[Kat-A-Tonic]

What'd they charge you in import taxes/duties/levies/etc? I'm really curious, since I've heard conflicting reports on the Ohlin stuff I've shipped to Canada...

I had to dish out nearly $80, which includes the brokerage fees, for the Ohlins shock I received from you CP. However, I don't always get nailed with this and most of the time I don't pay anything for bike parts. I guess someone goofed up at customs.

[DooD]

Y;know it's very odd when things come in from the US. Usually things that are shipped with USPS show up at CanadaPost or a FedEx outlet....Things that come in at FedEx usually have very small fees attached in my experience. In this case, it showed up with CanadaPost, and the charge was $47.-somethin'. That seems to be normal for a package of about that size/value. (Judging on the countless shipments of mountain bike parts I've recieved from american online shops...)

However, in the case that I'm stupid enough to have something shipped with UPS, the fees are always at LEAST twice as much as anything else. I've paid $120 for the tiny shipment of a bike chain and rear derailleur from california to here. It's nuts!

For this pile of goodies, customs held the shipment at the border for nearly three weeks, opened EVERYTHING (yeah, you heard me...every last package was opened) and then they demanded that I fax them an invoice stating descriptions and values of everything. What a total pain in the arse! I'm pretty sure I paid CP for "fast-ish" shipping, and yet customs, in a display of total ignorance, totally screws me over. I think CP shipped on the 22nd or so (of NOVEMBER!), and I picked it up on the 6th or 7th of January...


Ouch.

[The CyberPoet]

I'm pretty sure I paid CP for "fast-ish" shipping...

The ship method was specified as air parcel to Canada, with an estimated arrival time of 4 to 10 days according to their guidelines (vs. ground shipment, which is 4 to 6 weeks).

I shipped some stuff to Europe the same day -- it was at the destination within 6 days even with their customs hold-up. Blame customs at your end!

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet