Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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03-31-2004 10:28 AM
Well the saving is huge , let me start of buy stating the following
1) items arrive in 5 days~
2) items come with insurance and tracking w/ Priority Mail
3) You get free boxes all sizes and tubes ...order off www.USPS.gov site
Friday will be my first day crossing the boarder with my truck
1lb $3.85 with tracking
You can print the postage with www.Endicia.com
There is also local pick up in the Lower Main Land in B.C if you perfer someone to clear your packages because your busy www.bookstotheboarder.com
I live 1 hour away from Point Roberts . I am kicking myself for not doing this before
1) items arrive in 5 days~
2) items come with insurance and tracking w/ Priority Mail
3) You get free boxes all sizes and tubes ...order off www.USPS.gov site
Friday will be my first day crossing the boarder with my truck
1lb $3.85 with tracking
You can print the postage with www.Endicia.com
There is also local pick up in the Lower Main Land in B.C if you perfer someone to clear your packages because your busy www.bookstotheboarder.com
I live 1 hour away from Point Roberts . I am kicking myself for not doing this before
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Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-02-2004 03:47 PM
Ok, there are different forms if the item goes beyond $200 (and another one if beyond $2000). A lot of stuff is still duty free under $2000 - but the major deciding factor is country of origin ... free trade. You'll have look it up on their website.
It should be noted, for now, it is the person who is recieving the goods responsibility to pay the state tax on the goods (if it is over their personal excemption). This may change in the future.
Todd, I have the invoices - like I say they rarely want them ... just the customs sheet. Works out good, you need the invoices for your records anyway. Weights are not needed, just the price. You should get a decal ... it's $100US and good for the rest of the calander year - then you don't have to pay the $5 each time.
On the Global Priority - I do fill in an amount. Canada is just like any other country I ship to ... it is up to the PO to collect taxes.
If I am shipping over $200 US to a person not in the US I just use CP - the customs guys don't care if you are shipping to another country (only that you are bringing it into the US) ... you have to fill out the other forms, check excemptions, etc.
Todd, the eBay invoice is fine (If it has the name, address, amount and description). I use my own invoices (for the most part automatically created) for many reasons. Most of the reasons are because I need to track a transaction not just an eBay auction.
It should be noted, for now, it is the person who is recieving the goods responsibility to pay the state tax on the goods (if it is over their personal excemption). This may change in the future.
Todd, I have the invoices - like I say they rarely want them ... just the customs sheet. Works out good, you need the invoices for your records anyway. Weights are not needed, just the price. You should get a decal ... it's $100US and good for the rest of the calander year - then you don't have to pay the $5 each time.
On the Global Priority - I do fill in an amount. Canada is just like any other country I ship to ... it is up to the PO to collect taxes.
If I am shipping over $200 US to a person not in the US I just use CP - the customs guys don't care if you are shipping to another country (only that you are bringing it into the US) ... you have to fill out the other forms, check excemptions, etc.
Todd, the eBay invoice is fine (If it has the name, address, amount and description). I use my own invoices (for the most part automatically created) for many reasons. Most of the reasons are because I need to track a transaction not just an eBay auction.
Message 21 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-02-2004 06:22 PM
Well I went down and crossed the boarder into point Roberts today . Cleared American Customs in About 2 minutes . Went to the American Postal Service to drop the packages off
The lady said ....You have placed a Canadian address on all the packages . I said yes !!!
You can not do that ??? I ask why ?? She tells me it has to come back her .
I had to drive the truck back to Canada full of American Boxes . I now have to do the following
Change the shipping date on every package too Monday with encidea. I am not sure if the program will do this, because I do not want to lose the postage already placed on the packages . I will check tonight if the program will reprint a NEW ship date to add to each package
I went out an purchase a dam stamp with my American address and swore each time I stamped a Box that should have left today
The joys of the learning curve ....
The lady said ....You have placed a Canadian address on all the packages . I said yes !!!
You can not do that ??? I ask why ?? She tells me it has to come back her .
I had to drive the truck back to Canada full of American Boxes . I now have to do the following
Change the shipping date on every package too Monday with encidea. I am not sure if the program will do this, because I do not want to lose the postage already placed on the packages . I will check tonight if the program will reprint a NEW ship date to add to each package
I went out an purchase a dam stamp with my American address and swore each time I stamped a Box that should have left today
The joys of the learning curve ....
Message 22 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-02-2004 10:39 PM
Perhaps it's some sort of border PO awareness because I have OFTEN posted parcels from SC, and Florida with my Canadian address and they didn't blink an eye.
Message 23 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-03-2004 10:17 AM
I was shipping from NY and putting the Canadian return address on as well.
Guess it depends on the person.
I would be careful about applying postage before you cross the border. I made about a dozen trips across the border and several times a customs agent would look at it and bring up a different reason why I should not be allowed to do this. Each time a solution was worked out and just when I thought everything was great and running smooth, a new person decided that I would have to hire a broker to clear that many parcels. He would not let me cross. The cost of a broker was rediculous.
