Making a purchase from a US vendor?It is very easy to place an order with a US vendor. Just give them your credit card number and away you go. And usually you know up front what the freight charges will be. They are typically added to your invoice. Sometimes these freight charges are considerable for a cross-border shipment, but at least you know what they are. So far so good. Now here is where it gets interesting. The transport company has an obligation to collect PST, GST and/or HST as it applies. And sometimes the fees for doing so are considerable. Here are some rates from UPS. Also, when your credit card company exchanges your C$s for U$s there is usually a fee. Typically fees are in the 2.5% to 3% range. So $25.00 or $30.00 extra on a $1,000.00 order. These charges add up quickly. So at the end of the day, any savings you thought there might be are gone and in some cases your purchase actually costs you more. When I quote a price, it is a "delivered price". That is the way I do business. PS. I will not even get in to how complicated returns can be.
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