KEH and Canada... my 50mm 1.4 takamur story

Wired · 11-22-2012, 09:04 PM

someone on hear introduced me to KEH. and I was very intrigued and kept an eye on it for the last month to see if anything interesting pops up. I was originally oggling a 645N setup, but I think now I will reconsider..... I wonder if anyone else in Canada has felt similar to I have after their first KEH transaction.

I was bored waiting on the wife while she was clothes shopping, and I was stupid and said I would go with her... so I was browsing around on my phone of what KEH was current offering. I found a 50mm Takamur 1.4 M42 mount lens. I hear they are the bees-knees no matter which version you get, and decided, well why not! I checked locally on Kijiji and found another one.. he wanted $175. The KEH one was going for $140.

I ordered it up, and selected the cheapest shipping option which was UPS for $40. UPS being the only carrier listed at the time. Okay, $5 more than the Kijiji guy... I called up the Kijiji guy, he wouldn't budge on the price, and he lives over an hour out of town and I had to meet him at his house. No wonder its been listed for a while. So decided to go through with the KEH option.

Can I just say that UPS drivers are a stupid race of individual?

I come home yesterday to see a delivery attempt notice on my DINING ROOM WINDOW which is a good 15 feet from my front door. seriously... what the heck? On it I find $20 worth of brokerage. So now this lens is $200. I write on the delivery notice that he should just take it to the local office where I will pick it up and not to bother with another attempt. I left it on my front door beside the door bell this morning.

come home today. another notice. same bloody place on the dining room window. says he will try again tomorrow and then I can pick i up at the depot Monday.

So just because KEH uses UPS for international orders they have soured me... the pricing is incredibly high compared to USPS ($15 for a larger and heavier box I ordered last week, and its here already. no brokerage) and because of the brokerage UPS loves to ask for I feel like I'm getting it where the sun don't shine...

has any other Canadian felt that KEH isn't worth it after the first transaction? I think I'd rather stick to Amazon.

riff · 11-22-2012, 09:28 PM

I've never bought from KEH or B&H or Adorama because I do buy from any company that will not ship USPS.

johnyates · 11-22-2012, 10:19 PM - **1 Like**

Yes, USPS does not incur brokerage fees. And, if you phone in your order to KEH, you can arrange shipping by USPS. However, they charge you $40 for postage, which is about twice the actual cost. So this Canadian will not be doing any further transactions with KEH.

**gofour3** · 11-22-2012, 10:46 PM

When I started buying from KEH a few years ago, I went through the same stupid shipping dance with them. Overpriced & broker fees if you went with a courier company, or overpriced slow mail shipping that used to go via Sweden to Canada. (Yes Purolator to Sweden, then Swedish Mail back to Canada)

Thankfully I live close to the US border, so I now have all my KEH and B&H packages sent to a shipping outlet just across in Washington state. Cheap shipping, don’t have to worry about being home for deliveries and I can get the packages from the US when I want. (The shipping outlet charges $2.50 per item they receive for you) 75% of the time when I drive back into Canada the agents wave me through without me having to pay any GST/PST.

I will never have anything sent to my Canadian address again from KEH or B&H, as it's a pure rip-off.

Phil.

p38arover · 11-22-2012, 11:17 PM

I don't buy from anyone who doesn't offer USPS. They are far cheaper than UPS or DHL or similar (and often faster to Australia) .

Steinback · 11-23-2012, 12:57 AM

Likely a bit late, but you probably could have picked one up out of Canada from the marketplace here for $100 or less plus the cost of shipping through Canada Post. I know that I sold a pair with caps and hoods for $100 each earlier this year.

