50% UPS Brokerage fee????

[kazoobers]

I bought an item that was $99.95 US. The Seller charged me $16.00 for UPS standard shipping to Canada.

The package arrived and here is a Brokerage C.O.D. due to UPS for $54.17. What a rip! The seller said nothing about additional fees due IN ADDITION to the $16.00 I paid him for the shipping. By looking under Help in eBay, I see there is nothing I can do about it.

[ferret-mom]

I suppose that some type of compensation should be payable for the brokerage work. And it wouldn't be as bad if the same conditions applied on both sides of the border. However, UPS is taking full advantage of our low tax threshold to stick it to Canadians when the same merchandise going in the other direction would, in most cases, enter the US tax and brokerage free.

There should be some way to distinguish between a commercial shipment -- where brokerage is more involved, and where the importer can recover the costs by passing them on to his customers -- and an individual importation for personal use, where the addressee bears all of the costs.

So far, nobody has taken the trouble to try and find a solution to that dilemma.

[gsr63]

I know I may never solve this - however I would like to debate it a bit.

What I see is -
a) People are ok with paying a brokerage fee.
b) People don't like paying a high brokerage fee.
c) People are constantly comparing the USPS / Canada Post rate of $5.00.
d) People are constantly complaining about USPS service by saying things like (From another forum post) - "I ordered an item from US on Oct.26th through USPS, and it still hasn't arrived and USPS is useless for helping out. What is the number for Canada Customs so that I can find out where my package is?"

e) It appears that the USPS / Canada Post $5.00 service is sometimes an inferior service to UPS who charges more (sometimes a lot more)

f) So, if you want a better service with full tracking, etc., then use someone like UPS / FedEx, etc. You pay more for shipping and you pay more for brokeraage.

g) The issue seems to be that people think that they pay extra for UPS shipping (vs USPS), and they probably expect to pay extra for brokerage - but they don't think they should pay 10 times as much - i.e. $50.00 brokerage fee.

h) I guess the question is - what should the UPS brokerage fee be? If you're getting a better service (sometimes) - then should it be a percentage of the value of the shipment? i.e. 10% So, you buy a $300.00 item, you pay $30.00 brokerage? You buy a $99.00 item, you pay $9.90 brokerage? Or, what should the percentage be?

i) Or, should it be a flat rate like $20.00 or something - regardless of value?

[canuckchat]

You get what you pay for ....

[lesgazette]

This what I do,
First I pay with a credit card and then
cancel the payment.
With the receipt from UPS, I go to customs pay them, copy the receipt.
When the bill comes from UPS, I send (A copy) of the receipt from customs.
With the remainder freight

[mikeogilvie89]

never ship UPS ----always postal besides

UPS= use purolator stupid LOL
purolator does not charge as much for brokerage fees

[canuckchat]

Use P O S T A L S E R V I C E

[gailcarey]

You're not the only one. I was charged 80 dollars on an item from Hawaii. She wouldn't ship it USPS. But I really liked it so I bit the bullet. And it's even worse when you have to pay Canadian tax on top of it all eh?

Gail

[canuckchat]

...er... and... you DONT normally pay tax for items you purchase down at your local store in Canada??

[ferret-mom]

Well, it's one thing to pay taxes on goods that are purchased. But when they add tax to the brokerage fees, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back.

[jakeeangel]

Rev Can charges tax on tax. That's the way it works. If you go shopping in the States and you pay the US tax and then are made to go in and pay the Canadian tax. They charge you tax on the tax you paid to the US.

When you import something commercially and pay duty, which is in essence a tax, you pay tax on the duty. A tax on a tax.

That's how Rev Can works. Like it or not, it's what we've got.

Brokerage fees are a service. GST = Goods & Service Tax. It's par for the course.

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[donc314]

Hi,

I'm a seller from the U.S. I never ship outside the U.S. using any method other than Postal. I prefer to ship via Priority international. The couriers UPS etc. slam my customers with extra fees and First Class mail sometimes takes forever to arrive.

A surprising number of people still insist on using these methods and sometimes get angry when I refuse to ship via UPS or try to talk them out of First Class.

Please spread the word. The last thing I need is a angry buyer.

Don

[jakeeangel]

I feel for you Don. I'm a Canadian that travels to the US to mail things through the USPS for faster, cheaper service and the delivery confirmation.

Some people don't get it. Even some Americans. They only think cheaper, even if it's only a buck or two and they want it yesterday. Cheap and fast don't coincide and they just don't get it.

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[bidnaz]

I've never had anything shipped with UPS so can't comment on them but my I bought an itemlast week on here and it was sent with DHL. Two days later the package was here and I didn't have to pay any extra fees. What I paid for the item and shipping to the seller was the final price with no extra brokerage fees.

[canuckchat]

Well, it's one thing to pay taxes on goods that are purchased. But when they add tax to the brokerage fees, it is the straw that breaks the camel's back.

No problem - just go to Walmart of The Source or Zellers and buy what you want!

[canuckchat]

:^O :^O :^O :^O :^O

[sir*edward*ross]

The other nice thing about USPS/CP packages ... customs is so busy that most packages aren't even looked at, such that I rarely have to pay brokerage & taxes.

With UPS you always pay any and all brokerage and taxes due. Always.

[jakeeangel]

You're going to get a surprise in the mail with DHL. They charge brokerage fees like any other courier but they don't charge them at the door to give you a chance to refuse the package.

They give you the package and then send you a bill later.

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[canuckchat]

... sorta like a surprise present!

[gsr63]

What some people do not realize is that when you walk into a store in Canada - most of those items are imported. So, that store, or the importer, paid Duty, Paid GST, paid Brokerage, paid GST on Brokerage, paid shipping, etc. So, it is unreasonable to think just because you find something in the U.S. for 'cheap' - doesn't mean that you don't have to pay all of the fees that regular importers pay. However, I know that no matter what - people don't want to pay anything more..

I wonder if anyone has any thoughts or replies to these questions -

h) I guess the question is - what should the UPS brokerage fee be? If you're getting a better service (sometimes) - then should it be a percentage of the value of the shipment? i.e. 10% So, you buy a $300.00 item, you pay $30.00 brokerage? You buy a $99.00 item, you pay $9.90 brokerage? Or, what should the percentage be?

i) Or, should it be a flat rate like $20.00 or something - regardless of value?

[jakeeangel]

Do you want someone telling you what you should get for services you perform? Say you're a plumber. Do you want your customers telling you they think the work is only worth X and they're only willing to pay X and then badmouth you when you say no, it costs Y?

What gives you the right to do so regarding brokerage charges for courier companies? They're a company performing a service and have a right to expect to get paid for that service at a cost they determine.

If you don't like it, don't use them.

Who cares what people think it *should* be. It's not up to us to determine that.

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