Looking for your input on brokerage fees.
 

We are thinking of changing shipping program and we would like your input. Both use UPS. Please share this post with your local clubs as we would very much appreciate as much input on this as possible. it is our sincere desire to provide the best service possible to Canadians.

Option 1) What we have currently . flat $10 brokerage for orders Under $200 (CAN) in value. After $200 the brokerage fee goes up drastically. This method has you pay the taxes and duties at your doorstep which can sometimes be more than you expect.

Option 2) Zero brokerage fees on any size order. taxes and duties are added into the order and you pay them when you check out. Package arrives without any any money due and no surprise fees. Down side is we need to consolidate orders so we will only be able to ship canadian orders on Friday's.

Basically is waiting a few days for it to be shipped worth the savings from removing the brokerage fees entirely and not having surprise fees at your doorstep.

I'm all for option #2. I would rather wait a few days and know exactly what I'm getting then a surprise at the door. With #2 would you continue to ship via UPS?

I'm for option #2 as well, waiting is no big deal. However the best option would be not to ship with UPS at all. Personally every item I have ever had shipped UPS was kicked here by various UPS employees with steel toed boots (perhaps with spikes) and then run over/speared by a forklift. By the looks of the packages when they get here, I'd say UPS employees really really hate their jobs and take it out on my stuff.

Yes we would use UPS , just a different program they have available that involves consolidating many orders into one large shipment. This program uses the total value of all the orders to calculate brokerage fees. At higher values the brokerage fees are a much smaller percentage of the total value and we would be willing to pay them for you out of our pocket in an effort to provide a better service to Canadians.

We have considered using USPS but it is such a nightmare from a business standpoint we just can't do it and if you get rid of or reduce the brokerage fees there really isn't any advantage. In fact USPS typically charges more for the actual postage . For example a 10 pound package shipped from here to Calgary, Alberta is $30.10 with the postal service (USPS) and only $20.45 with UPS. USPS looses and damages way more packages and their tracking system is so bad it isn't worth mentioning.

There certainly are people who hate their jobs at all these companies and throw rather than stack but we have had an incredible experience with UPS. Out of the 5,000 or 6,000 boxes we have shipped We have had maybe 5 or 6 reports of damage from customers and half of those were fluorescent light bulbs that broke during our learning process of trying to figure out how to ship them properly.

I believe most of the damage caused to packages is caused by two things.

1) The automated equipment used to organize and transport the boxes around the warehouses and distribution points

2) the shipper using poor quality boxes to try and save money.

When would you be looking to implement these changes, if you feel they will work out for you? I would love to take advantage of #2 of it comes about.

If a significant amount of Canadian customers express their needs would be better served by option two I think we could have this up and running within a week of deciding to do so.

We have a weekly meeting on these type of things every Tuesday . We will probably evaluate the responses made on this thread and well as other avenues to make a decision one way or the other.

That is very quick! Most of what attracts me as a customer to your business is your abundance of drygoods, and the quantities that aren't available here. Not to mention that your prices are better on certain goods as well. However as it stands right now the $200 limit makes it hard to order everything I'd want. I really do hope you make those changes and go with #2. Good luck!

I think option 2 would be the way to go. A newbie question here now. What is this for? Obviously an online store or retailer, but which one?

I like option #2 best.