# Bow stuck in customs for a week. Can I do something?



## Stash (Jun 1, 2002)

Nope, nothing you can do. These people have their own agenda and nobody knows how they priorize things.

I had a bow in Customs for 3 months once (Canada Post shipping). I never was notified they were holding it. It just showed up one day. 
After the first 6 weeks or so the seller reluctantly gave me my money back. When I finally did get the bow, I re-sent him the money.

Just wait it out. The good thing is, if it was sent USPS/Canada Post. you'll only at most have to pay the HST on the declared value, plus a small fee in the $10 range. 

If it was sent UPS or FEDEX, you will, however, get screwed, but if it was, you would have received it by now.


----------



## DssBB (Feb 21, 2010)

It's a waiting game. I shipped a bow down to Florida earlier this year. It was in the buyers hands in 3 days. The buyer (we traded bows) shipped his on the same day I did and I received in 2-3 weeks.
Both bows were shipped Canada Post / USPS.


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

That's just nuts... If my job performance was this unpredictable, I'd be unemployed in a week... 

Oh well, tomorrow is another day... maybe someone at Canada customs will decide to go to work and do something for a change.


----------



## RoscoeP23 (Feb 27, 2013)

I just went through that with a bow sight from Lancaster Archery, it was in customs for about 12 or 13 days in Mississauga before it was released to Canada Post. I still do not have it, probably early next week. I called customs after about 10 days and they said it was in the normal time frame and to call back at the end of the month if I don`t get it by then. I got an order last week from Lancaster that I ordered a day after the other one(no taxes) I am pretty sure I am getting taxed on the one I waited longer for.


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

Released from customs on day 7... 5 business days later.

I hate waiting, but I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not THAT bad... I may even get it before the weekend.

Btw... doesn't NAFTA say that for goods made in US/Canada/Mexico there will be "virtually no tariffs" when importing to Canada? (http://goo.gl/zZUYTO) 

PSE (and many others) pride themselves on being "made in USA"... so shouldn't a bow be exempt from import fees (and I'm talking about taxes, not brokerage fees)?

Thanks!


----------



## Nick1959 (Apr 30, 2003)

I mark archery equipment I ship to Canada as 'Sporting Goods' and never have had to wait that long.

Nick


----------



## CLASSICHUNTER (May 20, 2005)

one is brokerage fees which means outrageous price for doing paperwork...no duties only tax after that...


----------



## RoscoeP23 (Feb 27, 2013)

Stuff made in the US has no duty on it but you can still get charged tax according to which province you live in(hit and miss) and if you do you also get the dreaded handling charge around $10. Stuff sent through UPS of Fed Ex etc. there will be brokerage fees which are just more expensive handling fees. My sight that was in customs for 12-13 days has made it to Richmond BC, may see it by tomorrow?


----------



## bigHUN (Feb 5, 2006)

the other thing just p****d me off :angry: , 
I saw from tracking number, in Friday my box was at my town post office, but no, the delivery is scheduled for Monday.. :mg: ..
and Monday they left me a note at door that next day after 1pm I can go to pickup at Shoppers .........:BangHead:


----------



## interactivewolf (Jun 8, 2014)

I recently purchased a bow from the US and had the same experience. It was in customs for about 5 business days. Luckily the travel times on both sides of the border weren't too bad so the overall wait was manageable. Taxes were reasonable, GST plus about a $10 handling fee.


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

bigHUN said:


> the other thing just p****d me off :angry: ,
> I saw from tracking number, in Friday my box was at my town post office, but no, the delivery is scheduled for Monday.. :mg: ..
> and Monday they left me a note at door that next day after 1pm I can go to pickup at Shoppers .........:BangHead:


Oh man... so frustrating... I'm in the exact same situation. 

From tracking, bow arrived at the local post office at 7 AM today (Friday). It likely won't make it today's truck, so it'll be delivered on Monday... The thing is in my back yard and I have to wait for 3-4 more days to get it... I don't know why they wouldn't allow people to just go and pickup their stuff... would save THEM money too.


