Buying from the US

[LpGibson]

Hi guys. I am looking to get a new 100 AXA quick change tool post and I have my eye on one from Enco in the US. Has anyone here bought from them or the little machine Shop. I was wondering what kind of extra cost there is such as duty, shipping, etc. If anyone has any info they could give me I would appreciate it very much. Thanks. Fred....

[automizer]

I have found with the exchange basically at par it is cheaper to buy from the US

[davey242]

If you live close to the border, you can have it shipped to a UPS store on the US side.. I purchase many Jeep parts and have them addressed to the UPS store with my name and phone number. Just make sure you have your receipt and when you cross the border you pay tax and thats it. They will call you when it arrives. $5 to $15 holding fee depending on the size. I've saved $120 on shipping alone for 1 package by shipping to the US which makes it worth the 1.5 hour drive.

[george4657]

I purchased some bearings from Little machine Shop and was very happy with them.
The bearings were $20 shipping and handling was $10.75
Items came fast with no duty or other fees being charged. I may just have been lucky with that.

George

[LpGibson]

Thanks for the replies guys. I figure that we are pretty much at par and the taxes of coarse. Shipping I dont think would be to bad as it is only 12 pounds but I wonder if they will nail me for brokerage fees. I might have to call Canada customs to see if they apply. Enco has the AXA 100 quick change with 5 holders on sale for around $88.00 and it is a Phase 11. "VERY CHEEP" so i figure if i can get it for a couple hundred i am still ahead of the game... Thanks guys... Fred...

[Geof]

If you have something sent by courier, UPS, Fedex, etc., you will pay a brokerage fee that will be anywhere up to $100.00 in addition to taxes; rarely is there any duty. If it is sent by the postal service you will still pay the tax but probably no brokerage fee.

[Al_The_Man]

CanPost charge GST & PST and $5.00 processing fee. That is IF they happen to pick it out for assessment, Do not have the sender declare it as "Gift" it red flags it at customs, 50% of my USPS shipments go through free.
Al.

[brunog]

UPS just charged me over $25 in brokerage fees for a $36 value parcel, duty fees were $1.29, taxes $4.50 plus about $19 in different fees: prepayment of duty fees etc, etc...

Next shipments will come in CanPost!!

Best regards

Bruno

[DareBee]

Watch where you buy and it is OK.
Travers stuff (supposedly) lands at your door free.
KBC Tools has a bunch of Canadian stores.
Misumi USA has a special Canadian shipping policy with $4.95 USD fixed brokerage rate.
Myself and a few others who can still buy McMaster Carr pay no brokerage.

I am sure there are a few others.

[sergizmo]

As stated above, have stuff shipped USPS/Canada Post when crossing the border. The initial shipping fee will be a little higher than UPS/Fedex, but you won't get mugged with the brokerage fee.

Shipping brokerage fees are such a massive scam. Bruno's story is a prime example. You can't calculate them beforehand. Parcel value doesn't seem to be a reliable indicator of what they will be either. I've seen someone charged $90 brokerage on a $220 parcel! All for what, some guy to ask one question and sign a sheet in a couple of places? To hell with that crap.

Serge

[cyclestart]

Well LpGibson has his answer but throwing in my $.02 anyway

UPS to Canada: Too many bad stories about Canadian delivery gouging. Never tried it.

Post office delivery to Canada: This is my first choice for small items and even some larger items. Maybe it's luck of the draw but these have usually been arriving with no charges. Not even the taxes. This includes a couple of purchases in excess of $200. ymmv.

Using a parcel service American side: I'm in an unusual location here. A round trip can usually be completed in 30 minutes. There are real shipping savings to be had. The downside is the fees due at the border. This is a little used port and the customs people have plenty of time for paper work. Typically on a product not covered under FTA 6.5% duty has been applied in addition to the taxes. Seeing as the country of manufacture is often China, the customs officers are possibly cutting me a break at 6.5%. With some sellers US shipping is the only option offered.

[Al_The_Man]

Originally Posted by cyclestart I'm in an unusual location here. A round trip can usually be completed in 30 minutes. There are real shipping savings to be had. The downside is the fees due at the border. This is a little used port and the customs people have plenty of time for paper work. .

What you want to do is prepare a B3 before you make the trip to customs, I am sure the duty officer will welcome it.
The CRA has a fillable B3 on their web site, and also the Commodity code PDF manual is there, they have made it in to one now for all codes, so it is a bit cumbersome to wade through, but if you are importing tool/electrical/machinery etc, just use the Adobe search in class 8400 or 8500, most items will be in this section and you can pick one which has no duty.
If USPS, get the sender to put an invoice on the outside with the commodity code you selected, if customs check it, they will use this number, rather than look it up.
Al.