A fellow HAMBer wants to buy some Exhaust manifolds from me. I need to ship them to Canada. What is the least expensive way to get them to him? Thanks,Todd
Post Office. Forget the Courier Companies. Package them real well. I would tape them together, then wrap in bubble wrap.
USPS ground for sure. That way the receiver in Canada won't be dealing with brokerage / customs bullcrap. cheers Ed N.
I'll 4th or 5th the motion. US Post for sure Keep in mind that the cost to ship to Canada from the US is not really the issue. UPS, USPS, Purolator etc are all pretty much similar. (Still prefer USPS) the big deal is the person in Canada getting creamed with brokerage and possibly duty charges. This is on top of the US / Canada dollar exchange and taxes crossing the border. On average, brokerage fees charged to the Canadian recipient range from $40 to $80 depending on who you ship through. US Post / Canada Post don't have that problem. As long as you fill out a Customs declaration. US Post will help you with that. Word of advice / warning... (May not apply to something as undesirable as exhaust manifolds) I have had items "disappear" through UPS as well as USPS / Canada post. If you are shipping or receiving through the post office INSIST ON INSURANCE !! Here's why... If an item "disappears" through the postal system (in my case the mailing tube made it to the door... empty), the ONLY person who can make a claim is the SENDER. Niether postal system will give details or make any attempt to assit the person recieving the item. In Canada, they quote the Privacy Act as a reason. Disclaimer: In my case. both of my issues involved high end softball bats. Sporting goods are some of the most common items to go missing through the postal system behind CD's and electronics. Car parts may not be so desirable. Especially heavy, hard to damage car parts.
With a heavy item like exhaust manifolds, another alternative is Greyhound, IF your customer lives close to the border. They don't cross the border so he/she would have to go to the closest Greyhound depot in the US. Did that with a couple of fenders from California, cheap, quick, trackin and arrived in good shape. Most expensive part of the deal was he lunch and wife's shopping in Grand Forks ND. Another option if they live close to the border is a parcel service operating in a town close to the border. Here in Winnipeg we also have a fellow that has set up a service, have your item sent to his parcel drop in the US and he makes regular run and brings it to Winipeg for a rreasonable fee. Canuck
If the value is low enough, or the wind blowing in the right direction, the package will sail right through. If the Post Office has to collect GST and PST, they also nail you a $6.00 handling fee. Much better than the $50+ "brokerage fee" charged by the couriers.
The post office will ship those.. Ive had Poly intakes with carbs shipped.. There reasonably priced without the heavy Broker fees like another shipping outfit.
I've gotten around the customs fees by having either me shipping or someone I've gotten parts from use the words vintage or antique in the desription. I got a grill for my 55 Chevy from south Texas decribed as vintage car grill and didn't get dinged a dime when it crossed the boarder
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