Mountain Biking - ups shipping to canada???

so i ordered the sram x.7 shifter derailur combo from pricepoint on may 22 i got a comfrimation that it was sent on the 23rd. i went on the UPS website put in all the shipping info and it said it should of been here by monday :rolleyes: . now i know it will prob take a bit longer then they said but right now my derailur sux, ive crashed twice because of it :mad: .(bent it on a log ride a while ago, got the shop to staighten the hanger but the derailur is still twisted. ) so how much longer will i have to wait if its shipped to prince george BC ? :(


Oh BTW when i do get this stuff i will be sh*tmano free :D :D :D

Could be awhile...there might be a backup at UPS.

i dont think so but i guess im stuck waiting.

When shipping to Canada UPS can be a pain because for some reason they take forever to get things past customs. Also expect an added charge that you will have to pay when the package arrives for a customs handling fee. This is one reason to ask for Fed Ex or USPS when getting things shipped from the U.S. to Canada.

When shipping to Canada UPS can be a pain because for some reason they take forever to get things past customs. Also expect an added charge that you will have to pay when the package arrives for a customs handling fee. This is one reason to ask for Fed Ex or USPS when getting things shipped from the U.S. to Canada.

If you clear your own customs, UPS can actually be cheaper. Canada Post will charge a $5 brokerage fee if it the package is designated as "goods". If it's a gift then it usually sneaks in.

I always call UPS and tell them that I will clear my own customs. Usually costs me a lunch hour to do but I'll save on the $$$ brokerage fees. Definitely worth my time. In my case the UPS depot and the Customs Canada office are both a short drive away from my work.

UPS sucks. They charge a rediculous brokerage fee that is based on the declared value, not the size or weight of the shipped package. I've gotten brokerage charges from them that are more than half the value of the goods I bought.

so how much should i expect to pay???? the total was aprox $85USD and ive already paid 20$ shipping

so how much should i expect to pay???? the total was aprox $85USD and ive already paid 20$ shipping


Upto an extra $35 for brokerage fee plus you'll end up paying GST + PST. Don't know what PST in your province is.

Typically the taxes are charged on the declared amount plus the shipping. If the sender declared $85 USD this means around another $20.

You can save on the $35 (or whatever it is) by clearing customs on your own.

thats stupid. if they were going to charge that extra, then they should have added it to the shipping charges. i think i was better off buying at my LBS

thats stupid. if they were going to charge that extra, then they should have added it to the shipping charges. i think i was better off buying at my LBS

It's not Pricepoint that's charging you this. It's UPS that is.

All packages purchased outside of Canada must be be processed for customs duties and taxes. If you have somenoe do it on your behalf they will typically charge you a fee on top of what gets charged by the government. UPS is making a killing charging these fees. However, you can avoid this by doing the customs clearance yourself. Do a search, I think I remember outlining the procedure in another thread.

Santiago, so does that mean it is more efficient to do larger purchases from the states. It doesn't sound worth it to buy from the states if you can't get to clear customs yourself (which is impossible for me)

And is 35$ the max they charge or just what you are saying?...so

100$usd -> converted to cdn + pst (they shouldn't charge gst as it is a bike item) + brokerage fee = total cost

Just checking because my online shop has gone to the crapper and I need another source :)

Next time you order from the states, ask them to ship USPS. Most of the time, it gets through with no tax, and there is no brokerage fee. I got my Ti frame this way, and even though the value was declared, I never got charged any tax on it. It has saved me hundreds of dollars in the last year alone.

Just looking over the store I wanna use and they only use fedex. Oh well. Gotta find something, I can't afford to buyin town :)

Santiago, so does that mean it is more efficient to do larger purchases from the states. It doesn't sound worth it to buy from the states if you can't get to clear customs yourself (which is impossible for me)

And is 35$ the max they charge or just what you are saying?...so

100$usd -> converted to cdn + pst (they shouldn't charge gst as it is a bike item) + brokerage fee = total cost

Just checking because my online shop has gone to the crapper and I need another source :)

Mael,

I'm not sure how UPS calculates its brokerage fee. I have been clearing my own customs for the last few shipments so I don't know how this is worked out. It can be expensive especially if your item costs $50.

