🚀 go-pugleaf

Alex Czarto <alex@tydac.com> wrote: 
> ...  The main thing that bothered me about the situation is
> that they NEVER told me that I would be receiving such a stiff
> bill.  They could have said, "Oh, BTW, the shipping charge on your
> $125 (US) product will be $57 (CDN)".  Then I could have decided if
> I still wanted to order it.  I mean, when *WE* (the >company I work
> for) ship stuff out, we know EXACTLY how much the shipping will be,
> and we inform our customers of it.  ...

I think this now explains it.  The $57 CANADIAN collected by UPS
includes the Canadian federal tariffs (GST etc.) plus the
international shipping costs.  It probably also includes PST for
whatever province you're in.  (Since one of the newsgroups is
ott.forsale.computing, I guess either Ontario or Quebec.)

Since the exchange rate is at least US$1 = C$1.35, this is at least a
C$170 item, and 20% (GST + PST + tariff; what is the tariff now on
computer goods??) of C$170 is C$34.

The shipping costs would then be C$23.  Expensive, but not completely
out of line.  So more than half of that "shipping" cost goes to the
various Canadian governments.  Further, UPS is one of the few shippers
who can deliver directly to your door on international shipments of
this sort, otherwise you have to go down to the post office and pay
the taxes and tariffs yourself.

Bill Idsardi