Sarrazin gives me a call. The big lot of cards we bought has finally arrived - delivery slip on his doorstep. He wasn't in, but he can pick it up between the hours of x and y. So he calls them.
There's a brokerage fee, they say. Sure, he says, it came across the border, that's to be expected.
What's not to be expected is for that amount to be monstrously extortionate. It's offensive. It's insane. They have to be off their nuts.
So now we have to decide whether to eat the bill, or send them back and call it a day.
I don't know whether this brokerage bullshit is the fault of the Canadian government (our friends at the CCRA, or whatever they're called this week) or the courier companies, or both, but I suspect the former. Whenever you find yourself knee deep in expensive, unnecessary bullshit, start looking for ignorant politicians and apathetic public servants.
Sigh.
9 comments:
Yeah, it sucks ass.
Duty = gov't
Tax = gov't
Brokerage fee = shipping company
Usually, it's FedEx or UPS which charge the highway robbery like brokerage fees. As a percent of the total value or a minimum. Check it out:
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html
It's sick - when I get stuff from eBay, I have them ship USPS. The have agreements in place with CanadaPOST to drop ship. I get tax and duty if applicable - 5 bucks if any brokerage fee.
Tellin ya dude... it's the DS mailing curse. You got october micheal gulf whiskey tango foxtrot baker baker quebec papa whiskey november echo delta!!!
should have shipped it USPS. never ship ups/fedex, they always screw you over.
I would have gone with USPS, but I didn't do the ordering.
I also do my best to avoid ordering from the states, for that matter. There's a reason my favourite web store is in Calgary :)
Actually I don't think we even had an option on the carrier, now that I think about it.
Oh well, whatever.
I don't think there was an option for shipping. The seller had a flat rate already calculated. And for the amount of time it took, courier companies are f---ing worth it. The only reason I'd go FedEx or UPS is to get it NEXT DAY. Not a frickin week later. I'm leaning towards "send it back", just so that the govn't can get zero dollars for the so-called work it just did.
btw, I had to type in bimzkar in order to post this. What the hell is a bimzkar?
Oh yeah. UPS sucks donkey dick. It's e-mugging if you ask me.
...my vote - send the shit back.
'Whoever coined the phrase, "let the buyer beware" was probably bleeding from that asshole.'
:)
I've found that that US Postal Service is the way to go. They don't change a customs brokerage fee. emuis and I ordered some audio stuff earlier this year and were happy with them. On an earlier order of similar stuff, I got burned by UPS. Also, note that if the stuff isn't made in the US, you might be subject to duty as well.
We're sending it back. UPS can blow me.
Also, 'bimzkar' is a Turkish word for a worn-out, broken-down-looking automobile, of a type driven by people skirting the edges of vagrancy. Now you know.
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