Here is what I know.
Canada Post / USPS will not charge customs brokerages fees so they are always your cheapest route. If the order is over $200 they will charge you the GST at the door and a small bond fee around $5.
FedEx and UPS will charge you the following:
- Taxes (GST, PST etc)
- A Bond Fee (to pay the taxes on your behalf
- Customs Brokerage Fee
- Duty (if any)
If you are using FedEx / UPS express services the Customs Brokerage Fee is included. However if you are using Standard / Ground the brokerage fee depends on the order total:
Order Total - Customs Brokerage Fee
$0.00 to $20.00 - $ 0
$20.01 to $40.00 - $7.00
$40.01 to $100.00 - $19.45
$100.01 to $200.00 - $29.00
$200.01 to $350.00 - $45.60
$350.01 to $500.00 - $51.20
$500.01 to $750.00 - $58.20
$750.01 to $1,000.00 - $65.15
$1,000.01 to $1,250.00 - $72.10
$1,250.01 to $1,600.00 - $76.65
$1,600.01 to $5,000.00 - $80.85
Each additional $1,000 - $6.25
Next, depending on the items in your shipment and where they were manufactured comes the Duty Fees. Items made in China are usually charged at 8% duty.
So for additional fees you are looking at:
USPS / Canada Post = Small Bond Fee + GST + Provincial Tax + Duty (if any) and only if the order totals more than $200.
UPS / FedEx Standard / Ground = Customs Brokerage Fee + GST + Provincial Tax + Duty + Bond Fee
For express services = GST + Provincial Tax + Duty + Bond Fee
You can get rid of the bond free if you have your credit card on file with fedex.
Here is a good website which will figure most of this out for you and give you the final cost:
http://www.thefinalcost.com/