----------



## IrregularPulse (Sep 22, 2012)

bigbadwoolfe said:


> That's just nuts... If my job performance was this unpredictable, I'd be unemployed in a week...
> 
> Oh well, tomorrow is another day... maybe someone at Canada customs will decide to go to work and do something for a change.


Just because your bow is held up doesn't mean someone isn't doing their jobs. Doing their job correctly is probably exactly why it's still held up. Just because it doesn't suit you, doesn't mean someone isn't "doing something" at work.



bigbadwoolfe said:


> Oh man... so frustrating... I'm in the exact same situation.
> 
> From tracking, bow arrived at the local post office at 7 AM today (Friday). It likely won't make it today's truck, so it'll be delivered on Monday... The thing is in my back yard and I have to wait for 3-4 more days to get it... I don't know why they wouldn't allow people to just go and pickup their stuff... would save THEM money too.


I will give you this. Annoying to say the least.


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

IrregularPulse said:


> Just because your bow is held up doesn't mean someone isn't doing their jobs. Doing their job correctly is probably exactly why it's still held up. Just because it doesn't suit you, doesn't mean someone isn't "doing something" at work.


Just because my bow is held up without a good reason means exactly that - someone isn't doing their jobs as efficiently as it should be done. It's not news that government employees aren't exactly going out of their way to get the job done right AND fast.

And that's what I said... my job demands me to go out of my way to deliver quality and deliver it on time. If that means staying up late or working weekends, than that's what I do. Because if I don't, my company's clients go to the competition, and I end up fired (oversimplifying). Government employees simply don't have that incentive to work fast... 4 pm, they pack up and go. The building may be on fire, but the work day is over. Fallout is to be dealt with at 8 am the following day. 

Must be nice...


----------



## thunderbolt (Oct 11, 2002)

bigbadwoolfe said:


> Just because my bow is held up without a good reason means exactly that - someone isn't doing their jobs as efficiently as it should be done. It's not news that government employees aren't exactly going out of their way to get the job done right AND fast.
> 
> And that's what I said... my job demands me to go out of my way to deliver quality and deliver it on time. If that means staying up late or working weekends, than that's what I do. Because if I don't, my company's clients go to the competition, and I end up fired (oversimplifying). Government employees simply don't have that incentive to work fast... 4 pm, they pack up and go. The building may be on fire, but the work day is over. Fallout is to be dealt with at 8 am the following day.
> 
> Must be nice...


Pretty broad stereotype...painting all employee's with one brush. Most customs processing for Canada Post/USPS is done on entire shipments and not by individual items. Could be as simple as incorrect paperwork to slow it down or many other valid reasons...not everything is employee incompetence or 4 pm coming up. If you really looked into clearing a package, it's done 24/7 and it's Canada Post that usually slows down the whole process


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

My oh my... I must have stepped on a nerve for some government employees. I apologize. Just like with any other profession, not all of you are slackers... Some are and unfortunately for the rest, those are the ones that really stand out. But not all, so to the ones that aren't I sincerely apologize. You guys can now go and have a good weekend. You earned it. 

Back on topic, the bow made the "afternoon" truck and was delivered 15 minutes ago... Haven't opened it yet, as I know this day becomes a wash the minute I do that and I still have some work to do, but the package is here. 

$45 in taxes and fees. Not bad at all. I think they went with the "declared value", and the person sending it put down $250 for it (yes, risky if it gets lost for the insurance, but I was willing to take that chance).

I hope the rest of you get what you're waiting for, and soon.


----------



## peregrine82 (Aug 25, 2007)

Ordered a release from Lancaster Tuesday, arrived today, go figure.


----------



## stjoebowhunter (Mar 12, 2011)

If your around the GTA or any border crossing save yourself the pain in the ass and have it sent to buffalo or other border city and go down and pick it up its only 2 hours and in the states they usually have things shipped in 3 days.


