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.

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.

USPS is the bomb!
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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.

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.