Hahahaha best answer in this thread!
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Ignore. I accumulated a LOT of brokerage fees years ago and had that collection agency on my ass for awhile. Years later, my credit score is still awesome.

Never use UPS, only use EMS, USPS, etc.... UPS charged me $30 in brokerage fees for an item valued at $75 on the customs paper.

just pay what u owe and becareful next time

but you will still pay taxes and dutys everytime. just not brokerige.

where as lots of times I've used USPS it just ends up at my door. no tax no nothing.

I got charged $190 bucks worth of fees for headlights...

sent them an invoice back for wasting your time ...

lol well i didn't want to use ups, but the the seller said shipping by ups is cheaper than usps, and usps cant take such a large package :bullshit:???

So to avoid this altogether Point Roberts is your new best tourist destination.

i too got robbed by UPS. I ordered a new set of ignition coils for my 5 series (maybe close to $400) from the US, when UPS arrived they charged me a whopping $140 in total fee's. Since then I refuse to use them. If you're ordering things from the states, get it shipped USPS.

just prepare to wait 20 minutes to cross the border on a Saturday morning. But TSB is pretty quick and efficient in finding your stuff. So all in all you'll be back in Canada in less than 30 mins. Unless you stop for cheaper gas and cheaper groceries.

you better pay up~ I've already stopped using UPS and Fedex to my house. Just go to point roberts :)

you guys...

fuck

like seriously.

GROUND Shipping DOES NOT INCLUDE BROKERAGE. STOP CHOOSING THE CHEAPEST SHIPPING OPTION.

DUTIES + TAX =/= BROKERAGE.

Duties Is ITEM specific and TAX is charged on anything over 20 dollars.

Brokerage fees are a fact of life. It doesn't matter which shipping company you use. They all make their money by charging you for clearing stuff with customs. If you want to avoid these costs, do it yourself by having your items shipped to a US address. The other alternative is to ship the items by the more expensive shipping option that includes the brokerage fees. All shipping companies have this option. In a nutshell, you get your items faster and cheaper.

If the company you bought the items from refuses to send it any other way, I guess you buy from some place else or pick it up at the border yourself.

The OP is saying he cleared the items himself and still got charged. There must be more to the story. In any case, there has to be a paper trail. Like suggested by others, phone UPS up and let them know of the situation.

BTW, I crossed the border last week with a photo etch upgrade kit I bought off of eBay. The item usually retails for $185.00 US or more. This guy was selling it for $105.00. I had it shipped to a US border service. They charged me a whopping total of 4 bucks. When crossing into Canada, the border guard just waved me through. Even though the item was made in Asia, scale models and accessories no matter where they are made, are duty free. I knew this from the start, but here's the thing. If I had the upgrade kit sent to my house, UPS would have still charged me for brokerage, taxes, HST, and a few other "fuck me" charges.

I know a lot of people cannot cross the border, because they do not have a passport or cannot go except on weekends and shit. If that is the case, do what Majindude has been saying for the last 58 threads on this subject. Get it shipped by Express, Air, Expedited, whatever the company calls it. In the end it will be worth it.

Check out the site below. You can type in whatever item you are going to ship or bring across the border and it will list what tarrifs and duty are. A few useful links, too. And, don't forget, stuff manufactured in the US are duty free, because of free trade. Double-check though, just in case, by using link below. You never know.

http://betterdollar.com/duty-tax/duty/

If reading is a challenge for you, you can call Canadian Border Services and talk to a live person. The phone numbers are on the link provided.......... oh, that would require some reading. LOL.

Something I found on the web........

Link to above info

http://www.photoprice.ca/article/bro...hipping-method


Here's link to CBSA

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-com...mod-1-eng.html

or Blaine

On the ther hand, have you guys sent UPS from canada to the US? It is outrageous. I shipped a $1200.00 big brake kit, the buyer/receiver had to pay UPS $18 when they delivered it to his house for the fees/taxes/duties. It was declared at $1200USD. Mind you, this was about 4 years ago.

How much did you pay to send it?

I think the shipping was about $140, UPS Ground. 2 fairly heavy boxes.

For UPS, they will nickle and dime you every step of the way.

First they charge you Brokerage fee on your items (waived if you use the premium options)
Then they will charge you on duties and taxes (waived if your item is tax free)
If there are duties and taxes involved and you did not pre-pay them, they will charge extra for them to pay on your behalf.

For cost savers... just do what OP did - do self clearance. You just pick up the piece of paper from UPS and bring to the customs office. Sure, those customs people are not the most friendliest people (some may even have attitude problems). But if you are polite and respectful, they will most likely give you a break and not nickle and dime you to death like UPS does.

As for OP, tell them you self cleared and to screw off. And next time ask UPS to make a photocopy of your waybill so you have proof that you did the clearance.