Attention Canadian Buyers

G

GuyS

Active member
I recently purchased a video light from a member of this forum. The package was shipped "UPS Ground". By the time it got to me (over a week delivery) there was PST, GST and Brokerage fees added to the cost. I probably would have been better off buying new.

I have purchased most of my equipment from B&H over the years and always have had the products shipped UPS Express (I think they call it International Saver now). There have never been brokerage fees added to the cost.

I suggest that if you are purchasing from the US that you specify to your seller to ship it any other way than UPS ground. The brokerage fees are exorbitant!
 
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Yeah, If you use UPS......dont use ground. Then the brokerage fees are included in the price.
As for the gst....i still dont understand how it works...sometimes you pay it sometimes no. It seems to be random. I was happy not to pay any on my 16g p2. Its like playing roulette russe. Sometimes bang! it hits you.
 
Never use UPS ground = hight brokerage fees TRUE, TRUE, TRUE

Always better to ask if they can ship by USPS (USPostal Service), broker fees are $ 8 maximum.
 
Some good information here:

Some info about UPS - see post 16

I now always use USPS. Everything ships by air nowadays... with ground, they just hold onto your packages longer. You still pay a premium for air, as brokerage fees are still added to the cost of delivery.
 
I avoid UPS all together. Something always seems to screw up with them. And yes, if you use them via ground shipping they nail you big time.
 
Well, 2 weeks ago i ordered a 16 gig p2 card from the states cause no one has it in canada. The lady made a mistake and shipped FEDEX ground. They refunded the shipping since i had paid for air ,so it was fine. Then today i get a bill from fedex. i owe them 182.00$. Some 50$ brokerage fees+ some odd 60$ duty. The rest is usual goverment sales tax.
Lets just say im pissed a bit.
I just wished panasonic had fair pricing and better distribution in canada. Then i could just buy my stuff here and avoid all the hassle.
Even with the 182.00$ extra i still save about 80$ over the price they sell the p2 card for here in canada so maybe i should just relax and have a cold beer.
 
yeah with FedEx I had to all of a sudden pay $450.00 USD on a $2000 camera. I obviously didnt think about this which was really stupid. But im really not stoked on it still.
 
Lots of comments here so let me add my expeience. When UPS calls you say you want to clear the item through Customs yoursefl. When you get the waybill from the seller call UPS and tell them you will clear it through customs. There is no reason it is not the same for FEDEX. You are not under any obligation to use either shipper as your Customs Broker. In fact in both cases the Custom Brokerage for UPS and FEDEX are separate companies or divisions.
They make this seem like a big deal, it really isn't. They just make a ton of $ doing virtually nothing.
Here is my experience. I told them I would do it. I went to their office in this case out near the airport in Montreal. I took my waybill number and some ID and showed it to them along with the paper work they (UPS) had sent to me or dropped off at my address.
You present your stuff to the UPS agent, they stamp it and give it back to you along with another document or two and you proceed to Canada Customs Office. In my case they even had a nice map photocopied showing me where to go. This is usually an office where brokers and truckers and shippers go with their paperwork for large shipments but you too are served here.
You arrive at Canada Customs with the paper work, pay the taxes and they stamp your paper and you go back to UPS and give them the paperwork and they give you the package.
This whole process takes time and that is the catch. It basically took me 4 hours to clear my mixer. There are line-ups of people at each place and you just have to write off a half day to do it but it was worth it for me not to have to add the fees to the cost of the gear I bought.
Hope this is of some help.
But remember you may be saving the Customs Brokerage Fees, but you will ALWAYS have to pay taxes to bring stuff in unless it is exempt under the FreeTrade agreement. And any Canadian in his right mind knows the FreeTrade agreement is a joke that means we get nothing out of the deal. Thanks to the Conservatives and Brian Mulrooney. (Rant sorry Mods)
 
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You can refuse to pay their charges and say you were never informed and they will send it back to the warehouse and you can do what I said above. It is your right.The issue is that they just "DO IT" and people don't know their rights and they are not under any obligation to tell you how to proceed. If you bujy internationally then they can assume you know what you are doing and if not ...too bad . They do it for you which is the easy way and most people don't know the impact financially untill they get the bill. It sucks!
Fight back! and demand fair prices from Panasonic in Canada! Our dollar is almost at par with the American dollar and when you are shipping from Japan or China Vancouver is the same distance as Seattle.
 
