Canadians - On-line Shopping, Shipping Solutions

[jeffs99vulcan]

Hey all,

I originally posted this in the main lobby, but usually stick to the cruiser lobby and noticed this is usually the lobby with the most viewers...

If you are Canadian and find a lot of stuff on-line that is usually not in Canada, and get frustrated with the costs of shipping, taxes and duty or with vendors that will not ship to Canada, this is worth reading so here is a copy of the original post:

There are great prices for stuff on-line, but if you live in Canada you probably already know what it can be like to get stung with duty, shipping and tax charges. Shipping alone can be significantly more to Canada, even before adding the border charges... And that's assuming the vendor of that item you've hunted for will even ship outside the U.S.

There is a REAL solution! Especially if you live in or near a border town. This has been tried and proven for anyone within reasonable driving distance to Ogdensburg, New York and may or may not work in other areas, but it's definitely worth looking into if you live elsewhere.

IT IS ENTIRELY LEGAL, NO CHEATING OR RISK AT ALL!!!

The concept is simple, and is dependent on any U.S. border town shipping storefront that is willing to do it. In this case, the UPS Store in Ogdensburg is set up for it;

Have the package shipped to the UPS Store with their address, in care of your name. The UPS Store will hold any package (big or small, including tires) for $5 per week. Simply pick it up, declare it at the border, and pay your applicable taxes, PST and GST if you're from Ontario. Anything made in North America is duty free, thanks to NAFTA.

It's that simple... and I tried it for the first time last night myself before posting this just to make sure. A friend ordered tires, and they were shipped as one package. We left Ottawa and were there in 45 minutes, the UPS store is five minutes across the border. We declared the tires at the border, and paid the applicable tax, and were on our way.

Here are the details:

Have your package sent to:

Your Name
Your Phone Number
c/o The UPS Store
2981 Ford Street Extension
Gateway Shopping Center
Route 37
Ogdensburg
New York 13669

Their phone number: 315-393-1188

They will usually call when your package arrives, but I suggest being diligent; have it shipped in such a way that you can track it.

When you are ready to go and get it, bring your passport, or necessary ID (driver's licence, birth certificate), and $2.75 for each crossing of the bridge. Bring $5 for the pick-up fee for each package; they currently accept either CDN or USD at par. Declare the value of your goods at the border, and follow the officer's directions; you will likely be provided with a form to bring into the office to pay your GST and PST. I say likely, because once in a while, if you're lucky, you may very well be told to just "go ahead"!

This is a HIGHLY COMMON practice... the UPS store is LOADED with goods all bound for Canada... piled high on the walls right to the door.

Tires have a HUGE markup at my local dealer, and this is a very viable solution, but it's more than that... I've found things that I need that won't ship to Canada, and I've found other things that will only ship via couriers who often charge duty up front, whether it's North American made or not.

Hope this helps!

[Giggsy]

I live in New Brunswick near the Callas Maine border and I as well as many other Brunswickers have been using the UPS "system" for years - Great believer in free enterprise and just love this cross border shopping