Calling all Canadians.

[saskydude]

If this was a larger order as yours was, I think I'd try that route but it's only 1 item and the shipping quote was a good deal. I've been burnt on border crossing paperwork in the past...UPS...and that almost doubled the cost of the item purchased. I'm just looking for other Canadian's experiences bringing one over here.

 

[saskydude]

I believe the bigger dilemma for them is the exchange rate. When we pay their price using Canadian $$$$'s it is not such a bargain for us especially when you include all of the add-on costs to land it here. Scheer economics disparity short and sweet.

The exchange rate definitely hurts sales up north but with certain products it's our only option. The only other light weight grapple that I'd spend $$ on is the Landpride buts a distant 2nd place to the Wicked 55. Toothbars are the other one I'm going to buy from the U.S. eventually. Most likely the HeavyHitch.

 

[mikester]

You actually don't need a 'broker' ,YOU can fill in the paperwork yourself. Has to be easier now that the Internet is here. In a nutshell, you figure out what 'commodity number' the item is ( say 'farm machinery,attaches to tractor, 3' wide ). The commodity number determines what the tarriff rate will be(guv cut). at the same time , pretty sure you'll have to pay GST (13% for me...). Odds are good you can do ALL this online. Once paid for, Customs will release the package to you at their warehouse. You can probably name an 'agent' ( the shipper that will deliver the package to you), so he can get it. Also 'somewhere on the form' put in it's a 'one time ' purchase, otherwise they(guv( might want you to register as an imported of goods....
A friend who ran a hobbyshop for decades saved 1000s every few months being his own broker

google 'importing goods to canada fees CSBA ? or'something'. Once you get to 'customs ' webite the info will be there. They WILL store the item until all the 'paperwork' is done and paid for...used to be 90 days , I think.

Zero-Rated Farm Equipment - Canada.ca

Zero-Rated Farm Equipment

www.canada.ca

Expect several angry phone calls from the shipping company threatening charge backs because your LTL shipment is holding up a trailer load of other stuff. Sometimes "a lawyer representing himself has a fool for a client" when trying to navigate the border bureaucracy and filing paperwork. It's not like shipping a box by UPS that gets held in a UPS warehouse while waiting on paperwork. The tractor trailer gets held up at the border because of your item.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Have to admit that since the 'exchange' is LOUSY, I have not ordered anything ffom 'south of the 49th' in a very long time. When it was <10%, I'd buy a lot, have shipped to Michigan. Then a friend would bring it all here, no questions at the boarder. Most electronics I order come from Digikey, so they handle the paperwork,costs me $8 for shipping and brokerage fees,stuff arrives overnight.
For the grapple....have a look at BERCOMAC, out of Quebec. I KNOW their snowblowers are dang TOUGH.

https://bercomac.com/taxons/claw-grapple-56

.
I don't know how the price compares, it might be an 'option' ?
For the tooth bar, I made my own.OK not fancy grade steel or CNCed, but simple to make. There's no way I'd spend 500 Canucks for $20 worth of steel and a few nuts and bolts.

 

[orange crusher]

The exchange rate definitely hurts sales up north but with certain products it's our only option. The only other light weight grapple that I'd spend $$ on is the Landpride buts a distant 2nd place to the Wicked 55. Toothbars are the other one I'm going to buy from the U.S. eventually. Most likely the HeavyHitch.

Simple answer.................... if you have your heart set on that grapple, you are going to pay the price no matter what. I doubt you are going to get away cheap. Old adage says "you going to play, you going to pay".

 

[Thunder chicken]

Does HLA make something comparable? Lots of dealers across the country, made in Canada excellent quality

 

[saskydude]

Does HLA make something comparable? Lots of dealers across the country, made in Canada excellent quality

Their grapples are heavy. GP Outdoors has one and used it on his B2601 and it did ok. For me, I'd rather go as light as I can. If I decide not to go with EA, I'll just get a Land Pride or possibly the Bercomac that Greensville Jay suggested.

 

[NHSleddog]

This may be off the wall, but seeing that the Canadian market should be a great opportunity for EA, it would seem like they should make an effort to understand what is involved with shipping their products to Canada, out of self interest, if nothing else.

Now maybe they are small enough, or whatever, not to be concerned about selling to Canada, don't know.

Have you considered calling them and asking if they have any insight? Maybe that would be a dead end...

I would like to think that if I were running a company like EA, that I would do everything I could to open the market north of the border to my products. It would be in their best interests to know the answers if they want to keep growing their business.

Just a thought.

EA currently has a 10-12 week back log doing what they do. They are building as fast as they can.

Canada, although a country the size of America has a population of less than California. And many areas of it are a challenge to get to.

