Here is the legal way to avoid brokerage fee when importing goods from USA into Canada with courier companies like UPS, or FedEx, without driving hundreds of miles to the port of entry. CBSA officially replied that UPS forces customers to pay outrageous customs brokerage fees illegally.
When you want to order some goods for personal use from US into Canada, you want it to be delivered fast and cheap. It can be orders from eBay, and many other stores across US. Many eBay sellers do not deal with UPS anymore because of outrageous customs brokerage fees. Usually buyers face this fee only at the door, when package is delivered.
It is called C.O.D. (collect on delivery) invoice which includes duties and taxes for imported goods, and UPS customs brokerage fees and other UPS fees like collect on delivery fee, bill integrity fee, taxes on the fees and so on. This C.O.D. bill is usually about 50% of the item’s price! Of course duties and taxes must be paid, but it is usually from 5% to 15% for casual goods (no alcohol, or tobacco, or other goods for which duties applied) depending on the province.
When importers see the invoice to pay extra 50% of the item’s price thay order, some of them just refuse to pay, and item is shipped back to the seller. The sellers do not like this as well as importers, and ship items with more expensive and pretty slow USPS mail service. It goes through Canada Post to the addressee in Canada, and they charge $5 for customs clearance. But USPS delivery can take up to 6 weeks, and theirs delivery cost is higher than for UPS Ground.
Depending on the order’s price, UPS Customs Brokerage Fee varies up to 50%. For example, for the order of $40.01 the brokerage fee is $19.45 + tax, according to the table at UPS website.
If you still want to use advantage of pretty fast, guaranteed, and trackable UPS ground service to ship your imported goods from US into Canada,
You do NOT have to pay UPS brokerage fees!
I’m not advising you to use other courier services, like USPS, or driving hundreds of miles to the port of entry in order to clear items by yourself as UPS forces you to do, otherwise paying brokerage fees.
You do NOT have to be in the port of entry to clear your items!
I’ve ordered some auto parts from California, and UPS forced me to pay brokerage fees. They told that there is absolutely no ways to clear items by myself in local CBSA office other than port of entry. I have spent almost two months to investigate and escalate this issue with UPS and CBSA (Canada Borders Service Agency). Finally I got a call with apologies about the incident and official reply from CBSA which indicates the following:
You are allowed to self clear your personal shipments and pay any duty/taxes owing at an office other than where the goods are being held.
UPS SCS (Ground) was also incorrect to inform you that you had to present yourself at the office where the goods were located.
CBSA also advised me that they are going to inform courier company and CBSA offices to ensure they are aware of the proper procedures.
There are local CBSA (Canada Borders Service Agency) offices in GTA (I’m located in Toronto) where you can pay applicable duties and taxes for imported goods. There is absolutely no need to drive into Windsor or Fort Erie to clear your items. There are also a lot of CBSA offices across Canada, so you most likely may choose one which is pretty close to you.
Here is the way how to avoid UPS brokerage fees:
(Important note: this information is outdated, please see update as of October 17, 2010 below for required list of documents, according to which commercial invoice is not required by CBSA. That list is final and allowed to self clear many shipments successfully)
- Place your order at US store with UPS delivery option
- Print out your commercial invoice (PayPal invoice, or e-mail receipt from the store). You may want to make sure that shipper will put the correct price on the package for customs (just send them a note about it)
- Wait for item to be shipped and get your tracking number
- Call UPS, give them tracking number and tell that you want to clear your items by yourself in your local CBSA office. They should instruct you what you will need to do
Note: this mechanism can be only applied for Low Value Shipment program (LVS),when order’s price does not exceed $1600 CAD. In case of more expensive goods you will need to present yourself at the port of entry to clear your goods, or find a broker to do this for you.
If for any reason UPS still tells you that you can not clear items by yourself in local CBSA office, and you must go to the port of entry in order to pay duties/taxes – it is illegal! Insist on your rights. Tell that they violate the law. Mention that there is an official reply from CBSA. If you get the refusal from UPS, write down the name of the person you talked to, time, and phone number you called in. Please describe your case to me and I will forward it to the person in CBSA who investigated my case and replied to my inquiry. I’m not posting his contact information here to avoid spam. He advised to contact him if this issue is repeated again.
I believe that it should be applied not only to UPS, but to all other courier services. For example, FedEx brokerage fees must be avoided in the same way.
Updated information as of October 17, 2010.
Canada Customs (CBSA) officially replied and provided procedure of self clearing process which UPS, CBSA offices, and importers should follow:
How to pay duties and taxes for imported goods
…
If you are planning to have future shipments sent to you by courier from outside Canada, you do have the option of refusing the accounting services offered by the company, choosing instead to clear the goods yourself through your local CBSA office. If you choose to do this, you will not incur any brokerage fees. The two options available to you are the following:
1. Prior to receiving your shipment, you can contact the courier company and inform them of your wish to self-clear any shipments that are addressed to you and on which brokerage fees are applicable. The company will explain their procedures to you.
2. As an alternative, when a casual shipment is delivered to you, you can refuse delivery and advise the courier company of your intention to self-clear directly with the CBSA. In this case, please ensure that you take note of the unique shipment identifier number on the package, as the shipment will be returned to the courier’s warehouse.
With both options, you will need to visit your local CBSA office and provide them with specific details, including the courier’s name, the unique shipment identifier number, a description of the goods and their value so that the CBSA can correctly assess the goods. This information is usually indicated on the shipment’s invoice, which will be provided to you by the courier company. When you have paid the applicable duties and/or taxes to the CBSA, you will be given an official receipt indicating that the goods have been accounted for. You will need to present this receipt to the courier’s warehouse where your shipment is stored, in order for the courier to release your shipment to you.
Thank you for contacting the CBSA.
Internet: www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca (http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/)
Canada Border Services Agency
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0L8
Government of Canada – Gouvernement du Canada
(Some personal information has been omitted, and CBSA e-mail address also to avoid spam. Some key phrases has been highlighted by editor, not by CBSA)
We may conclude, that in order to self-clear goods in local CBSA office we need following:
The final and proven way of how to avoid UPS brokerage fees:
– Courier’s name: UPS
– Unique shipment identifier number: UPS must provide
– Shipment’s invoice: UPS must provide
– Place where the package is being held
Let’s stop UPS outrageous behavior and lawlessness, and force them to obey the simple law and allow importers to self-clear without paying brokerage fees!
Tell about this procedure to all people who use UPS (or other couriers with high brokerage fees) to import goods from US into Canada! If UPS will hear about it from importers hundreds/thousands times per day, they will definitely start to use new procedure.
The exact procedure of self-clearing with scanned documents is given here:
How to self clear shipment at CBSA and avoid UPS brokerage fee
Hi,
could anyone advise me where I should search for the closest CBSA office? I tried on their official web-site but not sure if I can self clear in any office…
Or, maybe, more particular question: Did anyone from Montreal self clear? Where? If at Trudheau, is there a free parking next to the CBSA office (because parking at the airport will cost as a brokage fee)…
Just to follow up from above.
I had previously payed the taxes on my imported goods, and received my parcel from the warehouse. ~1 month ago now.
