[MarkJerling]

they are not, as far as it was explained to me when I complained, they are imposed by the delivery company in Canada, in addition to any duty/import fee

which in my case because of the low value of the sale, there was duty or import fee.

That is certainly unusual in so far as shipping is usually quoted up to and including delivery in the other country. For example, USPS shipping costs from the USA to me in NZ includes the cost of NZ Post's delivery on my side.

[aslyfox]

Postal and delivery companies often issue a handling charge. For instance, if I receive a package from overseas and it is checked by the delivery company on behalf of HM Revenue & Customs, even if it is subsequently not subject to VAT or import duty, there will be a handling charge applied.

disclosed or not

_________________________

it doesn't matter

I have the choice where to sell

and I don't sell enough to worry about this

[MarkJerling]

disclosed or not

_________________________

it doesn't matter

I have the choice where to sell

and I don't sell enough to worry about this

Of course, that's entirely up to you.

[BrianR]

they are not, as far as it was explained to me when I complained, they are imposed by the delivery company in Canada, in addition to any duty/import fee

which in my case because of the low value of the sale, there was duty or import fee.

Was the shipping by courier? Some of them have insane 'brokerage' fees tacked on, which the receiver can sometimes avoid if they handle the importing paperwork themselves. USPS is usually a safer option to Canada, it gets passed to Canada Post which charges a flat $5 or $7 dollar brokerage (I'm not positive what it is these days) plus the duty/HST. Sometimes Canada Post doesn't even bother collecting and just sends it through with no additional $$$.

[rogerstg]

The buyer should have known or should have been prepared to educate himself. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Except it becomes a headache for the seller when the buyer is not educated in such matters. It's a risk the seller may not want to take.
OTOH, there is nothing to stop a potential buyer from contacting the seller and convincing them that they know the rules and will take all responsibility for fees, etc., along with the best way to ship to their location. That may be enough to allay the seller's concerns.

[aslyfox]

Was the shipping by courier? Some of them have insane 'brokerage' fees tacked on, which the receiver can sometimes avoid if they handle the importing paperwork themselves. USPS is usually a safer option to Canada, it gets passed to Canada Post which charges a flat $5 or $7 dollar brokerage (I'm not positive what it is these days) plus the duty/HST. Sometimes Canada Post doesn't even bother collecting and just sends it through with no additional $$$.

it was UPS

[CarlJF]

it was UPS

UPS are, by far, the worst for shipping from US to Canada. They charge an insane broker's fee. USPS is usually what worked best, followed by FedEx International. This last one is expensive, but all fees are known and paid before the shipping. Thus no bad surprise for both the seller and the buyer when the item is delivered.

[aslyfox]

UPS are, by far, the worst for shipping from US to Canada. They charge an insane broker's fee. USPS is usually what worked best, followed by FedEx International. This last one is expensive, but all fees are known and paid before the shipping. Thus no bad surprise for both the seller and the buyer when the item is delivered.

yep, that is what the buyer and I learned

a little too late

[CarlJF]

- Why do sellers consistently post (often expensive) gear without images? Are they trying to dissuade buyers? We're photographers, we take photos, why not post some of the lens your selling?

It also puzzles me. An item with a picture is always more attractive than none, if only to prove the seller really has the item in its possession.

- Why do sellers often delete the price once an item has sold? When I'm looking at gear it would be very useful to be able to track previous sales, and I'm not sure how deleting the price benefits anyone...

I guess it's just another way to show the item has been sold and not receive offers from it.

- 'Shipping - CONUS only' - not really a question, but as a photography enthusiast in the barron used-market wasteland of Australia, do you North Americans have any idea how frustrating it is to find a great deal that won't ship? You know we're happy to pay postage/insurance etc. right? Is it really that hard?

It's not that it's that hard, it's just that it's usually fairly easy to sell anything, without hassle, without having to go out of North America. In fact, I'm in Canada and most of the time it ends up selling to a canadian buyer. Shipping is cheaper, without customs/fees/taxes hassle, and payment is easier without having to convert currencies. The last few times we even used direct money transfer from bank to bank, also saving Paypal fees...