Canada makes it very hard and costly to ship things there. That is a Canada thing, not an EA thing. They would need to dedicate an employee for international shipping.

Based on the paperwork and hang-ups at the border, my fathers company will simply tell you to have "your guy" pick it up at our dock. hat eliminates ALL the paperwork for him. A freight forwarder will show up and take the machine wherever it is going.

It should be a LOT easier to ship things to Canada and Canada would have a lot more things shipped there.

 

[NHSleddog]

Not to get too far off topic, but one question on the exchange rate.

Isn't it based on the value of the dollars in comparison? Isn't that value based on the value of each dollar?

So basically right now the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar so the exchange rate is there?

If the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar, the "exchange rate" should even it out right?

I only ever hear this with Canada, never Europe of Mexico or China etc. Just Canada. They never say "well sure it costs you 100.00 but it will be 165.32 dinky doinks for me. They just focus on their own currency.

I guess my point is, doesn't the exchange rate make it so you are paying the same relative amount?

 

[saskydude]

I guess my point is, doesn't the exchange rate make it so you are paying the same relative amount?

I have to pay 25% more of my dinky doinks to get anything from the US. If we both get paid 30 of our nations dollars and hour...I have to pay more. If in Canada we averaged 25% more per hour for the same work done...then it would be the same relative amount.

 

[Erik Graham]

I ultimately ended up ordering a Worksaver grapple in part to avoid all of the unknowns in importing another brand myself. Most of the downsides have been well covered, what with hard to pin point freight costs, exchange rates etc. I live in southern Ontario and at the moment with various COVID protocols in place slipping across the border to pick up something just isn't realistic. Cheers, Erik

 

[mikester]

EA currently has a 10-12 week back log doing what they do. They are building as fast as they can.

Canada, although a country the size of America has a population of less than California. And many areas of it are a challenge to get to.

Canada makes it very hard and costly to ship things there. That is a Canada thing, not an EA thing. They would need to dedicate an employee for international shipping.

Based on the paperwork and hang-ups at the border, my fathers company will simply tell you to have "your guy" pick it up at our dock. hat eliminates ALL the paperwork for him. A freight forwarder will show up and take the machine wherever it is going.

It should be a LOT easier to ship things to Canada and Canada would have a lot more things shipped there.

These are the reasons why a totyota corolla made in cambridge ontario and bought in cambridge ontario costs more than than that same car shipped to hawaii

 

[GreensvilleJay]

NHS... exchange is the other way round...
to buy a US$ costs me 1.30 Canuck bucks
so,... A $1000 US grapple will cost me $1300 CDN

See THAT adds up BIGTIME !!

Also banks CHARGE to convert your cash from Canucks to Greenbacks, yet another cost...
And of course HST (fed and Prov taxes), that's 13% on the CDN value of the bottom line on the sale,
so..... $1000 US is $1469 CDN.
It USED to be if you bought out of your province NO sales taxes were collected. I saved 17% buying parts from Quebec office of an Ontario company ! Never paid taxes for US goods until GST/HST came .
NAFTA has NOT made cross boarder shopping better.....

Jay

 

[ItBmine]

Not sure how close you live to the border, but far cheaper to drive across and pick it up yourself. Then you just have to pay the tax on your way back in.

Brokerage fees are ridiculous, and of all the companies I have shipped with, UPS is by far the worst. I have not accepted many shipments from UPS because their brokerage fees were more than the value of the product they were shipping.

 

[saskydude]

drive across and pick it up yourself.

I'm about 8 hours one way and the border is closed so this won't be an option, unfortunately.

 

[saskydude]

***Update Sept. 15\22*** Ordered in May and has now cleared customs and is in Canada. All fees included (SK tax, duty, broker). The cost is $447.69 to bring a Wicked 55 across the border.

 

[mcmxi]

***Update Sept. 15\22*** Ordered in May and has now cleared customs and is in Canada. All fees included (SK tax, duty, broker). The cost is $447.69 to bring a Wicked 55 across the border.

Does that include the shipping fees as well or are those extra? I think you'll be very pleased with the grapple though.

 

[saskydude]

Does that include the shipping fees as well or are those extra? I think you'll be very pleased with the grapple though.

Those are the "extra fees" just to cross the border.

 

[DustyRusty]

How does it work when a Canadian manufacturer is shipping products to the US across the border?

 

[GreensvilleJay]

if (IF) the USA guv has import tariffs on an item, you'll pay the taxes, based upon the US value of the item.
Usually 'customs' will have a list ,should be online, on what items are taxable and at what rate.
I know when I imported any implement for a LARGE tractor , it came in 'duty free' BUT if it was sized for a small tractor would get nailed 'duty'. The exporting company does have to say what the item is.