Yesterday, however, I received an invoice in the mail for the amount of 42.88.
On the invoice they had the contact info for:
UPS Canada
77 Foundry St.
Moncton, NB
E1C 5H7
1 888 520 9090
I phoned the number, got a person directly (no automated secretary). Originally, when I provided her with the Account No from the invoice, she gave me the value of 42.88. But when I had explained that I had payed the taxes directly to the CBSA office, and provided the proof at the warehouse – I guess she looked closer at the invoice?
In any case, she told me the outstanding balance was 0 dollars. And that the invoice had been sent on March 18th before the account was updated and when the amount was still owed.
I find that surprising considering that I had paid the balance on the 22nd of February, and provided proof on the 23rd of February. But either way, everything seems to be buttoned up.
Cheers,
Cliff
Wow!? This is a seriously corrupt company and I can’t believe I’m going to have to go through this too now after ordering parts from eBay because I was just made aware of a $67 brokerage fee, well at least I’m armed to the teeth with info, thanks to everyone on here who took the time.
Hi,
This past fall I ordered a Christmas present for my partner off of eBay, which was shipped with Fed-Ex. The parcel was delivered to her house on December 5th with no request for duty, taxes, or fees of any kind; my assumption was that the original shipping fee must have included everything. However, today — nearly 3 months later!– I received a bill from Fed-Ex stating that I owe them $50 — $30 of which is for their nonsense “brokerage fees.”
I suppose my question would be whether anyone knows if I can still refuse to pay the fee after the shipment has been delivered? That is, would I still be able to contact Canada Border Services and pay myself and tell Fed-Ex to take a hike with the brokerage fees? Any information regarding my situation would be immensely appreciated!
(On a side note, I am extremely excited to see that people are taking this issue into their own hands; I have long bemoaned the outrageous brokerage fees of UPS but more or less acquiesced up until now. Power to the people!!)
Thanks to your website, I think I’ve managed to avoid a $40 UPS brokerage fee on a $80 item I ordered from the US. I got a call from UPS saying my package was being held in customs in Vancouver and I would need to pay them this fee to get it released. I gave them my credit card number but then decided to do a google search to see why this was happening. I found your site and based on the info you provided, I called them back (got the same agent) and said I wanted to self clear at my local customs office in Victoria. She said I couldn’t – that I must clear it in person at the point of entry into Canada, which was Vancouver. This requires a full day of time to take the ferry over and back. So I agreed to pay since the cost of travel and time wasted would be more than the $40. I hung up and then looked for Canada Customs site. I got a number and called. The agent that answered talked to her supervisor and also took it upon herself to contact Victoria customs office. She informed me that I could indeed self clear the package in Victoria and UPS was required to give me the paperwork to do this. So, I called UPS back a third time. I got a different agent this time,and told her that I’d just talked to Canada Customs and I told her what they told me. She said “no problem, I’ll make a note not to process your credit card payment and to send your package to Victoria.” When I mentioned that apparently there WAS a problem, according to another agent, she became somewhat evasive. She wouldn’t admit that they were wrong, just said that she would write in the file that I had gotten “permission” from CC to self clear. Like I needed “permission”! I thought this was very “creative” on her part. :-)
I reminded her that I would need the paperwork and that CC said UPS was required to give me that documentation. She took my fax number and said I could expect the paperwork later that day. No paperwork ever came, but the package arrived at my door a couple days later, delivered by a UPS driver. There was no charge. (
Once before, a UPS driver demanded I pay a hefty brokerage fee when he showed up at my door with something I ordered, and would not leave the package until I paid up. This time, at least, they called before delivery to get my credit card info. Perhaps too many packages were being returned?)
I haven’t gotten my credit card statement yet to see if there is a charge there or not. There shouldn’t be since the UPS agent read me what she wrote in my file – not to process my credit card payment. I’m presuming that there won’t be. But if there is, I’m going to go back to Canada Customs with a complaint and follow through on getting whatever they charge refunded by UPS.
I’m very glad I found your site, proud of myself for standing my ground with UPS, and I’m telling my friends and acquaintances what happened so that if the same thing happens to them, they know what to do. As it turns out, I own a magazine that is published throughout Western Canada. We run a monthly column on Scams, written by the Better Business Bureau. I’m going to ask them to look into this and write this up as advice for our readers. Hopefully UPS will change the way they handle their brokerage charges if enough pressure is brought to bear. Their agents need to inform customers of their true options and rights. I felt like I was being purposely mislead and bullied into paying the fee by the first agent I spoke to. The second agent sounded like she knew the game was up, but wasn’t going to admit it. But this isn’t the upfront kind of business dealings one would expect from a legitimate company.
The bad thing is that I am now leary about ordering from the US. I needed to purchase some items more recently and when one of the companies said they shipped with UPS and that packages would need to clear customs, I found a different company from whom to purchase that used USPS. So US businesses should know that using UPS is problematic and UPS should be aware that they’re going to lose business over this.
I did notify the seller through an Amazon review about the shipping problem to Canada. Hopefully they will change shippers.
I’ll post again if I am, indeed, charged on my credit card after all this.
Hi Cliff,
1) It is stated in CBSA Memorandum D17-4-0:
http://trueler.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/d17-4-0-eng.pdf
Accounting for Released Goods
24. … Accounting for these goods is due by the 24th day of the month following the month in which the goods were released, with the payment of the duties and taxes due by the end of that month…
It means that UPS does not pay anything to CBSA at the port of entry. When they say to the customer that taxes already been paid, it is just incorrect information…
2) Basically UPS promises to CBSA at the port of entry that taxes will be paid, so the Government does not contact anyone. If importer does not pay taxes to CBSA or to UPS, they send shipment back or destroy it, depending on instructions from the seller, I guess. Usually UPS holds a shipment for 5 days, but if customer contact them and ask to dispute brokerage fees, they should hold it for a longer time until situation is resolved.
Thanks,
Trueler
Two questions I guess:
1) do you have a source for that 30 day number? I was bouncing around the CBSA website, and most of the information seems to apply to commercial importing.
2) Is UPS allowed to hold the parcel for those 30 days until proof of tax is paid? ie. if the tax does not get paid on imported goods, does the government contact the courier or the importer?
Intuitively, it would make sense that they would contact the importer. ie. Shouldn’t UPS just hand me my package and it would be my responsibility to pay the taxes within thirty days?
Payment due is by the end of the month following after shipment crosses border.
When is payment due?
Thanks a lot Cliff for sharing experience! I think it would be helpful to other importers. UPS representatives do behave differently. Usually instead of arguing it does worth to call again.
One thing thought. One of the requirement to self-clear is that the goods must have already been cleared by the customs at the port of entry, i.e. CBSA there may ask to inspect goods. If it’s OK, CBSA releases goods to the courier. Payment of taxes is NOT required at that time!
We’ve seen a lot of cases when shipment has not arrived to the local warehouse and people called UPS inquiring about self clearance. In this case UPS just told that they will hold shipment at the port of entry until importer shows up there in person…
Thanks,
Trueler
Success Story.
