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To and from Canada, Eh?


McCallister

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Think this is the place for this topic, but if not, please feel free to move it. Just wondering if anyone has troubles with either shipping to, or getting items from, Canada? I have read of delays, sure, but what about packages never arriving? Or can one expect it to take a month for a letter? I am trying to get a feel for the Canadian postal system, to see the pros and cons of buying things on the auction sites from there.

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I ship quite a bit to Canada and while some packages can take upwards of a month to arrive (typically if they get in customs is my guess), usually they arrive within 1-2 weeks. I've had maybe one package go missing to Canada, which isn't too bad considering the number of packages I've sent there.

 

..Al

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Canada to the UK sent airmail delivery (door to door) in 3 days!

You were lucky, dude. My experience with Canada to UK (or vice-versa) is usually 2 or 3 weeks.

 

As for Canada-to-US, if it's only for a simple letter, it should take about a week. For a package, it's another matter entirely...

US-to-Canada is usually a lot quicker, mostly because Canadian customs are not as red-tape-driven as US customs are.

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US-to-Canada is usually a lot quicker, mostly because Canadian customs are not as red-tape-driven as US customs are.

The only time I've ever had US Customs get involved with a package was when I had a whole pallet of new-in-the-box game controllers shipped over from Germany. And even then I didn't have to pay any import taxes, they just inspected two of the cases. For pretty much anything being sent to residential addresses in the US, you don't have to worry.

 

..Al

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US-to-Canada is usually a lot quicker, mostly because Canadian customs are not as red-tape-driven as US customs are.

The only time I've ever had US Customs get involved with a package was when I had a whole pallet of new-in-the-box game controllers shipped over from Germany. And even then I didn't have to pay any import taxes, they just inspected two of the cases. For pretty much anything being sent to residential addresses in the US, you don't have to worry.

 

..Al

My experience (with Opcode Games) for shipping from Canada to the US is that it doesn't matter if a package is sent by regular airmail, Expedited Parcel or XpressPost: If US customs decide to hold onto the package for further inspection, then the package can stay stuck there for quite a while. Once US customs are done with the package, however, it usually reaches the destination within a week or so.

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I ship quite a bit to Canada and while some packages can take upwards of a month to arrive (typically if they get in customs is my guess), usually they arrive within 1-2 weeks. I've had maybe one package go missing to Canada, which isn't too bad considering the number of packages I've sent there.

 

..Al

 

This is all very informative and much more useful than most of what I could glean from the intertubes. The general consensus seems to be that if it takes a little bit more time, but packages tend to arrive at their destinations, which is good to know.

 

Al, I am wondering what you made of that one missing package. Do you think the USPS or the Canadian Post "misplaced" it or do you think the buyer poached it and claimed it never arrived?

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I've shipped a lot of stuff to the US and I've had a lot of stuff shipped to me. Big, small, heavy, light. Doesn't matter. It all arrived both here and there, sometimes a little slower but it all arrived and always intact. Some people have phobias about cross border shipping but its much ado about nothing IMO.

 

What bugs me are people that refuse to ship to Canada from the US but when I have something they want, suddenly cross border shipping concerns disappear :roll:

Edited by AtariLeaf
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Could be regional too... Alomost every package that I've sent to another country over 4lbs gets returned at least one time saying it has the wrong customs dispatch on it. Weve even put both forms on. They made two manual versions, plus an online version, and now add to that non-sence, the flat package vs large package rates based on size (thickness) instead of weights, etc... Someone always finds fault with how it's been done (too many bosses, not enough people who just process the mail around here..) I've however found the BEST way to do large packages to be online postage through stamps.com let them print the forms, and use priority flat rate packages... generally this is not returned, but it costs plenty. Also, they say 3 - 5 days delivery estimate and it is usually more like 10 days.

 

AX

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In my 7 yrs of shipping ebay items I sold from Canada to US, I have never experienced much undue delays and zero lost items.

In reverse, for items I bought from US and shipped to me in Canada, I have had 2 lost, in one case the seller's integrity is in question.

It looks like however that some US shippers have had enough problems as I very often come upon items I'd love to bid on but they refuse to ship north of the border based on previous experience, this is a cause for much frustration on my end.

 

Not sure if all US shippers are aware that if the item is valued over $20 that Canada customs may and likely will hit us Canadians with a customs clearance fee and two taxes totalling 14% of the value. If sent via courier like UPS or Fedex, bump that customs fee up to $35 or $40. And if Customs miscalculates the fees which has happened many times or puts in the wrong commodity code (video games are duty free but other items are not) you may wind up paying duty. then to get a refund, it takes 3-4 months and maybe up to 4 phone calls talking to some idiot who barely knows the laws themselves.

 

Canada Post regulations are another source of frustration. A single cartridge in an envelope unpadded is too thick to be considered for First Class postage. I have received single carts in envelopes fromt the US with postage paid at your end of less than $2 but for me to send the same thing the other direction is closer to $7-8

 

Since I travel to the US on business regularly, I often save time and a few bucks by putting small shipments in my luggage then hit the first USPS outlet when I land to ship domestically.

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In my 7 yrs of shipping ebay items I sold from Canada to US, I have never experienced much undue delays and zero lost items.

In reverse, for items I bought from US and shipped to me in Canada, I have had 2 lost, in one case the seller's integrity is in question.

It looks like however that some US shippers have had enough problems as I very often come upon items I'd love to bid on but they refuse to ship north of the border based on previous experience, this is a cause for much frustration on my end.

 

Not sure if all US shippers are aware that if the item is valued over $20 that Canada customs may and likely will hit us Canadians with a customs clearance fee and two taxes totalling 14% of the value. If sent via courier like UPS or Fedex, bump that customs fee up to $35 or $40. And if Customs miscalculates the fees which has happened many times or puts in the wrong commodity code (video games are duty free but other items are not) you may wind up paying duty. then to get a refund, it takes 3-4 months and maybe up to 4 phone calls talking to some idiot who barely knows the laws themselves.

 

Canada Post regulations are another source of frustration. A single cartridge in an envelope unpadded is too thick to be considered for First Class postage. I have received single carts in envelopes fromt the US with postage paid at your end of less than $2 but for me to send the same thing the other direction is closer to $7-8

 

Since I travel to the US on business regularly, I often save time and a few bucks by putting small shipments in my luggage then hit the first USPS outlet when I land to ship domestically.

 

Plenty of good information here. The difference between coming and going sounds logical, as a few people have told me they have no trouble getting things from Canada, only to experience frustration the other way. The problem seems to be in customs, though I'd like to find out more about the Canadian postal system.

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