Bartertown.com

as a side note, i sent recently new FW items to Canada by UPS overnight. we got axed by them and they asked almost 600$ in customs fees and brokerage the value of the package was over 1000$. After a couple of faxes and phone calls, we brought the proof that all items were under 60 CAD value so the sale tax fees were not applicable and then we brought also the proof that FW items are not available to purchase in Canada so that voided the custom fees. They waived the brokerage fees as a recognition of their mistake.
One thing we learned that time is to accurately described the content item by item with individual values. One other thing also is that i shipped from a non-profit organisation to a for-profit organisation and that triggered the mess (i have a higher education UPS account which waive most of tax fees when i ship stuff internationally).

it took us a lot of research to figure out the proper importation regulations but sending a link to FW website FAQ helped a lot. it's a little bit tricky but most of the UPS guys don't want to bother if you bring the proper documentation.

Also never, never, never mark a package as a gift if it's not one....

J

What happened and why did it happen? What exactly are brokerage fees? What are the fees based on? How do you avoid them?

Wag-A-Tail wrote:What happened and why did it happen? What exactly are brokerage fees? What are the fees based on? How do you avoid them?

I guess since you're a new trader, you might have missed something in this thread.
I'll try to answer the questions 1 at a time for you.

What happened and why did it happen? Simple. United Parcel Service charges a fee to transport packages into Canada, and other countries, from the US.

What exactly are brokerage fees? See above.

What are the fees based on? An arbitrary scale based upon what UPS considers the items worth.

How do you avoid them? Simple Don't ship UPS. Ship USPS. Make sure you correctly fill out the customs forms. What we on Bartertown trade is usually used toys. If the items are NIB, well they're not used. I always suggest you open the box and remove the plastic wrap. Then it's not new. Customs department in all countries charge a fee, an import tax, on most all items coming into the country. Certain items have a low[er] or no fee.

I hope this answers your questions.

I recently found the magic bullet to avoid hefty brokerage fees, with the help of a UPS Customer Service Rep.

I have been stung with hefty fees multiple times in the past, and only this time did I get pissed off enough to make a call and scream at them.

This brokerage fee is purely a money grab for UPS for doing about 5 minutes of work you can do yourself.

All you have to do if you have been charged brokerage fees you do not want to pay is to refuse shipment and contact UPS about your shipment and say you want to do the brokerage yourself. They will send you the correct paperwork, and you have to get it filled out at your Canada Customs Office in your city. You get them filled out pay your Taxes on the item if necessary, and they will stamp your customs paperwork. Takes like 5 min. Send the paperwork back to UPS, and they will release the package without the brokerage fee.

Holy crap I have wasted hundreds of dollars on brokerage over the years. I think i'm gunna go buy myself a titan with all the money im gunna save.

Norseman wrote:I recently found the magic bullet to avoid hefty brokerage fees, with the help of a UPS Customer Service Rep.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=123125

Pwned.

So, is this something you have to do every time, or is it a "one time deal" that will cover all future shipments?

Eric

I'm another that falls into the don't use UPS/FedEx for shipping. If you do not tell them not to, they will choose to act as your broker for customs (even if it's duty free) and will charge you a brokerage fee.

As a bit of advice, a shipment of "used plastic toys" is duty free. Most out of box models will fall under this. I always ship Canada post/USPS

MagickalMemories wrote:So, is this something you have to do every time, or is it a "one time deal" that will cover all future shipments?

The UPS drivers here refuse to do this as they either say they don't have the forms, there isn't a local office etc.

The best thing to do is just us your local postal service and avoid firms like Fed-Ex and UPS.