Location: Kitchener, ON
Day 1:
1) Arrived home to a notice on the door for a $43.88 COD charge (The goods I ordered were valued at $71.94 (61% tax/brokerage fee… )
2) Googled “UPS Brokerage Fee” as the charge was completely unexpected. I knew I had to pay GST on goods imported from the US, this number just seemed absurd. I wanted to know what it was, and if it existed because i did something wrong.
I found this site.
The $34 dollar difference between the GST and the total fee wasn’t worth my time… but the situation intrigued me – and the adventure followed.
3) Called UPS, asking them to hold the package at the warehouse. I also asked for a copy of the commercial as I planned to clear the goods myself. I was told that this could only be done at the port of entry. All the same I asked the invoice to be emailed to me as I did not have a fax machine. I was told that they could not email me a copy of the commercial invoice “it had to be faxed”.
I asked if I could get it printed out at my local UPS store. She said she did not know. I asked if I could have the number for the local branch, to see if they could help me out – i explained that the website listed all branch numbers as this global number. She explained that she could not provide/did not have the branch numbers and that I would have to go there and ask them.
…
4) Two hours later I phoned the global number again and asked for a copy of my commercial invoice to be emailed to me: no problem. The second operator was extremely friendly.
Day 2:
1) I arrived at the CBSA office at the Kitchener Airport. Parking: $3.00
The CBSA office is inside the main terminal.
The officer there was extremely helpful and knew exactly what I was after. 10 minutes later I had a B15 in hand. (They accept debit or exact change). She explained that she does this frequently for people, and that I would simply have to phone UPS and fax them my B15. ($9.31)
It had sounded like other people had paved the way for me – and that I should have no problems going forward. I underestimated UPS phone service.
2) Called UPS to fax them my B15.
This was a fascinating situation. I explained that I had gone to the CBSA office and paid the taxes on my goods, and that I wanted to fax them the B15 as proof of the payment.
She said that the only way I could pay the GST was if they shipped the package back to Port Erie (which is the states side port i believe) and I would have to arrive there in person to pay the GST ($9.31).
I told here that I had already paid the GST, and that I wanted to provide them with proof of payment. I was told that was not possible. I asked her for an email address to which I could provide documentation from the CBSA that showed that I could pay for the GST at a local branch, even if it was just a customer support email address. She said that no such email addresses existed.
I took her name and employee number, thanked her for her time.
3) Went to the UPS Warehouse. (65 Trillium Park Pl)
I figured I might have more success dealing with someone in person.
I provided them with the door slip for the package, explained that there was a COD brokerage charge on the package, but that I had proof that i had paid the GST myself and therefore i shouldn’t have to pay the taxes again or the associated brokerage fee.
The girl at the counter was friendly but had not run into the situation before. She went to the back to speak with her supervisor, who i believe in turn got the “Business Manager.”
This gentlemen was extremely friendly and helpful. I explained my situation to him, and that I had already paid the GST on the goods that were imported. He asked if I had proof that I had paid the GST, he asked for a “B3” form. (Not sure if this is different/the same as a B15, or how they vary)
He was very surprised when I gave him the B15. He said in the 20 years he’s been there I’m the first person to hand him the document. He took a photocopy of the B15 and of my customer’s invoice, and of the printout i had from this website (including the instructional email from the CBSA office in Ottawa).
He was sympathetic to my situation, but asked that if I plan to clear goods myself in the future that I should call UPS before the goods cross the boarder. They would then hold them at the border until payment was cleared, and then continue with shipping. I think this is a very realistic request. We don’t like it when we get surprise brokerage fees, I doubt UPS likes it when they have to sort out Tax/Duty payments on goods that are now paid twice.
I certainly plan to make the phone call in the future, and encourage you all to do the same.
That being said, the manager did say that I would likely still get an invoice for the brokerage fee. He gave me a copy of his card, and told me to give him a call if the invoice did show up and things went sideways on me. They gave me the package and set me free.
Final Thoughts
The biggest hurdle I found is the variation you receive in customer support over the phone. The difference between operators is kindly described as inconsistent. I had zero issues with the CBSA office, though perhaps dealing with a different officer would be a different situation again.
Anyways,
Sorry for the novel. I just hadn’t seen anything listed specifically about people using the Kitchener CBSA, so I thought I’d plug that gap. Be nice to the Kitchener UPS folks though, they are very good people. (65 Trillium Park Pl)
Cheers,
Cliff
Wow… something has changed. I just got off the phone with the local UPS warehouse and the women on the phone was very helpful. I asked for the price of the brokerage fee about $80.00 on a thousand dollar item. I already paid $100.00 for shipping… after she told me the price I said no I am going to self clear and without skipping a beat she said o.k. She will send the necessary papers over to the customs port office and someone at customs will call once they have the paper work ready to pick up. She took my name and number. She was very polite and accommodating. I was ready for a fight but had a nice conversation instead. Very professional. I will post a follow up as to how the rest goes.
If she had said $20.00 or something reasonable I would gladly have them drop it off here. But for $80.00 It’s not worth it. UPS just drop your “brokerage fees” and i’m sure your profits will benefit.
P.S I am in Winnipeg.
I’m wondering if all of these brokerage fees are not Mafia
infiltration of the delivery system with kickbacked blessings of our politicians. I have limited my purchases to Canada if possible.(But there are many Canadian companies that overcharge and even seem to be morons)Notably a tool company out west that seemed to be unwilling to sell to Quebec(real tool company) I ended up purchasing the 2000$ plasma cutter in Quebec after weeks of trying to track down the item. I guess if we stop purchasing from US online stores and the US economy is hindered by boycotting US purchases from Canada something might come of all of this abusive practice.
Thanks Matt!
Let me say first off that I am very, very, tremendously appreciative of the information and discussion provided on this site!
Having said that, I am somewhat surprised there has been no mention (that I could see?) of the class action law suit in progress and currently before the courts in Ontario against UPS (see also: http://www.classaction.ca/CMSFiles/PDF/Consumer/UPS/UPS%20Decision.pdf). It is my understanding that UPS is appealing the judge’s decision [that the case can be considered a class action suit, free to proceed], and that as of today, no further hearing has yet been held, nor has a decision on such an appeal been rendered. The wheels of justice turn very slowly sometimes ;-)
Further, with all the mention of CTV, I am surprised no one (again, from what I could see on this site) has thought to contact CBC television’s “Marketplace” programme (http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/). They absolutely LOVE stories like this and it’s way easy to contact them (marketplace@cbc.ca)
Finally, not to inject too much politics into this, but nothing will really change until people start complaining consistently and loudly to the Minister in charge of the CBSA (currently Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, reachable at vic.toews@parl.gc.ca)… whose overall effectiveness is an open question (IMHO) within a government whose effectiveness is in the same state (IMHO).
For UPS to be encouraged to do business more transparently when it comes to their customs-brokerage practices, the CBSA would have to beef up (and then actually enforce) regulations REQUIRING these companies to publish for customers, up-front, their options about self-clearance, and be unable, by law, to withhold, obfuscate or outright hide such obscure details as their unique, internal waybill code they seem so reluctant to provide up front and yet which seems to give them a reason to stall, prevaricate (if peoples’ experiences as related on this site are any indication!) and then charge $$$ for what seem like unnecessary services.