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BrianMurphy said:
You can refuse to pay their charges and say you were never informed and they will send it back to the warehouse and you can do what I said above. It is your right.The issue is that they just "DO IT" and people don't know their rights and they are not under any obligation to tell you how to proceed. If you bujy internationally then they can assume you know what you are doing and if not ...too bad . They do it for you which is the easy way and most people don't know the impact financially untill they get the bill. It sucks!
Fight back! and demand fair prices from Panasonic in Canada! Our dollar is almost at par with the American dollar and when you are shipping from Japan or China Vancouver is the same distance as Seattle.
Click to expand...

To Consider: One of the problems with acting as your own broker is that UPS and Fedex can then tell you that you have to clear it at the port of entry, and they will return your parcel to the point of entry!!! This is a huge pain in the ass, because the paperwork is at the port of entry. For instance, if I order something from Michigan going to Toronto, and it comes in via Sarnia, I have to go to Sarnia to get it. Even if they hold it near you, you still have to contact CCRA and convince them to fax you the documentation. This is all time consuming and draining.
By far the best way to avoid this is to have it shipped via USPS, because CCRA (canada customs and revenue agency, or whatever they're called this year), will clear the package for you after inspection, and you pay whatever bill you have when it shows up at your door. Far easier than wasting half a day. That amount of time wasted is costing some people a few hundred bucks in lost income.

If however, you really want to have the "be your own broker" experience, you can possibly work it so that it will be delivered close to where you're located, depending on the carrier and the urban centre you hopefully live in or near. For instance, if you live in Toronto and use Fedex air delivery, it will be cleared at a warehouse at Pearson Airport. For me, it's about a twenty minute drive one way. Tip: Go late at night, sometime after 8. It's usually pretty quiet, and the Fedex office is open late (at least it used to be) So you've got to have a co-ordinated plan heading into the adventure. I've played this game a few times, and realized that the USPS experience is by far the easiest one.
 
I am not a shipping expert and just wanted to share my experience and I am sure you know what you are talking about regarding the point of entry. I am usually in Montreal or Toronto or Vancouver and have not had the Sarnia experience...
I have had many things sent via USPS and just paid the duty at the Post Office. However in a couple of the shipments I had packages that were opened (probably by customs) and were missing parts and not resealed properly and that was frustrating.
I have now just decided to ship to an address in the states and drive over pick it up and pay the duty at the border for anything I am worried about or that is large , like the two 1k fresnels I just had shipped from LA.
 
Hi Brian, didn't intend my last post as a putdown, just as a thought on the whole broker thing, so please don't take offense.
I've had, I think, maybe two or three things opened at the border. Yeah, they're pretty hack when opening stuff. The worst experience for me occurred when they detached the viewfinder cabling on a dvx. I'm thinking they've crossed an electric kitchen knife with a chainsaw....its a bit of savagery for sure.
The cross border idea is great if you live near one.
 
I dont think were enough people to have panasonic hear us. Just as an example i bought my hvx in japan. With the money i saved it paid my plane ticket, food and hotel for a week in tokyo. Go figure.(that was last year when the hvx was even more expensive then now)
I still dont understand why sometimes i dont get any fees....not even sales tax, and other time i get hit big time.
 
Evole, No worries not offended . I think that although Pierre may be correct in his evaluation of the situation, we should still demand they hear us. It really p_ssed me off last year when I bought my 100b that none of the "percs" available to the American buyers were there for me. Yet Panasonic Canada wants us to support their dealers ...hmmm... I will NEVER do it again. I will buy based on the best price and Panasonic Canada can kiss my Irish ass. The same goes for others.... like help me understand why I can by Cavision parts and gear cheaper from BH and other US dealers than I can in my own country?Even with the duty. Cavision is a Vancouver company. Screw 'em. I bought from Hyson Films in California. It is less expensive to order 3rd party batteries from DVX user than to buy them in Canada even with the duty one would think there would at least be someone willing to try to compete.
End of rant... I am shooting for 14 days straight so I will shut up now.
Cheers
 
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