UPS vs USPS

[PPPP]

So I want to get Jiffy steamer and I was quoted about $30 to ship with UPS. If I want to ship with USPS it would cost $50.

Question is...how likely am I going to get dinked for brokerage fee/taxes with UPS comparing to USPS? I know the brokerage fee will be expensive (e.g. ~$25....). So am I better off with USPS?

[Crowbarfoot]

I wouldn't give UPS a penny.

I'm sure the made up fees they will charge you will be greater than the $20 bucks for USPS.

I hate UPS tho....

[zod]

UPS hits every package with brokerage. They charge high brokerage fees. Therefore they have a financial incentive to make sure they charge it on each and every package.

USPS goes to Canada Post, which charges 5 bux brokerage plus pst/gst. (UPS has a graduating scale of brokerage depending on the value of the order, but its generally around 30 dollars or more).

Canada Post also seems to miss alot of packages. I'm not even sure they charge me brokerage/tax on 50% on the stuff I order from the US.

so shipping USPS prevents high brokerage fees, and you even have a lottery like change of missing tax/brokerage all together.

2nd note. If you're not home during the day. UPS depots tend to be in inconvenient places, while Canada post has outlets all over the place for pickup. downside: you can't really track usps packages into canada.

[dmdsoftware2]

Question is...how likely am I going to get dinked for brokerage fee/taxes with UPS comparing to USPS? I know the brokerage fee will be expensive (e.g. ~$25....). So am I better off with USPS?

Forecast calls for 110% chance of brokerage fees...

[trellaine201]

UPS sucks! Don't do it and yes I am sure you will get these mysterious fees they charge.

[redpattison]

UPS Yuck.
If you use UPS,bend over.

[bylo]

UPS -- Unmitigated Pond Scum
USPS -- Uncle Sam's Personal Service

[Riffer]

So I want to get Jiffy steamer and I was quoted about $30 to ship with UPS. If I want to ship with USPS it would cost $50.

Question is...how likely am I going to get dinked for brokerage fee/taxes with UPS comparing to USPS? I know the brokerage fee will be expensive (e.g. ~$25....). So am I better off with USPS?

Now for some facts, not the nonsense from some of the posters above.

UPS only charges brokerage on Ground/Standard/and Standard to Canada serices. If you use any of the other services, there will be no brokerage, but you may get charged an amount for them paying the taxes on your behalf (unconfirmed, I never have). You will always pay tax with UPS.

USPS will charge a handling fee of $5 or $8, depending on service. You will almost always get charged with this fee and taxes, but some stuff does slip through.

Jiffy steamers are about $150US or so, so UPS fees on the Ground/Standard/and Standard to Canada would be $40-50CDN, so, assuming they quoted you for one of these services, I would pick the USPS.

[redpattison]

Now for some facts, not the nonsense from some of the posters above.

UPS only charges brokerage on Ground/Standard/and Standard to Canada serices. If you use any of the other services, there will be no brokerage, but you may get charged an amount for them paying the taxes on your behalf (unconfirmed, I never have). You will always pay tax with UPS.

USPS will charge a handling fee of $5 or $8, depending on service. You will almost always get charged with this fee and taxes, but some stuff does slip through.

Jiffy steamers are about $150US or so, so UPS fees on the Ground/Standard/and Standard to Canada would be $40-50CDN, so, assuming they quoted you for one of these services, I would pick the USPS.

UPS still sucks.
I once made the tragic mistake of using UPS.
Item cost me $20 usd,UPS charged me $30.
If that is not daylight roberry i don`t know what is.
That was about 5 years ago,never again.

Not sure what you mean by the,"The nonsense from some of the above posters.

They all seem to say the same thing.
I.e. stay away from UPS.

[aenation]

i would recommend USPS as they will miss most of the items.

i got charged customs/taxes for like 20-30% of my stuff shipping by USPS versus 95% by UPS.

[dmdsoftware2]

Selecting UPS for shipping is like a kid putting their hand on a hot stove - you'll need to experience the pain for yourself, and then you'll hopefully never do it again.

[richardvoyageur]

Shipping with UPS is like playing the lottery, you never know when you're going to "win". By win I mean pay more than the entire value of the item in question for brokerage. I believe UPS Expedited is one of their brokerage paid services, so you won't get nailed with fees but the shipping charge will be higher for sure.

USPS all the way.

[bylo]

Now for some facts, not the nonsense from some of the posters above.Nonsense? Here are some facts.

I have no problem paying a $5 or $8 brokerage fee as CPC charges.

I have a lot of trouble paying UPS an unknown, rapacious fee that's often as much or more than the value of the item imported. I've had situations where UPS charged brokerage to clear a one-page letter. I've had situations where they charged more in GST/PST on their brokerage fee than the GST/PST on the item itself.

It's not without good reason that UPS*stands for Unmitigated Pond Scum in my dictionary.

[nosnoop]

Now for some facts, not the nonsense from some of the posters above.

+1
Just avoid UPS Standard/Ground, go with UPS expedited or express service, and there will be NO extra brokerage fee!

