Ok, from the beginning:

I'll skip the 3 major problems that arose before the shipping of my G4 to spare you from my excessive yelling, but this I must get out.

(I'm in Toronto by the way)

The mac was shipped from Hamilton, NJ on Monday, using UPS's standard ground service, meaning it must arrive by "end of day" Thursday. Fine. I have been tracking it, and up till now it all seems fine.

Hamilton --> Someother NJ city --> Fort Erie, ON

This morning I had become a little worried, as it had been in Fort Erie for 1.5 days now. Fine. It said it was pending clearing customs. Fine. I check it this evening. As of 8:46pm it is not in Fort Erie, nor in Toronto, nor anywhere along the way. Instead it is in Fredricton, NEW BRUNSWICK!!!! What the hell?!?! And then they have to ship it back to Ontario again, when it just was there!

Can someone please, please, give me ANY sort of logical explanation as to this crazy system of transport. I am about to crack, as this is the 4th problem that has occured in getting my mac, and it is already a week late.

Help.

There is more:

I decided to call UPS Canada to get some clairification. Since it was shipped from the US, they transfered me to an office in the US. So here I am, talking to "Tammy" the American, who works in "International Relations". Notice the word "International". This is where is gets rich. I explain to her the problem, saying that I don't understand why it went from Ontario, to New Brunswick, only to have to go back to Ontario the next day. Do you know what she said to me? "I'm sorry Sir, I don't know where New Brunswick is, I'm in America."

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

International bleepin' relations. Upon explaining that I was talking about two different provinces, I had to translate provinces to states for her. She then proceeded to read info of her computer. The exact same info that I got by tracking it on their web site.

Why did I bother calling?

Arg. This all had better be worth it. I'm sure it is.

Where is this place, "America"? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Enjoy the new Mac... once it's there!

When UPS ships a package from U.S. to Canada and there is the calculation of possible duties, customs and taxes to be done, it is done by an office in NB, believe it or not.

I had the same issue with something a while ago.

Another reason to buy Canadian.

PS - There is a town of New Brunswick in New Jersey.

Thanks everyone. I'll keep you updated on what happens. I didn't choose UPS, the seller did (bought on Ebay). What service do you recommend for internation stuff then, for future info?

USPS Ground Insured. It might take a while, but you don't have to worry about anything.

Anyone else care to recommend something?

Cheers,

RtC

From my experience FedEx seems to be the best for stuff coming from the US. They don't seem to charge the duty as it gets absorbed into the cost somehow. I would always ask for Fedex if you have to go courier route - otherwise Global Priority USPS is best (no duty). I just received a large printer form the US via UPS and was horrified to pay $50 for their brokerage 'service' - yes it was Fredericton

You get hit with brokerage fees no matter how you slice it.

I prefer to deal with FedEx whenever possible.

They have great tracking, good people and make sure that if you ship ANYTHING to ANYWHERE, always insure it for the full retail value.

If it is broken or lost, you don't want to take the hit.

I agree, FedEx is more pricey but unlke UPS they don't wait for you to call them back to clear the item before shipping it across the border.

I do have a FedEx account though and so does my local shipping outlet.

For smaller items, choose USPS Global Priority (envelope) or Global Express (parcels). Canada Post will nab you $5 for brokerage (clearing customs).

With UPS Ground, you will be charged about $45 for brokerage (clearing customs).

FedEx is OK, but be careful. I have a bill in front of me for almost $55 in brokerage fees because it was sent FedEx Ground. As long as the package is a reasonable weight, you will probably end up saving money if you ship it FedEx Air (no brokerage fee is added).

You're going to pay GST in any case, and that includes not just the declared value, but also the shipping and brokerage fee.

Some eBay people will try to "help you" and will "do you a favor" by insuring the package for far more than it's worth. Guess what value they use for customs? You usually don't find out until you've paid the bill. So, make it clear you want it valued for the exact price.

All in all, try to get the guy to use the USPS (United States Postal Service). It's the cheapest by far. However, many Americans won't use it, because it's less convienient for them; usually the issue is the post office is far away. You can't just drop off your parcel at the drugstore like you can in Canada.

I used to go there every day at 2:00 PM and sometimes it took forever to mail a dozen letters. If we had bulk mail (10,000 pieces 3 times a year) we had take it to the postal warehouse at the airport, of all places. You want to wear a bulletproof vest in that place, lemme tell ya.

UPS on the other hand, can be found in any shopping mall.

I never bid on anything if the seller indicates he ships UPS. For US domestic shipping, though, it's hard to beat.

Don't worry about your Mac being in Fredericton -- it's a nice little town (used to live there). I can get a couple of friends to take it out to Sweetwaters and show it a good time and get a tour of the place. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

TGW, if it eventually shows up here in St.John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, I shall send it back to you via Doxie Express, the most trusted name in overnight express deliveries. Seriously, good luck. such delays are unnecessary, in my opinion.