Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

To all Canadians: I have been advised by several people who have things shipped from the US to request a shipper other than UPS. They charge brokerage fees that can be $30-$50 if you're ordering something that's in the $100 range. FedEx doesn't charge these ridiculous fees. If you add that to the cost and conversion of US dollars, how much cheaper can a Visor be? CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE CONFIRM IF THIS IS TRUE? WHAT CAN BE DONE? How much is the Visor in Canadian dollars with everything added on? (Shipping, taxes etc.....??!!!!!)

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Mississauga, ON, CAN
Posts: 11

Well if you look at it, it's like 249.99 US + Shipping of 6.95, makes the unit just under $400.00 CDN. Then you have GST&PST(15%) 60.00, well that makes the unit +/- 500.00 CDN

I'm think after writing this, I am going to contemplate buying this, especially if I'm going to have to wait for the unit for like a month and a half.

The reason I say month and a half is that if it's coming on econo from the US, then it will take about 4 weeks for delivery, especially knowing how UPS operates.

[This message has been edited by ctan (edited 10-04-1999).]

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

ctan,
For us Canadians, we're really paying $500 for a Visor when we could get some other device in the store for cheaper. Plus, what about customs? HAS ANYONE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT CUSTOMS CLEARANCE? Yikes! Am I the only one concerned about this?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 13

We in Canada can order Palm IIIx from www.megadepot.com for 485 $CDN (+tax). And that price is BEFORE 3Com announced today's reductions. Wait for couple of days and you will see that dropping to $399 or even less.

I think I am going to cancel my Visor.


------------------

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

What about the 8 mb? Are you going to try to upgrade to that? I'm really starting to reconsider as well since you mentioned the palm IIIx being about $399...Hmmmm....

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Mississauga, ON, CAN
Posts: 11

Hey everyone, you see the advantage to this is that the Visor is going to be around $500 at the most, When I bought a palm 3x, after taxes I was looking at around $650.00, so after saving about $150.00 and 4MB more of memory it seemed to be the best value. I don't really care to myself how much ram the unit has cause I won't use it all. I wan't something that is going to give me the best value. If the 3x drops to 439.00 plus GST/PST then I'm considering it. But we'll see how Handspring will handle their customers, right now they seem to be very reluctive on their shipping methods, and date. Handspring would probably get more customers if they had better customer service.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

How many Canadians do you think have ordered the Visor considering all the extra costs involved?

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Geneseo NY
Posts: 34

Dear Canadian Visor Fans,
One could save a great deal of money if one had a "friend" in the US willing to act as a mail drop.
Of course our friends in Ottowa probably wouldn't like it much!!!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 6

I called Canada Customs this morning.

Since Jan 1998, importing in Canada a US-made piece of electronic is duty-free. The operative word here is US-made. Since this device is made overseas, there could be duty applicable on it. I asked the person I talked to to check for a product that was made in Malaysia (is this correct ?) because this is where I tought the Visor was built. If this is correct, there is no duty to be paid; only the GST. That would come to about 412 $CD (((250+6.95 Shipping)*1.5(exchange))*1.07(GST)).

I know Canada Post charge 5$ as a service charge to collect GST, I do not know about UPS/Fedex, but it could be possible.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 30

Duty Free? and only GST? That would be nice.
I was shipped software from Electronic Arts last year to Toronto from Texas I believe, and I had to give $10 at the door (for customs) to the UPS guy. That wasn't too bad considering a $90 product. I'm going to call UPS tommorrow to find out more info about addition charges, weigh that against using a "friend" in Syracuse.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Vancouver, BC. Canada
Posts: 26

Regarding UPS brokerage fees: They are real, and they are outrageously HIGH. I know from my own experience and from friends' experience shipping from US to Canada. When I ordered my VD, (early order, maybe Sept 16), I specifically asked them NOT to ship via UPS. The girl who took the order said she would put a 'note' on my order, (what does that mean?) FedEx does not charge such exhorbitant fees.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 200

1. Duty - I think you need to pay duty based on where its shipped from, not where its made. I thought since USA and Canada are both Nafta there should be no import tax Since the Visor will most likely being shipped after being importet to the USA and not from some sort of free trade port. But please don't count on me.