Thank you again Trueler for an invaluable resource. Canadians owe you a debt of gratitude for your efforts!
Just an update on my UPS situation from January 25/12.
UPS tried to deliver the parcel 2 more times even though I told them I would self clear! (I suspect they were hoping I would cave-in and just pay the fee since the parcel was right in front of me). Of course I didn’t cave-in, the parcel was sent back to Richmond, I drove to their warehouse, waited for the paper-work and took it to Canada Customs. The customs officer did NOT charge me any duty or taxes. He said “Just bring this (document) back to UPS and get your parcel” and that was it.
So yes, there was some driving around and time spent on my part but well worth not paying $37.97 in brokerage fees on a $38.95 parcel.
Next time, I will let the shipping company know ahead of time that I will self clear. Easypeasy
I want to thank everybody for their great advice and I also want to share my success story from yesterday. To start off, it doesn’t need to take very long, and B, keep UPS out of the loop as long as possible. Be nice, act unsure on what to do(even though you know perfectly), and be firm but tactful.
Here is what I did in Toronto, it looks long, but it only took 3 calls and 2 hours of my time.
1. I watched my tracking number and waited until my item had departed from the point of entry(Windsor) before the first call. I had my wife call and sound a little confused asking for “a shipping or commercial, or whatever you guys(UPS) call it, invoice” to be emailed. If they ask, she wanted it for her husband’s accounting purposes and claimed she’s done it before(it wasn’t necessary for us). The “Commercial Invoice” was in my spam folder(private domain) 15 minutes later.
2. Morning of delivery, I call and ask if there was a COD, to check if I should even bother with taking it further. They said $140 on my $300 item. Say thanks and hang up, don’t divulge any more info.
3. Wait for delivery guy to come, sound surprised and tell him to hold it at the warehouse because you don’t have money with you, and will go pick it up no later than 4-5 days. GET A COPY OF THE COD INVOICE, he wouldn’t provide his, but allowed me to photocopy it. Also take note of the “SHP#:” on the sticker with a barcode on the box. You can also get this # on the tracking page if you sign up at UPS.com.
4. Wait for tracking to say “being held at warehouse” etc etc, mine updated 1/2hr after the driver left.
5. Call UPS again. Explain that the driver came, there was an unreasonable COD, so you told him to hold it until you call UPS. Then ask what you can do to dispute the charge.
The guy explained why they charge brokerage and said it’s part of process. I said it was not fair, and I don’t want to pay 40% tax, “what options do I have?” He told me I can self clear it, but I need to go to point of entry, which is Windsor. I asked him if he was sure, I asked if I can pay locally, he said no, you must go to point of entry to self clear. I didn’t argue and simply asked for the number for customs so I can speak to them myself. I explained I will call back with my decision when I get an answer from “customs”.
6. You need to prints of the following items to be safe.
-Commercial Invoice
-COD Invoice(customs guy used this for my B15)
-Payment receipt(My emailed Paypal receipt)
-Entire tracking page from UPS, showing that the item is being held in warehouse.
-CBSA reponse(customs agent didn’t even look at it, looked like he’d seen it before)
-A page with warehouse address (2900 Steeles), Waybill#(on Commercial Invoice), Shipping ID#, and Tracking #.
7. Don’t call CBSA, I want straight to CBSA Office (2720 Britannia Rd. East).
I explained I need a B15 because I want to self-clear a package that I am having couriered from the states. I want to pay the taxes. I handed him all my papers explaining I tried to get a manifest as well, but UPS said they can’t give me one because of Low Value program, they import all the items in a big group, and they can’t provide unique info to me. The guy asked a few questions about what I was importing, punched a few things in is computer, he used the “transaction #” on the COD Invoice as the reference. I paid $36 in tax and received a blue receipt aka B15.
8. I went straight to concord warehouse at 7:20(just before close). Said I want to pick up a package being held, but they need to waive COD, because I paid taxes myself at customs and didn’t use UPS’ brokerage service. They guy went in the back asking questions. Another guy came out and said everything is okay, but they don’t have confirmation of payment on their system so they can’t release it until the system updates showing payment made. I said customs guy told me I can go straight to warehouse(as he did). I was suggested to call UPS.
9. I called UPS, explained I’m at the warehouse, I have my B15, can they waive COD? The guy explained that they need to see a confirmation from customs (electronically) that payment was made and I’d have to wait till that happened. I agreed but asked if there was any way to expedite the process, ie can I fax or email the b15? etc etc. He put me on hold for 12 minutes while talking to a supervisor since he wasn’t too sure about the process. When he came back to the line, he told me to hand my phone to the clerk so he can provide them with a COD waive code. End of story.
Some phone call were just to manipulate the situation, just in case UPS keeps comments. They provided me with CBSA tel#. My argument would have been that I called and they told me to go to local office, no need to go to point of entry. etc etc. The less they know, the less they will try to give you the runaround.
Also, keep your B15 and ask for the COD waive code from in case they want to bill you down the road, as I’m doing.
Good luck, and never get UPS standard or ground mail. Expedited has always been okay, but pricey.
I ordered brakes from Autopartsway.com that was supposed to be sent via USPS but ended up being shipped UPS. I was expecting the worst so I started researching how to avoid brokerage fees and came across this site. THANK YOU! UPS was charging me $147 for taxes, brokerage and service fees. I followed the procedure from this website, went to UPS Stevenage in Ottawa and asked for the manifest. They gave me a copy of the UPS sticker with barcode and other information, but not the manifest. The woman at UPS was helpful but not 100% sure what we were doing. I then went to CBSA on Thad Johnson at the airport. The CBSA officer also wasn’t sure what I was doing, thought I was a commercial car part seller and at first he wanted my ownerships for the cars that I bought parts for. I explained I work for the public service and I am not a business, it’s for personal use. Then he understood what I was doing and said he would provide me with a B-15 form. I paid the taxes $68 at the office and brought the B-15 back to UPS Stevanage. The woman released the packages to me after I showed her the B-15. She said the COD charges were cleared from the system. Thanks again for this information! 1 hour of my time and I saved almost $80 in UPS fees!
I was scammed not only once but THREE times by UPS.
The first time when I was importing from the states, I was totally unaware of the charges that UPS had administered until I actually received my package. The goods themselves were worth a total of $380.00 and UPS wanted 135.00 for delivery charges. Now this completely boggled me because I have ordered from the states on numerous occasions and have NEVER had to pay such bogus charges.
So I contacted their customer care center two different times trying to get my charges reimbursed, but I had no such luck.
