R

Ron B.

Well Known Member
I should have been more carefull but when I purchased six rocker switches from DIGI-Key from somewhere in Mid USA, I wasn't thinking about shipping and clicked on Fedex.I ordered them in the late evening and once in bed I thought of what I had done. I should have gotten up and sent out a change in shipping to USPS ,but elected to do it first thing in the morning, which I did. But it was too late, they were already shipped.They arrived today , didn't take too long but. The invoice arrived also , or at least part of it did. Total cost for parts $7.44 add shipping $54.45 and there is still brokerage to come, probably $40 not bad for six switches.
Ron
 
Let me see if I got this right. The parts were less than $8 and the shipping was over $50. Ouch! BTW, what is brokerage?
 
Oh I shouldn't get started...the "brokerage fees" are a wonderful gift from our good ole politicians here in the US....and is again one of the great things about NAFTA!

Ok, all sarcasm aside...sending things by courier to Canada is often times more expensive than sending them to the UK because FedEx and UPS charge an astronomical customs brokerage fee. The postal service (and Purolator) charge much, much less.

As someone who often ships to Canada, it really ticks me off that the shipping companies literally rape the customer....and the seller both - because they can! Amazing what lobbyists on both sides of the border can accomplish when they want to cram something down the public's throat. Free Trade Agreements sound good, don't they!

A very sarcastic cheers,
Stein
 
SteinAir said:
Ok, all sarcasm aside...sending things by courier to Canada is often times more expensive than sending them to the UK because FedEx and UPS charge an astronomical customs brokerage fee. The postal service (and Purolator) charge much, much less.
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You're right. But if you choose any of the "FedEx Internationnal" service, brokerage will only be $10. It's not that bad compared to the Canada Post $5. IF you need something real fast and don't want to pay BIG brokerage fees, use FedEX Internationnal Economy. It will be shipped by air. I used this service for my Avery Toolkit and my Empennage Kit and got both the 3rd day.
 
llavalle said:
You're right. But if you choose any of the "FedEx Internationnal" service, brokerage will only be $10. It's not that bad compared to the Canada Post $5. IF you need something real fast and don't want to pay BIG brokerage fees, use FedEX Internationnal Economy. It will be shipped by air. I used this service for my Avery Toolkit and my Empennage Kit and got both the 3rd day.
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Sometimes yes...that is the case, but not always. Believe me, we spend many thousands of $$'s a month on shipping, and NOTHING as is at seems with the shipping companies. There is more fine print buried in their carriage agreements than you can imagine. I can't say I know it all, because UPS/FedEx will pull something out of their rear every week that I was "unaware of".... it's frustrating as a seller and a buyer, but it's one of those things! I'm lucky that I spend enough to have direct access to account reps and don't have to go through "1800****" to talk to someone at the couriers, but still it's one of the singular most pain in the rear parts of running the kind of business we do!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Good to know... I was under the impression that using FedEX Inter. Econ. was safe... thanks for the info.
 
Yep. Never underestimate the performance of USPS airmail - even across the world, it's usually here within a few days of a courier, and is always much cheaper. I've only ever had one parcel "lost" and that was thanks to the local courier.
 
shipping tip

try unishippers...............that company saved my company many many thousands in 07 & 08....I'm not talking chump change here....big money....only draw back.....they wouldnt ship my 7a QB fuse.....bummer...now I gotta hire?

Robb.....7A...wingin it
 
RichB said:
Yep. Never underestimate the performance of USPS airmail - even across the world, it's usually here within a few days of a courier, and is always much cheaper.
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Even within the United States! You can get a one-day delivery mailer from USPS for $4.95 to anywhere in the states. I needed a couple of little, custom screws from a vendor a few months back, and I needed them in two days because I was leaving on a trip. Called them up, and suggested they put them in an envelope and drop them in the mail. Two days later, they showed up Fed Ex - the bill was $35!!! Yeah, the screws were free....doesn't say very much for the common sense (or customer consideration) of the vendor though...

Paul
 
I like ordering from Digikey at work for the same reason you've found... Your order ships late in the evening of the very same day its been ordered! I don't use them for anything quality significant, but when I'm making prototypes, they're hard to beat.

(Except their search engine... its hard to use when you don't know exactly what you want, or the spec you need isn't in the search database)
 
UPS to Canada. Just not good?

I've lived through several horror stories with UPS from US vendors to Canada.

USPS air parcel post was competitive on price, for the electronics, and made the trip in a week, while we waited for the UPS shipment to clear their brokerage (total was 6 wks, and a whopping bill).

I used to buy a lot from Digi-key, and I think the last time was a similar shipment - about $10 in parts, but only about $10 shipping, and it was overnight.
Maybe I need to lay off the hot sauce, but my recollection is $8 parts shipped overnight to UPS's broker in Winnipeg, and getting theparts and a $50 brokerage bill three weeks later.

I just checked with Digikey, and I may be wrong about UPS, at least for them.
Their 1-2 day service to Canada is $8 via UPS, apparently guaranteed. No more overnight :-(
 
Another good one.Switches showed up yesterday by Fedex and today I got a message that a parcel was at the post office. Digi-key mailed their new catalog they didn't use Fedex. I wish they had included it with the switches at least then I would have felt I recieved something for all my expences.
 
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