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I have sold a few odds and ends to individuals in Canada. USPS and CPS (?) were slow but reliable.

My problem started with a small shipment to a forum member through Fed Ex. Apparently Fed Ex uses a third party for Canadian deliveries. A duty was due on the package and not collected at the time of delivery. Fed Ex has made several attempts to collect the duty and been ignored by the recipient. Now Fed Ex is expecting me to pay the duty.

The fact is that the recipient should do the correct thing and just pay the duty. But how can this be my responsibility? Is this normal? If so I just will have to exclude sales to Canada. It just is not worth the hassle.

Jeff
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Clearly your customer should have taken care of this and not made it your problem.

I am not aware of 3rd parties for FedEx. They have their own offices throughout Canada. I also find them the best of them all - UPS, DHL and all the "priority" post services.

FedEx never loses anything and it's all so easily handled online. You enter your order online and then it is picked up and tracked online by anyone you list at the time of entering the order. It eliminates all the hassles and phone calls.

After many years of ordering parts to Canada from the US and either getting hit with extra duties or late arrivals I discovered the solution.

See doc enclosed. Every time I order something I email this doc to the vendor or shipper. If it is completed by the shipper and attached to the outside of the package it advises customs that the item meets NAFTA requirements and no duties are due.

This eliminates fees and speeds up the process. I get packages from CA vendors that arrive THE NEXT DAY with no special charges. Although this is not necessarily the answer for large heavy packages with value over $1600.

Hope this helps.

Attachments

Just to clarify, Some of the carriers hire private contractors to deliver to remote areas. In Quebec; Gaspesie, North Shore, Chicoutimi, Abitibi. So I can safely assume the same for the rest of Canada
Back when I was with the Company I remember a package took an extra week to be delivered because the private broker did not have enough to to the extra distance. Also as stated in an earlier thread I received a FedEx package and the duty invoice was mailed to me 45 days after the actual delivery.

ps May I be bold enough to ask if the destination to which you shipped your item was a Metro area or smaller town?
Count me in also have been trying to get buyer in canada to step up and take care of this but all i get are my emails ignored or finally answered with an answer" i'll take care of it "
Can't wait til my visa bill comes in as the charge will be on card as fed ex has threatned.Then i will post the name as he is restoring a FLARED car and still buying parts.Til then beware selling and shipping direct to canada.
Just a note this transaction took place in sept the guy is a major JERK!!
The shipping declaration was marked “antique auto parts”. I do not recall any thing specific to age on the form and the clerk at Fed Ex did not ask.

These parts were OEM door handles and lock housings. I will mention this to the next Fed Ex person I speak to.

The items I have sold have minimal value. I just list them because no matter what the part someone usually needs them. Sort of a virtual “Parts Meet” for those of us not located in California.

But this is not worth the time and hassle I have spent with Fed Ex. I have been dealing with this since September.
quote:
Originally posted by LF - TP 2511:
I'm sure one of our Northern members can add the details to this, but I know there is an age limit on duties for old car parts.

Meet the age limit - that is, old enough - and no import duties.

I know this will work on any parts original to our Ford-era Panteras.

Exact dates?

Larry


The rules in Canada are that any vehicle 25 years old or more AND THE PARTS USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THOSE VEHICLES are duty free. The problem is that MOST Customs officials either don't know the rules, or just try to screw you out of extra money for sport. I'm not sure which.

I have the relevant section in my BlackBerry and show it every time I bring parts in (myself). It is: Chapter 99, Section 9966.00.00.

Mark
Here's the Pertinent section of 9966.00.00
See Articles 4 & 5 which talk to parts (original or repro.)

If for some reason what you shipped isn't over 25 years old or designed for a vehicle that is over 25, then duties could be due. As a Canadian who buys things out of the U.S. on occasion, I'm disappointed that someone on this side of the border would leave you hanging like that. There needs to be trust on both sides of the border, and if someone here is betraying that, it impacts us all.

Keep in mind that one possibility is that the carrier doesn't want to go through the paperwork to clear things up with the Customs folks, so they're going after you and the recipient as that can be easier for them (esp. if they have a credit card on file) - that happened to me once when I bought a product here in Canada and the store was out of stock on one of the components ... they shipped it to me from the U.S. and I got hit with a bill for $70 for duties all because of how the shipping label was filled out.
Jeff, LaBoss if our Canadian friend(s) are not up to paying their part of duties I apologise on their behalf. Beleive me we are not all cut from the same cloth. At the same time others who might have future transactions with these guys need to be warned. eBay has its feedback system. POST THEIR NAMES SO WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE. I went thru similar bulls**t when I did some retoration work on a cat. It took me almost 2 months to get paid.
Today I received a call from FedEx Canada. I had to start from the beginning and explain my situation. The agent stated that any invoice issue with a shipment originating from the US had to be resolve by Fed Ex in the US.