Transit · 11-23-2012, 03:08 AM

Takumar

**boriscleto** · 11-23-2012, 05:35 AM

Originally posted by Transit

Takumar

I thought he was just typing with a Canadian accent.

bdery · 11-23-2012, 05:50 AM

I believe at one point enough people will et fed up with those brokerage fees, absurd delivery routines (do you really expect people to be at home during daytime? people with money to pay for packages?) and lost packages. I make it my duty to avoid buying from anyone shipping with these companies, notify the seller as to why I won't buy from them, AND notify the shipping company on every instance I find when I do have to pay those fees. I might be overreacting but I feel that being charged at both ends for a shipment is ludicrous.

Customs fees are ok, brokerage fees (especially when we have free trade, like between Canada and the US) make no sense. If enough people complain, it's bound to change.

BrianR · 11-23-2012, 07:20 AM

Originally posted by Wired

On it I find $20 worth of brokerage. So now this lens is $200.

Was this added fee brokerage or taxes (HST/GST)? A big USPS advantage is it gets handed off to Canada Post who don't always bother collecting the tax, even on expensive items. UPS won't forget to collect the tax (which I can't really complain about) and depending on the UPS service you've used can have absurd brokerage fees added on.

I've never ordered from KEH, but have used B&H a few times. Even though they use UPS I have to say I greatly appreciate their 'all in' check out option where everything is paid for in advance- no surprise brokerage fees and all taxes taken care of. I wish all American companies offered this it takes the guesswork out of finding deals. My regular UPS driver also isn't in the habit of peeking in my windows and I actually got into a camera discussion one time when he asked me about the packages I was getting from B&H.

riff · 11-23-2012, 07:44 AM

Originally posted by BrianR

no surprise brokerage fees

It may be no surprise but your getting bent over all the same!

brianV · 11-23-2012, 08:43 AM

Originally posted by BrianR

Even though they use UPS I have to say I greatly appreciate their 'all in' check out option where everything is paid for in advance- no surprise brokerage fees and all taxes taken care of. I wish all American companies offered this it takes the guesswork out of finding deals.

Amazon has started doing this as well. They added $43 in 'estimated taxes and fees' to the purchase I made.

I don't care about the 'estimated' part - I'll pay the extra few bucks to not have to worry about it again.

**gofour3** · 11-23-2012, 08:50 AM

There are also a lot of eBay sellers in the US that refuse to send anything to Canada unless it’s USPS Express Mail International. They claim it’s a minimum requirement from eBay. As a result you buy a lens cap for $10.00 and have to pay $30.00 for shipping.

Phil.

bdery · 11-23-2012, 09:01 AM

Originally posted by BrianR

Was this added fee brokerage or taxes (HST/GST)? A big USPS advantage is it gets handed off to Canada Post who don't always bother collecting the tax, even on expensive items. UPS won't forget to collect the tax (which I can't really complain about) and depending on the UPS service you've used can have absurd brokerage fees added on.

Nope, there is a difference. Many stores will charge you taxesto cross the border, which might or might not apply depending on the goods (for instance, used goods and most camera gear should benefit from our free trade agreement and carry no customs taxes).

Companies like Fedex, UPs, collect brokerage fees for the privilege of stepping accross the border. It's a load of bull, simply a way for them to increase their revenues without increasing their listed prices. And there is nothing you can do about it on the moment. If you want the package, you apy. If you refuse the package, well then you are left with nothing and quite often the sender will have to pay to get back his package from them.

I really don't like these companies. Their prices, delivery procedures, "I-dont-care-if-I-loose-your-package-you'll-have-to-fight-to-place-a-claim" policies are all abysmal.

normhead · 11-23-2012, 09:11 AM

Not photography related, but I once bought a jersey from a university store on campus feeling, better the University in question makes money from the sale... the price was 60$ US. By the time taxes, shipping etc. had been added it was $100 Canadian and then I got hit with $60 brokerage fee. Final cost, $160. What we have here is Canadian government policy trying to limit cross border shopping. SInce that would be against the free trade agreement, the Canadian government will never admit to that, but, that's essentially what's happening.

