Check it out... someone finally designed aftermarket MUC adapters for TRBO/APX

[LA_XTS]

Sorry to hear that folks north of the US border get treated so badly.

Although it has been a couple of years since I bought anything from Canada, I have never had any problems with things coming into the US. I have bought a few items from Codan/Daniels and while they have gone through US Customs (via Fedex) I have never had to pay anything but shipping. Yes, Codan does want a TIN (tax payer identification number) to facilitate clearance but that's all. Stuff purchased from other sources and shipped via mail arrives with no questions TIN or other info except my address.

 

[com501]

I just use the guy who lives a mile from the Canada border. He goes across the border and posts my items IN CANADA for me.

 

[RadioSkaf]

eBay is a shit company because they make their platform expensive for sellers, and HORRIFIC for Canadians, thanks to that SHIT GLOBAL SHIPPING PROGRAM MIDDLEMAN SCAM, in which Americans are forced to ship their goods to Pitney Bowes in Erlanger, KY., which then transports them to Canada, then opens our goods and repackages/relabels them, then hands them off to Canada Post or some unreliable courier for delivery. They charge GST + PST + Handling Fee + Brokerage fee. Shipment from Sender-->Receiver is extremely slow.

American friends: Please ship direct to Canadians, via the USPS. Do not use private couriers, such as UPS, FedEx or DHL. We get dicked with massive hidden fees. Items entering Canada via Canada Post must first be processed through customs (like anything else), but they seem to let things below about $50-60 declared value, slide through without any extra fees. Delivery time is quite reasonable, too. When a private courier is used, they charge fees on EVERY SINGLE SHIPMENT, even if it's declared as $2.00 or something. They do this because they make massive profits from their "handling" or "brokerage" fees.

Anyway. Yeah. I'm sure any Canadian reading this will click the like button.

You guys have it easy...

As an European it is nearly impossible for me to find some parts for my "museum" collection in my country, so of eBay US I go, I don't really have a choice...

Every US seller want to use this damn GSP to ship abroad (or they don't have the choice maybe); the same GSP who is a blatant thief and a liar :
(I discussed with a radio stuff seller one day, and the seller sent me some gear in a package with a lot of bubble wrap, GSP removed the wrap to save on shipping [but still charged max shipping price, mind you] and blamed the seller for parcel damage)...
And that is when they do their "job" correctly, I lost count of the number of damaged items from a box cutter "slash" or rough mishandling (a caveman will do better)
(Pro-Tip: NEVER buy Vacuum tubes on eBay when abroad, else you like to receive glass shards !)

As Mars says very rightly, it is nothing less of a SCAM !
Because for this "level" of service you will pay with your first-born son !
I'm French so when buying on eBay US I have : 1-The cost of the item (logical, bear with me).
2-The GSP Shipping fee (outrageous but still logical).
3- An eBay/GSP "Import charge" (which wasn't there 10 years ago, you can't have details on what it is really, and it is not Customs), this import charge does not depends on the object purchased, but of the bidding history !
4- Customs and "files fee (is it the correct word) ?"
5- VAT on the item cost.
6- VAT on the GSP shipping and import fee.
7- VAT on the Customs and "files fee".
8- Paypal fee
9- Conversions fee between $ and Euros (as calculated by paypal, so not the same as the real market conversion which is usually better)

And thanks to that Gentlemen, an Analog Saber Heliflex antenna (an impossible to find in my country, but approx 10$ piece in the USA) costs me 85 euros (approx 102$ with today exchange ratio). With one in ten chance to arrive undamaged...
That was only for a small antenna, I let you imagine my suffering (and the state of my wallet) for a radio (they managed to destroy during transport a Racal25, which is made from machined aircraft aluminum !)

As I said, you guys have it easy... And don't start me on the eBay return procedure or I will rupture an aneurysm !

[Thanks God, there's some sellers, like our friend Knickerlessparsons here, who are in England and can provide me with my monthly collector addiction without a big part of this giant pain in the *ss !]

 

[knickerlessparsons]

Thank you for the recommendation.

For clarity, I have never used GSP even to problem postal destinations like Central/South America and former Soviet ...stans. From day one, trans-shipping seemed a recipe for disaster, added expense and unhappy customers. If anyone is going F### Up one of my shipments, it should be me F#####n it up, not some underpaid agency worker in god knows where.

 

[Mars]

This is SO EASY to mitigate:

- Unless the buyer requests otherwise, ALWAYS ship direct via postal service.

- LIE ABOUT THE VALUE of the item. If the buyer paid $150 USD, put "Used ham radio, value $20" on the CN22 customs form. Fuck customs and Justin Trudeau. NOT ONCE, has any Canadian been charged/done jail time for dicking Customs out of $20 in taxes/fees.