At this point I lost my patience and informed her that as far as I was concerned I was done with trying to cooperate with them. It is not my problem that the third party agent did not collect the fees due at delivery. I am not a friggin Canadian customs / tax agent.
I closed by stating that I have used FedEx as my primary shipper for my business needs for over 10 years and I would change shippers if I received another letter or phone call from them.

My Canadian Pantera friends, your advice and suggestions are appreciated. In the future if I chose to sell to Canada I will have to clarify with the buyer about potential fees they may incur. I do believe that 99% of Canadians handle these situations the right way. The majority of Americans who are not US businesses are probably not aware of how to handle the special requirements of shipping outside the US. This is a learning experience for me. I have purchased parts from Canadians on this forum and the experiences were hassle free and a pleasure to work with. This is the primary reason I want to reciprocate and ship items north.

Last, I had planned not to reveal the forum user’s name to not embarrass him. The amount due is a paltry $33.75. If a US forum member is considering selling to a Canadian please send me a PM and I will let them know if their buyer is my party.

This is a great forum and I appreciate all of my world wide Pantera brethren.

Jeff
I believe a person's name and reputation should be valued highly. The amount is not important here ... it is the unfortunate aura created, that may cause some of us to think twice.

I am sorry to hear that you had so much trouble shipping to Canada. It truly saddens me to think that it may taint the reputation of shipping to/from Canada.

Personally, I make every effort to ensure my transactions to, or from, the U.S. are hassle free. To date, I have not had any problems either way. I usually ship by USPostal/CanadaPost or Yellow freight when going across the boarder. I have always had great service. Alternatively, I make arrangments to ship or receive in the U.S.

It is my wish that this be considered an isolated case that can occur anywhere. Further, I hope that this will in no way reflect on the good relationship we have with our fellow U.S. DeTomaso buddies.

B.G.
Sheesh! Why are Canadians so freakin' sensitive. Or is it insecure?

There are a million things wrong with America - and just crossing into the US is major security hassle we all go thru every time we go to an airport or wait in line at highway borders.

But we certainly don't hold it against our US brothers here on the PIBB! And I'm sure that neither do they because of some lame guy who decides to stiff a vendor rather than pay three times the cost of the part in fees. Understandable, but still lame.

And I never heard of FedEx "Canada." You would only deal with the office who picked up your package in the first place.
but being overly sensitive is what makes us Canadian isn't it?

John Stewart showed a clip recently where a fellow was heckling the Prime Minister and called him 'Sir' as part of his tirade. In other nations, hecklers are more likely to throw articles of personal attire, a shoe perhaps.

What surprises me in this whole situation is that the courier company delivered without collecting the duties - anytime I've received things with duties, they don't even take the parcel off the truck until they've swiped the credit card.

Anyway, David, thank you for the NAFTA document, I'm know I'll get good use out of that in the future as well as our dear friend 9966.00.00 when bringing in items manufactured in Italy/Germany/England etc. for the cat.

In true Canadian style, I've re-read my post 3 times to make sure I haven't said anything that might conceivably offend someone - I think I'm good (although I think it's a bit of a risk starting my first sentence with the word 'but' and not capitalizing it at that ... a tad outside my comfort zone I admit), however if anyone takes exception, please let me know and I'll edit it right away.
quote:
There are a million things wrong with America - and just crossing into the US is major security hassle we all go thru every time we go to an airport or wait in line at highway borders.


Sorry for the hassle.

But be very careful here David.

I am a very sensitive American.

And I will NEVER FORGET 9-11.

It could be Toronto next time



You as the buyer make a decision on your own to buy or not buy an item with fees exceeding the cost of the item. This is not the responsibilty or problem of the seller.

It is your choice.
Last edited by Pantera 3rd&Last
No offense intended and please do not read any anti-American sentiment in my comments. My reference was to those Canadians who seemed to think that one dumb-ass Canadian customer or weak FedEx performance is somehow a poor reflection on "all" Canadians. Just as it wouldn’t be a poor reflection on "all" Americans if the situation was reversed.

As for the < millions of things wrong in America > it is a condition of any modern democracy. Ours included. We share the best and the worst of everything.

We also shared in the tragedy of 9/11. It was an attack on all of our freedoms. Just minutes north of the US border, we are America’s biggest trading partner and most ardent supporters. Our Canadian troops continue to make great sacrifices in our combined war on terror. Few are aware how many Canadian soldiers are dying every day in Afghanistan.

Yes, the buyer is totally responsible for the choices they make. I suffered such fees but paid for my own mistakes. It is not the shippers fault. I thought I was clear on that. I have also sent PMs to others who posted here, offering to help get them back any money lost with any Canadian Pantera owner who did not do what they were supposed to do.

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