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

stjoebowhunter said:


> If your around the GTA or any border crossing save yourself the pain in the ass and have it sent to buffalo or other border city and go down and pick it up its only 2 hours and in the states they usually have things shipped in 3 days.


Actually, most times you don't end up on top doing this. I've done it a few times (mostly because sellers would only ship to "lower 48"), by the time you pay for your mailbox, gas, import taxes AND you wreck that day on top of everything (2 hours each way + border crossing, the day's gone), you may as well wait if you can. That said, if you get some cheaper gas, put new tires on your car, and think you can get away with smuggling your equipment without paying taxes, depending on what you're getting it may very well be the financially correct thing to do. 

Ideally you go and buy from a local shop... but I am still to be successful at that (and it's not because of lack of trying)...


----------



## thunderbolt (Oct 11, 2002)

If you want to set up for a US box use www.kinek.com
Set up an account and it's only $5 every time you pick up a package near what ever crossing you select...


----------



## TallGuy49 (Feb 3, 2013)

*Purchased a sight and scope on Ebay. Shipped USPS Express from Michigan on Thursday, and I received yesterday.
No issues!*


----------



## Durhampro (May 9, 2009)

peregrine82 said:


> Ordered a release from Lancaster Tuesday, arrived today, go figure.


It is hit and miss, I ordered a bunch of nocks and points from Lancaster two weeks ago and they are sitting in customs for "further processing" Last week, I ordered parts from the UK and they were here in 3 days.


----------



## Hookton (Aug 18, 2014)

*Cross border costs*

I found out the hard way what happens when UPS is used. I'd made 3 orders from Lancaster and never had to pay any extra expenses. Then on the 4th order, they dinged me >$30 on a $200 order. At first I thought it might be because of the fur on the string silencers I'd ordered. It wasn't until I was hit with a $68 fee on another order that I clued in it was because I'd selected "Express" shipping.
If you order anything express through Lancaster, it gets UPS involved. So not only do you need to pay the higher fee for faster shipping, UPS then adds their own %15 fee to the total. There's no warning (that I could find) on Lancaster's site, so I doubt they even know this is going on.
Learned my lesson. I'll stick with the lower cost option.


----------



## CLASSICHUNTER (May 20, 2005)

those hidden costs are called brokerage fees ....


----------



## bigbadwoolfe (Jan 1, 2013)

CLASSICHUNTER said:


> those hidden costs are called brokerage fees ....


Brokerage fees that UPS/FedEx charge can be avoided if you want to do some work yourself (from experience).

They will most likely call you from UPS/FedEx to inform you of the fees as they are not mandatory so they can't assume you'll pay. Here you need to tell them that you want to clear your item yourself, and they HAVE to assist you by providing all documentation you need (as they are the courier). From here, you will need to go to a customs depot where your item is being held and just submit a form. If you're in GTA, one depot is at Steeles and Dixie roughly, so it's not prohibitively far. If not, you have to find out where they are holding your item and decide if it's reasonable to drive. If they tell you your item is being held at the border (told me mine is in Windsor), tell them they're paid to deliver to your door, and brokerage fees should not get in the way of that. 

If they don't call you and say your item has already been cleared and you have to pay - you DON'T. You just be firm that you wanted to clear it yourself and you will get the brokerage fees waived (done this as well).

Finally, if someone else accepted your package and paid at the door (and that someone wasn't you), same thing applies. Call, tell them the person that accepted didn't know what's up, you want to clear yourself and you get a refund (done this as well - my parents accepted my package and paid at the door).

I've read about all of this before attempting any of it here: http://trueler.com/2010/09/13/ups-brokerage-fees-total-scam-fraud-cheating-avoid-it/

Finally, if your brokerage fees are $10, just pay it, not worth your time.


----------



## Pop Alexandra (Jul 1, 2018)

Had the same issue a while back, but I've started working with some consultants for all important shipments and the benefits outweigh the costs.


----------

