# Shipping large parcels from US --> Canada



## The Librarian (Apr 11, 2003)

hey all,

i'm thinking about bidding on a bike on ebay. the seller is in los angeles. he said that he is willing to ship to toronto, but that i have to do the work regarding shipping details.

so what do i do? i've never had something so big shipped to me from the states? do i call a shipping company, like UPS or Fed Ex, and then tell him to use the one i pick, or what?

excuse my ignorance...

i'm sure some of you have bought large objects over the internet, where the US seller has told you to do the leg work on shipping research.

any advice would be helpful. thanks!


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## HJS (Sep 12, 2003)

First choice: USPS- rates for various shipping modes can be found at USPS.com

Second: FedEx International-includes brokerage fees; FedEx Ground is cheaper, but fees are added, no insurance available, etc. so costs about the same for less.

UPS: Never  

Third: Take a plane down and ride/drive it up; still might be cheaper than UPS...


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## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

Keep in mind you are going to have to pay duty, brokerage fees and GST (it doesn't matter if you bought it in the states, the government want's their slice of the pie).

But if you are still set on bringing the bike across, I would recommend UPS. They use in house brokers so the package is cleared faster. Also, because they use their in house brokers the charges is less than if you were to use someone else. Fed Ex for example uses an independent brokerage service (of their choice or you can specify which one) and you will receive an extra bill in the mail.

I don't really get into receiving items from across the boarder, however, when I do ship, I have to provide a commercial invoice outlining the description, price and providing an HS code which helps customs identify the item(s) being shipped.

It's not as big a pain in the butt as you may think, but just some tips for you to consider.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

MaxPower you are very much misinformed my friend. FedEx has had their own brokerage looong before UPS. UPS uses what used to be Livingston (in Canada) before UPS bought them. UPS also owns Fritz(US and Canadian broker). FedEx has their own "in-hose" brokerage (FedEx Express employees), who clear all inbound freight. They also own what used to be C.J. Tower as the US broker --part of the FedEx Trade Network division which clears freight in both directions. FedEx Air Express freight has a "Broker Select" option where you can have your own broker clear the freight, but since IP Freight includes brokerage it does not help you any. "IP Freight" is any shipment over 150Lbs. or oversized which DIM weighs over 150Lbs.

As someone who spent 25years in the freight business, I'd recommend that you do not buy the bike unless it's something you absolutely must have and can't get locally. The transportation charges will likely be more than what you're paying for the bike. Never mind duties (if any), taxes and brokerage. USPS may not even accept the package due to the size/weight, same for UPS. Also think about how is this going to be packaged. Improper packaging could get you damaged goods. 

You could clear the bike your self if you use a bonded LTL carrier, call Canada Customs for details. If time is not an issue, call some large LTL carriers and/or freight forwarders for pricing. It won't be cheap.

If you're determined to get this bike, investigate FedEx Economy Service (3-4 day delivery), but have the weight and size of the packaging handy.


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

Hey,
Look at this one:
http://www.humanracesports.com/bikeproducts.html

I just did a quick search for bicycle containers and this popped up.

Dave


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## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

kps,

That's good info. I must have had Fed Ex on the brain when I made that post. I must correct myself though. I actually meant Purolator uses independent brokers (PBB) I think.

I've always liked UPS. Never had a problem with them and they are always fast. But in the end it's what the Librarian decides to do.


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## ernestworthing (Jun 10, 2004)

Generally, you should:
1) Ship with USPS - best service, lowest price, arrives first
2) Fedex - good service, but a little pricier
3) UPS - avoid if possible. 

Look at the comments in the Slashdot article about a guy who shipped a computer with UPS and it came all broken. The comments also mention various folks' experiences with the three shipping companies.
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/11/15/2216241 

UPS is good for documents and non-fragile stuff. But I wouldn't trust it for anything else.


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