@titanscentral wrote:
Thank you for your replies.
Thats' where I was getting at femmefan, there is a service here in Manitoba called runninred that I would be using.
Now i know this is a noob question but anyway to get usps boxes? i guess theres no need for them unless im using prepaid ones...correct?
thanks for your help and support.
As long as the total of your package doesn't exceed $2500 in one go across the border and no single package is over $800 in value, the process is very simple. You need to cross in the commercial lane and have a prepared Inward Cargo Manifest. You'll pay a per crossing fee (I forget off hand but its between $10-15 us or you can get a transponder for a yearly rate ($400 ish USD). This will determine, based on your volume and cost averaging those costs, whether or not it makes sense for you to deliver yourself across the border or use a third party service. Just be aware that third party services don't always follow the correct import procedures and have been banned from border crossings. You are putting your packages in the hands of a third party that absolves themselves of all liability.
You'll need to find out if there are any restrictions on the types of goods you sell. Everything has to have the country of origin marked on the packaging, even if you sell items without packaging. Amazon sells made in China stickers that can be used. You may require other warning information to be present in the box or on the item's packaging based on the category of goods. Textiles are a sticky area and have gotten several locals here banned.
For label printing you can also consider using endicia, stamps or a number of other third parties for US label printing. I use and prefer endicia personally, none of the headaches that crop up with paypal label printing from time to time. You can sign up with a Canadian credit card if an alternative to paypal is of interest.
For a post office box, you can pay a yearly rate and you'll want one that is part of the "street addressing" program. This variety assigns you a unit number and use the format 1234 Acme Street #5678 rather than PO BOX 1234 Beverly Hills, CA. That program allows you to receive shipments from all carriers and is generally accepted by every merchant since your address doesn't explicitly state It is a PO box. You can sign up in person at the nearest post office to your border crossing. Rental is $60 USD a year, which makes it great for your personal shopping as well as a return address for US customers. Much cheaper than using any of the package receiving places that charge on a per shipment basis.
If you want you can also sign up for a US bank account (be sure to fill out a W8BEN if you do which states you are not conducting any business in the US). The bank account I use costs me nothing, reimburses all ATM fees and has a debit Master Card that I have linked to my paypal address. This gives you flexibility to transfer funds in USD then convert or spend at your leisure and avoid some of the screw you fees associated with currency conversion.
