Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

I ordered Gamme and X-skins from Neptune Mountaineering, happily. I just got dinged fees after the fact.

Maybe LaCordee is a better idea.
https://www.lacordee.com/en/shop?q=Asnes

From Neptune, for Gamme and 45mm mohair X-skins I paid $753 CAD total, including shipping, duties.

Actually... LaCordee still cost more: $785, all in. And don't have the X-skins I wanted.

Oh Canada...

I simply do NOT understand the duty/shipping rates from the US to CAN!!?!

I have regularly gotten better shipping rates from EU to CAN!! And the duty is less as well!!

I just ordered from Sport Albert- the only additional fee was NB-HST- which still seemed like it was less than the VAT in DEU...

Thanks for the heads-up regarding ordering from Neptune.
I was kind of assuming that perhaps the new "NAFTA" (or whatever it is called) had reduced duty fees...

Did the extra fee include CAN sales tax?

Seems punitive of your gummint up there in the Great White North to penalize you like that.
Oh, the opposite is true when buying skis in Canada and shipping to Colorado. I bought a pair of Asnes skis in January 2020,from Norseman (Pete) in Calgary...no savings on the skis, but Neptune didn't have the Combats that year, and Pete did...anyway, no US duties on a 700CAD purchase, just the 5% HST, which I got refunded in full from your friendly tax folks in NB.

So, Norseman isn't selling Asnes anymore?

Canadian duty and customs aren't exactly consistent anymore, which is good, because they used to always nail us. I'm thinking they only go for big items: bang for buck.

From experience, I know Japan ignores everything under 50000yen, so long as it's not leather.

I didn't see what I wanted from either LaCordee or Norseman when I ordered, and couldn't wait in this year of shortages. Might've avoided the duty/fees from Europe. Might've not.

Taking a closer look: half the $140 CAD was HST (Canadian sales tax). Half was FedEx &$#@ing me with extra border fees (I'd paid Neptune shipping for FedEx).

Could be worse: UPS. When the only option is UPS, I cancel the order. Never had trouble with USPS, or Japan Post. &$#@ Canada Post, too.

UPS famously hits shippers with lots of extra fees for crossing borders.
Shipping the Combats from Norseman via CanadaPost was $40 USD, and they arrived in about a week. Fwiw, I think the US postal service would charge more than CP to ship the same skis the other direction, to the GWN.

I made an order with SportAlbert in late October for Asnes Gamme 54, and a 45mm Mohair XSkin. The shipping was €117, final invoice price was €486. After currency conversion (used Paypal) I was charged $730 CAD. Finally the package arrived and I owed $80 CAD to UPS, $69 was HST and the rest brokerage fees.I paid a premium going through SportAlbert but happy I was able to get the skis given inventory woes.

Historically UPS has been way worse with their charges, though it's been almost 10 years since I last used them shipping items out of the US. All in all I'd consider using SportAlbert in the future, responsive service (over email) and quick shipping.

Still it seems like you did alright considering you're in cheaper than LaCordee and SportAlbert!

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 9:15 am

Fwiw, I think the US postal service would be lots more expensive to ship the same skis the other direction, to the GWN.

I used to only buy from folks that would ship via USPS out of the US and into Canada. For whatever reason they never charged a single duty or additional charge. It was slower but always cheaper. Albeit this was years ago, I was buying stuff online 20+ years ago and this was my trick to avoid the outrageous duties that UPS would charge. I still avoid UPS 20 years later out of the US for this reason, no idea what I was going to get dinged with.

I think we need to plan an expedition to the US/CN border. Maybe where Saskatchewan meets Montana. I am imagining one pulk full of US goods going north and an identical pulk of CN ski equipment going south. We ski out to the border and swap in the middle of the night.

FourthCoast wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 09, 2021 10:50 am

I think we need to plan an expedition to the US/CN border. Maybe where Saskatchewan meets Montana. I am imagining one pulk full of US goods going north and an identical pulk of CN ski equipment going south. We ski out to the border and swap in the middle of the night.

Thanks for your input, my fellow hosers/Canucks.

I like your smuggling idea, but your location is further from me in Toronto than Florida, and due to Canadian airfares, more costly to fly to. Sigh...

Looks like we all concur that UPS is the worst. I'm still annoyed at FedEx' fees, though.