I have a lot of trouble paying UPS an unknown, rapacious fee that's often as much or more than the value of the item imported.

There is nothing mysterious or unknown about it. The brokerage fee that will be charged is clearly laid out in their web site, and it is related to the value of the imported goods. If your merchandise value is $1, you will pay no brokerage fee even when shipped as UPS ground or standard.

[thrifty1]

Use the post office. I have never had an item ship cheaper with the couriers. Yes an envelope may get to you faster via courier if needed but for cross-border shopping nothing beats the post office. $5 brokerage fee plus applicable tax on items up to $ 10,000 Canadian, items under $20 declared value no charge.I bought some specialty tires from the States a few years back and made the mistake of using the courier, $700 tires and several weeks after delivery get a bill from the courier for almost $400 for taxes and brokerage that I was surprised to find that I had to pay.
Happy steaming :)

[woof]

+1
Just avoid UPS Standard/Ground, go with UPS expedited or express service, and there will be NO extra brokerage fee!

Easier said and done. There's no guarantee that the shipper will actually pay attention to the special instructions and not just let it go UPS standard. This is particularly a problem with eBay sellers who having charged for the premium UPS service may pull a fast one and send it out the door standard to pocket the extra money hoping you'll never notice.

[CCCC3333]

Amazon UK is sending me something UPS (they chose).. if the fees are ridiculous can I refuse it? The items are worth $39 CAD.
There won't be any fees, aside from duty/tax and perhaps a $4.25 COD fee.

[redpattison]

Easier said and done. There's no guarantee that the shipper will actually pay attention to the special instructions and not just let it go UPS standard. This is particularly a problem with eBay sellers who having charged for the premium UPS service may pull a fast one and send it out the door standard to pocket the extra money hoping you'll never notice.

I was very lucky this week,rec`d this morning.
Bought an item from ebay and the seller sent USPS and did not charge for shipping.
The item cost me $104usd and his shipping cost was $12.
Did not pay a cent for any other extras

[Skiguy53]

as with most of the posters here.... dont use UPS

I get dinged excessive fees every I get a package delivered by them.

USPS is OK

[richboy!]

USPS ftw!
I always get packages shipped in and USPS will never cost you any extra's!
Always doing business with people in states, and i honestly prefer USPS with their service.

[Cronzor]

Amazon UK is sending me something UPS (they chose).. if the fees are ridiculous can I refuse it? The items are worth $39 CAD.

[bylo]

If your merchandise value is $1, you will pay no brokerage fee even when shipped as UPS ground or standard.
I'll keep that in mind for the next time I order something valued at $1 :rolleyes:

[GtG]

is there still a bond fee with UPS Expedited service

[JWL]

I too would vote for USPS. But in my view USPS is ridiculously cheap rather than UPS being expensive for the work/knowledge required. Have you ever tried to deal with customs and duties laws? They are brutal. Despite NAFTA all goods are not allowed to flow freely from the US to Canada until they are determined to be NAFTA eligible.

I know people want their shipments across the border to be cheap and easy but customs/duties laws are designed to ensure everything is examined in an orderly way.

[nosnoop]

I'll keep that in mind for the next time I order something valued at $1 :rolleyes:

Mind you, that's the declared value. So if your seller declare the value as $1, you pay nothing, no tax, no brokerage fee.

[Happy13178]

Amazon UK is sending me something UPS (they chose).. if the fees are ridiculous can I refuse it? The items are worth $39 CAD.

You'll get hit with fees for sure. UPS will charge brokerage on anything that costs more than $20 CDN. if you buy something that's 18.50 USD, and the exchange rate tosses it over, you're getting dinged. Yes, you can and should refuse it if the fees are stupid.

USPS is also the better choice for the op, because if UPS misses you 3 times, in Toronto there's only one place to get the package, and that's near York U at Jane/Steeles. USPS=Canada Post, so if they miss you they'll leave it at the nearest post office...much easier to deal with. They also don't NEARLY always charge fees with USPS...I buy from the US all the time, and I get charged maybe once out of every 15-20 times.

[dmdsoftware2]

I'll keep that in mind for the next time I order something valued at $1 :rolleyes:

Anything valued under $20 Canadian is free from brokerage/taxes/duty/anything-else-UPS-throws-in-there.

[bylo]

Mind you, that's the declared value. So if your seller declare the value as $1, you pay nothing, no tax, no brokerage fee.
That's only if Canada Customs or the broker lets the package in without scrutiny. I've had some larger packages that DealExtreme declared as low value opened by Canada Customs and reassessed at a much higher value including a multimeter that I paid DX $10 for that CC decided was worth 10x that amount. DX's customs declaration had stated something like "flashlight, value 40HKD [~$5]."

It's a serious offence in both the US and Canada (and most other countries) to make a false customs declaration. If the seller is found by Canada Customs to make a habit of this they will report him to US authorities and they may even refuse to accept any shipments from him in the future.

It's also a serious offense for a customs broker to knowingly allow a falsely declared package to enter. UPS (and/or their customs brokers) could face severe sanctions if they make a habit out of this.

