UPS are insane...

[Robert]

The $300 valued used amp I bought from U.S.A - shipping $80 to Canada. Then the UPS brokerage fee was $53 on top of that. Plus import tax and customs handling fee. In total, the $300 amp ended up costing an extra $173. Insane (well "only" $133 was UPS's share of that).

Plus, something happened to the amp in transit - turning it on fried something inside.

In summary, I will NEVER AGAIN use UPS for buying anything across the border. What a rip off. How can they get away with it?

[MAXIFUNK]

NAFTA is such a wonderful thing!

[duhvoodooman]

I avoid UPS like the plague. FedEx all the way--have shipped three amps and several guitars with them now and have yet to have a problem.

[Commodore 64]

www.brownbailout.com

Screw UPS. I've used Fed Ex Ground for years.

[Tig]

Bummer! Remember, UPS killed the tubes in my Egnater as well.

As the top of the EuroTubes.com (http://www.eurotubes.com/) main page boldly says:
Note: We will NOT ship anything UPS!!! They are horrible!

[sumitomo]

UPS is the top dog here and I have been lucky nothing has been damaged!Sumi:D

[Spudman]

I stopped using UPS a long time ago. Their rates went too high and the damage factor increased.

I've had better luck with FedEx as far as damage goes but over the border they really soak you with fees.

Sorry you got fleeced Robert.:(

[Commodore 64]

Shipping across the border should always be done USPS in my experience. And note on the custom slip that the item is a gift.

You got HOSED.

[Tone2TheBone]

.....please tell me it was not the Pro Junior.

[otaypanky]

Was the packaging damaged Robert?

[Robert]

It was the Pro Junior and the packaging was not damaged.

Live and learn! :) :cry:

[Tone2TheBone]

I just saw the pics on your other post. I'm surprised you're taking it as good as this. I'd be livid. I absolutely hate it when things either break or get messed up. I'm OC about that.

[hubberjub]

I've had only good experiences shipping internationally with USPS. The only time I tried to ship a guitar with UPS they wanted more than 4x what USPS charged.

[deeaa]

I hear you, and it's the same going on here as well.

Used to be postal services were state owned and reasonably priced. We had our own customs station in the town too, so when I shipped something the costs were reasonable, and when I received something, I could just drive to the customs and explain the thing and maybe pay a little customs, or not.

Now the postal service is a private company, and prices have gone wayyy up, not to mention the number of their local post offices has been reduced to a tenth of what it used to be. There were something like 40 offices in my town alone, now there's four, the nearest to me in the very centre of the town where it's also hard to park the car.

Customs also reduced to a fifth what they used to have. So now I have a 'free choice' of either driving a couple hundred miles to the nearest customs, OR pay an extra 20 bucks for 'clearance service' and have it sent to my home cleared by someone else. And USA products are another matter even in that many U.S. products I'd like to buy require me to write manual (letter, fax/&email won't do) explanations and customs waivers and end use documents and request permissions from the U.S. customs end, explaining these products are not intended for terrorism and against U.S. citizens etc.

The result is, it's almost impossible for me to shop internationally (read: from the Americas), or at least it has pretty much become too expensive.

I suspect that is what they want all along though; we've seen what too much globalization and free markets are doing, and this certainly will rein it some.

Still, it's very hard for me to understand how come it costs LESS for me in transport fees to order, say a pedal direct from CHINA right accross the entire world, than to post a letter to my neighbor via the post....

Now wonder China is rising fast - I can get an american-made product cheaper if I buy it from China than if I buy and ship it from the U.S.

[ZMAN]

I have a couple of relatives that work for DHL. The packages are shipping in large airliners that are gutted. The packages go in large containers that are shaped like the inside of the hollowed out plane. They slide in one after the other. Packages are not handled with the utmost of care. They work 4 hour shifts and HAVE to unload and reload the plane in that time. UPS is the same.
Robert how much of that cost is in duties and taxes. I have saved thousands on this by having a US address to ship to. Before that I had a US post office box in Lewiston NY just across the Canadian border. I would ship things there and declare them at the border. 90% of the time they would wave you through. Of course the value was usually below 100 dollars.
Now any major items are shipped to my US address (my daughter). I head down 3 or 4 times a year and bring it back. I have 750 exemption for my wife and I each. Shipping is usually minimal to Maine and no duties and taxes.

[Robert]

Duty: $20.51
GST: $16.80
Brokerage fee: 53.05 freaking dollars
Brokerage: GST: $2.65
Sum: $93.01 in fees

I also payed UPS $80 in shipping.
Total cost excluding the amp: $173.01

[rylanmartin]

Robert.... Keep THIS website handy: http://www.thefinalcost.com

And I hate UPS. They're the only ones I've ever had require payment to receive your package...

[Jimi75]

Our postal service cooperates with DHL and I am very satisfied with their service. We also use this service here at the office. In former times we applied UPS services and they were expensive with lesser service that the others.

[Robert]

Robert.... Keep THIS website handy: http://www.thefinalcost.com

And I hate UPS. They're the only ones I've ever had require payment to receive your package...

Wow, that was an interesting website! However, it even underestimates the raping UPS brokerage fee... my brokerage penalty was about $7 more than what that website estimates.

[rylanmartin]

Wow, that was an interesting website! However, it even underestimates the raping UPS brokerage fee... my brokerage penalty was about $7 more than what that website estimates.

Thefinalcost.com won't protect you from your raping...it's essentially just a stick you can bite down on to prepare you for it...

[gregsguitars]

I insist on my clients letting me ship via The USPS, antiquated tracking , but never a brokerage fee or a damaged guitar or amp in 10 plus years I have used them for my shipments,I never use Fedex or UPS to Canada for that very reason, Greg.

[sumitomo]

Like I was saying before UPS is the top dog where I live and alot of people I buy from ship UPS,I usually request people to mark boxes fragile/glass inside.I haven't had a problem yet!,and we'll see I just bought an acoustic and a amph,both are shipping UPS.Sumi:D

[ZMAN]

I am amazed at how people in the US don't use their postal service. I for one am a huge fan. I even rented a Post Office box in Lewiston NY. I used this to send things back and forth to my daughter who was attending UNC.
It saved me hundreds of dollars compared to Canada Post. Their rates were really good and the people were excellent to deal with. One item for example. was some medical records. The envelope was going to cost 32 dollars. to mail. It was by weight and I was over by 2 grams. I took out a paper clip and the price dropped by 12 dollars. I took it to the USPS and they sent it for around 1.25. It was a friggin brown kraft envelope with 5 or 6 pieces of paper.
And as Robert mentioned don't get me started about the fees, duty and taxes.