11-22-2012, 09:04 PM	#1
Wired Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Edmonton, AB Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,519	KEH and Canada... my 50mm 1.4 takamur story someone on hear introduced me to KEH. and I was very intrigued and kept an eye on it for the last month to see if anything interesting pops up. I was originally oggling a 645N setup, but I think now I will reconsider..... I wonder if anyone else in Canada has felt similar to I have after their first KEH transaction. I was bored waiting on the wife while she was clothes shopping, and I was stupid and said I would go with her... so I was browsing around on my phone of what KEH was current offering. I found a 50mm Takamur 1.4 M42 mount lens. I hear they are the bees-knees no matter which version you get, and decided, well why not! I checked locally on Kijiji and found another one.. he wanted $175. The KEH one was going for $140. I ordered it up, and selected the cheapest shipping option which was UPS for $40. UPS being the only carrier listed at the time. Okay, $5 more than the Kijiji guy... I called up the Kijiji guy, he wouldn't budge on the price, and he lives over an hour out of town and I had to meet him at his house. No wonder its been listed for a while. So decided to go through with the KEH option. Can I just say that UPS drivers are a stupid race of individual? I come home yesterday to see a delivery attempt notice on my DINING ROOM WINDOW which is a good 15 feet from my front door. seriously... what the heck? On it I find $20 worth of brokerage. So now this lens is $200. I write on the delivery notice that he should just take it to the local office where I will pick it up and not to bother with another attempt. I left it on my front door beside the door bell this morning. come home today. another notice. same bloody place on the dining room window. says he will try again tomorrow and then I can pick i up at the depot Monday. So just because KEH uses UPS for international orders they have soured me... the pricing is incredibly high compared to USPS ($15 for a larger and heavier box I ordered last week, and its here already. no brokerage) and because of the brokerage UPS loves to ask for I feel like I'm getting it where the sun don't shine... has any other Canadian felt that KEH isn't worth it after the first transaction? I think I'd rather stick to Amazon.

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11-22-2012, 09:28 PM	#2
riff Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,408	I've never bought from KEH or B&H or Adorama because I do buy from any company that will not ship USPS.

11-22-2012, 10:19 PM - 1 Like	#3
johnyates Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Saskatoon, SK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,345	Yes, USPS does not incur brokerage fees. And, if you phone in your order to KEH, you can arrange shipping by USPS. However, they charge you $40 for postage, which is about twice the actual cost. So this Canadian will not be doing any further transactions with KEH.

11-22-2012, 10:46 PM	#4
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	When I started buying from KEH a few years ago, I went through the same stupid shipping dance with them. Overpriced & broker fees if you went with a courier company, or overpriced slow mail shipping that used to go via Sweden to Canada. (Yes Purolator to Sweden, then Swedish Mail back to Canada) Thankfully I live close to the US border, so I now have all my KEH and B&H packages sent to a shipping outlet just across in Washington state. Cheap shipping, don’t have to worry about being home for deliveries and I can get the packages from the US when I want. (The shipping outlet charges $2.50 per item they receive for you) 75% of the time when I drive back into Canada the agents wave me through without me having to pay any GST/PST. I will never have anything sent to my Canadian address again from KEH or B&H, as it's a pure rip-off. Phil.

11-22-2012, 11:17 PM	#5
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	I don't buy from anyone who doesn't offer USPS. They are far cheaper than UPS or DHL or similar (and often faster to Australia) .

11-23-2012, 12:57 AM	#6
Steinback Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: GTA, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,673	Likely a bit late, but you probably could have picked one up out of Canada from the marketplace here for $100 or less plus the cost of shipping through Canada Post. I know that I sold a pair with caps and hoods for $100 each earlier this year.

11-23-2012, 03:08 AM	#7
Transit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Whanganui NZ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,624	Takumar

11-23-2012, 05:35 AM	#8
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	Originally posted by Transit Takumar I thought he was just typing with a Canadian accent.

