I was very surprised to learn today that Paizo has partnered up with perhaps the most unethical common carrier operating in North America.
Sadly UPS abuses an oversight in Canadian transportation laws to legally extort handling fees for your parcels.
In Canada when items arrive, tax (GST) is collected by the carrier and remitted to the government. When these items are shipped via the postal service, for any items over $25 in value, Canada post will charge a $5.00 handling fee for processing the tax. (So essentially, items under $25.00 in value do not get taxed and there are no fees involved).
Common carriers however may charge any amount they wish for a handling fee. UPS takes advantage of this by having extraordinarily high fees. Sadly they will not release how they assess their handling fees. When I asked UPS if the fee is based on the value of the item, they replied "sort of". So basically the more expensive the item is, the more they will charge. And their charges are huge and often may exceed the value of the item!
This year I bought 2 clothing items from the U.S. (the items were made in China -- which meant that 18% duty also had to be collected). I paid about $50 for the items from the retailer, and $20 for the items to be shipped. Taxes and duty added about another $12.00, and UPS threw a $38.00 handling fee on that. So for shipping charges alone, this would have cost $58 for $50 worth of clothes. (This of course was my mistake because I always ask U.S. sellers if they will ship via USPS (United State Postal Service), when there is no postal shipping option -- most sellers will usually agree to this. I completed the transaction too haphazardly and didn't notice that the method of shipping was UPS).
The reason why this is allowable in Canada, is because Canadians always have the option to "self-clear" a package -- even when it is in the possession of a common carrier. (Of course they don't mention that to you). All you need to do is print off a copy of the invoice/purchase transaction and get a copy of the shipping manifest from the common carrier. Then just go down to the nearest Canada Border Services Agency office, fill out a form and self-clear at $0 cost (other than having to pay any duty or taxes). (In my case this is a feasible option as the border services office is close to the UPS depot).
I am concerned that some of my fellow Canadians who read the e-mailed message from Paizo might think that switching over to UPS would be a faster way to receive their packages. (While it might be fast, it is not cheaper... not by a long shot!) Also, although Canada Post is expected to collect tax on items valued over $25... I usually find this threshold to be closer to $80 -- so there are no extra charges to me when shipped via post. (I just received a Paizo parcel today valued at $68.47 U.S., and there were no extra charges.)
So, in summary...
Canadians DO NOT use UPS!!!!!
It's not intended as a replacement for standard mail though. Did you compare it to USPS Priority? For me (in Australia) UPS is around about the same price as USPS Priority (a fraction cheaper but only two or three dollars). The big advantage to me is the tracking. It's always been frustrating that there was no option which provided international tracking. The comparative speed remains to be seen - I'll have to give it a few months to see how it goes.
I'd have to agree with Kor. I've had many similar experiences with shipping to Canada via UPS as opposed to USPS. It's fine if what you want is faster and trackable deliveries, but you're going to be paying quite a bit more for it after all the fees and taxes are added in.
People asked for options, this is one. One element worth considering is when things end up broken down into multiple packages currently. In those circumstances where the dim-weight (dimensions or weight) mandate multiple shipments, it may turn out cheaper to go UPS even when incurring brokerage fees.
One last element for me that'll have me staying on USPS is the delivery itself. UPS currently abandons deliveries on the household doorstep. Rain, snow, and theft are all potential issues. USPS delivers to a "superbox", which is locked and enclosed.
But that's me.
I applaud Paizo for adding UPS as an option. I suspect I may use it on the odd circumstance where time is an issue. "Crap, I didn't realize I could REALLY use that <mini/whatever> for next session... I'll pay anything to get it here fast!"
Do you know if theres any issue with UPS delivering to a PO box?
Do you know if theres any issue with UPS delivering to a PO box?
*Service not available to all countries or addresses (PO Boxes prohibited).
Thanks, Joana. A bit problematic... :(
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To be clear, we haven't replaced or removed any of the existing services so no one is forcing you to use UPS International as your shipping method. We just thought that some of you might like the tracking features and in some cases, this service might end up being cheaper than our existing services.
If you don't like UPS or don't want to use it, then by all means please don't. We just wanted to provide yet another method for those that wanted it.
To be clear, we haven't replaced or removed any of the existing services so no one is forcing you to use UPS International as your shipping method. We just thought that some of you might like the tracking features and in some cases, this service might end up being cheaper than our existing services.
If you don't like UPS or don't want to use it, then by all means please don't. We just wanted to provide yet another method for those that wanted it.
I'm sure your American customers will appreciate this... and here's hoping that the American operations of UPS are run a lot more ethically than the Canadian operations!
The intent of my message was to help save Canadian customers the hassle, annoyance and frustration of using UPS to ship from U.S. to Canada.
I can assure you that I have no plans to use them as "I don't like" paying more for shipping than what a product is worth, and I suspect neither would you.