zW2Ig~~60_7.JPG "brandeentertainment"){kind=avatar}
Advice?
Have the goods shipped directly from your wholesale supplier to you by UPS. You are running a business and there are some costs. Customs clearance happens to be one of them.
I have regularly used UPS for over twenty years to import large shipments from the USA until I retired a few years ago. The superior quality and speed of service cannot be compared with Canada Post.
The difference in brokerage fees is negligible if you are importing large shipments with some value. The cost of having someone reforward the shipments to you using USPS (additional shipping charge) would not justify the difference in fees.
UPS brokerage fees are about $75 for a $1,000 shipment and $85 for $5,000 compared to $10 at Canada Post.
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. Peace of mind is important.
To avoid confusion, my comments above reflect the fact you are a business importing goods from a wholesale in large quantities.
Nothing to do with the individual Canadian buyers importing a $50 or $100 item from a US seller.
A few more points:
Depending on the type of UPS service selected, there may not be any Customs brokerage fee. Those fees only apply to the cheapest economy (Standard) service. Check he link sent earlier.
Also, brokerage fees are per shipment. If you have ten boxes coming in, only one fee is charged for the shipment. At Canada Post, you would be charged $10 per box ($100 for the shipment: more than UPS !)
In addition, once you have the UPS tracking number, you can call them and pay the taxes and brokerage fees with your credit card on the phone prior to receiving the shipment(avoiding the COD charges).
Finally, in most instances, you can expect UPS to deliver all ten boxes at one time. Canada Post would deliver or ask you to pick up at the local postal outlet four boxes one day, three the next, two the following and... be patient... the last one will show up eventually.
"charge $135 brokerage on item valued at $350 "
Sorry, that is not possible.
The charge was not only for brokerage but for taxes (GST/PST/HST) and duty if applicable.
Once again, please refer tpo the link provided earlier giving you exactly what UPS charge for Customs clearance brokerage.
"i am scared to have a $5000 order com in UPS due..."
I have had shipments valued will over $10,000 come regularly without being overcharged one penny ever. It is not a question of percentage. The fees (if they apply) are fixed based on value of the shipment. A $15,000 shipment would cost about $160 in fees (taxes extra of course)
However, your volume indicates you are GST/HST registered and all the taxes paid are fully returned to you through Input Tax Credit (ITCs).
If you are not yet registered with GST/HST, talk to your accountant immediately. Do not delay.
UPS brokerage fees are about $75 for a $1,000 shipment and $85 for $5,000
Highway robbery! You can hire a third-party broker who will clear a simple shipment for much less.
Even if you use UPS as a broker you can negotiate the fees if you are a regular importer or even for a single shipment reduce the fees by "pre-paying" the taxes with an on-file credit card.
