On Sat, 14 May 2005 19:28:59 -0700, the renowned "SteveB"
wrote:


"Waynemak" wrote in message
...
I stopped using UPS because there rates are so high, $2.00 for residental,
$2.00 for pick up then about $1.00 per pound. What was a real PITA with UPS
is the fees I would get hit with AFTER item shipped. Some people within a
zip code would have a surcharge. I now use DHL and save my buyers about 40%
on shipping.

Depending on the weight, UPS is sometimes cheaper. Once, I had a package go
to Canada. I had to jump through hoops and give a credit card number for it
to go UPS, which was at a customer's request. Long story short, the
Canadian customs charged the person more than the item was worth in customs.
They were going to charge our credit card, but the decent buyer paid it out
of pocket instead of having us held up by Canadian Customs.

Now, we have a disclaimer that says item is described exactly on customs
forms, exact value is stated, and whether it is a gift, merchandise, or
whatever is stated, and that the buyer is responsible for whatever extortion
and fees their country wants to charge.

STeve

The problem with UPS from US to Canada is that most of the fees are
actually charged to the recipient by UPS (and they attempt to blame it
on government fees). With mail the damage is limited to $5 on top of
the duty (most of the time it's duty free, electronics and stuff made
in the US are always duty free) and sales tax (which the buyer would
have to pay anyway).

They don't *have* to do it, they have special deals with some
companies to handle all the paperwork for a few dollars (eg. Newark),
but for the one-off shipments they can charge $40 or $50 extra for the
same thing. Fedex ground is fairly reasonable for heavy stuff, they
still charge a bit, but it's like half.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com