So. I have been honored to help many of you here with your projects by shipping parts to you that I’ve accumulated over the years. I’m not a business, I don’t do it to feed my family, I do it help friends with their projects and to maintain my social circles.

Recently, and I know I’m not alone, I and my customers have been faced with a massive increase in costs and effort shipping items to the US. I’m about to consider abandoning this service as it appears to no longer be practical.

I can’t imagine what devastation is happening to Canadian small businesses who’s customer base is US based.

I’ve heard rumbling on FB forums from others about crazy costs shipping both into and out of the US.

I’d like to use this venue as a place to share our shipping stories and perhaps what worked better for you, or what services or techniques to avoid.

So, to begin, I’ll share two stories that I’ve recently had, to help to both illustrate the difficulties and demonstrate solutions.

Story One. Shipping a personal gift to family friends in the US.

I almost ALWAYS ship postal. Always cheapest, minimal or zero duty or brokerage charges (especially US to Canada shipping)

Well, effective sometime in September I believe, there is a duty and taxes pre-shipping cost calculator application that has now inserted itself into the Canada Post shipping process.

In a nut shell, shipping anything to the US requires you sign up with a company called ZONOS. This app sits between my Canada post shipping app where I make labels and pay for them, and my printer. I’ll explain.

As I make the label, I (as always) I have to describe each items that I’m shipping. Now ZONOS gets in there and determines what specific trade type item each thing is and assigns a duty / tariff / tax amount to charge you.

After you clear this hurdle it lets you pay for the shipping and lets you print the label.

Now the fun part. First let me say, for Canada Post at least, THE SHIPPER (ME) MUST PAY THE DUTY/TARIFF/TAX, not the receiver in the US. So fine, I need to pass that cost on to the receiver by raising my shipping price. So I have to know what that cost is, right? Well I will know it, but not until I receive my monthly invoice from Zonos. NOT AT THE TIME OF SHIPPING!!!

So, am I supposed to say “look, shipping is X$X today, but at the end of the month, I will ask for YY$$ more when I see your duty/tariff costs blah blah blah”. Oh I can’t ship that precious part you need for your restoration for 3 weeks while I wait to see how much that YY$ is and you send that $$. Oh and BTW, that YY$$ is going to be 500 times more than the 2$ part I’m shipping you. Are you a happy customer yet? What’s that, you don’t want that part anymore? Surprise!!!!:

So back to specifics. We shipping a couple of hand made baby blankets and a bag of chips (don’t ask) to a family friend in US. Described it as a gift. Shipping costs were $25 bucks I think, but at the end of the month the Zonos invoices added $34 to MY visa.

Sorry no more postal shipping to the USA

Story #2. Big heavy Datsun part.

So after story #1, Postal shipping is now dead to me for US customers.

As luck would have it, I have an E30 head that a new friend in the US “NEEDS DESPERATELY” for a fair lady restoration. You may have seen the thread here recently.

Ok, 60 lbs, big box, 2 ft + long, 9x9”, what to do.

Decide to try UPS.

On line estimate suggested ~$200 shipping to Ohio.

Take box to local UPS Store. Beg for help, plead ignorance

An hour later, paper work fill out by hand, much trouble describing the item and finding it correct HS code in the system to describe it properly, having to provide PROOF that the receiver is a US citizen (imagine him having to provide personal documents to a foreigner standing in a foreign shipping business!!!! No f‘ing way!) and FINALLY, being told that If I can’t provide commercial invoices that prove the source and valve of this item that i risk the item being ABANDONED if I try to ship and the US gov doesn’t agree with my valuation or paper work, I walked out without shipping it.

Story #2 continued

While I was at UPS, those lovely people suggested I try DHL. They “suggested” that DHL seems to be able to get anything to the US with less “questions” and “risks” but the costs would be likely double, Like $400….

So after frank conversations with the buyer, we agreed to go that route.

Without saying too much, the DHL experience was easier. Their online shipping app still requires a detailed item description so they know what it is, but the only concern the guy at the drop off center had was that it didn’t contain any fluids or oil. It’s on its way for $418CAD…..

And also worth mentioning, the cost story is not complete. For UPS and DHL, and I believe FEDEX as well, the receiver is on the hook for the Duty/Tariff/tax costs before they will release it to the receiver, rather than the shipper like Canada Post, and we don’t know what those costs are. Yet. Will get there in about 3 days. Hopefully he will share those numbers.

Conclusion about this experience? Again, unless the need to buy my items is critical, and the buyer has deep deep pockets, I can’t see most US buyers actually buying anything from me.

But the price of obesity drugs are much cheaper.

I had similar issues trying to buy parts out of Europe. Specifically Latvia. I needed some BMW fuel injectors and there seem to be a number of NOS BMW parts in Latvia. They couldn't tell me what the final costs would be because of the ever changing tariff situation. In the end I had to source them somewhere else.

I am hoping that at some point these issues will get resolved, so business can know the rules and get back to work...