Actually I have a package I need to pick up that I was told had a "Brokerage COD due" of 72.61. I think these are the bike racks for my car. Since I'll be clearing my own customs, I'll know how much Canada Customs will charge me on taxes. The difference is how much UPS would have charged me. Don't forget, there's taxes on the brokerage fee too so it pays to avoid it.

BTW, when I picked up my Crank Brothers Candy SLs, I was charged both GST and PST.

One thing to do is to buy large items or do a group buy with buddies. There's a discount car dealer I buy parts and accessories from in the U.S. and it pays to get together with a few people and buy tons of product. Even if you get dinged $35 brokerage fee but your total bill is $900, it hurts a lot less.

As Darkmother said, you can have it shipped USPS and you might get lucky. If the product is identified as a gift, it comes through for free. If it's identified as a product sold to you, you'll pay GST/PST on the declared value + $5 handling fee. If you have a good relationship with your seller, have them lighten the declared value. Helps a lot.

On the other hand, some of the biking stuff is SOOOOO cheap from the U.S. I saw the orange Camelbak MULE going for $40 USD at PricePoint. Even with $13 shipping and possible taxes, by clearing your own customs, it's tons better than the $120+ I saw the same bag at a LSB.

One question, you said your online shop has gone to the crapper. Are you talking about Bikeroom.com? I just ordered stuff from them but haven't seen a credit card charge yet.

Just looking over the store I wanna use and they only use fedex. Oh well. Gotta find something, I can't afford to buyin town :)

PricePoint uses USPS: http://www.pricepoint.com/popShippingInfo.htm?page=popShippingInfo.htm&title=Shipping%20Info/Rates#Canadian

UPS has a schedule of brokerage fees. It is on their web page somewhere, but they do a good job of hiding it.

It's something like this:

$0-$100 = $X brokerage fee
100-250 = Y fee
250-500 = Z and so on.

Percentage wise, it is worst at lower cost. I will never voluntarily use thier shipping service, it is a rip off.

Just checking because my online shop has gone to the crapper and I need another source :)

I'm also wondering if you're refering to bikeroom. I returned an item to them and they stiffed me the money. I'm done with them, they were good to me last year, this year they've been piss poor. Thankfully I have a great LBS that never charges full price, but there is sometimes quite the lag time getting the parts I want.

Yeah unfortunately I have spent a signifigant amount of money at bikeroom and held a deep loyalty to them. But David @ bikeroom is seriously messing up. His mistake on my the previous order was about 40$ worth of parts (bikeroom cost, about 80$ lbs cost, neither of which is a lot, but the communication stinks) and taking 2.5 months to complete the order (which wouldn't have bothered me if he had bothered to keep me updated, but his communication skills lack) 3 years, 3000$ (about 6000$ normal costing) customer just walked away because he wouldn't have the common curtousy to keep me updated and/or tell me he couldn't complete the order correctly. I am understanding, a simple "sorry we can't get that part in a 3 month period" would have satisfied me. I "may" try a small 100$ order to see if it works out but am concerned to take the chance.

Its unfortunate but I still need an online source. With Whistler costs I could never afford to ride bike full time. 150 to 200% over the cost of the city and easily more than that over american costs. Thats why I am turning to the states. I by-pass the evils of norco and their huge mark-up at the border and the immediate cost of buying from a lbs.

Thanks guys I will probably order something in the 100$ range this week and see what cost comparisson works out to with bikeroom and the lbs's. If its mid range, I might be switching suppliers. Gotta keep my 3 bikes going (besides, I am saving for an rmx and need all the money I can get)

Just spoke with David. Waiting on him to complete this order, if it pans out and my order arrives finished, then I will continue my services. Delayed orders don't bother me as much as no communication. :) I will let you guys know how it goes.

