Hot Rods The cost of mail order parts in Canada

My question it to my Canadian cohorts. Do you have any tips and tricks to try to keep the cost of buying US parts on the interweb down. By the time they get to my door the cost seams to have doubled with brokerage and fees etc. I could drive 1 1/2 hrs one way to a ups store in New York but of course there's a cost there too. I already know I might have to go there for parts that only ship to the USA. To be more specific, model a parts Thanks Phil

 

I'm about 1 1/2 hour round trip from Vancouver to Blaine, Wash. I'm retired so I almost always go down and pick up my stuff. If it's over $200 try and bring down another body so your exemption is double.
I always fill the tank with gas while i'm down there also, $3.50 us gallon vs $6.00 at home.

 

Yep, a half hour drive down to Blaine WA and top off the gas tank. I watch the border lineups and make my move. $2.50 per package is fair. There is an option to pay a little more and have access 24/7. I feel for you all that don't have such a close option. Perhaps get you buddies to order at th esame time and share the ride and gas for the trip.

 

Have everything sent to Package Express in Sumas WA....20 minute drive from home. Nominal handling fees and usually beat the CDN taxes if I am under $300.

 

Use the post office, you don't get fucked nearly as bad on bullshit "brokerage fees".

 

I live near the American border to Detroit and someone decided to open a mail depot in downtown Detroit and charges 5 bucks per regular package and 8 bucks for over size packages. It uses a regular address not a post box and I send everything there. I believe there are over 6000 people on this side of the border that use it. I wish I had thought of this as it seems to be a gold mine with all these people using it. I sympathize with the guys who don't have this option as I know it costs so much more to build a car in Canada and many have obtain their parts through swap meets which I frequent too.

 

http://myusaddress.ca/how-it-works-2/

I have personally never used them but they are near Ogdensburg NY.

Then you can claim the package yourself and avoid brokerage fees.
I usually tell the border guard they are used automotive parts and usually no duty on the parts.
If the total value is under $300 for a day trip there is no duty. (Price may have changed)

I am close to Detroit (windsor) and Port Huron mi (sarnia)
I use usparcelpickup.com in Port Huron

 

mydetroitaddress.com is the place I use. Many people I know were using a ups service in Detroit but they have a time limit which you have to pick up your package. I've left stuff for months at the Detroit address one and they also let you leave stuff there if you buy past your limit for customs while shopping. Besides, it gives me a reason to go and eat at Bob Evan's before I come home.

 

I remember while in Vancouver BC, pulling into a gas station and thinking, Wow this gas is cheap and proceeded to fill up. Only after the pump stopped did I realize that the price was in liters and not gallons.

 

I have ordered quite a bit from the US while building an airplane. I am half way between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay with a 2 hour run one way to the border. Not exactly convenient for much except world class fishing.

Somethings that worked for me. Bundle as much as possible into an order and be organized in the ordering. Ordering parts one at a time is brutal as the shipping, customs etc really run the costs up and on a large project is a real hemmorage to possibly kill the project. Try and order on the discount days and free shipping days. You won't get free shipping but a conversation will usually get credit towards shipping. It was nice when our dollars was plus 10% about 6 years ago.

If the order is significant then talk to the vendor to see if you can get a discount for volume & cash. There are percents factored into the pricing for the banks to take their credit card slice. I have asked if I can get the discount for cash on a large order, It may require a conversation w/ a manager. I have secured the order with the MasterCard so they can assemble the order and then the vendor releases the order on arrival of the bank draft. 5% on a thousand is $50 and often a vendor will go 10%. A vendor has no problem looking for the lowest cost shipping to help secure an order. I have got 10% for volume and 5 or 10% for cash. I bundled an order for example for hardware that was $2800 where we got 10% for volume and 10% for cash so that is $600. On a $6600 aluminum order we got 10% for volume and 5% for cash so another $1000. I organize my pricing requests like a formal request so it looks like it is a competitive situation which it usually is. Often good prices come from different sources on different days.

