Re: [Gumstix-users] UPS fees!

[Lawrence H. <gumstix@HariTech.com>]

 For those of us that live close to the boarder you can ship to a US 
postal drop and drive across and pick up your parcel.  Domestic UPS is 
even cheaper.  This takes me about an hour and a half round trip, $3 US 
and a little gas.  Just don't go on a Friday or pre holiday afternoon!

The CBC article you mentioned may be out of date, I used to do what they 
suggest and clear the paperwork myself but I recently  argued with my 
local UPS delivery office asking them to NOT broker the package and that 
I would do it myself.  They said NO WAY we clear it in Seattle before 
shipping to Canada so unless I set up a business account and have a 
bonded broker to take delivery they would not under any circumstances 
let me do the paper work.  I have sent parcels back when the UPS charges 
were unexpected or way to high.

I too prefer the USPS service, they do have an option with insurance and 
tracking and it's about the same cost US side as UPS but much cheaper 
when it arrives on this end - taxes + about $7 COD handling fee.  It's 
also more convenient as the package comes to my local post office drop 
and I don't have to go through hoops to cancel the UPS delivery and pick 
it up myself.

I think the real problem with USPS for shippers is they don't pickup on 
site or provide packaged shipping solutions so it's more work.  I know 
FedEX provided a computer, label printer, forms and a web site for doing 
up the shipping documents and then they come and pickup the parcels.  
This is great for streamlining your shipments.

Lawrence

Dave Hylands wrote:
> Hi Kevyn,
>
>   
>>  I just buy and received my order yesterday (Montreal, Canada). I'm really
>> happy but really disappointed with the fact that I paid extra fees because
>> OUPS (UPS). I paid 50.44$ and if my order was post with United State Postal
>> Services (USPS) that will transfer to Canada Post, no fees will be added
>> (only taxes).
>>
>>  1 x USB cable $15.00
>>  1 x 5.0 volt power adapter $10.00
>>  1 x serial null-modem cable $12.00
>>  1 x gumstix verdex XL6P $169.00
>>  1 x USB Gender Changer $8.00
>>  1 x netwifimicroSD FCC (with wifi antenna) $99.00
>>  1 x consoleLCD16-vx $30.00
>>
>>  Total: $387.44 + 50.44
>>     
>
> Normally, stuff sent via UPS air includes the brokerage fee in the shipping fee.
> Stuff sent UPS ground doesn't.
>
> Even Canada Post charges a brokerage fee. It's just a much more
> reasonable $5 or $10, depending on the cost of the item.
>
> You'll have to pay GST and PST no matter how you bring it into the Canada.
>
> So based on my calculations, you'll pay 387.44 * 7.5% = $29.06 PST
> (for Quebec) and 387.44 * 5% = $19.37 GST, totalling $48.43
> So it looks like UPS only charged you $2 extra.
>
> You'd have paid $53.43 if it was sent via USPS.
> And you'd probably have paid $75 if it was sent via UPS Ground.
>
> So, in summary, it looks like you just paid the GST and PST (i.e.
> taxes) that you have to pay anyways, and you didn't pay any brokerage
> fees.
>
>