Apparently a guy in British Columbia has filed a class-action lawsuit against UPS, for the ridiculous “brokerage” charges they demand from the recipient of any US->Canada shipment. Frequently the brokerage fees will be more than the shipment is worth.
Unfortunately, the case is in BC only at this time, but if one starts up in Ontario, I’ll be there. Those bastards have fucked me one time too often.
FedEx used to be better, but they started doing it too (I guess they could smell the money too). The only viable option remaining is the regular postal service (which charges a flat $5 for the same service). That is cool, I’ve had good luck with simple US Postal Service shipments of CDs ordered from the US. But some stores refuse to ship that way.
I want to buy a Technivorm coffee maker, only available from the US, but haven’t been able to figure out a good way to do it without paying off those gangsters. I think there may be an option whereby I drive to a customs office and clear the package myself. That would likely cost me more in gas than I save in brokerage fees, but it would be worth it.
Update: Man, close to 200 comments so far, almost all of them from very angry people. I’ve have since learned more about doing your own customs clearance, including some relevant information straight from Canada Border Services Agency.
I ordered a 55$ prop replica from the US and even paid extra for UPS shipping and they nailed me with a 35$ brokerage fee. I couldn’t believe it! I’ve never had this issue with anything I’ve ever bought online from the US, Hong Kong etc. Then again I don’t believe it was sent through UPS. I will never use UPS or do business with anyone who uses it again!
Yes I just learned the hard way too. Wish I had done more research before ordering from the USA. I live in a small town and the ups blokes of course sees that on my parcel and tells me that I have to go and pick it up in Vancouver if I want to do my own Taxes etc..(CAD 40-00 on a 150-00 parcel) They also refuse to send(fax) me any documentation so I can visit a customs office on my own. Then naturally they would not send the parcel to me via any other means. How can this not be criminal ?????
I just imported a used mouse from the us that cost me 50$. I payed for the 20$ extra shipping and, lo and behold, when the ups shows up at my door, he asks me for 40.15$. It has cost me 60$ to ship a 50$ item.
I won’t do business with any company that ships with UPS do to their thieving brokerage fees.
One of their idiot drivers hit and ran my truck too.
I’ve also been on the wrong end of the UPS brokerage holdup, far too many times. After being held up for another $35 last year i called the UPS customer service office and inquired how they could charge more than the item cost to ship for the brokerage on it. They said it was a flat fee, regardless of the cost of the item, fair enough, but then i asked why US/Canada post doesn’t charge that fee? Their response was that they must eat the cost because everyone has to clear customs at the border. My response to that was their answer was rediculous because the shipping costs through us/canada post was a mere $15, and if they ate the $35 brokerage costs they’d be obviously losing $20 on each package of that size and weight they delivered. Their only response was to reiterate that all shippers had to pay the brokerage fee, and that UPS themselves don’t actually collect that fee, its a separate company. Yeah right, i’m sure its legally a separate corporate entity, but its owners and operators wear that same Shit brown uniform.
I’ve ordered some Gorilla lugnuts.
38$ Made in the USA.UPS shipping was something around 18$.
Everything was fine till the moment I had to pay a 23$ BROKERAGE FEE !!!!!!
Almost half price pf everything.
It’s Made in USA. Hellloooooo Morons.
Thief company.Next time if the company ships with UPS…good bye and have a nice day.No deal.
Good luck everyone.
I ordered labels for my home office from Florida. They are valued at $129.95. The Import charges were $51.04. Horrific, I wish this had been predictable beforehand – I would have gone with a local label guy. NEVER AGAIN!
This applies FROM Canada TO the US too.
I ordered something that’s coming from Calgary and I had to pay a $36 brokerage fee! I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Kind of like the airlines charging for baggage.
I ordered from New York to British Columbia package value $55.00. I paid $27.00 for shipping and then at my door another $36.00 brokerage fees ($63.00 total) I’m so angry at being ripped off.
What a bunch of losers you are. Mark says he ordered labels from a company in the USA. Why would you order from the USA when there is a guy right in town that does the same thing? You get upset when UPS screws you for brokerage. What about the poor guy you scored over and bought from another country. Losers!
I’ve paid $40 for an eBay harddrive.
Brokerage fee: $40.
Way to go UPS!
P.S. Waiting for class-action.
How about $54.18 for an item I didn’t even get…
They even sent it to collection.