I find this link (which can be found through the link posted by the OP) lays it out in a more step-by-step fashion: http://trueler.com/2010/11/24/self-clear-shipment-cbsa-avoid-ups-brokerage-fee/
One potential issue could be the business hours of the CBSA office. Here in Calgary it's only open 8 am to 4 pm, so that could be a pain for anyone not near the airport. The good news for us is that the CBSA office is just down the street from the UPS warehouse.
I recently tried using UPS Worldwide Express Saver after hearing it was cheaper overall ("free" brokerage) but that turned out to be a pain as well. It actually got stuck at the warehouse due to them not knowing if I wanted to self-clear or not. I assumed free brokerage meant that clearance would be taken care of, but they called and left a message asking who my broker was.
I also had to fight the customer service rep for the option to pick the box up at the warehouse. Apparently they need to attempt delivery first before making any changes, but that attitude reversed once I asked for his supervisor.
I did not have to sign a power of attorney, though it was mentioned as missing in the tracking information, causing a delay in Fredricton. That seemed to resolve itself though.
Fordy Acres Car Farm
Well-Known Member
Bookmarked for future reference!!! Thanks for posting!
I will still usually do most of my USA shopping in person while I'm down there for a car show or tour and import items myself, and I use SCC in Port Huron in the off season - they will hold your packages for a month at $5 each, but it also costs time, gas and bridge toll to retrieve, so this may be worth a shot. I think it might be difficult in the beginning, but once you've done it a few times it will be old hat(kinda like using the 'Service Ontario" centers- how many times have we been sent away to provide 'XYZ' form or yada yada yada).
I'm thinking that this scam at UPS is huge business/income generator and they will fight back just as hard to protect it by changing policies etc....
All that being said, I think I will try UPSing a set of fenderwell headers from US and see if it works. I recommend to look up the locations local to you beforehand to make sure the logistics aren't beyond the savings and to just generally streamline the whole operation.
I will still usually do most of my USA shopping in person while I'm down there for a car show or tour and import items myself, and I use SCC in Port Huron in the off season - they will hold your packages for a month at $5 each, but it also costs time, gas and bridge toll to retrieve, so this may be worth a shot. I think it might be difficult in the beginning, but once you've done it a few times it will be old hat(kinda like using the 'Service Ontario" centers- how many times have we been sent away to provide 'XYZ' form or yada yada yada).
I'm thinking that this scam at UPS is huge business/income generator and they will fight back just as hard to protect it by changing policies etc....
All that being said, I think I will try UPSing a set of fenderwell headers from US and see if it works. I recommend to look up the locations local to you beforehand to make sure the logistics aren't beyond the savings and to just generally streamline the whole operation.
cocobolo
Well-Known Member
Don't tell me...if you're late paying for the second time...do they want to charge you interest!!! How very generous of them.
wrascal
Well-Known Member
If you are a business and do a lot of shipping, that extra bill might slip past and get paid.... or if you are a forgetful sort. The first time I called them and demanded what was going on. They tried to pawn it off as a clerical error but every subsequent ship was the same thing..... I just ignore it now.
Russ
Russ
cocobolo
Well-Known Member
It seems that UPS is much more receptive to self-clearing, or perhaps taken steps to ensure their front-line staff is aware of the procedure. I suspect they've encountered some pushback from consumers and have adjusted their stance on this as a result. In my last dealing with them I was told it was impossible to self-clear a ground shipment here in Calgary if it entered Canada via Vancouver, but today I was told that it's no problem. So it seems you don't have to fight them anymore (or you don't need to fight as much, at least, lol).
I find this link (which can be found through the link posted by the OP) lays it out in a more step-by-step fashion: http://trueler.com/2010/11/24/self-clear-shipment-cbsa-avoid-ups-brokerage-fee/
One potential issue could be the business hours of the CBSA office. Here in Calgary it's only open 8 am to 4 pm, so that could be a pain for anyone not near the airport. The good news for us is that the CBSA office is just down the street from the UPS warehouse.
I recently tried using UPS Worldwide Express Saver after hearing it was cheaper overall ("free" brokerage) but that turned out to be a pain as well. It actually got stuck at the warehouse due to them not knowing if I wanted to self-clear or not. I assumed free brokerage meant that clearance would be taken care of, but they called and left a message asking who my broker was.
I also had to fight the customer service rep for the option to pick the box up at the warehouse. Apparently they need to attempt delivery first before making any changes, but that attitude reversed once I asked for his supervisor.
I did not have to sign a power of attorney, though it was mentioned as missing in the tracking information, causing a delay in Fredricton. That seemed to resolve itself though.
Thanks for the honest input with recent experience Big M! Nice to have feedback without the bias, and good to hear that they seemed to have smoothed out a little bit with regards to self-declaring.
I want to try it and see how it goes, but I was hoping for some first hand experience first. Seems like it's worth the effort, especially since I'm very close to an airport.
The Big M
Active Member
No problem! Though I'm still not a huge fan of them since they seem to make things more confusing than they need to be, and still aren't as forthcoming as I'd like. So I must admit some bias.
One other note: while it is possible to self-clear a package sent by Worldwide Express Saver (which is an air service) you'll really only save the $10 "bond fee" that they charge in order to pay the taxes and duty on the item on your behalf. Basically I had to pay them $10 so they would pay the $27 in GST. This essentially amounts to a brokerage fee, and is marked as such on their invoice (with additional GST on top, no less!) even though the website indicates "free" brokerage. So it's not 100% clear if brokerage is included in the original fee and the $10 is an extra charge tacked on. However, there is apparently a way to pre-pay the taxes and duty on air shipments and avoid that as well, without having to visit the CSBA office. Still, I think the real savings are in ground shipments.
Like I said, confusing. It makes it really difficult to make an informed decision on the available options (including buying the item in Canada, if available, or simply refusing to deal with a vendor who won't ship US Postal, as many here have stated), and in my case it's taken some trial and error. Every case is going to be different (size, weight, value for duty) so I think it's important to evaluate the cost savings of one method versus the convenience of another. And that's always been my beef with UPS, that it's never 100% clear what the final bill will be until it shows up at the doorstep.
One other note: while it is possible to self-clear a package sent by Worldwide Express Saver (which is an air service) you'll really only save the $10 "bond fee" that they charge in order to pay the taxes and duty on the item on your behalf. Basically I had to pay them $10 so they would pay the $27 in GST. This essentially amounts to a brokerage fee, and is marked as such on their invoice (with additional GST on top, no less!) even though the website indicates "free" brokerage. So it's not 100% clear if brokerage is included in the original fee and the $10 is an extra charge tacked on. However, there is apparently a way to pre-pay the taxes and duty on air shipments and avoid that as well, without having to visit the CSBA office. Still, I think the real savings are in ground shipments.
Like I said, confusing. It makes it really difficult to make an informed decision on the available options (including buying the item in Canada, if available, or simply refusing to deal with a vendor who won't ship US Postal, as many here have stated), and in my case it's taken some trial and error. Every case is going to be different (size, weight, value for duty) so I think it's important to evaluate the cost savings of one method versus the convenience of another. And that's always been my beef with UPS, that it's never 100% clear what the final bill will be until it shows up at the doorstep.
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