MADNESS IN FRANCE! Express Mail parcel held for almost 3 weeks in customs....

[murphy]

My exp multiple time, they are very picky, & generally want a customs fee. This is up to the buyer, who must go down & pay to pick up package. One of the harder countries to deal with, although the people are great customers.

[domaz]

I ship internationally all the time and my wife does as well for her Internet business. The only country we've had problems with is China and we suspect it was actually the receiver not picking up the package on purpose. This may sound obvious but are the people having issues filling out the custom form correctly and honestly? Sending as a gift or without a proper description is going to red flag you.

[swmcl]

I once shipped a small package the size of a letter to Perth Western Australia from Crawley West Sussex in England in about 32 hours ...

What this is like is a courier picking up the package driving it to the plane waiting on the tarmac and a courier at the other end. Absolutely unbelievable.

Shipping has changed somewhat since the early 90's ...

[JMB]

"stupid VAT"

If I were European I would revolt. This sort of government (and frequently private) theft is outrageous and totally inconsistent in my experience. I never hesitate to produce a story to avoid paying it at customs when necessary. And I never pay a private seller VAT when he adds it to a purchase price.

[Bogdan Karasek]

I guess you are being sarcastic or ironic or whatever it is called. Whatever.

But returning to shipments from the US to Canada..... I have routinely received MANY shipments from the US, China, South Africa etc, to Montreal Quebec. NEVER had a problem.... (shipment from China often being fastest is seems.) All brought in via regular mail. If you bring in by UPS etc you may end up in customs. Figure it out.

So I am calling BS on these supposedly bad events, based on MY experience.

I bet there are thousands of daily transactions going across the border without a hitch, but we don't know about those do we. Only the complains that are then taken as gospel. It's BS.

My advice for shipment to Canada:

SHip regular Parcel mail, don't worry about express mail and UPS and FedEX etc. REGULAR mail, relax and you will have your shipment from the US in 4-10 days max.

DONE.

Since I also live in Montréal, QC, I routinely deal with buying and selling on this, and on the auction site, to and from the USA, Europe, Asia, I have to agree with the fellow photographer from Montréal. Regarding shipping from the USA, USPS is still the most reliable and cheapest because they do not slap on duty, and and the item goes right through. I refuse to buy anything that will be shipped by FED EX and UPS, because they automatically slap on duty and bill you, even in cases were items are are DUTY FREE. You have to file a claim... I don't need the hassle. Like it was said, a simple parcel will do. And First Class International does exist in the USPS. Sellers in the USA keep telling me that the Post Office tells to ship Priority International...... The seller has to ask for 1st Class INternational

et le monsieur de Besançon.... MERDE!

[RSalles]

Fedex here has delivered a package with some delay, called me 3 days later of their delivery telling me they had lost the pack ( they hadn't any idea in fact where the package was).

DHL from England brought me a Norma, forwarded the package to the most cheap category of shipment in the country - the affordable option at the official mail service.
The box came like a dozen of rats have lunching for days and in a shape as if an elephant has used it as a blanket.

Renato

[gleaf]

My favorite bit of 8mm home movie film was the neighbors shots of the longshoremen in a certain European port jumping on packages to get them to fit the corners of the hold..... Surely the disgruntled employee of any organization is a random threat anyone's timely service.