moose;175330 wroteThere are no duties on items made in the US. What you are paying is a brokerage fee to clear it through customs to prove that there are no duties. When they do that they charge gst on top based on the value of the goods. It is a pure cash grab and UPS clears everything through customs EVERYTIME because they make a TON of money by charging these bogus brokerage fees. If you ship via USPS, 99% of packages will cross the border without being brokered through customs. High value items, heavy items and large items may or may not. If it is small, light and not very valuable it is very unlikely that it will be cleared by customs. Especially if you are purchasing from an individual not a business. Think about it - so many packages cross the border every day it is just not possible to individually clear them all.
ddmilcan is a broker so he may have a different perspective but this is the reality of what happens. I'm not saying brokerage fees are bogus, just that what UPS charges for this 'service' is a joke.
That is why CT is the way to go. Most people on there are simply looking for a good home for their chips. They charge reasonable prices and don't rip you for shipping. Some guys there are clearly looking to make a profit, but even then, they are usually fair. Out of the dozens of packages I've had shipped to me via USPS I got hit with brokerage, twice. Even then the USPS fee is reasonable <$20. I've had one package from a CT member go missing. Their word and rep on CT is very important them and he refunded my money when the package didn't arrive.
Thanks Moose! Glad to see I'm not the only one that finds UPS a little out of whack!!! I will keep searching CT and hopefully hit something else i like! Like almost everything listed lately!
Like everything else... reputation is key! Doubt that i would buy direct from a seller with no history on a trade site!