Anything valued under $20 Canadian is free from brokerage/taxes/duty/anything-else-UPS-throws-in-there.Yes, I know. I've pointed that out on RFD many, many times. My post was meant to be a sarcastic response to a useless comment.

[game_fanatic]

hey guys, I wasn't sure where to post this question and this thread seemed most appropriate given the UPS subject. My father is ordering an item from the States that's approximately $190 (some kind of pump for maintenance work) and the website will ship the 15lb item for $25USD, which I believe is certainly reasonable. However, they will be shipping via UPS, which worries me given the poor reception UPS has. Does anyone have any idea what sort of taxes/duties/brokerage fees my father would expect? The particular item he is ordering costs over $300CDN before taxes, as well. Thanks!

[CCCC3333]

You'll get hit with fees for sure. UPS will charge brokerage on anything that costs more than $20 CDN. if you buy something that's 18.50 USD, and the exchange rate tosses it over, you're getting dinged. Yes, you can and should refuse it if the fees are stupid.

UPS only charges brokerage on GROUND shipments.

[liquor]

Regardless of duty fees, i would pick USPS just for the fact they will leave your shipment at your nearest post office instead of UPS warehouse (not open on evenings) if you are not at home.

[zod]

UPS only charges brokerage on GROUND shipments.

yah but seriously, how many retailers ship any other method than standard/ground?

Using expedited or worldwide express includes brokerage, but they also charge alot more for those shipping methods. Most companies still ship ground/standard so its a moot point (I'll give the discovery channel some kudos here, they did ship using worldwide express, but they posted that very clearly on their website, one of the few companies that pays attention to what we pay for brokerage).

[willyxjai]

UPS *&^%* sucks, you'll always get hit by duties fee which ends up to be double the shipping price, whereas USPS its a hit or miss but the fees are only a bare minimum.

[CCCC3333]

Amazon UK is sending me something UPS
yah but seriously, how many retailers ship any other method than standard/ground?
Pretty much all retailers in Europe, Asia, etc.

[Happy13178]

UPS only charges brokerage on GROUND shipments.

What do you want to bet that for a low priced item, that's exactly what was used?

[CCCC3333]

What do you want to bet that for a low priced item, that's exactly what was used?
I don't think UPS has ground/standard shipments between the UK and Canada.

[CheapScotsman]

hey guys, I wasn't sure where to post this question and this thread seemed most appropriate given the UPS subject. My father is ordering an item from the States that's approximately $190 (some kind of pump for maintenance work) and the website will ship the 15lb item for $25USD, which I believe is certainly reasonable. However, they will be shipping via UPS, which worries me given the poor reception UPS has. Does anyone have any idea what sort of taxes/duties/brokerage fees my father would expect? The particular item he is ordering costs over $300CDN before taxes, as well. Thanks!

For that weight, they are shipping ground. UPS brokerage fees can be found here: http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html

so your Dad should expect to pay

US $190 for the pump
US $25 in shipping
US $215 subtotal
CDN $230 (estimated after exchange)

CDN $ ?.?? in duty (see below)
CDN $41.50 in brokerage fees (see the website above)

CDN $271.50 subtotal
CDN $ 35.29 (GST and PST)

CDN $306.80 Total assuming no duty

Duty: Items manufactured in North American are duty free. Lots of items manufactured OUTSIDE north America are also duty free but lots are not. The best way to determine is to contact Canada Customs and ask. You will need the country of manufacture as well as the type of product.

If he gets it shipped United States Postal Service then brokerage fee drops to Canada Posts handling fee of flat $6 (or maybe $8) hence why people love UPS.

[macnut]

If he gets it shipped United States Postal Service then brokerage fee drops to Canada Posts handling fee of flat $6 (or maybe $8) hence why people love USPS.

CP Handling/brokerage fee is $5 for First Class International and Priority Mail International, $8 for Express.

Too bad for a heavy item like a building supply pump that USPS would not be an option.

(I have corrected UPS to USPS in the last word of the quotation.)

[Riffer]

For something heavy, how about DHL?

Per this thread, brokerage/extra charges may be reasonable:

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/dhl-brokerage-who-has-accurate-information-547986/

[thrifty1]

CP Handling/brokerage fee is $5 for First Class International and Priority Mail International, $8 for Express.

Too bad for a heavy item like a building supply pump that USPS would not be an option.

(I have corrected UPS to USPS in the last word of the quotation.)

Wrong, his package will ship for about $42 US USPS. I have had an entire motorcycle exhaust shipped USPS and saved hundreds of dollars. It would ship for $32 US if it would fit into a " USPS Flat Rate Box " ( 12" x 12" x 5 " ) but it is probably larger than that so $42 ( length + girth of package not to exceed 108" )

http://ircalc.usps.gov/IntlMailServices.aspx?Country=10054&M=2&P=15&O=0&sd=0

[game_fanatic]

Wow thanks for all the information guys, especially CheapScotsman. Looks like my dad would save around $100 as opposed to buying the pump locally. Thanks again!!