Unfortunately no that’s not true. Even if duty is not owed, GST is still charged (based on the declared value) as I found out yesterday. $3.50 in GST $38 in brokerage fees added on by UPS. Fuck these guys, it’s predatory.

Hey this is a late reply, but what do you do when it’s not a commercial purchase? My mother insists on sending me packages from abroad through UPS and I get screwed with duty. Any ideas how to self clear this?

You may not get them the week they’re released but I see lots of “new” (within the past few months) releases at used book stores. Some of them do sell new as well. Depends on your shop I guess. Anyway, just a suggestion…sometimes I try my best and still end up having to use Amazon :/

Maybe rethink buying new books and look for used at local book stores? I know not always ideal, and some don’t have inventory searchable online, but when it works, it’s a great way to support local

Missing data, or a missing prediction…since the chart is showing a difference between the two. It’s possible the model for those areas had some issue. I agree it’s worth questioning.

I’m glad this is working for you. When I tried (a few years ago), UPS refused to send the commercial invoice and bounced me around from person to person on the phone, all of whom seemed to have no idea what I was asking for. My partner tried and had the same experience. I think we tried about 5 different times and got nowhere.

For us, they had delivered the boxes while we weren’t home and then sent the bills later and then to collections (their own private collections company as it turns out). We sent a demand letter to them requesting proof that we accepted the delivery (we obviously hadn’t), and ultimately never heard another word from them. Collections letters and phone calls stopped. Not saying this will work for everyone, but we were relieved as we didn’t actually owe any duty (we were shipping our own stuff) and tried so hard to complete the process the right way.

Rainy on the coast but roads in the interior can get dicey if there’s snow. Stick to major highways.

You’ll still need a work permit to work in Canada, even for a US company remotely. So hopefully you’re up to speed on that process. In terms of where to live, there are some places in BC outside major cities that are affordable. Might be worth taking a road trip around to check some out

Well, you can get water out of your tap, so there’s an easy alternative. Use a filter if your tap water is iffy.

Thanks for sharing those links!