2. I read that most Canadians live close to the USA border. Can't you just hop on your snow scooter and pop over to the USA?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Canada
Posts: 6

The person I talked to yesterday told me that it didn't matter if it was sold and being ship from the states by as US company; what was important was the assembly point...

You can try Revenue Canada's Custom services at 1-800-363-9711...

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Endicott, NY USA
Posts: 60

Canadian brokerage fees for UPS... I've read about those. Just one more thing that makes me NOT want to do business of any kind with them. I once ordered a DVD-ROM drive from a store in California (I live in New York) and using their online tracking feature, I watched the package go from California, to Chicago, back to Denver, down to Dallas,
to Chicago AGAIN, and then FINALLY to New York state. This whole process took 18 days, and after continuously calling them during this time, not once did I get an apology (even though I asked for one) or an explanation (I asked for one of those too).

Add to this the fact that the deliveryman comes during hours when most people (including myself) are at work, they won't leave a package at my door, and the fact that I can't pick up the package on the same day a delivery attempt has been made, and the bottom line is that UPS SUCKS!

- Wizard

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 200

I use UPS maybe 10 times a month. 99% of shipments are very fast and very good. The 1% that goes wrong goes REALLY wrong.

Even they use only humans...

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

I just called Handspring to change shipping to FedEx and the service rep told me that they only ship via UPS. So it looks like us Canadians will have to take a risk...

Cheers,
-Tears in Rain

PS: I didn't appreciate that joke about us riding over to the U.S.A. on snowmobiles. You're looking for a good snow facewash! ;-)


[This message has been edited by Tears in Rain (edited 10-06-1999).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 30

I'm also a Canadian a bit concerned about these extra costs for shipping north of the border with UPS and heavy customs charges. Maybe I'll just have to eat them and accept it. But I'm contemplating using a friend in New York State (I live near Toronto) to recieve it for me.
Questions: Has anyone successfully changed information on their "reservation" aside from a colour change? Can they find my information relatively easily? I don't want to bother them if it will be a lost cause to change the mailing address, I think they are swamped enough. Any comments please?

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 31

If anyone from Canada gets their package first, could they post it here so that everyone else buying from Canada will know what to expect ?? Thanks.

I just put in an order for a Visor Deluxe, and I'm from the Ottawa region. If the NAFTA rules are correct, couriers (UPS or FEDEX) are supposed to charge you only the GST which would amount to 7% on the item coming from the States provided the "item" was assembled in the States.

This would make sense considering how is one to track what percentage to pay if the item was made up of parts from all over the world, like i.e. chips from Motorola, semiconductors from Taiwan, and/or Malaysia, Phillipines etc...you get the picture. It would have to be from the point where it was assembled.

So, with the price at US$257/- (including the handling fee that HandSpring charges), multiplying this by 7% and multiply this with the current Canadian exchange rate (1.468) would be ~ CAN$403/-. Of course, if the UPS decided that people are too dumb to know what they charge, they could actually ask you to pay more than you should. If they're following NAFTA, then you would only pay about CAN$25/- more for customs duty.

If I'm wrong, please correct me.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: CANADA
Posts: 46

I called to have my shipping address changed from my Canadian residence to a U.S. address I have, and they found me in the computer very easily and changed it in minutes. I was quite impreseed with how easy it was. I ordered on the 15th or 16th (it's been so long I don't remember), and they had only the first couple days of orders entered then. This was yesterday (10/6) that I called & made the changes.

DC

Registered: Sep 1999
Location:
Posts: 20

I also ordered on Sept. 15, but the CSR told me that she couldn't guarantee the change of address would go through since my VD was somewhere in shipping. I got a response from UPS. If it is ground shipping, it will cost $42 brokerage fees + $28 shipping fees + taxes. That's A LOT!!!

But the CSR told me that all Canadian orders are going out express. So there is no brokerage fee, but $21 shipping and handling fee + taxes.

I don't know the truth, so to be safe I change the address to my brother's address in the US. He can bring it over to me later albeit near the end of December!