To our valued customers in Canada. We are aware of how much you dislike receiving packages from the US via any service other than the post office.
When you checkout you will have the option of 3 services: UPS 2 Day, UPS Ground, and USPS-Canada Post. Priority Mail International is a very expensive service level. Most of our items fall into that because of their size or their weight. It will often be less expensive to ship with UPS. (I'll just wince a while you scream at me).
Yes I know you have been stuck hard at delivery by the folks in brown in the past. Yes it is obscene to spend $75 on item X and then at delivery get hit for $50 more for brokerage,bond,COD,GST,PST,duty......there seems to be no end to the list. We can't control the taxes, they will be the same no matter how the product gets to Canada. Let's take a look at the three things that do vary by service Brokerage, Bond, COD.
The first is brokerage or customs clearance. This is the act of determining what the product is and how much each of the taxes are. Canada Post charges about $6 for this. UPS Ground charges a ridiculous amount for this. It is flat fee then a percentage of the value. It is highway robbery. UPS 2 Day Air includes this in the service cost.
The second is bond. When a product enters Canada, taxes and duty must be paid. Canada Post does not charge for this because they are the government. So they can just collect at delivery. Private carriers have to pay these taxes upfront before they attempt delivery. If you have an account with the carrier they just bill you, and you avoid this charge. Otherwise you pay the bond fee. That fee is used to cover their costs associated with taking the risk of paying these taxes on your behalf upfront.
The final Fee is the COD fee. If you don't have an account with the carrier they collect the taxes and other charges at delivery, hence the COD fee. The bond and COD fee typically run about $11 with UPS. Canada Post just folds it into the customs clearing fee.
So why ship UPS? We have negotiated rates with UPS Ground for orders under $200 CAD. On orders with a merchandise value less than $200 the Brokerage, Bond, COD is a flat $10. On orders over $200 their standard customs clearing charges apply. With Air services the customs clearing is included. So there you pay bond, COD ($5-$6 difference from Canada Post) and the normal taxes you would pay if you drove it in yourself. UPS is much faster, full visibility tracking, and meaningful package insurance.
It is up to you. There are definitely cases where it is in your best interest to ship it UPS Ground or 2 day. It is still expensive no matter how you slice it. Oh, and by the way, no we cannot declare it as a gift.
