On Sat, 9 May 1998, The Bus Depot wrote:

> > Today I got some parts from Velocity Sport Tuning for my 1980 Rabbit
> > Pickup.  They (Velocity) insisted that I ship the parcel via UPS and not
> > the postoffice.  Well it took 2 WEEKS to get here and I had to pay $67 to
> > get my parcel from the driver!
> > - The goods I bought came to $242US this was paid on my Visa card.
> > - At the boarder the Canadian Government wanted $25.40 for GST
> > - UPS charged me $39 for "brokerage fees" plus about $3 in GST on top of
> that.
> > Wait a freekin' minute here!  $39 to pay $25.40 in tax!? Canada post
> charges > $5 for the same thing
> > DO NOT USE UPS FOR FREIGHT BETWEEN USA AND CANADA.
>
>
> This is why I generally use US Air Mail for shipments to Canada.  The
> price, compared to UPS ground service, is typically just slightly higher,
> but there are no brokerage fees at the border, so no surprises other than
> the GST and the Canadian postal system's $5.00 flat fee.  Furthermore, the
> post office charges strictly by weight, whereas UPS adds a surcharge for
> bulkier packages. It is worth noting, though, that UPS does not charge
> brokerage fees if you use their more expensive (faster) Expedited service.
>
> - Ron Salmon
>  The Bus Depot
>  http://www.busdepot.com
>

 I too got burned with the loathsome brokerage fee. On the plus side as
of 01/01/98 there's no duty charded on goods shipped into Canada from the
U.S. as long as it's "made in the U.S.A." I assume the same applies in
reverse under the NAFTA. I wonder if this applies to Mexico as well ?

Phil,
'89 Westy