Hi, usually I buy from Amazon and Newegg but these days, many items are out of stock and Amazon USA restricts shipments of many items to Canada. During this pandemic, I have bought some items from two stores in the USA, one shipped by FedEx ground and the other from UPS. For these two cases, I was charge brokerage fee in addition to Canadian tax. In one case, they charged about US$112+Tax. I was never charged such fee before. Is it due to the pandemic? FedEX told me that if shipment is from the USA via Ground, I have to pay brokerage fee. Will I be charged if I pay double the shipping cost to ship by air?
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How to avoid brokerage fee when shipping from the USA to Canada?
- Thread starter hajime
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I’ve not heard of a brokerage fee, just shipping fees or maybe a customs fee? Not sure about the latter.
Yes, usually I just paid for shipping fees and Canadian tax. Don't know why FedEx Ground charges such brokerage fee. Inside this fee, it included Fax fee!
Fedex are slimy weasels, they tried to charge me a $60 brokerage fee on a replacement under warranty being returned to me. I told them to stick where the sun don't shine. The next highest used to be UPS at $30 or so, the cheapest the good old USPS at $8. And despite the yapping on about them I have never had a problem with them getting a parcel to me intact. I always go with the priority mail international if they still call it that. Also no, brokerage fess have always been there. It is just that amazon and newegg are large enough they have their own custom brokers do the required steps to import and never show a fee on your invoice as it is included already in their cost of doing business that way.
Edit: And to answer the avoid part you cannot unless the business importing eats the costs of doing it. Some of the time you get the brokerage charged from Canada Post on a USPS parcel but a good 50% you do not, seems to be in the value declared whether they want the taxes and brokerage fee. The higher the more likely to get it charged. Items from China seemingly never, no matter the declared value.
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Oh man, years ago I shipped a Mac Mini to Canada (from here in FL), I went through all the UPS docs, materials, etc., thought I covered all the fees, bought the shipping online, dropped it off at a UPS store - buyer gets it, super happy (nice guy, still an active member here, Mini is still running!).
Anyway, a few months later I get an ugly notice from UPS about something-something-past-due, I check my UPS account, holy hell, there's like a $200 fee, sounds like what the OP mentioned. Well, it was a fee PLUS a late charge, I wind up getting the late charge removed.
Anyway, a few months later I get an ugly notice from UPS about something-something-past-due, I check my UPS account, holy hell, there's like a $200 fee, sounds like what the OP mentioned. Well, it was a fee PLUS a late charge, I wind up getting the late charge removed.