Folks: i order CONSTANTLY from the US (i'm a canuck)...the way I get over the brokerage issue is to tell USP (or whichever courier company i'm using) that I WILL CLEAR IT MYSELF, as soon as I get the tracking number.
They then notify me when the parcel arrives into port.

...HOWEVER if they do then deliver it, and i have my demands plainly on file (always get the rep's name and date you spoke with them) I get a refund for their mistake.

Otherwise I just drive to the airport, pick up the slip from the courier's front desk, walk a block to the canada customs clearance, pay the taxes, walk back to the courier company with the processed clearance paper...even better the company will still, if i prefer, ship it to me (sometimes useful if it's a large item, ie, speakers, or whatever)....afterall you HAVE paid for shipping and it's the final destination on the parcel which counts...but otherwise i'll usually just pick it up myself and drive off, happily knowing i've saved myself oodles of coin.

Hope this helps.
Joe
Vancouver BC

man im glad i live in the us. :-)

RE: man i'm glad i live in the US.

But remember you might also experience the SAME levies if the item was made HERE in Canada (or other than the US)...i'm not sure what levies/taxes your govt imposes if the situation was reversed.

Cheers
Joe

Joe,

Not to nitpick or anything but:

1. Your "clear it yourself" solution works ok if you are at or near the port of entry. Outlaw UPS Ground shipments to Ontario and points East typically enter at Windsor. You must then meet it there - or have someone else do so. Not practical for most people. Vancouver is likley the point of entry for anything going to BC - so you have lucked in.

2. Last time I was at YVR (last week) parking was not free.

3. Last time I drove from almost anywhere in the Vancouver area to YVR and back it cost me about $10 in gas. (And almost a couple of hours in traffic - return.)

4. Last time I drove in Vancouver it cost me a bleeping $253 speeding ticket! (On the way to the airport I should add).

5. Time is money. If you have any means to earn money with your time, then spending three hours going to and from YVR and processing your shipment has an opportunity cost associated with it.

But if you have the inclination, the time, and are reasonably close to a port of entry, I don't doubt that you have the potential to save some money.

Regards.

Jeff Mackwood

your points are well-taken...it is only a 30 minute drive to clear it...and the parking IS free...as you go to the UPS (or whatever) courier's parking lot, not the general airport parking lot.

..as to speeding tickets...well, slow down or get a radar buster!...you can't really add that item to the discussion as a legit one, me thinks.

cheers
joe

Still depends on how much you value your time. Drive to the airport, time to clear it, drive back....maybe not worth it? Especially with a subwoofer that won't fit in most cars

again, you don't have to take the goods (they can still be delivered as you've already paid for the service)...it's the clearing which is all you have do.

For me: a 20 minute drive and a savings of anywhere from $30 (for a pair of interconnects) to over $100 for speakers or anything expensive is worth it in MY pocket.

Joe

Here's an update to this procedure that I used to to purchase a 990, shipped to Vancouver BC.

Savings on UPS brokerage for a 990 are about $90.

I also found some additional information on Usenet.

• Try to get Outlaw to mark the UPS shipment to indicate that I will self-clear customs, but they say they are not permitted to do so. I'm not sure why this is so.
• Wait for Outlaw to send me tracking details.
• Phone UPS Canada as soon as possible and have them mark shipment as being self-cleared. They want to know a contact name and telephone number.
  (BTW I also talked to UPS US who tell me that they are not permitted to modify the shipment details.)
• Shipment arrives, and UPS Canada phones me to tell me I have three days to clear and pick up the item.
• The UPS facility at Vancouver Airport can be hard to find, even with the right address!
  
  UPS
  5960 Ferguson Road,
  Richmond, BC
  
  Canada Border Services Agency
  113-5000 Miller Road,
  Richmond, BC
  
  Google can provide a map showing the relative locations of the two facilities.
  
  Parking is free at the UPS facility.
• Take the paperwork to customs. UPS provided me with a handy map to find the customs office. Only pay parking appears to be available. The minimum amount was $2 for 2 hours.
• Customs agents can be picky. The one serving me wasn't prepared to believe the invoice accompanying the UPS paperwork! I had to telephone Outlaw and have them fax a copy of the receipt directly to the officer's desk! My suggestion:
  
  • Bring along the credit card receipt.
  • Go in the morning when Outlaw offices are open so that a telephone call might quickly resolve issues.
  
  
  [*]Take the paperwork back to UPS and pick up the shipment.

I wasted time searching for the UPS facility because of an old street map, and having to deal with the skeptical customs agent.

Everything going well, I estimate about 1/2 hour is required after arriving at the UPS facility (assuming no queues).

I also investigated having the unit shipped to Bellingham WA. The additional shipping cost to Vancouver BC was about $10, but the UPS Store was going to charge me $10 to receive the shipment on my behalf negating any savings.

After a recent annoying experience with a shipper who used FedEx instead of UPS (not Outlaw), I asked FedEx how to self-clear. Here is their reply:

I haven't had a chance to use this procedure yet, so I do not know where the FedEx Vancouver depot is located.

I managed to find some additional information here from an AVSForum member importing equipment from Japan.

canali wrote:

..as to speeding tickets...well, slow down or get a radar buster!...

I live in a town in Maine right on the Kanadian border. When we go to Kanada we have to remember to NOT have our radar detector. They will confiscate them.

..and BTW Kandaian (and also US customs) have no sense of humor so when asked at the border where we're going and what for etc....we don't say: "Got a load of radar detectors for parliament members. Going to deliver them in Ottowa"