whatch-out for shiping cost frome u.s

[soggy bottom boy]

UPS (or Big Brown) will put the "blocks to you" everytime....I just paid near $100 in brokerage fees on a custom gunstock out of the US. I forgot to specify another courier....

Have bought tons of items of EBay (reels, boat parts) and anytime items have been sent with FedEx all has gone well, with no brokerage fees. Don't know if they are breaking the rules, but I don't care. Cheaper for me..

Soggy.

[dana]

yeh the courier[brokerage] guys charge by the box...

I agree...no postal service = no sale

dana

[Trophymuskie]

yeh the courier[brokerage] guys charge by the box...

I agree...no postal service = no sale

dana

I don't know how UPS figures out how much to rip you off. maybe they flip a coin and maybe they say he'll never want to return this so lets stick him for a few more on this package ect ect.

I have a tag stuck on the side of my desk from 2004 as a reminder, they charged me 18.47 GST, 21.10 PST and 45.65 brokerage fees. The thiefs charged me more for the brokerage fees then the 15% taxes probably closer to 20%. Oh lets not forget the extra 3.20 GST of those ripoff brokerage fees. You ad it up I got charged 88.32 for a package valued at 264 CAD or maybe 170 USD.

How can they get away with this?

[SteveO]

Good thread everyone. I'm sure this knowledge will save me some money in the future.

FYI - A few related links:

CBC Street cents article
United Package Smashers
epinions thread and also here

I noticed some postings referring to a class-action lawsuit, but they seemed more like rants without concrete details. Let me know if anyone finds specific, concrete info.

One point to highlight, from the epinions thread:

Apparently the law is not per parcel but per ITEM. I'm allowed up to 5 items each valued at a maximum of $60USD. I called UPS back as I had 4 items all under $60USD. They promptly removed the brokerage fee.

I expect that many fish-hawkers purchases would fall into that category.

[joco]

hi steve O where did you saw that quote.....

interesthing....

joco

[Lunker Larry]

Used to work for a computer company that order tons of parts from the US. They used to say UPS stood for Use Purolator Stupid!

[crash]

B.C. man sets off class-action lawsuit against UPS over hidden brokerage fees24/10/2006 5:51:00 PM VANCOUVER (CP) - Hidden fees seem to be an everyday irritant for consumers, but a B.C. man is so angry about a fee charged by United Parcel Service he's willing to become the point man for a class-action lawsuit. It started after Robert Macfarlane purchased an amplified telephone device from Arizona over the Internet last year. He knew he would have to pay shipping and handling fees and government levies, but he was also ordered to pay a $38.40 brokerage fee charged by UPS. "It's outrageous," said Macfarlane's lawyer Jim Poyner. "It's a surcharge that nobody agrees to, nobody knows anything about it until the delivery person is at the door." Poyner said Tuesday he expects hundreds of thousands of people have been in the same situation across the country, and there are plans to file a similar lawsuit in Ontario. "It's certainly a problem that affects the entire country." The lawsuit has been filed under the Class Proceedings Act, but the B.C. Supreme Court must first determine if the case fits the criteria for a class-action lawsuit. The court action claims the UPS brokerage fee is "so harsh and adverse as to constitute an unconscionable practice." The same Canada Post service for goods shipped from the United States to Canada costs $5.00. A spokesman for UPS was unavailable for an interview. Poyner said people are usually never told there will be an added fee until there's a knock on the door. "(The delivery person) has your goods in one hand and the other hand is out wanting to be paid more money," he said. The lawsuit accuses UPS of misleading and deceptive practices by failing to get the consumer's consent, not telling the consumer about the fee and not allowing the consumer to arrange their own customs clearance. Not only does Macfarlane want his own money back, but the lawsuit wants everyone who paid the fee reimbursed. Poyner said the other major goal of such a lawsuit is what the court calls "behaviour modification." In one of 10 remedies requested in Macfarlane's statement of claim, it asks for a permanent injunction stopping UPS from continuing to charge the fee. It also asks for punitive, aggravated and exemplary damages.