11-23-2012, 05:50 AM	#9
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	I believe at one point enough people will et fed up with those brokerage fees, absurd delivery routines (do you really expect people to be at home during daytime? people with money to pay for packages?) and lost packages. I make it my duty to avoid buying from anyone shipping with these companies, notify the seller as to why I won't buy from them, AND notify the shipping company on every instance I find when I do have to pay those fees. I might be overreacting but I feel that being charged at both ends for a shipment is ludicrous. Customs fees are ok, brokerage fees (especially when we have free trade, like between Canada and the US) make no sense. If enough people complain, it's bound to change.

11-23-2012, 07:20 AM	#10
BrianR Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,332	Originally posted by Wired On it I find $20 worth of brokerage. So now this lens is $200. Was this added fee brokerage or taxes (HST/GST)? A big USPS advantage is it gets handed off to Canada Post who don't always bother collecting the tax, even on expensive items. UPS won't forget to collect the tax (which I can't really complain about) and depending on the UPS service you've used can have absurd brokerage fees added on. I've never ordered from KEH, but have used B&H a few times. Even though they use UPS I have to say I greatly appreciate their 'all in' check out option where everything is paid for in advance- no surprise brokerage fees and all taxes taken care of. I wish all American companies offered this it takes the guesswork out of finding deals. My regular UPS driver also isn't in the habit of peeking in my windows and I actually got into a camera discussion one time when he asked me about the packages I was getting from B&H.

11-23-2012, 07:44 AM	#11
riff Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Photos: Albums Posts: 1,408	Originally posted by BrianR no surprise brokerage fees It may be no surprise but your getting bent over all the same!

11-23-2012, 08:43 AM	#12
brianV New Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 16	Originally posted by BrianR Even though they use UPS I have to say I greatly appreciate their 'all in' check out option where everything is paid for in advance- no surprise brokerage fees and all taxes taken care of. I wish all American companies offered this it takes the guesswork out of finding deals. Amazon has started doing this as well. They added $43 in 'estimated taxes and fees' to the purchase I made. I don't care about the 'estimated' part - I'll pay the extra few bucks to not have to worry about it again.

11-23-2012, 08:50 AM	#13
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	There are also a lot of eBay sellers in the US that refuse to send anything to Canada unless it’s USPS Express Mail International. They claim it’s a minimum requirement from eBay. As a result you buy a lens cap for $10.00 and have to pay $30.00 for shipping. Phil.

11-23-2012, 09:01 AM	#14
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,357	Originally posted by BrianR Was this added fee brokerage or taxes (HST/GST)? A big USPS advantage is it gets handed off to Canada Post who don't always bother collecting the tax, even on expensive items. UPS won't forget to collect the tax (which I can't really complain about) and depending on the UPS service you've used can have absurd brokerage fees added on. Nope, there is a difference. Many stores will charge you taxesto cross the border, which might or might not apply depending on the goods (for instance, used goods and most camera gear should benefit from our free trade agreement and carry no customs taxes). Companies like Fedex, UPs, collect brokerage fees for the privilege of stepping accross the border. It's a load of bull, simply a way for them to increase their revenues without increasing their listed prices. And there is nothing you can do about it on the moment. If you want the package, you apy. If you refuse the package, well then you are left with nothing and quite often the sender will have to pay to get back his package from them. I really don't like these companies. Their prices, delivery procedures, "I-dont-care-if-I-loose-your-package-you'll-have-to-fight-to-place-a-claim" policies are all abysmal.

11-23-2012, 09:11 AM	#15
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Not photography related, but I once bought a jersey from a university store on campus feeling, better the University in question makes money from the sale... the price was 60$ US. By the time taxes, shipping etc. had been added it was $100 Canadian and then I got hit with $60 brokerage fee. Final cost, $160. What we have here is Canadian government policy trying to limit cross border shopping. SInce that would be against the free trade agreement, the Canadian government will never admit to that, but, that's essentially what's happening.