So about 3 weeks later I placed an order again with this American company and contacted the CBSA as well as UPS to inquire whether or not I could clear my own packages. The first CBSA agent I spoke to said I could do it, and gave me instructions on how to go about doing it. Then I called UPS, and the first UPS agent I spoke to said I could not. So I hung up and called again. The second time I got an agent who said I COULD clear them myself at my local customs office. So then I called CBSA one more time to clarify, just in case. And this second CBSA agent said I had to go the port of entry. So this ticked me off, because clearly the customs office wasn’t informing their employees of this procedure. So I called one more time, and that third agent told me it was possible, and that the other agent was misinformed and apologized. So I called UPS back one more time to tell them I was going to clear the items myself at my local customs office. The agent gave me instructions on what to do and said to contact UPS once the items were cleared by me. So I waited until the package came in to the port of entry (in Winnipeg) and called UPS to ask to get the paper work. The agent I spoke to said they don’t fax or email those papers to the receiver (me) and that I would have to go to Winnipeg. I WAS SO FURIOUS THAT I HUNG UP. So I waited for the package to be delivered to my home, only to find that they charged me $32.00, which I was totally fine with, considering the packed was $400.00.
The third time I ordered from this company, I called UPS and told them that I wanted to clear the package myself. I talked to 3 different agents, and they all said I couldn’t. I explained to them that I have talked to my CBSA office, and they told me that it was possible for me to do. One agent said that the CBSA doesn’t know of UPS’s policies and procedures, so they shouldn’t be advising people that they can do this.
SO I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. The company I order from is to support my small business, and I have looked at other wholesale suppliers, and they all ship with UPS regardless. So in the end, I’m screwed.
Can you do anything to help me?
Hello Trueler,
Thought I would share a recent UPS experience.
I ordered a small cleaning appliance from the US. UPS tried to deliver it yesterday but I was not home. They left their little yellow tag on my door with a $37.97 brokerage fee screaming at me. I thought it was a mistake or a misprint because the item I ordered cost $39.89. I called UPS this morning and discovered that amount was correct. So, I did what I always do when I need answers and googled “UPS brokerage fees” and found your website. Thank you for this valuable information. I read the info and called UPS to tell them I would like the parcel sent back to their warehouse in Richmond and that I would like to self clear with CBSA. The first agent I spoke to was a little confused because he indicated that the parcel is already being delivered and was scheduled for delivery today. Sort of making it sound like it was too late. I just stood my ground, kept repeating myself and said that I would like to self clear with the CBSA and the parcel needs to go back to the warehouse. He transfered me to the brokerage department. The man I spoke to in the brokerage department was very polite and totally understood what I wanted to do. I asked for the shipping invoice/unique shipping ID # to be emailed to me, but he said that their department would forward that info to the CBSA for me and someone will call me tomorrow to let me know it was there. Wow, I didn’t expect that. Are they going to charge me for that service? The only 2 issues about this whole thing is they are going to hold my parcel for another 5 business days so it is not available for pickup until Feb 1st and I have to drive from New Westminster to Richmond which is about a 1 hour round trip. For me this is more about the whole principle of the matter. I refuse to pay this fee even though it is going to be a bit inconveinient for me. Now my only concern is once I go to the CBSA and pay the applicable taxes then go to the UPS warehouse to get my parcel are they still going to try to charge the “brokerage fees” or “bond fees” or a “forwarding the shipping invoice fee” or “I don’t like your face fee” or “I’m having a bad day fee”.
I will give you an update I guess a week from now to let you know how things go.
Anyway, thank you again for providing this information. I will check out the other info on this website. Oh, I also contacted the company that I ordered from to tell them about the outrageous fees UPS was going to charge me. I suggested that they either tell their customers about UPS’ high fees or that a person can self clear through the CBSA. I also suggested using other shipping companies. Basically I told them that if I had not looked into this issue and paid the fee I would have felt ripped off, even though it’s not their fault, and would not order from them again. I will not order from a company who uses UPS.
Thanks again.
Michele
I just had the same problem and called and pleaded my case with UPS. The first time the agent was useless. The second call was about the details if I refuse the shipment. They transferred me to another agent who agreed to drop the charges based on the fact that this was a personal shipment and we weren’t told about any brokerage fees upfront. So I have saved the $45 and learned a lesson about using UPS for such shipments in the future.
Hi Trueler.
I went to the CBSA office at Pearson Intl. and advised the CBSA clerk I had the ‘Commercial Invoice’ and address of the UPS warehouse where the goods were being held, he refused to issue me the B15 advising me I must obtain the ‘Cargo Control Documents’ from the UPS warehouse and that he “does this sort of all the time”. It was Sunday afternoon, so I headed to the other side of the Airport and being Sunday of course UPS was closed. I immediately went back and went to another clerk this time advising him that the ‘Cargo Control Documents’ would not be issued to me but that I had the ‘Commercial invoice’, he too was reluctant. I showed him the official response from CBSA in Ottawa from my phone and he spoke with his supervisor which advised him to issue me the B15 since the goods were being held in a non-bonded warehouse.
At this time I witnessed something quite appalling between the two different CBSA agents, a verbal argument broke out in front of me between the first and second agents I went to. The first agent advised him the ‘Cargo control documents’ would not be released to me, including the manifesto. At this point the second agent advised him he must comply with the policy and not make up his own, the first agent that refused: his reply to this was “I don’t like this guy!” right in front of me. I could not believe the argument kept escalating between the two, the [elderly] second agent was coaching the younger [first] officer. It’s unfortunate that our tax dollars are paying for their salaries and the reason he did not want to assist me was because: he didn’t ‘like this guy!’ not to mention his lack of knowledge with the procedure.
My take from all this is that you have to be diligent and calm during your request, request to speak to a supervisor if need be, as some of the agents themselves are not aware of the policy and procedure regarding this whole ordeal or are just blatantly reluctant to assist you.
In regards to the Fed Ex cod, Fed ex does charge a 10 fee to release the package from customs. This is always included in the breakdown of charges that is delivered with the package. If you got a package and signed for it without paying the charges that is Fed Ex’s fault not yours. I am not familiar with how Fed Ex ground operates but you should always be told if you have charges before your packages arrive not 4 weeks later after you already have it in your possession. When shipping there is a option to use your own broker when shipping with Fed Ex, it has to be communicated to the shipper. When shipping always include a commercial invoice!
Can’t even get the invoice from UPS.
I shipped a package to myself from California to Toronto with an item valued at $200. Arrived at my door with $23 in taxes and over $50 in brokerage fees! I refused delivery and called UPS immediately, got the COD dept (before I had read your article) and the lady told me I should contact the UPS store I had shipped it from and make them pay the brokerage because they failed to inform me of the charge. Needless to say, that did not go so well.
So then we came across your article and decided to self clear. 2nd call to UPS COD and they told me they could not email the invoice, only fax. Like most of the non-office world, I don’t have fax. I had her give me all the info that was on the invoice over the phone but figured I still needed the actual paper in hand from CBSA.
3rd phone call to UPS COD. This time I said nothing about self-clearing, gave her the shipment ID number, and asked to be emailed the invoice. She told me she could only fax. I said I had been emailed invoices before so she put me on hold to “request an email”. When she came back, she told me that the invoice “was not uploaded into their system yet” and that it would take 7 business days. Conveniently, UPS would only hold my package for 5 business days. Arguing that was to no avail.
So I am having the package re-delivered so I can make a copy of the invoice when it comes to the door.
