Calling all Canadians (who have ordered from the States)

**Raiontzukai** · 01-02-2009, 05:49 PM

Hi,

Having been sideswiped by customs on a recent purchase (shift knob - 22$, ended up costing 60 $ after shipping and 20 $ worth of customs fees), I want to get a little more info before buying again from down south.

The item in question is a paddle strop from thewellshavedgentleman.com.

Any of you know what I should expect as far as fees go for a paddle from there?

Considering its coming through US Postal, it shouldn't be much of an issue, but I don't play with fire.

Thanks in advance!

R.

**nun2sharp** · 01-02-2009, 05:50 PM

Man! They sure put the screws to you guys!

**Raiontzukai** · 01-02-2009, 05:56 PM

Hehehe, the company didn't help either, they put the one and a half inch by two inches knob in a box that was something like six inches deep and twenty by twenty accross.

**Cornelius** · 01-02-2009, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Man! They sure put the screws to you guys!

Try the EU: high shipping + duty on the item (roughly 10%, calculated on the price of the good AND the shipping cost!) + VAT (sales tax) (roughly 20%). Everything is basically 35% more.

**Milton Man** · 01-02-2009, 06:05 PM

I've ordered from Tony without problem. Because the product being shipped is made in the USA, the worst case sceneario is GST + PST and a $5 handling fee due to Free Trade. That said, it's a total crap shoot as to whether you get tagged at customs or not - mine went through without incident, while others get nabbed.

Mark

**kaptain_zero** · 01-02-2009, 08:24 PM

Same experience here, it's a crap shoot for the most part, but if shipped via the postal system, all you'll have to pay is GST/PST on the declared value + the $5 handling fee. (Unless there is a clear statement of origin of the item, and that the item originated outside the US, in which case all bets are off... This would apply to a gear shift knob for an automobile NOT made in the USA for example, thus being liable for customs tariffs as it won't be covered by the free trade agreement. Tony's strops are hand made in the USA and that's covered by the free trade agreement.)

Any other courier company such as UPS etc. may add ridiculous brokerage charges.

As for the chances of not getting dinged at all, it depends partly on which port the mail arrives through and from which state it was sent. Some areas are flagged for closer scrutiny and virtually every package is opened/inspected.... others may simply sail through with the rolled red stamp of the customs officer stating "released for delivery"

.

Regards

Christian

**chee16** · 01-02-2009, 08:43 PM

i ordered a starter kit from Tony and it went through no problem. this was about a year and a half ago but things shouldn't have changed. i would contact Tony about it and see what he thinks. when i bought my kit i called him direct which was great, he is really nice to talk to and asked about shipping ant everything. i do believe that i read somewhere that the preferred shipping option is USPS as they don't stiff you on the broker fees, whereas something like UPS could charge any range of price for brokering. i could be wrong though.

**Tony Miller** · 01-02-2009, 09:20 PM

Chee,
I actually sent him here as I was not sure what customers experienced on their end in the way of fees. I now only use Priority Mail International which is pricer but so far ever package has made it to it's customer. Early last year I was using First Class International and had $450 worth of good go lost over a 2 month period, all reimbursed out of pocket. Oddly , or not oddly really, it seems a package with delivery confirmation nd insurance never goes astray but those without tracking or insurance may never arrive.

Fees can vary widely and some package get checked, others don't. My non-factory packaging of pastes would often get confiscated so I no longer send them overseas. One never knows what customs will and will not let by.

Tony

**chee16** · 01-02-2009, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Chee,
I actually sent him here ...

alright so disregard what i said about talking to Tony. ha!

i should just become the certified Tony Miller dealer in Canada and sell the stuff in my health food store and online to Canadians only. ha! right

**graperkins** · 01-02-2009, 10:29 PM

My girlfriend got me a Tony Miller strop for Christmas...It arrived fairly quickly and without any extra fees when she picked it up.

Great strop BTW! I gave my Illinois Strop #827 to a friend who was suffering with a Zeepk strop he got on eBay.

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