So, in the end, it's just a matter of not needing to go through the hassle and increased risk of shipping outside North America to sell the items.

[bertwert]

I'll repeat what someone said above.

When shipping between US and Canada, as far as I know, it is best to use USPS and CanadaPost. If using a courier (USPS, FedX, DHL, etc...) often other weird fees appear. When using the postal services (at least into Canada from US), I understand that you get a $5 handling fee and HST (12% in BC, where I live). I'll test that out soon, as I have a parcel coming up from the states.

[CarlJF]

yep, that is what the buyer and I learned

a little too late

Unfortunatley, many people learned it this way. This was my case many years ago when UPS charged me something like a 35$-50$ fee for a 200$ item I bought from a US online store. However I kept the item since it simply turned what was a good deal into a fair deal. In the end, I didn't save any money compared to buying from a B&M store but I didn't pay more either. UPS simply took any savings I could have done. But lesson learned!

[jpzk]

'Shipping - CONUS only'

I have been told, several times, that shipping outside of the continental USA is a PITA ... on the other hand, I had also several great transactions with US members, either selling and/or buying.
I suppose those who opt for "CONUS" don't want to be bothered with the additional charges or with the "increased paperwork".

All in all, the majority of US sellers will more often than not ship to (outside the USA) you, albeit with some fair increased charges (shipping, customs, etc ...).

[cpk]

On a shipment from the United States valued at USD 50.00 and CAN 64.70, a GST of 3.24 was collected by FedEx (5% of 64.70), an amount I am certainly willing to pay. However, added to that by FedEx were the following:

Advancement Fee (because FedEx paid the GST for me in advance of delivery) = 10.00
Clearance Entry Fee = 19.30
GST on these two amounts = 1.47
Quebec Sales Tax on these two amounts = 2.92

Additional charges to pay 3.24 GST = 33.69

Fortunately I was able to talk this amount down somewhat because I was misinformed about these charges when FedEx called me about delivery, but that was a one-time rebate.

An earlier shipment valued at USD 20.00 was simply delivered to me with no additional charges. The Canadian de minimis amount is 20.00 which is probably why it escaped the customs broker.

[SSGGeezer]

You can fill out and print most customs forms on the USPS web site before shipping. Canada is easy and I have gone through the motions for Aus. Not a big deal at all. I would not mail to somewhere that the mail service is known for being a disaster as Italy was at one time. (And may be for all I know!)

[UncleVanya]

It's really not that complicated. You take the package to the post office and purchase the correct amount of postage. There's a simple form to fill out which will take 90 seconds. The clerk sticks the form onto the package and you're on your way.

That's categorically untrue. You need to know the class of the item it's manufacturing country it's weight per object not per package... Shipping internationally is a pain from the USA. I've done it more than once and it sucks. Furthermore the cost is outrageous. Lastly tracking is lousy and unreliable.

---------- Post added 09-12-18 at 11:20 AM ----------

On a shipment from the United States valued at USD 50.00 and CAN 64.70, a GST of 3.24 was collected by FedEx (5% of 64.70), an amount I am certainly willing to pay. However, added to that by FedEx were the following:

Advancement Fee (because FedEx paid the GST for me in advance of delivery) = 10.00
Clearance Entry Fee = 19.30
GST on these two amounts = 1.47
Quebec Sales Tax on these two amounts = 2.92

Additional charges to pay 3.24 GST = 33.69

Fortunately I was able to talk this amount down somewhat because I was misinformed about these charges when FedEx called me about delivery, but that was a one-time rebate.

An earlier shipment valued at USD 20.00 was simply delivered to me with no additional charges. The Canadian de minimis amount is 20.00 which is probably why it escaped the customs broker.

FedEx and Ups charge way too much in fees with international shipping. The only saving grace is lowered complexity.