Another thing – I tried looking up the 5425 Dixie Rd CBSA location you went on the list of offices providing CLVS services and it was not on there. Instead there is office 497 on Airport Rd. This office also says something to the effect that they only deal with “vista clients”. Not sure why that would be… did they change? The Dixie Rd office does exist (office 480) but does not provide CLVS services according to the website. I am in TO so I will go anywhere that is nearby but I don’t want to run around to different offices.
Damn UPS.
Thanks for the help!
I am an IT guy at a company and I ordered some toner cartridges for one of our printers. They were about $550 and the driver came yesterday with a $66 brokerage fee. I didn’t want to pay it so I sent him away, but after doing some reading unfortunately I don’t have the time to deal with this BS. I’d have to drive to the airport to clear my item, then drive to the UPS warehouse to pick up my package. That’s at least 3 or 4 hours of my day, probably more. Anyway, I’m getting the run around for UPS and CBSA on what forms I need as well. What a perfect scam; I’m forced to just pay the damn thing now.
I can’t believe, after so many years, they are still getting away with this. I got bit by this UPS brokerage fee over 10 years ago, I ordered a $150 remote control airplane from Ebay and had a COD of $55 at the door.
So basically, I ordered a product off folica.com, found out that there would be import charges (after purchasing the product and doing some investigation) and came across your website on how to avoid such fees. However, I am pretty angry at Folica for their poor customer service, and wanted to return it, so within the hour i contacted them to return the product. they did not get back to me till 3 days later and informed me that i could not return it because it had already been shipped on tuesday morning. well… i contacted ups to return to sender and they said they could only do it with a return authorization (something folica wasnt willing to do because they said if i returned to sender, they would mark it as abandoned and i wouldnt get the product + would have to pay customs fee and pay for the product itself with nothing to show for it). I finally got folica and ups on the line at the same time and told them that since ups had posession of the package, folica needed to provide them with the return authorization and get it sent back to them. it was all agreed upon, a rep from folica provided them with the info.. and a few hours later i noticed it was still moving within the network. when i called ups, they said they would be calling folica the next day… but till then, they couldnt hold the package even though the rep i’d talked to earlier said they could. it is a huge rip off, and now, apparently, its being held for customs. if it goes through customs, i dont know how to get my money back from folica… what do i do??? any suggestions??? please help!!
I was living down in the US under a work visa for 4 months and shipped some of my personal items home to myself via UPS (shipped on December 2, 2011). I declared the value of the items on the original shipment, and when I came across the border in Montreal (on December 16th, 2011) I claimed the items under my personal exemption of $750CAD. I received an E-24 form and was told by the border agent that when UPS delivers my items, they may require me to pay fees. She told me to just give them this form and I will not have to pay any fees.
Well, after I get through customs and to the gate of my next flight, I receive a call from UPS stating that I need to fax them the E-24 form by 11:00PM that night (December 16th, 2011) in order for my items to be released and get to me before Christmas. I leave the gate and walk 30 minutes to find a fax machine at the airport and fax the E-24 form off to them. I get a confirmation report that the fax was received at 5:54PM.
Jump to Monday, December 19th, 2011. I receive a call from UPS stating that they never received the fax. Now they want me to scan the E-24 form and e-mail to them. I spoke with someone by the name of Joyce (Trueler, if you need her full name I can give it to you via e-mail). So I state that I received a confirmation that the fax was indeed received, restated the fax number to her which she confirmed, but she still claimed they never received it. I give them the benefit of the doubt and scan the form and e-mail it to her. She says she will get back to me tomorrow to let me know that the package has been released.
Jump to today, still have not heard anything back from this one Joyce, so I write her another e-mail inquiring about the status of my package, and stating that I fully expect UPS to raise the priority on my package appropriately in order to honor their original statement that the package will be delivered before Christmas (this is standard, good quality customer service practice).
Finally, 6 hours after I send the e-mail I get another call from UPS. This time it is another representative by the name of Milly (again, I can provide her full name if you require Trueler). She states that the faxed copy (thus confirming that I knew they had received it…) as well as the scanned copy of the E-24 form are not good enough, and that they require me to mail the original to them. She continues to tell me that it is being held by customs and because I do not live in Montreal, I have to authorize UPS to clear it and I also have to mail the original E-24 form. I tell her that it has already been claimed at the border, and that if I need to clear it I should be able to clear it myself at a local CBSA office. I ask her to e-mail the details and this is what she e-mails instead:
“If you have the form E-24 (personal exemption form) from customs, your pkg is considered as personal effects which customs want you to clear yourself. Since you do not live in Montreal, UPS can clear it for you provided you send me a note stating:
I authorize UPS to prepare documents for customs. State the reason and period of your stay in the USA and please sign the letter of authorization.
I also need a copy of the invoice for the items.
The E-24 is required in original by customs, so please post it to: (Address removed)”
I write back stating that I require the information so that I can clear these items myself at my local CBSA office in Newfoundland, and that I do not authorize UPS to prepare any documentation for this because they charge ridiculous fees. She finally sends me the information/documentation which they have on my package and states that because I have an E-24 form there will be no fees…however, I still have to pay to mail the original to them…and on top of this it will take weeks for it to reach them in the mail (thus a solid month before I receive my items). Better still, what happens if the original gets lost in the mail?! Then what do I do?
I cannot describe my frustration and my anger right now. I am at a loss about what to do. I have called CBSA, but their offices are closed. When I was shipping the package, I was told that because I am only shipping personal items to myself, it would not be held up at customs, and I would not have to pay any brokerage fees or taxes. Now it has been over 3 weeks since I shipped my items and it seems as if I will never receive them!
Trueler, can you please e-mail me and provide me with the contact information for who you spoke with at the CBSA so I can get this resolved.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi Samuel,
Your job is to pay taxes and get a proof from CBSA. It’s a problem of UPS that they don’t want to accept it by fax. You provide them a proof – they must release goods to you.
Seems like another invention from UPS to rip-off customers.
Regards,
Trueler
Hi,
I just called UPS. I told them I want the “commercial invoice” to do the self-clearing my self. They says no problem but I absolutely need to present the documents (B15 form) at the warehouse in Montreal. They said I cannot simply send the B15 form by fax. I also call CBSA and they told me the same thing. I can pay taxes and do all the paper work locally but I NEED to present the documents by myself (or an other person) directly in Montreal.
Any suggestions?
FYI: UPS Class Action
http://www.classaction.ca/actions/Consumer-Protection/Current-Actions/United-Parcel-Service-Canada-Ltd-(-UPS-).aspx
Sign the petition!
http://www.change.org/petitions/ups-absurd-brokerage-fees-stop-all-absurd-surprise-ups-brokerage-fees-on-delivery
Leanne.
First of all, I encourage you to avoid UPS as I am doing and tell others. Since you have already shipped with UPS hopefully this information will help you and others.
You should be able to self-clear at locations in Toronto or around the GTA. See this website.
http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/contact/listing/indexpages/index1331-e.html#d1331
UPS is required to give you the address of the local UPS warehouse where the package is being held (when you request self-clearance) and they will also give you the address of the nearest CBSA office. You can double check this by checking the website of calling the CBSA phone support line. CBSA agents have always been very helpful and polite.
