Any Canadians ordering?

I would like to clear up some misinformation posted about import fees to Canada. 1) Due to NAFTA, there is NO DUTY on anything that is manufactured in the USA or MEXICO. This means that Cathe DVDs will never incur duty. I don't know where the bands are manufactured, so that is a different discussion. 2) Everything over the exemption limit(s) does get taxed (GST & PST) which varies only by province. 3) Since this discussion is about UPS and no presale bundle is over $150 CAD, there is NO DUTY on DVDs or bands (regardless of country of origin) due to CUSMA which came into effect on July 1, 2020. Under CUSMA, the exemption limit for imports via couriers is now $150 CAD for duty & $40 CAD for taxes. The exemption limit for imports via the postal service are not affected by CUSMA and remain at $20 CAD for both duty & tax. 4) Duty & tax percentages are not different based on the choice of carrier. 5) Couriers are generally more expensive because they act as a customs broker. Canada Customs (CBSA) is covered by tax payer money in Canada, thus there is no charge for their services. Couriers tend to add very unreasonable charges for doing the same thing CBSA does free of charge. 6) Canada Post/CBSA charges a flat rate service fee of $9.95 for any shipment that incurs duty or taxes. The processing fees of couriers vary widely. (This processing fee is in addition to the customs brokerage charge.)

Note: In summary, if you qualify for free shipping and your order total is less than $150 CAD, the only fees can be GST/PST. The shipping is not free if you order any fitness equipment though (which includes the bands & loops). The example by livbc above seems correct. The taxes on the loops/bands/DVDs bundle were only $9.25, but the order came out to $121.22 CAD due to $34.89 in UPS shipping charges.

In addition to these facts, based on my experience (about 100 imports per year for the past 20 years), CBSA does not process all shipments, especially those under about $100. They do not have the manpower to do so. It is hit or miss & I have not noticed any increase during 2020/2021 as has been claimed. About 50% of the time, I pay absolutely nothing for postal service shipments. This is especially true of small value orders such as this preorder. Couriers try to maximize their profit, so they will always charge every fee they possibly can. They want your package to incur duty/tax as their brokerage fees are generally a % of the duty/tax they collect for the Canadian government.

Generally I always choose USPS as I have a good chance of paying no fees at all, but CUSMA has impacted my choices slightly. It would be nice if Canadians had both choices at the Cathe checkout. Those that prefer to know for sure what they are paying upfront (even if it is more $ or not accurately calculated) can choose UPS prepaid tax (there can be no duty legally for this preorder no matter which package is chosen) & those who prefer the postal service could have that option.
 
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Hi Elsie, normally USPS is cheaper than UPS on international shipments, but that's no longer the case with the new rates we have negotiated with UPS for our shipments. Our UPS international rates are generally 30 to 45% cheaper than the postal service and offer better tracking and faster delivery. Your duties and taxes are also cheaper than what the postal service normally seems to charge and you don't have to worry about paying these fees when your package arrives. However, your savings will not be as great with your order because your package is light and the postal service is more competitive with their rates on orders less than 1lb, but even on lightweight packages, our new UPS rates are cheaper than USPS.

So, if I had ordered the bands rather than only the DVDs, I would have qualified for the 'average Canadian paying around $10-11'. But because I ordered the two DVDs for the pre-sale (a lighter package absent of the bands) my shipping charges were double?
I'm going to contact customer service. I'm confused.
 
Hi Melanie, I think this is working now. You should see Free Shipping and Canadian duties and taxes of around $11 to $15 CAD depending on which 4 DVDs you order and the coupon you use. Let me know if this works for you?
Hi - sorry it took me a while to respond. Too much going on, and I just got around to trying it again today. I think that its back to normal. The taxes & duties are $19 for 3 regular priced DVDs and the pre-order (DVDs only). It seems about right. Only thing I'm disappointed in is that I missed the deals on the DVDs that I wanted so I'll wait to see if they come on sale again (every penny helps!!!). Thank-you for your help.
 
I'm also wanting to order the 2 DVDs and just the boss bands not the loops. I'm seeing a shipping charge to Canada of $24.11. Is that right??!
 
Hi Jamie, The $24.11 is in Canadian dollars and this seems accurate to me. As a reference, the same package in the USA would cost about $14 to $17 CAD for shipping.
 

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