Assemble a large order and send a quote request to see if the vendors will give a break on pricing for the magnitude of the order. Try a few good vendors if possible.
Send as much as you can US Post Office (USPS) as the Canadian Post Office has the lowest fee for handling. The US Post Office has flat rate boxes do try to stuff as much as possible in one of their boxes. There is estimating tools on their site so it is possible to guessitimate the cost from the vendor to your door. I avoid FEDEX as much as possible as they are notorious for their fees and I will do everything humanly possible to avoid them. FEDEX has lost one of my orders for a big hit and since it was not insured it was a loss. Send parcels ground and wait the couple weeks to get the lowest rates. If a vendor is selling slightly higher but will send it USPS rather than UPS or FEDEX then the final costs may be lower.
I would say to turn over every stone to find a vendor on this side of the border to see if there is a vendor that one can work with. Our dollar goes a lot further on this side of the world. If one factors in the exchange rate plus exchange fee on the item, customs fees by the shippers, shipping costs the the total costs bloat pretty fast and all the costs must be used for an accurate comparison.
Be patient, get on the vendors e-mailing lists and wait for the big discount days which usually occur around US holidays. Do a search to determine the risks with the vendors if they are an unknown. I bought parts from Grump's Garage whom I never heard of before. Absolute gentleman who did his best to get the best USPS price for me. There was no negatives on the web so worth a shot that turned out great.
If you live near a border it may pay to cross the border to pick up an order. If the order comes with free shipping then it may offset the gas costs. If it is a large items then freight to the border may be very reasonable but the difference to come across the border may be almost double.
This is my two cents worth or should I say a nickels worth. :- )

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I had kinda hoped there was a silver bullet out there. I guess you have to decide which is more valuable your time or your money and plan accordingly. Phil

 

I'm 15 minutes away from the border crossing....hence the username. My parcel drop place (local bar) charges 5 per package. I couldn' live without it.

 

I thought the personal exemption for less than 24 hrs. is $200. Has it gone up?

 

In reality the personal exemption is whatever the agent in the booth wants to go with. I have found that as soon as you say you have old car / hot rod parts ... and the agent starts asking logical questions like "what year is it?" "how far along the project are you?" ... he is going to give you a break. I came thru a few months ago with my new Geardrive headers plus other parts totalling over $900 USD. After a five minute old car related conversation with the agent he handed my papers back to me, smiled and said have a nice day.

 

Dated 2018:
https://www.thoughtco.com/canada-customs-exemptions-for-returning-canadian-residents-510151

"
Outside Canada for Less Than 24 Hours
No exemption.

Outside Canada for 24 Hours or More
up to CAN$200 worth of goods

Outside Canada for 48 Hours or More
If you are outside Canada for 48 hours or more, up to CAN$800 worth of goods

"

 

I also ship to a US border drop point (Kinek). I try and stack orders, so that I make one trip down to pick up multiple things. I'm about 2 hours to the border.
I will ship direct to Canada if the seller/vendor uses USPS. Shipping is a little higher cost, but it saves the time to drive down and pick up, and also the BS brokerage charge that Fed/Ex and UPS charge. The duty is the same either way, whether you drive it across, or mail it.

Yep! There's no logic, and things can vary from agent to agent. I just crossed on Saturday with $290 US worth of stuff. He waived me through. Crossed about a month ago with $110 worth of stuff, and they made me pay duty.
Even got nailed once for duty on the price of the package, plus shipping. Tried to argue that shipping was a service that stayed in the US, but when they have you in no mans land between countries, you sometimes smile and take it...

 

Same deal with the Post Office, recently paid GST on a package that was around $50.
But other packages for $100 sailed right through.

 

I've shipped many of the parts I manufacture to Canada and after getting burned by UPS I started using the Post Office and had no problems since. I fill out the customs form honestly and the parts seem to get there without a hassle.

 

You could always move to the US. It sounds like it's much cheaper on many fronts already. So You'll save all the way around.

 

In Alberta I find it is directly proportional to how busy the crossing is when you go through. If it's quiet they ding you every time and if it's busy they usually wave you through regardless of the value of the goods being brought back.

 

Totally agree. It all depends on your guy at the booth. I bought a used rumble lid for 350 bucks and was charged the HST tax but when I bought a brand new driver's door from brookville roadster for 500 they told me have a nice day and sent me on my way.

 

They do like receipts, at the border.
Have them ready.