UPS shipping to Canada is crap. I was selling brakes to a guy in canada via ebay and he said he ordered a golf club and UPS wanted 45 bucks up front. THats more than hte price of the golf club...
but like a good person i shipped USPS

everytime i've ordered something from the states that was delivered via ups i've paid around $30 + change in brokerage fees.

i remember mindbogger giving me a list of the fees that the various delivery companies charge, but it's on my desktop, which has been out of commission for quite some time so i can't check it at the moment. maybe if bogger sees this and still has the link he can post it.

the only option that pricepoint gave me was $17.95 ups shipping if i ever do buy online again ill just make sure its usps. will i need cash or can i pay debit?

the only option that pricepoint gave me was $17.95 ups shipping if i ever do buy online again ill just make sure its usps. will i need cash or can i pay debit?


You'll still get charged taxes and brokerage fees by the others if you're going to order $100 worth of stuff again.

People, DON'T buy from American situated sites. For starters, there's a reason we impose duties on goods, and secondly, it very rarely comes out to be cheaper after duties, taxes and any brokerage fee.

You'll still get charged taxes and brokerage fees by the others if you're going to order $100 worth of stuff again.

People, DON'T buy from American situated sites. For starters, there's a reason we impose duties on goods, and secondly, it very rarely comes out to be cheaper after duties, taxes and any brokerage fee.
i wouldn't say rarely. almost everything i've ever ordered from an american site has always come up cheaper than it would have been if i had bought it from a local shop or ordered from a canadian site. the only exception i could think of would probably be my dakine apex hydration pack - but then again, i haven't seen any shops up here carrying it or many canadian online retailers that got it either... in the case of my 661 knee/shin & elbow/forearm guards the price i paid for them both together + shipping/handling came up to about the cost of just the knee/shin guards alone if bought locally.

the only option that pricepoint gave me was $17.95 ups shipping if i ever do buy online again ill just make sure its usps. will i need cash or can i pay debit?
not sure about debit, but i'm pretty sure if they deliver it to your door, they'll take either cash or cheque.

You'll still get charged taxes and brokerage fees by the others if you're going to order $100 worth of stuff again.

People, DON'T buy from American situated sites. For starters, there's a reason we impose duties on goods, and secondly, it very rarely comes out to be cheaper after duties, taxes and any brokerage fee.

I am not against paying duties and fees. I will clear customs on my own and pay duties and taxes. By clearing customs on my own I save on the brokerage fee. I pick and choose what I buy from the U.S. but there are some things that can't be beat. Baggy cycling shorts are a good example. The cheapest I can find are the MEC Primal Scream for $50 CAD here in Montreal. Forget about anything branded (E.g. Cannondale, Kona, etc) as that stuff easily touches close to $100. On eBay I got sweet Cannondale shorts that were much less than any LBS even after shipping and taxes.

Here's a real world example of avoiding excess charges from UPS.

Earlier this week I got a notice on the door by a UPS delivery stating I had a package and a COD brokerage charge payable to UPS for the amount of $72 and change.

I called UPS and told them that I wanted to clear customs on my own. They told me that they would prepare the paperwork and let me know when it would be ready at the UPS depot's customer counter. You have to keep calling them until they can tell you without a doubt that the papers are there. They normally do call but it's best to call them just before you're ready to head out to UPS.

I got a call late yesterday that my papers were ready. Today I went to pick it up. I think I got there about 11:15am. Took the papers to the local Canadian Customs office which is a short drive away. Got there, chatted with the customs officer while he processed my papers. I then paid $28.59 in GST and PST (I'm in Quebec). The Customs Canada cashier stamped my paper and I drove back to UPS.

Got to UPS, gave them my stamped paper and got my package. Got back in the car and ended up back at work at around 12:15. Saved something like $44 and it only cost me a lunch hour.

