ode what are the customs fees? I did see via pirateship there is a cheap option to shop to you guys but always wondered the customs cost🤔
There is no real consistency to what is applied and it varies from service to service.
Canada Border Services identifies any item with a declared value of > $20 as being subject to tax and duty. Tax varies by Province slightly but for Ontario is 13% on the converted value to Canadian dollars. So a $20 US value package = $27 Cdn would be assessed tax of $3.51 Cdn on top.
The big hit that is possible using a courier service are brokerage/handling fees. brokerage fees generally apply to regular ground shipments and cover the costs of processing the paperwork and paying the taxes and duties to the Canada Border Services Agency. I'm not exactly sure what they charge these days for brokerage fees but it used to be $60 , plus tax and duty.
If the item is sent as a "gift" the value to be hit with tax/duty jumps to $60 USD. That is why in many cases I will ask the shipper to declare as a gift and value of $50.
One way to avoid the brokerage fee is to refuse delivery and then self clear the item. The process takes longer than simply paying the delivery man and so only worth it really if you have the time and the $ amount is meaningful to you.
USPS can often be the better way, taxes and duties are hit or miss but more miss. My last US inbound package sent USPS then picked up by Canada Post had a "processing fee" fee tacked onto it of ~$10 plus the taxes, on an item valued about $40.
Many items get assessed with duty but are exempt, here one has to apply to be reimbursed. Again it might not be worth it for $10.
Bottom line, it's unpredictable as what will or will not be levied in fees. While I don't receive as many packages from the US as I once did, still get a couple a month. I'm dinged with tax/duty maybe 10% of the time..