- DO NOT include a copy of the PayPal or eBay receipt in the package. Customs has the right to search all mail entering a foreign country. They laugh when they see some idiot trying to deceive them.

- DO NOT INSURE the package unless requested to do so. Why? Because CUSTOMS assesses the insured value as the declared value. You put "$20" on the package but insure for $400, customs isn't stupid. They charge taxes based on that.

- Package it properly. They throw, kick and drop the packages in the postal warehouses.

RadioSkaf, I really do feel your pain/frustration. Same BS here in Canada, trying to buy trivial items out of the USA. Might cost our American friends $10 for an antenna, and $3.00 for shipping. It costs Canadians $14 (exchange conversion), $20-40 shipping, and maybe $15-20 in bullshit GSP fees.

Fuck the GSP and Pitney Bowes corporation. They are 100% SCAMMERS. I don't understand why people are too stupid/lazy/fat to ship direct. It's better for everyone.

 

[knickerlessparsons]

Just to give the sellers perspective, I'd suggest you're being rather unrealistic.

Shipping without insurance or V low stated value is all at the risk of the seller. If the package is lost, the buyer will get refunded and the seller will be out of pocket having received little or no insurance payout.

Lying about the value is all well and good until a parcel is inspected and found to be obviously fraudulent and confiscated. Again the seller will lose, but this time with no recourse to any insurance on the packet.

Having a different customs value and insured value isn't viable now as postal services have made electronic customs information (ECI) mandatory to speed processing, but that is tied to the postage booking and therefore insurance value. USA and other countries now say items without ECI may be returned, refused or potentially destroyed.

As you'll be aware, good sellers will always try to meet you part way, but there are practical constraints. You'll also notice a lack of paperwork from many good sellers, that is often a sign of thoughtfulness, rather than any lack of professionalism.

There's always the option for Canadians of moving to USA, where they have a $800 de minimis value, below which duties shouldn't apply. I realise that isn't viable for everyone though.

 

[Mars]

I'd rather commit suicide than move to the USA. Just my own personal position of course.

As for misrepresenting the value of a package, the statement I made pertains to a situation where the buyer assumes all liability. Sorry, but it's absolutely ridiculous.

A decade ago, many of you sent me your unsupported radios for firmware upgrades. I told each of you to ship your item uninsured, at a declared value of $40. Not once did I have anything get inspected by customs, or have to pay brokerage, handling or taxes on the full value of your radio. Despite the fact that it would be returned to the USA. The system is screwed right up. Why should I have to pay money on something that I am sending back to someone else the next day?

Andy raises several valid points. There is no way to win. I don't know why Canada has an approximate $40 limitation on the value of an item coming into the country. It's embarrassing. It makes our country look like some third world shithole that needs tax money really bad.

 

[Mars]

Sometimes things work out!

 

[knickerlessparsons]

As for misrepresenting the value of a package, the statement I made pertains to a situation where the buyer assumes all liability. Sorry, but it's absolutely ridiculous.

That's unrealistic for most commercial transactions, if an item doesn't get delivered, the seller is liable, if they can't provide tracking they end up out of pocket, that's the case with eBay, Amazon etc, anything bought with Paypal (they give buyers 180 days to claim). Buyers may say they are happy to take the risk at time of purchase, but I'd suggest that keenness declines with every day the item doesn't arrive.

In my experience a majority of customers opt for the cheapest untracked postage at the point of purchase, but for some reason expect the seller to have used tracking if the package is delayed in the post.

I don't know why Canada has an approximate $40 limitation on the value of an item coming into the country. It's embarrassing. It makes our country look like some third world shithole that needs tax money really bad.

You may consider Canada a thirdworld shithole, you are obviously in a better position than me to judge, but don't kid yourself that your customs policies are way out of line with many other countries that some may consider first world. The De-minimis Threshold Value on VAT/GST in Canada is $40 CAD. In UK that figure is £15UKP (approx $26CAD / $21USD), while most EU countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland the figure is €22EUR (approx $33CAD / $26USD). It is USA which is the outlier in these matters and not Canada.

You can see therefore, that Canadians are not uniquely put-upon by their customs authorities. Maybe now you can enhance your national pride by promoting yourselves to the rank of second world country.

 

[knickerlessparsons]

Or second world shithole

 

[LA_XTS]

I ended up with a full refund also and got to keep the adapters.

 

[Number 6]

If anyone wants to unload a SUC adapter i will gladly take one off your hands.

 

[xpr8300]

My SUC adapter arrived and it seems to be working good in the WPLN4114AR charger on my desk.