I am not against paying duties and fees. I will clear customs on my own and pay duties and taxes. By clearing customs on my own I save on the brokerage fee. I pick and choose what I buy from the U.S. but there are some things that can't be beat. Baggy cycling shorts are a good example. The cheapest I can find are the MEC Primal Scream for $50 CAD here in Montreal. Forget about anything branded (E.g. Cannondale, Kona, etc) as that stuff easily touches close to $100. On eBay I got sweet Cannondale shorts that were much less than any LBS even after shipping and taxes.


Not many people are close enough to a customs clearing center (those are either border crossings or airports right?) to be able to do what you do, but granted, I have heard of other people doing similar things with success also.

Not many people are close enough to a customs clearing center (those are either border crossings or airports right?) to be able to do what you do, but granted, I have heard of other people doing similar things with success also.

I hadn't even thought how accessible these customs clearance centers are. The one I use is right smack against the airport here in Montreal.

If one of these aren't accessible then I can see how avoiding UPS becomes necessary.

Here is the difference in my opinion.

Recently bought a 2004 Marzocchi Marathon S ($275USD) from speedgoat.com . USPS Air shipping $16.25USD. No Duty. Total $291.75 US = Crazy Deal.

Recently bought 4 tubes, some alloy bolts and a seat clamp ($50USD) from cambriabike. UPS shipping $15.00USD. Duty and brokerage $40 CDN. Total Around $100 US = Am I really this dumb? (Estimates only. I lost receipt.)

In it's defence Cambria does offer USPS shipping to Canada on low value small orders, but only by phone, so I didn't hassle it. I'm not paying to sit on the phone.

The UPS depot at Keele and Finch in Toronto is a joke. Six broads gabbing behind the corner, pumping Flow93.5 while one "serves" the customer. Took 10 minutes to grab the package. UPS sucks.

ended cosing me 125$CDN(only 10$ in duties) so i did save a few dollars.

Here is the difference in my opinion.

Recently bought a 2004 Marzocchi Marathon S ($275USD) from speedgoat.com . USPS Air shipping $16.25USD. No Duty. Total $291.75 US = Crazy Deal.

Recently bought 4 tubes, some alloy bolts and a seat clamp ($50USD) from cambriabike. UPS shipping $15.00USD. Duty and brokerage $40 CDN. Total Around $100 US = Am I really this dumb? (Estimates only. I lost receipt.)

In it's defence Cambria does offer USPS shipping to Canada on low value small orders, but only by phone, so I didn't hassle it. I'm not paying to sit on the phone.

The UPS depot at Keele and Finch in Toronto is a joke. Six broads gabbing behind the corner, pumping Flow93.5 while one "serves" the customer. Took 10 minutes to grab the package. UPS sucks.


USPS is the bomb!
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USPS is the bomb!
Lance ('s sponsor) For president!

USPS/Canada Post actually costs $5 more for me than if I cleared customs on my own through UPS. I just got a package from PricePoint that had a stated value of $85USD. I paid GST/PST on that value plus Canada Post charged a $5 handling fee.

However I will gladly pay $5 and pick up the package close to home than lose 1 hour of my time at the UPS depot/Canada Customs office close to work.

The one and only item I have found not worth it to buy from the U.S are wheels. And only because of the $30+ dollar charge for shipping. Canadian bike shops just seem out to lunch when it comes to pricing. Why would I pay $300+ dollars for an XTR derailleur here, when I can order it for $129 US from pricepoint or speedgoat. I mentioned the price disparity to my LBS and they even told me to buy it from the U.S. USPS is definitely the way to go if you don't need the parts in a hurry. My last order from pricepoint took a month to arrive at my door.

I've gotten brokerage charges from them that are more than half the value of the goods I bought.

You were lucky. I had to pay TWICE the value of the item in brokerage fees once. Parcel post is the way to go for small packages.