When you want to self-clear you should DO SO AS SOON AS THE ITEM HAS BEEN SHIPPED by calling UPS 1-800-PICK-UPS. This will prevent UPS from trying to charge anyway in the case where you call after the pacakage has crossed the border.
Also, it appears you need to hurry to the CBSA office and clear the package as fast as possible or UPS may try to claim they filed a B3, paid taxes and released the item before you. All lies but you can avoid by acting quickly. (See my story above)
Once you get to the CBSA office.. you should expect the agents to be helpful and polite. Tell them you are self-clearing and it is your first time filing a B3.
1. When filing a B3, you will need the commercial invoice, shipping tracking number or other shipping ID. The item has to be at the local UPS warehouse associated with the CBSA office. You need the commercial invoice with item description to determine the category of items (a code that UPS, CBSA and the government use to track goods called a harmonizing code I believe). The good news is the commercial invoice sometimes has all these codes near the line items. The shipper might have done this for you if they are used to shipping across the border.
2. Split line items in countries of origin. They will need to be entered by country of origin so put all items from one country in a list of its own. Pretty simple so far.
3. To save time, if you can organize your items (already sorted by country) into a small number of categories this will help a lot. Trust me! So if you are importing many different values of capacitors (electronics parts) from Japan then you can file them all under code 8532240092 with country of origin being Japan. The computer will help you find the code or you can look in the book at CBSA. Pretty simple though.
4. Enter each all items, grouped by code, for each country into the computer or manually on the B3 form in pen. If you entered the items on the computer, you will be able to print the B3 form pages at the end.
5. Enter the quantity and cost for each code (do this for each country). The computer makes this simple and will ask you for all the neccessary info. The quantity and code is used to calculate how much tax is due.
6. CBSA agents will use your B3 to prepare your release forms (this may take a few minutes so bring you smart phone or ipad)
7. After the CBSA agents have prepared the release forms. They will stamp one.
8. Pay the GST/HST calculated by you (if you completed the B3 manually) or the computer. Credit card, debit and cash are accepted as far as I know.
9. Take your forms (including the stamped one) to the UPS. Present the release forms and they will give you your package.
10. Smile you’re done! (Hopefully this tutorial will help anyone trying to self-clear for the first time!)
11. Pray UPS won’t invoice you anyway (1 month later as I am experiencing!)
Good luck and in the future… dont use UPS! :)
Folks… UPS has hit a new low… enjoy (or not)…
I’m currently considering legal action against UPS. I have asked them for self-clearance. They were very slow and seemingly hesitant. I called many times and it wasn’t right until about the third time. The second agent actually lied and told me that self-clearance was not possible (lie). Luckily, not all UPS agents were complete idiots but it did takes some pushing and knowledge gained from this site.
When the package was finally ready for self-clearance, I took time out of my schedule to visit CBSA at the Ottawa airport (140 Thad Johnson, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 0R4) and prepare the B3 and pay the taxes.
Now 1 month after I cleared my package and picked it up, UPS sends me an invoice for the same absurd amount. They still want to charge me the same brokerage and fees and taxes and they claim to have paid the taxes for me! Very funny UPS! :)
The best part is that in the UPS system it is documented that I initiated the self-clearance process. The UPS agent and UPS supervisor both told me this over the phone. In that case, I clearly should not have to pay UPS anything since I rejected their brokerage service and fees and opted to prepare the B3 myself and pay taxes myself. This is my choice and they can’t charge me for preparing a B3 for me when I clearly said no!
The bogus reason they still claim I owe them brokerage, fees and taxes on-top of taxes is they say they filed the B3 first! In other words they beat me to the B3 even after I called to ask to self-clear! The package was shipped on the 24th. I initiated the self-clearance on the 26th. UPS claims they filed B3 on 31st. I started my B3 on the 31st but due to some problems at CBSA, had to return to complete the B3 and get the packages cleared. I didn’t know it was a race between myself and UPS to file the B3 first… like filing patent!
This company has completely brain-washed its employees to the point where they don’t even feel bad about scamming people. The christmas season is comming soon and I have a feeling UPS stock prices are going to surge…. not because of good business practices but by scamming families, older men and women and others expecting gifts who will be stuck with a 50% brokerage & fees bill at their door C.O.D!!
After reading hundreds of complaints about UPS (Canada) on the internet I think it’s time a class-action suit is filed against UPS and we put and end to the tax on-top of tax on-top of tax that UPS fraudulently charges. The best way to describe what they do is hostage taking. Really! They hold your pacakage hostage until you pay up, despite paying for shipping in full. Sounds like something that only happens in Columbia but in reality is happening in our own backyard.
Even after self-clearing, they sleezly try to find ways to bill you anyway. To be honest, when I got the invoice in the mail 1 month later I wasn’t that surprised That’s just the kind of company UPS is!! A bunch of criminals!
So Monday I plan to go to back to the CBSA office and let them know I have my B3 and UPS is trying to charge me fees anyway. I’ll file a complaint against UPS if I can in writing. I just finished filing a complaint against UPS with the better business bureau tonight, and sending an email to newspapers and the CBC. At this point, I’m considering litigation… if it makes the world a better place… then its worth the trouble
also i forgot to mention, that i am not able to go outside toronto because i don’t have a car. and is giving them a void check a good idea or will it just come back and bite me?
hi,
I bought an item from from California for $139 US (on its way to toronto) and it was shipped through UPS on december 29. i just found out about brokerage and other fees that i will have to pay at the door. i had thought that i paid for shipping already since the seller charged $40 for shipping? what was that for if i have to pay so much still? How can i avoid some of these extra fees?
Thanks
Hi Karl,
Original document is the same as in the section “How to pay duties and taxes for imported goods”. Just copy it into doc and take to CBSA.
Regards,
Trueler
Hi Trueler,
I’m wondering if the procedure has changed – can you email me the original document from CBSA?
I’m in Edmonton and have an item coming via UPS, and I wasn’t given the option of selecting a carrier – the shipper just chose one for me. I called UPS to verify brokerage fees, and I was told if I pre-pay it would be $13.00 (plus the GST on the item). Considering the local CBSA office is an hour away, I feel this is reasonable. However, if it turns out the UPS rep was lying about the total fees, I’d like to have all the information ready to self-clear. Can you send me the original letter you got from CBSA?
Thanks.
Here’s what you do people:
You give UPS the check. You take your package. Then call your bank, cancel the check, and contact your local CBSA office and pay the tax.
Upon ordering 102$ package with a 25.82$ Shipping Fee, I was handed a 58.83$ bill upon delivery. Nowhere in my order information did it say anything about COD. That’s 84.65$ shipping on a 100$ order! ~85%!
If I didn’t give them the check, they wouldn’t have given me the package.
So give them the check, then login to your bank and cancel it.
Hi Carson,
Unfortunately this is how FedEx work. Even if local border agency was close to you, now it is indeed too late to self clear, because FedEx already remitted taxes to the Government (it happens in 1-2 months after crossing the border).
