Shipping from USA to Canada, what's best?

ELutz

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I've got a package that I need to ship to Canada. It's kind of heavy, and sort of large....33 pounds 3 ounces.....23" x 21" x 18".

My buyer requested USPS via Expedited Parcel or Xpresspost. I can't find those services on the USPS web site. The best I can tell, those are Canadian postal services. The USPS web site is only giving me two options: Global Express at $250 plus shipping fee, or International Priority at $107 and some change. That's over double what the item is worth! Am I missing something?....Is there a better way to ship from the USA to Canada?

Thanks!
Edward
 
I've got a package that I need to ship to Canada. It's kind of heavy, and sort of large....33 pounds 3 ounces.....23" x 21" x 18".

My buyer requested USPS via Expedited Parcel or Xpresspost. I can't find those services on the USPS web site. The best I can tell, those are Canadian postal services. The USPS web site is only giving me two options: Global Express at $250 plus shipping fee, or International Priority at $107 and some change. That's over double what the item is worth! Am I missing something?....Is there a better way to ship from the USA to Canada?

Thanks!
Edward

USA to Canada prices are harsh, Global Express is USPS's Epedited. You may want to try FedEx or UPS, they're usually *much* cheaper.
 
USA to Canada prices are harsh, Global Express is USPS's Epedited. You may want to try FedEx or UPS, they're usually *much* cheaper.

Just make sure you clear it with the buyer first. FedEx and UPS charge the recipient very high customs brokerage fees, where USPS/Canada Post only charge $5.
 
Just make sure you clear it with the buyer first. FedEx and UPS charge the recipient very high customs brokerage fees, where USPS/Canada Post only charge $5.

Yep, up here we consider Fedex/UPS the DEVIL. I once bought a PCB from the US, where if I recall correctly the value on the board was around $65, and shipping was close to $20.
UPS wanted $28 in brokerage fees, ontop of the tax charged.

It will still be cheaper in the end for your buyer via USPS, than dealing with the Cross-border Crooks that are UPS\Fedex.
 
Your best bet is to see if the buyer has a friend near the boarder. Have his friend hold the item until he/she can drive down to retrieve it. Then they can bring it home on their own.

Of course this only works if the buyer regularly travels across the border....
 
Your best bet is to see if the buyer has a friend near the boarder. Have his friend hold the item until he/she can drive down to retrieve it. Then they can bring it home on their own.

Of course this only works if the buyer regularly travels across the border....

If they live close to the border, you could also use a service like www.kinek.com. You ship the package to the Kinek location nearest to the recipient, and they hold it until the recipient drives across the border and picks it up. The fee is usually around $5.
 
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Not much help for 33lbs, but....

Anything under 4lbs can First Class International Parcel fairly reasonable. I can mail a small PCB for around 6 bucks.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17UdB4rLaFelISyZnAO0njWJ0oz0S-WON6rxncD3dmxo/edit

Yep, up here we consider Fedex/UPS the DEVIL. I once bought a PCB from the US, where if I recall correctly the value on the board was around $65, and shipping was close to $20.
UPS wanted $28 in brokerage fees, ontop of the tax charged.

It will still be cheaper in the end for your buyer via USPS, than dealing with the Cross-border Crooks that are UPS\Fedex.
 
I've had packages marked as gifts and still have been ripped off by UPS.
I will not buy anything if it's going to be shipped to me using UPS. As stated, their brokerage fees are out of this world.

They never charge my wife's family anything, but its always gifts.
 
Stay away from UPS/FedEx. They rip everyone off up here. 25$part and I got stung with 50$ in brokerage fees. Stick with USPS if possible. I'm lucky I live right at the border and have a mail address in WA state now. I buy everything down there now. I save 12% just by crossing the border. Not to mention pay about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the same item if I purchased it here. Plus gas is also cheaper there too... I pay about 1.07 liter/4.00 Gallon for fuel while I'm there too as opposed to 1.55 liter/5.86 Gallon... Rant over.
 
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