It may work out well, but be careful. Just because one person says everything is OK, doesn't mean another will let you cross.
Good luck!
Rob
Guess it depends on the person.
I would be careful about applying postage before you cross the border. I made about a dozen trips across the border and several times a customs agent would look at it and bring up a different reason why I should not be allowed to do this. Each time a solution was worked out and just when I thought everything was great and running smooth, a new person decided that I would have to hire a broker to clear that many parcels. He would not let me cross. The cost of a broker was rediculous.
It may work out well, but be careful. Just because one person says everything is OK, doesn't mean another will let you cross.
Good luck!
Rob
Message 24 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-03-2004 04:59 PM
According to a broker that I spoke to, there is no problem if you want to bring your own packages to the US to be mailed. However to bring across someone elses packages to the US you have to be a broker. He is aware that people do this all the time and that customs probably doesn't care about it right now.
Message 25 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-03-2004 06:41 PM
And what do you have to do to BE a broker
Message 26 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-04-2004 10:45 AM
Couple things....
From a guy that has yet crossed the boarder with items....but have shipped thousands....
The items have to be declared some how... The little green stamp does all of our small items when using the Canadian postage. Not a problem yet! Be prepared to tell the new PO employees how much it should be and tell them to check it....This seems to happen daily....
Crossing into the states. Cross at the same point and get to recongnize the names of who is there.
I have heard you have to have a manifest of your items.... Phone the boarder crossing or visit it and find out what they demand and get the name of the official who told you the information...They may only give their first name since officials normally like keeping their privacy and in particular woman don't like giving out their full name....can you blame them with all the odd people around...For your records write down the name of the offical and when the information was given to you.Getting it on paper. And when some body tells you ask you can't do it ....tell them to show you the regulation ..
Dealing with any governmnet offical any where in Canada is like talking to a person who has a million rules to follow and you have to find the rules that allow you to do your job and allows them to do theirs too...As for brokers....don't even go there.... that is another story of government fund raising for corporations...
Keep us up to date as things go.... As soon as you find the right forms to "declare" your items let us know what they are....As for an American address if you need one it doesn't take much to obtain a post office box....but don't get one if you can avoid it....you don't need the pain of more paper trail that just costs money and is ...*(&^
Well that is my two cents worth.. good luck if you want to accept this mission...
Shaken and not stirred...
James B.
From a guy that has yet crossed the boarder with items....but have shipped thousands....
The items have to be declared some how... The little green stamp does all of our small items when using the Canadian postage. Not a problem yet! Be prepared to tell the new PO employees how much it should be and tell them to check it....This seems to happen daily....
Crossing into the states. Cross at the same point and get to recongnize the names of who is there.
I have heard you have to have a manifest of your items.... Phone the boarder crossing or visit it and find out what they demand and get the name of the official who told you the information...They may only give their first name since officials normally like keeping their privacy and in particular woman don't like giving out their full name....can you blame them with all the odd people around...For your records write down the name of the offical and when the information was given to you.Getting it on paper. And when some body tells you ask you can't do it ....tell them to show you the regulation ..
Dealing with any governmnet offical any where in Canada is like talking to a person who has a million rules to follow and you have to find the rules that allow you to do your job and allows them to do theirs too...As for brokers....don't even go there.... that is another story of government fund raising for corporations...
Keep us up to date as things go.... As soon as you find the right forms to "declare" your items let us know what they are....As for an American address if you need one it doesn't take much to obtain a post office box....but don't get one if you can avoid it....you don't need the pain of more paper trail that just costs money and is ...*(&^
Well that is my two cents worth.. good luck if you want to accept this mission...
Shaken and not stirred...
James B.
Message 27 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-04-2004 03:20 PM
your-chic-shopper,
Change the shipping date on every package too Monday with encidea ...
Did they (the PO) tell you that you had to do it ? If not, why change it. As far as I know, if you have to, you can request a refund from endicia for all the items (it's in one of the Dazzle tabs). You don't need to send back the old label unless it doesn't have delivery confirmation (it will tell you right away if you do). It takes about 10 days before your endicia account gets credited. You can also change your return address in Dazzle.
Burk
Change the shipping date on every package too Monday with encidea ...
Did they (the PO) tell you that you had to do it ? If not, why change it. As far as I know, if you have to, you can request a refund from endicia for all the items (it's in one of the Dazzle tabs). You don't need to send back the old label unless it doesn't have delivery confirmation (it will tell you right away if you do). It takes about 10 days before your endicia account gets credited. You can also change your return address in Dazzle.
Burk
Message 28 of 29
Live near the American Boarder give up on CP ship the items yourself through USPS saving 30% to 50%
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04-04-2004 11:28 PM
Actually endicia has a button that , prints the new date only ...This program rocks
Todd
Todd
Message 29 of 29
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