Best Way to Ship To/From Canada

[Griever14206]

So I have a trade in the works and the person who is sending me the models lives in Canada (Ontario) and I live in Buffalo NY. Now if I were to say drive there, it would probably take me about 3 hours. He mailed me the models exactly 14 days ago, and I stlll have yet to receive them. Apparently they arrived in the country on the 18th (according to canadapost.ca) and yet they still have not yet arrived.

What is exceptionally spooky is that they took the packages from Ontario (across the Niagara river from Buffalo) to Montreal first, and THEN brought them over. Has anyone had similar problems with this? What is the best way to ship packages over the US/Canadian border? Can Fedex and UPS do it? Is it really expensive? Anything is better than this. Tomorrow with be 15 days....

[MagickalMemories]

Now, this depends on the size of the package but, as I understand it, USPS is substantially cheaper than FedEx/UPS.
I think FX and UPS are FASTER, because there isn't such a Customs hold up, but you pay for that.


Eric

[kturock]

the best way to check shipping rates is online, www.fedex.com , www.ups.com , www.usps.com .
all three have online rate calculators. You need weight and size of the box.

Everyopne goes through customs; otherwise drug dealers would use ups or fed ex.

everything gets delayed in customs.

it;s just that comercial shippers get checked less often than individuals. Customs knows that companies don't want to not be able to ship to a specific country. so they know that the forms will be correct. They know individuals are either mis-informed, or out-right lie on the forms or values, so that's who gets checked most often.

usps is cheaper, since part of the cost is for US postage, [the cheapest in the world] and the rest is for postage for the other country.


ups and fedex have to pay their own employees in that country. they are well paid over there, so it costs more. you are also paying for tracking and sometimes minimal insurance.

If you don't mind paying about double the cost of usps; fed ex and ups are the way to go.

and yes, i work for usps. but I know we have to depend on other countries postal services.

[s_o_r_r_o_w]

An additional downside to using UPS is brokerage fees. This is where UPS charges a "convenience fee" to process your package through customs. The charge is exorbitant, and completely unnecessary. It's very straightforward to broker your own packages (in Canada).

Having shipped virtually all my packages from the US, I can assure you that USPS is the way to go. Yes, there are occasional wait times. Bear in mind, the fact of occasional wait times can sometimes provide a believable excuse for traders who are a little slower in sending their end. Not all, not most, but the possibility exists.

Everything CAN get delayed in customs; I've received packages within 4 days, and some in 2 weeks. Priority/Express shipping does help in that area.

and yes, i work for usps. but I know we have to depend on other countries postal services.

Always with the shots at other postal services.

IMO, The UK's Royal Mail is best; I get stuff from the UK usually in about half the time it takes to get stuff from the US--despite (or because of) the intervening ocean.

The Canadian Postal service is extremely professional and reliable. Sometimes, it helps to be smaller.

What is exceptionally spooky is that they took the packages from Ontario (across the Niagara river from Buffalo) to Montreal first, and THEN brought them over.

I expect that this is because Montreal is the closest international processing depot for your destination. Just keep tracking the package; it''ll get there. Remember, in this case, it's US customs that is causing the delay, and chalk it up to Homeland Security.

[kturock]

and yes, i work for usps. but I know we have to depend on other countries postal services.

Always with the shots at other postal services.

Not a shot, but a repeat of what I heard from customers when I was a window clerk. I was on the window for 3 1/2 years, in an area mixed with rich, poor, fulltime residents, tourists, transients and snow-birds.

These are quotes I recall hearing 1st hand.

Canada: "expensive, slow and unreliable. Too many rules on addressing, even envelopes." I recall when Canada post tried hiring/using taxi cabs to deliver mail during a postal strike. There was alot of lost, delayed, stolen mail. There was 1 female, older customer in particular. SHe hated the costs of everything there; but loved the benefits the costs paid for. Loved the landscape/scenery; hated the cold. WE saw her about 4-5 monthes out of the year.

UK: "too bloody, expensive." He never comented on speed.

Most south american countires. "Dishonest. If it looks valuable, or is registered, it gets stolen, or at least opened."

Japan: "highly efficient, but highly regulated." As in the way things are addressed.

China: "outside the big cities takes forever." I was told Thailand is worse.

Several other countries I was told were, 'slow, but that's just the nature of the people. Everything isn't as rushed, outside of the main cities. Expect a couple weeks to get from 1 small town/village to another.

[Norseman]

Canada post and USPS is the BEST way to ship in between the two countries.

You mentioned that it went to Montreal before the US. That is because there are only 3 access points (thats what I was told by Canada Post) for mail coming and going from the US to Canada and vice versa. All mail is routed through these Customs depots.

Air is like 6-7 Business days and ground is 15 business days. If you think about it, it is actually three weeks. I find they usually hit about 13-14 business days. However if the box rattles or makes a weird sound Customs CAN and DO open it and this could delay things for another week or two. I have had a parcel take over a month. Then again I have had them take less than a week.

You just have to resign yourself to waiting and watching the tracking number.

Al the other are extremly expensive and not really worth it in my opinion. If you wanted over night and dont mind spending more than the army is worth retail, go ahead and use Fed Ex or UPS.

[Norseman]

Canada: "expensive, slow and unreliable.

Expensive - Agree
Slow - Can be
Unreliable- No bloody way... I would wager to say that we are twice as reliable as the USPS.

[Griever14206]

They most definitely opened the box. When it got to me it had been ripped open on one side. Took 15 days total.

[HarlequinZero]

They most definitely opened the box. When it got to me it had been ripped open on one side. Took 15 days total.

If it was physically ripped on a side it likely wasn't customs, but one of the package sorting machines used by the postal service.