[Jeff Flowerday]

UPS brokerage is ridiculous but there's a fine line regarding service. USPS can take weeks to months to clear your item for $5. UPS clears it right now for that high price. Should they charge $5 as well probably not, maybe a base of $15CDN to $20CDN for that prompt service.

.02

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

I have never had USPS take anger longer then they say it will for the methods I pay for. If anything the items arrive early. All you have to do is pay for decent shipping like USPS Global Express, and the item will arrive when they say it will. And will still cost less than UPS or Fedex. If you use plain standard post, expect the same results you would from Canada Post....which can be completely unknown. I have had Canada Post take weeks to deliver domestic mail to me before.

Fedex on the other hand has delivered items to me WEEKS late AND damaged and still charged $60 or more in brokerage fees.

Since the customs clearance center consolidation I've never had a USPS item show up on time. And I'm talking allot of items. The worst was some WCR pickups, they shipped Global Express and arrived 5 weeks later.

It wasn't always this bad but since they reduced the customs clearance locations to Vancouver and Toronto, it's been a snails pace to get thing cleared.

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

I sent a couple of football jersey's over to a friend of mine in Hong Kong via Canada Post back in July, they are still not there.

Some Chinese customs agent made a mint on them. :tongue:

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

I can only speak for my experiences and people I talk to. I have had lot's of items shipped recently, including the Reverend amp I just posted a thread about. I paid global express, and it arrived 6 days later. The last guitar I ordered was 7 days, and the pedal before that 5 days. I can honestly say I have never had any item take 5 weeks. The longest was 3, and that was standard USPS parcel.

Well it sounds like it's a little better out east.

That said, it's still wrong that a service that's advertised as 2-3 days (Global Express) arrives as it pleases. 6 days is not bad, but it still should be 2-3 as indicated.

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

Jeff I was always told Global Express is 10 days to Canada. They do have a 2-3 day international service, but it costs twice as much (I think it's similar to Purolator here). Again, I am just going by what I have always been told by people I deal with in the States. Considering how little I pay for Global Express, the fact that it arrives with no brokerage fees (and a lot of times no taxes!) and arrives here within 2 weeks I am pretty satisfied. UPS is at a minimum half the delivery time, but besides the brokerage fees the thread is about, I have had them damage a guitar and an amp on me. Combine that with the fees and it's not much of a deal for me :smile: .

There is always some worry when mail ordering stuff, but I have to say with USPS I am %90 confident the item will arrive safely. With UPS I get VERY worried. Even the items that haven't been damaged, the boxes look like they went through a war zone. I just find it crazy that a company that we all pay specifically to deliver parcels instead of our mail system....is so bad at delivering parcels!

The downside is I have heard insurance claims with USPS can be a hassle. I can't verify this because have never had them damage an item.

http://www.usps.com/business/shippingtools/shippingproducts.htm?from=home&page=shippingproductsservices

I've had 1 damaged amp with UPS, but she was a heavy bitch. Some scrawny UPS guy probably broke his back or had it slip.

I've had 3 different speakers damaged by USPS/Canada Post. They also damaged a special knife sharpener my mother sent me.

As for Insurance claims it's pretty much impossible with either. UPS you have to almost get a lawyer involved and Canada Post takes forever and ever and ever.

Just a side note it seems UPS ground is more notorious for busting stuff, way too much handling of the package. I always ship expedited or express now and things work out well, and brokerage is included.


Jeff

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

unfortunately the custom clearance is out of the freight forwarder's hands.

however... I've had Acoustic guitar magazines mailed from California take 4-5 week to arrive and no clearance at all, whereas a guitar and amp was 10 days from seller to me..though customs....

No actually the customs clearance is in freight forwarder's hands. It's just paper work. There are cases where things get flagged suspicous where actual customs officers will intercept the package and open it, other than that it's just paper work to release it.