Brooks Brothers online order, shirts: $94 + s/h, fees: $61 = fail

[ZenStyle]

So I thought I'd try some shirts from Brooks Brothers for the first time. Went to their website and picked out three shirts that were on sale. Subtotal for 3 shirts about $94. Add $11 for shipping + $10 extra to Canada, still not bad $21 for Fed Ex to Canada. Total $115.

Package arrives a few days later, I wasn't avail to receive it personally so someone received it for me. Later, I go to grab to box and they tell me they had to pay $40 to FedEx for duties, taxes, and FedEx's own special fee. Yikes!

Had I been there I would have just refused delivery. I knew I might get hit for some tax, but this was excessive. $40 in fees on $94 value? Including the $21 I paid to BB for FedEx shipping I paid $61 in shipping and fees on $94 worth of shirts.

So shirts 94 bucks, shipping, taxes, duties, fees 61 bucks...

Lesson learned, never again!

Haven't even taken them out of the box, yet. May wait till the annoyance wears off, haha!

 

[Nicola]

Was it shipped ground or express? That sounds like ground shipping and the FedEx brokerage fee.

 

[XKxRome0ox]

which shirts are on sale for so cheap on the website right now?

 

[ZenStyle]



Was it shipped ground or express? That sounds like ground shipping and the FedEx brokerage fee.

It was shipped FedEx Express Air from BB paid $21

The paperwork indicates something like 20% import duty on the shirts, then 12% tax on the shirt value + duty combined, then $10 FedEx "ROD fee", then 12% tax on that ROD fee. Total over $40.

$61 on top of the shirt cost

Ridonculous I say!

 

[ZenStyle]



which shirts are on sale for so cheap on the website right now?

Just click on the 'sale" tab on the homepage. I chose some sport shirts.

 

[Steve Smith]

I don't understand why BB uses FEDEX for their international shipments. It puts an needless burden on the buyer.

I sure as heck don't use FEDEX.

 

[Nicola]



I don't understand why BB uses FEDEX for their international shipments. It puts an needless burden on the buyer.

I sure as heck don't use FEDEX.

I'm sure FedEx gives them the best deal. When the contract ends and UPS makes a better offer they'll switch.

 

[Siwash]

they used to use UPS, i am now dreading the $150 order I made yesterday showing up...

 

[ajmanouk]

Word to the wise fellow Canadian, anything but USPS ***** you **********.

Not so long ago I ordered a pair of AE Van Ness for 112 bucks. Paid a miserable 35 dollars to ship to Canada, and I completely forgot that AE uses UPS...so 61 additional dollars later, my order arrives. I've been hit with 30 dollars on a 40 dollar BB order with Fedex too.

Truuuuue patriot love.........

 

[LeviMay]

I don't think this is a Fed Ex thing. I think it's a Canada Customs thing. I spoke with the lady at my local Alberta post office recently when I received my last batch of Tailor Store shirts. There were no duties charges on my last 3 orders of $120+, and then my last order of ~$80 got hit with $45 of customs charges. The postal lady informed me that Canada Customs chooses packages from out of country at random and slaps them with charges at their discretion.

 

[rohde88]



I don't think this is a Fed Ex thing. I think it's a Canada Customs thing. I spoke with the lady at my local Alberta post office recently when I received my last batch of Tailor Store shirts. There were no duties charges on my last 3 orders of $120+, and then my last order of ~$80 got hit with $45 of customs charges. The postal lady informed me that Canada Customs chooses packages from out of country at random and slaps them with charges at their discretion.

Sounds like you need a US based proxy to ship via USPS..

 

[Booter]



Sounds like you need a US based proxy to ship via USPS..

Are you saying that USPS shipments to Canada (or elsewhere) will not be assessed the same customs duties that apply to items from other commercial shippers (FedEx, UPS, etc)?

Or, that a shipment from an individual in the US to an individual in Canada, via USPS, will not be assessed the same customs duties as a commercial retailer in the US to an individual in Canada (using non-USPS carrier)?

 

[Bounder]



Package arrives a few days later, I wasn't avail to receive it personally so someone received it for me. Later, I go to grab to box and they tell me they had to pay $40 to FedEx for duties, taxes, and FedEx's own special fee. Yikes!

For shipping to the U.S., you always want the shipper to use regular mail. With UPS, Fedex or DHL, you risk getting hit with a hefty "customs clearance" fee even when no duty is owed. With regular mail, there is never a fee and, very often, you aren't charged duty on things that, technically, you probably owe on. I suspect that is because having the mailman collect five bucks is more trouble than it is worth.

But how come you have to pay duty on shipments from the U.S. to Canada? Doesn't NAFTA prevent that? I have had thousands of dollars of stuff shipped to the U.S. from Canada and have never had to pay anything.

 

[rohde88]



Are you saying that USPS shipments to Canada (or elsewhere) will not be assessed the same customs duties that apply to items from other commercial shippers (FedEx, UPS, etc)?

Or, that a shipment from an individual in the US to an individual in Canada, via USPS, will not be assessed the same customs duties as a commercial retailer in the US to an individual in Canada (using non-USPS carrier)?

USPS doesn't charge the clearance fee like noted above, but re-shippers can also mark as gift to eliminate any (potential) duties. I ship a lot to Norway because their fees on luxury items are insane like 200% in some cases.

 

[Ebichuman]

The duty rules should be the same for all shippers...but they're not. I had to pay duty to Canada Post for USPS shipments too.

Nowadays, some retailers (Nordstrom, for example) allow you to see the customs and duty charges as you're checking out (before the final purchase). That way you know exactly what you're paying. And in my experience those shipments via UPS do not incur any additional charges (so far, fingers crossed.)

However, I did some comparison shopping a few weeks back and Nordstrom was charging twice the duty as Piperlime (for the same item). So who knows what the hell is going on - it seems kinda like the VAT issue in Europe.



Individual shipments are also susceptible to duties above a certain $ amount, in most cases.

On another note, NAFTA would exempt shipment from duties as long as the items are MADE in US/CAN/Mexico. If you buy Italian shoes or French wine, no dice.