Anybody know anything about duty fees on used bikes coming into US from Canada?
08-22-11, 09:45 AM
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Anybody know anything about duty fees on used bikes coming into US from Canada?
I bought a used bike on eBay a few weeks ago. It sat at the Canada/US border for more than a week -- it was torture. In addition to a nightmare with poor packing, a headset missing a piece, and a stem that is the wrong size for the fork, and a seller that generally has no idea what is going on, I just got a bill in the mail from UPS for $262.58. I paid $2000 for the bike and this amount was declared because I wanted shipping insurance on the correct amount. Anyone know if the amount of these seems correct? I just went to this site to try to figure it out, but I'm not having a lot of luck.
08-22-11, 10:25 AM
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Sounds about right for import duty. I know it's about $3 bucks on a 1.75 liter bottle of liquor.
08-22-11, 10:26 AM
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Most of that is probably brokerage fees, we Canadians are pretty use to it, since there are usually more American sellers. So UPS needs to collect sales tax, but there usually isn't a tax if you're buying from a individual and not a store that collects tax. UPS likes to dip their grubby brown hands in the cookie jar too. Nothing you can do about it unless you decide to return it, or taken a chance with shipping insurance (another scam). I don't know how much they charge exactly, but it's not a small number. I once had to pay $40 for $20 worth of cables (Not to mention driving for an hour to their depot to pick it up since the lazy ass delivery man couldn't bother to knock on the door instead of leaving a missed delivery slip even though I was home.)
Never use UPS for international shipping, go with somebody else, fedex is slightly cheaper, and postal couriers are the cheapest since they don't charge a brokerage fee. You can google UPS brokerage to see for yourself.
Never use UPS for international shipping, go with somebody else, fedex is slightly cheaper, and postal couriers are the cheapest since they don't charge a brokerage fee. You can google UPS brokerage to see for yourself.
08-22-11, 10:28 AM
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I betcha a good chunk of that is brokerage fees...Hence the reason I only ship Canada Post to the US....All the couriers charge outrageous brokerage fees....
08-22-11, 10:53 AM
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[QUOTE=AlphaV;13115770]UPS likes to dip their grubby brown hands in the cookie jar too.
Ha!
Yeah, I was expecting some kind of border broking fee. But description of charges lists
Entry prep fee: 36.50
Disbursement fee: 6.50
Duty Amount: 217.58
Merchandise processing fee: 2.00
On top of that, I had to call UPS for three days straight before they would release it from customs. There were a lot of "miscommunications" among employees. It was sitting in a warehouse for no reason after it had been cleared to continue on its way. I think the advice against using UPS in the future is probably sound... I should have asked some of you Canadians for advice before this.
Ha!
Yeah, I was expecting some kind of border broking fee. But description of charges lists
Entry prep fee: 36.50
Disbursement fee: 6.50
Duty Amount: 217.58
Merchandise processing fee: 2.00
On top of that, I had to call UPS for three days straight before they would release it from customs. There were a lot of "miscommunications" among employees. It was sitting in a warehouse for no reason after it had been cleared to continue on its way. I think the advice against using UPS in the future is probably sound... I should have asked some of you Canadians for advice before this.
08-22-11, 11:02 AM
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That's why you should always stipulate to never use UPS when shipping stuff cross-border, the brokerage fees are absolutely killer for us not used to them in the US.
08-22-11, 11:17 AM
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Are you the Mrs. Merckx that sold me the Magick Winner Spell for Chris Horner to win the Tour de France last July? If so I want my $50 back.
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