Purchasing From U.S. Vendors: Taxes, Duties, Shipping, other Issues, etc.

[thebone]

Hi gang.

I currently live 45 minutes from the US border but I am wondering if anyone has any idea about reputable services that allow shipping, either me obtaining some sort of po box, or some middle company that ships on to me here in canada ?

There's a service i came across called ship to the border that will send it to a holding depot. Does anyone have any experience ?

[metalhawk]

Depends on where you're living. In the Ottawa area, there's a couple of well known ones in Ogdensburg, NY. Roethel Parcel Service and the UPS Store. Both will hold your parcels for a minimal cost per week.

[gzink]

You have to tell us where you live. There lots of services, even ones that reship for good prices. Duty is basically non-existant for those who still use it as a reason....baloney!

[thebone]

Sorry. Live in New Brunswick.

[wilspin]

Originally Posted by RNAChemist

I want to order some things from Parts Express Online. They are situated in Dayton OH. The UPS charge for shipping (calculated through Parts Express online ordering) is like $17 USD.

Now my question is, does this charge cover shipping to my door or will I be zinged for some "hidden" charge or duty or something?

Anyone have any experience ordering from Parts Express?

no it does not. UPS will zing you dearly.

[gzink]

You will be zinged!!! If UPS but I went to the site and they say they partner with Fedex and USPS. I saw no UPS reference.

[DSgamby]

From their FAQ

Do I have to pay custom fees, duty fees, and taxes on my international shipment?

Custom fees, duty, and taxes are determined by the destination country. In some cases, fees are pre-paid by Fed Ex and billed to you within 10 days of package delivery. Otherwise, custom/duty fees are payable prio to Customs release. If you are unsure of the potential custom/duty fees required by your country, please contact your border services agency before proceeding with your order.

Unclaimed/refused orders are deemed abandoned and seized by the carrier. We do not accept or refund abandoned orders.


Do I have to pay a broker fee for my international shipment?

Broker fees are imposed to move goods thru the border clearing process. Fed Ex will act as the broker unless you specify a broker of your choosing at the time of clearing.

Fed Ex does not charge broker fees for International Economy Service to Canada.

Why did you switch from UPS to Fed Ex?

Fed Ex has ranked # 1 in the Express Delivery industry for 12 consecutive years. We are confident they will support our standard of fast and secure shipments to our customers.

[KLF66]

Has anyone purchased a "smart tv" in the US? The reason I ask is the obvious price difference btw Canadian & US retail. For example, the 60" Sharp LCD I have my eye on seems to be in the $3,100 to $3,300 range - whereas State-side it seems to be $1,800 to $2,000.

Aside from the obvious non-recognition of the warranty if I were to purchase in the US, is there any reason why the "smart" functions on a US-based TV would not work back here in Canada? In particular, there are options for subscriptions to services like Netflix, etc. But as I see elsewhere on the web, there are hacks to get these types of US-based services in Canada regardless.

I am just assuming that all a "smart TV" really is simply a TV w/ built-in WiFi that can tap into my home network and pull in content regardless of where the set is sold.

Thanks in advance,
KLF66

[tseto]

Looking to purchase a G box midnight Mx2, sourced it to Amazon.com. the price is $97.00 US + $9.50 shipping, shipped from US wholesale supplier. being a Canadian, clicked on the maple leaf. The price now changed to $143.99 , a whooping 45% increase in price from the same seller. With US and Canadian dollar almost at par, what justify the huge price difference? What stops me from ordering from Amazon.com instead of Amazon.ca. or maybe wait for the quad core version instead?

[eljay]

Funny, I went to Checkout with that item and got a Standard Shipping charge of $24.30.

Anyway, nothing actually prevents you from ordering with Amazon.com. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that some manufacturers won't honour warranty on a product in Canada if it was purchased in the U.S.

(This is true, for example, with many (most?) brands of AVRs.)

[gzink]

From .com you may also get hit with a $9.95 Canada Post charge as they collect GST from you, but....the last package to me they did not collect PST!!
The distributors often dictate the price and there has been some media reporting that our prices are due to the cost of doing business in Canada and also some of the difference is "because they can". We seem to be willing to pay more.