i am trying to find out how much it costs to ship to canada, anyone have firsthand experience in this and knows generally what it would cost to ship a small package? the usps website is of NO help to me, i dont know the zip code i might be shipping to.

The USPS website STINKS wehn it comes to shipping internationally. Go to the PO and you will be PLEASANTLY surprised to find shipping up north is almost the same as here as long as the package is UNDER 4lbs. Over that weight is when you run into it getting expensive.

I sent a 10 pack boxed and shipped to Canada from PA for $15 from the UPS store.

If you spend any time on EBAY you will learn that using UPS will usually cost your buyers extra fees.

Ship by Air Post to Canada to insure continued good relations.

I'm from Canada, and I can tell you first hand what Uncle Tomica said could be right.
I bought a 1/64th dragster from someone in the States, paid $2.50 for it, and it was cheaper for them to ship UPS, HOWEVER, not for me. I got charged $24.50 for customs. That dragster has a SPECIAL place in the cabinet :)

I find the cheapest way for shipping small packages is, USPS international flat rate service. I just got 6 cars sent here for $4.66.

I'm from Canada, and I can tell you first hand what Uncle Tomica said could be right.
I bought a 1/64th dragster from someone in the States, and it was cheaper for them to ship UPS, HOWEVER, not for me. I got charged $24.50 for customs. That dragster has a SPECIAL place in the cabinet :)

I find the cheapest way for shipping small packages is, USPS international flat rate service. I just got 6 cars sent here for $4.66.

I went today with the box of Greenlight cars, and was told that it was going to be $23.50 to ship to Canada. This was USPS and the box was alomost 7 pounds. I asked about a flat rate box (thinking I could break it up and ship in two boxes) and was told $11 a box. I was going to check the UPS option, but if the back end fees are that high, I don't know that that makes any sense.

I'm from Canada, and I can tell you first hand what Uncle Tomica said could be right.
I bought a 1/64th dragster from someone in the States, and it was cheaper for them to ship UPS, HOWEVER, not for me. I got charged $24.50 for customs. That dragster has a SPECIAL place in the cabinet :)

I find the cheapest way for shipping small packages is, USPS international flat rate service. I just got 6 cars sent here for $4.66.

Wow, I didn't realize you guys got screwed over that bad. Must be trying to bail out your national health care system-LOL.

70 442 is right, USPS to Canada Post most times is the better option. Cross border shipping does have some challenges but once you've done it a few times and by asking questions like you did you'll be a pro in no time. Paying a few dollars more to ship through USPS to Canada Post, can sometimes avoid paying "brokerage fees" to UPS and Fed EX. Brokerage fees are the fees UPS and FED Ex charge to clear the item at the border, keep this in mind because somtimes these fees go both ways. They base the fees on the dollar amount of the item, when i checked a couple of months ago the trigger was $50 (then the brokerage kicks in) so it's also important not to stuff the insurance value too much. I know that's a bit too much information but I ship a lot and have had a lot of success with Canada-USPS, the tracking system is poor compared to the other guys but the item will get there. UPS and Fed EX are also ok, but you just have to know the game not to have any suprises or worse an unhappy buyer.

As others said , if its under 4 lbs , & the box is under the 36" length & width limit , you can ship it 1st class international for reasonable price . Priority is a lot higher & must be used on 4lbs & higher . I have shipped a lot of stuff International USPS . You also have a customs form to fill out . Not a big deal , but you need to put a value of your items on everything you ship . Some buyers will tell you what they want in value listed to avoid customs fees ..
I recently sent a car headlight to Canada by priority mail & it was cheaper than if I shipped it to California by priority mail !! Go figure ....

wow VERY good to know, i actually didnt even check the UPS website, i have always had great luck with the USPS but was having a hard time looking for their international rates, i might be selling something to someone in canada and had no clue as to what it would cost to ship there. will probably DEFINITELY use the flat rate priority box

I would like to shine some light on this for you too....

First of all when going to Canada it should always be USPS ...those other company's will add on fee's that cannot be avoided and they can get hefty. USPS does not charge these extra fee's....

When using the Usps.com site to look up rates you don’t need a buyers zip code just click on Canada and select package and weight it will give you 4 choices ...
Express ..Priority....Priority flat rate (which you have to use the flat rate box only) and 1st class international....

The 1st class rate will always be the least expensive way to go but your box cannot be over 4 pounds or more than 36" in Girth(..This is the best way to ship !! (and you cant use a priority box with this method )

As far as declared Value...to avoid giving Duty fee's in Canada on your customs forms it is important you select "Gift" and the value no greater than $50 if more they will be charged duty fee's.....Its not the same as if we buy insurance here and declare our item for insurance being more....we don’t get charged extra to receive it but our friends up North sure will be !!