FedEx knows this and purposely send invoice only in two months. It is called robbery because it is. They don’t give a chance to self clear.
Try to call them and dispute, inform that you could self-clear package, tell that you were not aware that there were additional hidden charges to expect. Agree to pay only taxes. I hope it will work…
Regards,
Trueler
Thanks for this. I’ve ordered many Items from the US and have never had any problems. Today I have a problem. It is slightly different from what I’ve read I think.
I ordered an upscale shoulder bag for my wife in Sept and the shipper used FedEx ground. Item arrived at my post office and I picked it up there. No charges. I wasn’t expecting any.
Today, 2 months later, I received a bill from FedEx requesting duty, taxes, brokerage, etc. did I agree to this when I picked up the pkg? I may have signed for it but only did so when I knew there wasn’t going to be any charge.
I live a little less than two hours from the us border in interior bc but don’t have a local border agency office besides that.
Help.
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE – USE ANYONE BUT UPS – UPS FEES ARE A TRUE SCAM !!! ANY SHIPPER ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD CAN USE SOMEONE ELSE OTHER THAN UPS -REQUEST THAT AND IF IT COMES THROUGH UPS, SEND IT BACK !!!
There is a difference between “UPS Ground” and “UPS Expedited”. “UPS Ground” shipping fee is cheaper than “Expedited” – it is the price which sender pays to UPS when shipping your goods. When sending by “Expedited”, receiver pays only HST, no other fees. With “Ground” receiver pays HST + brokerage fee + other fees. In my cases “Expedited” option was much more expensive than “Ground” even taking into account all the hidden fees. So, I always choose “Ground” and pay taxes by myself at CBSA.
It is strange that it is 15% in your case, since your method of shipping is “UPS Expedited”, it should be 13%. Maybe UPS changed the rules and added fees on top of high “Expedited” rate…
It’s up to you if you want trying to self clear :) Honestly, in this case I probably wouldn’t. Just call UPS and ask what the heck are there fees on top of “UPS Expedited” which used to include all the fees.
Regards,
Trueler
I havent paid for anything yet, first attempt was made, but i wasnt home. But i called to get them to send me the commercial invoice, and i asked them the total charges, also it was on the sticker they left. Its approx 15% of the total purchase price, not 13%, so i assumed the other costs above the 13% was the bond fee, COD fee, and the invoice fee.
Richard, have you already paid for delivery? If so, the charge at the door should be 13% (HST) of the price. Expedited service should not have any additional fees (that’s why it is more expensive). At CBSA you will pay the same 13%.
thank you very much for your super fast answer.
I assumed…
COD FEE (4.25)
+
Invoice Integrity Fee(4.00)
+
HST (price * 1.13)
+
Bond Fee (HST * .027)
Probably tax on the fees also, lol
= What i pay at the door
Sound about right? b/c the number with that calculation comes something like that, give or take a few bucks.
So does it make sense at that point to drive out to pearson to clear myself, when really the only additional costs will be the COD,Integrity Fee (WTF is this), and bond fee. Since most people have a problem with the brokerage which is already included in the shipping?
Not sure if i should just do this out of principle, since it will cost me more long run with time and gas to clear it. Not to mention the first step of getting the commercial invoice took me half a day. BTW they dont take cash either at the door.
Hi Richard,
In any case you have to pay HST. Expedited service shipping fee already includes brokerage fee, so UPS should charge only taxes in COD bill.
Regards,
Trueler
Hey, i am having a package shipped to me. Its ups expedited. I called and asked for COD price and while i dont want to disclose specifics, its ~15% of what i payed for the item(the total COD price). The item is purely american made of all american parts, so its covered then i guess under nafta. BTW im in GTA ontario, so i assume i would pay just HST if i self clear (13%), so really its only 2% difference then for me to self clear, or is self clear cheaper than HST?
I am so dissatisfied myself. I sent 4 pairs of shoes for my brother in- law and his wife for their birthdays. Got them cheap from the outlet mall here in the US. The total cost for all four shoes was 55 USD. They ended up paying 53 dollars for brokerage and tax. I wasn’t ask from my end here to declare amount for the items sent. Upon receiving the package, we found out that UPS has declared that the value of the package was 100 USD. This is outrageous and deceitful. Lesson learned never again use UPS!
Hi Trueler,
Great guide. I went through this process myself about a year ago and had a $60 bill from UPS turn into $12 import tax paid directly to CBSA.
Today however things seem to have changed.
I ordered $109 worth of clothing from the U.S. UPS wants to charge $39 plus tax for the brokerage.
I called them up and asked them to hold the package at the depot while I self clear. They didn’t resist this at all and gave me a street address, but no mention of what city. Having gone through this before, I assumed it was the address for the local (Ottawa) CBSA office. A quick check on google, after getting off the phone, tells me this is the port of entry in Windsor!
My next call was to CBSA directly, asking for a local address where I can self clear. The CBSA agent told me that I must go to the port of entry to self clear, and no other office will do. At this point I was a bit confused and very annoyed, and didn’t think to get her name.
Defeated, I called UPS back to say I won’t be self clearing after all. This time I did get a name: Catherine, fromt he Canadian UPS customer service line, spoke to her at 2pm EST today.
She claims that importers have always had to go to the port of entry to self clear (which I know not to be the case, but by not I don’t see any other avenues of argument, and honestly I just want my order).
Everyone was polite, and I’ll be picking up the package on Monday, but I’m angry and convinced there’s some misinformation going on here. The story coming from CBSA has changed dramatically sometime in the last year.
UPS and Canadian customs appear to be in silent collusion on this whole scenario. I am in the process of getting a shipment back and its been a nightmare.
1. Shipped Oct 27 UPS Grd Std to Canada from U.S. from a UPS Facility customer counter. Was not told brokerage fees were not included nor what they might be for recipient.
2. Recipient called the next day and told brokerage fees would be $67! on a $340 declared used iPhone.
3. Called UPS and demanded a package intercept. Package was still in the U.S. enroute to Illinois. Demanded it to be stopped in U.S. UPS will not guarantee this can be done?!!
4. Package arrives 11/2 at destination delivery hub before my request to stop the package is acknowledged, even though the package was physically scanned in IL after my request to intercept was processed.
5. UPS online tracking lies, says recipient refused shipment, shows evidence of back and forth movement for a delivery attempt. UPS chat rep says its in Toronto for return processing.
6. UPS demands $31 ship fee to return my package, more $ than to ship to Canada in first place!
7. Pay the fee 11/3 yet it will be 5-8 business days still before UPS ships it back with a tracking number
Bottom line: outright scam. UPS purposely makes it so packages cannot or will not be intercepted before they cross the border. Then they hide behind more so behind process and bureaucracy in addition to lying to recipients about any ability to self-broker or clear items. Canadian customs obviously allows this activity to continue, as does the US Customs and US Commerce office.
I will be pursuing this issue on principal with local, State and Federal agencies and disputing my original ship and return ship charges on the basis of misrepresentation of shipment and brokerage fees.
DO NOT USE UPS. My Canadian co-workers tell me (too late) to use Fedex or USPS, though they say USPS may get lost.