# Shipping guitar from the US to Canada?



## paraedolia (Nov 26, 2008)

I'm guessing at least some of you have at one time or another had a guitar shipped from the US to Canada.
How'd you do it?

I'd like to stay away from UPS/FedEx because of the whole brokerage fees thing. I know there's no duty on NAFTA items, just regular HST.
USPS will ship a guitar right? How much does it cost? I found a tele on TGP I'd like at a good price and the guy's willing to ship (the stars are aligning as you can see), but he came back with a USPS quote of almost $200. Surely that can't be right? he reckons the guitar is 25lb or so packaged (that seems heavy too doesn't it?) 

Any info much appreciated


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Here's an older thread on the subject...

http://www.guitarscanada.com/open-m...-importing-guitar-us-canada-customs-fees.html

I had a guitar made for me in the states around seven years ago now. It was around two grand Canadian.
It was shipped UPS and the extra cost to me when I went to pick it up was around $240.
Part of that was taxes, but a big chunk was brokerage fees.

I've heard that if you ship it UPS Air, there's no brokerage fee.
I'm not sure why, but that seems to be the way it works.
Maybe because it physically doesn't cross the border, as in the ground delivery service.

If you're close to the border, you can send it to a statesside storage facility and pick it up there.
You can also clear the customs brokerage yourself, meaning doing the paperwork yourself.

I've sent guitars from Northern Ontario to Southern Ontario and it cost upwards of $80 with insurance.
That's where the extra cost is probably involved, insurance.

As far as the weight, 25 lbs seems on the outer limit of what it would be packed.
Especially a Tele, not the heaviest of guitars.


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## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

paraedolia said:


> I'm guessing at least some of you have at one time or another had a guitar shipped from the US to Canada.
> How'd you do it?
> 
> I'd like to stay away from UPS/FedEx because of the whole brokerage fees thing. I know there's no duty on NAFTA items, just regular HST.
> ...


Recently shipped a Tele in case and packing box with crushed paper packing. It weighed in at 24 lbs at post office.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Yes, use USPS and not UPS or FedEx; they will charge you extra shipping costs and customs clearance fees. USPS usually doesn't do this on used items and even when they do, it is minimal. 

I have done this several times and have experienced no problems.

If you live close to the border, you could have it sent to the closest US Post Office (general delivery) and go pick it up there. All you would have to pay is HST.


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## marauder (Oct 19, 2009)

I've had 3 come from the US (been getting better deals than north of the border), most recently a bass. Nothing close to $200 - I believe the bass was about $75-80, which included a hardshell case...adds to the weight of a guitar significantly. 

What I typically do is try to find a matching instrument at zzounds.com - they usually include the shipping dimensions and weight under "specifications", then off to the USPS.com site to get a price quote. Usually budget the quote to be conservative, and this will get you in the ballpark. For example, from Zzounds, an American Deluxe tele with hardshell case is listed as 20lbs, 45"x17"x6"...usps.com quotes about $72 shipped to Ontario via Priority Mail. Assume extra $$ for insurance. Same dimensions with 25lbs yields $85.

Also, this is a handy site for comparing expected costs with USPS/UPS/FedEx. Likely not 100% accurate, but again gets you in the ballpark: TheFinalCost.com - Canadian total shipping fees calculator (brokerage, duty, customs)

I've found that even with USPS, you should probably expect to pay taxes on receipt of the instrument. Will typically be more if the instrument is not made in North America (I guess NAFTA has it's privileges?).


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Surely you can find a Tele for less here in Canada. Have you checked some of the music stores around where you live. Lets see, that would be "Somewhere over the Rainbow". Sounds like a big place.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I have had only 1 guitar shipped from the states.

this was way back in January I believe. it was via UPS. i did NOT pay any duty or custom or tax..... yet....it was shipped ground. and it did not have COD stickers all over as usual.

I'm not sure what happened there but I usually get dinged.

USPS is hit or miss.

i had an amp chassis shipped to me the other day via USPS. i paid $30 on pickup, which is absurd considering:
a. they mangled the chassis of the amp, it was bent to the point where one side was almost 2" narrower than the other
b. when they opened it for customs inspection, they lost a fuse
c. they bent a screw sticking out of the chassis 90*
d. they initially shipped it to the wrong house

the amp was definitely packed well and covered in FRAGILE stickers so they must have really been careless and thrown it around


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