I personally ship a lot of packages to Canada and I have never had any problems mailing them 1st class though it takes more than a couple days...If you ARE shipping them they will get there....oh but one last thing...if you don’t put your FULL NAME on the package they will return it...that’s one thing customs is picky on ...they want to know who its coming from and will return your package if its initials or missing a name !!

Hope this helps you a bit more !!:wave:

That is great info you have posted there dragonfly27. The only thing that I usually state that is different than yours is that I like to see the declared value of the package at $20.00US or less. Other than that, your info is right on. :thumbsup:

WOW.........thought you guys might like to know that when you sell something to someone in canada do them a favor and let them pay with a money order and not Paypal, i have been waiting two weeks to ship my GM that i sold on the bay and their payment still hasnt cleared ;(

cih -

That is strange - usually out of US payment via paypal are immediate with credit card or account payments, if they echeck it it takes about 4-5 days. Just had a couple clear without problem.

Here is my two cents on this topic and it is well worth it IMHO as I've purchased thousands of items online from the USA ... THE FOLLOWING IS A FACT:

The way to avoid any fees when shipping to Canada is to have it shipped as kids toys and as a GIFT with a value of $60 or less in CDN funds. I was actually told that it's $60 per item by UPS but that's a lot of paper work for a seller to list each item individually so KIDS TOYS, GIFT and $50 .. to be safe and you're good to go. USPS/CANADA POST shipping will only cost you a $5 handling fee plus $13% tax in Ontario if you are one of the unlucky ones to get caught as they pick packages at random. The $60 limit is the allowable amount under Canadian rules for person to person and is only possible if the seller is willing to do so as some won't. THE PACKAGE CANNOT HAVE A BUSINESS NAME AS SENDER AS IT WILL TRIGGER ALL SORTS OF FEES TO BE CHARGED TO RECEIVER. Some dealers were willing to put their name in place of the business name to help me so don't be afraid to ask. If the value is $20 or less then there is no fees using UPS or FedEx for commercial purchases. UPS or FedEx is cheaper than USPS on bigger packages and will get here faster (usually 5 days with UPS) and ALWAYS has tracking where USPS does not. I had 188 JL cars shipped for $50 UPS standard. If you pay by paypal you have recourse if you do not receive your items whereas with a money order you could kiss your money goodbye. If you need confirmation just call UPS.

If you pay by paypal you have recourse if you do not receive your items whereas with a money order you could kiss your money goodbye. If you need confirmation just call UPS.

i hardly ever sell on the TTP or ebay but when i do, it is difficult selling to international buyers for the simple fact of covering my own butt in the event of a loss. dealing with paypal is a great thing for the buyer if the item became lost but it is something that makes me cringe if i am the seller.

a buyer "claimed" that he never received his stuff from an ebay purchase he made from me. i found it odd that he was emailing me only 5 days after i had told him his items were shipped, asking where his stuff was and that it didn't arrive yet. this buyer was from australia. i provided him the customs label receipt # that he could use on the usps website to confirm that his items were sent and on the date i stated they were sent out on. i explained that they could be tied up in customs and that i was confident that they will arrive.

i gave this buyer the option to have his items shipped insured but this was much more costly so he opted to have them shipped the cheapest way. i figured that i had my postal receipt, the customs label tracking # and a copy of the customs form so this should be more than enough information to provide proof that the item was indeed sent in the event he would claim differently.

well, i get a letter from paypal a few weeks later stating that the buyer never received his items and he filed a claim against me through paypal. he noted that he tried to contact me but i was not willing to assist him more less making it look like i scammed him and ignored his emails.:mad: i contacted paypal and forwarded all emails exchanged between me and the buyer and sent them copies of the customs form, shipping receipt, etc.

paypal required proof of "shipment" which can be tracked online. although this was a hassle, i wasn't the slightest bit worried as i knew i had enough information to cover my butt or at least so i had thought. according to paypal, it says "proof of shipment that can be tracked online" but what they actually mean is "proof of delivery that can be tracked online". to sum it up, they refunded the buyer his money from my account and i was out somewhere around $65.

i exchanged a few nasty emails with paypal stating i provided the exact information they required to back up my claim and that they were wrong on their judgment to send the guy a refund to no avail. i then was furious and decided to call them. the guy argued that their words of "proof of shipment" have a lot of holed in them as they mean " proof of delivery". then threatened to contact my attorney and the guy put me on the phone with his boss. i explained everything to him and he agreed that i was correct and he decided to return my money to my paypal account.

from now on, if i do offer something to international buyers, i require that you either pay by money order or i require that the buyer pay extra for insurance and signature confirmation for payments through paypal. it is quite costly but the only recourse i have to protect myself in the event the items get lost, damaged, stolen or if the buyer claims that they did not get them. insurance alone isn't enough as you could be up poop creek without a paddle if the buyer isn't willing to fill out the loss form which i've heard of happening to another member. something to consider when shipping to international buyers.;)