While we’d all love to buy everything domestically in Canada, sometimes you don’t have a choice. There’s always excitement when purchasing goods online but then the dread sets in of whether you’ll be dinged duties. Worse yet, if you’ve ever dealt with international shipments with UPS, you know about their ridiculous customs fees.

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The good news is that there’s a way to avoid paying UPS brokerage fees in Canada. In this article we’re going to give a full rundown of what the fees actually are and a process called self clearance to get yourself out of paying those import fees.

In This Article

Stop Paying UPS Brokerage Fees

stop paying ups brokerage fees by self clearing packages yourself

We’ve gone through this in detail with DHL where they call it customs fees where we explained how to self-clear your own packages but having recently been slapped with a massive bill from UPS, we thought it’d be a great idea to answer those UPS-specific questions you might have.

The truth is, UPS is the worst when it comes to customs fees – not because the taxes and duty are different but because they charge something called “Brokerage Fee”.

So whether you’ve ordered that awesome gift for a travel lover, or an epic-sized world map with pins, or literally anything else you’re buying online that comes from outside of Canada, we’re going to explain what the heck is going on, how to give you step-by-step instructions for how to avoid it, and cover a few scenarios that you might be encountering.

What Are These Import Fees?

ups package tracking with brokerage fee notice

When you buy something internationally from say the United States, United Kingdom, or Hong Kong or a friend or family member ships you something, they have to declare what the item is and its value.

Like how we pay taxes on practically everything here in Canada, there are taxes on goods that you’re importing through a courier like UPS. For shipments, there’s more to it and it all sums up into what’s called “Import Fees”.

You’re essentially importing goods for personal use by courier.

Here’s a breakdown of the common line items included in import fees and what they mean.

HST or GST + PST

This will depend on what province you’re in but it’s the baseline tax on goods that you’re used to paying at home.

Can you avoid this: If you’ve been charge this, no.

Duty

Duty is a new variable that you’re probably not used to seeing. I’ll be honest, it’s a bit complicated but it has to do with you importing goods into the country. Similar to how big companies have to pay extra duty when importing products to sell here, there’s as similar charge at a small scale for individuals.

Figuring out the rates for duty is a bit more complicated but it very much has to do with the category of item that you’re importing and where it was manufactured. This requires a good understanding of HS Codes and Trade Agreements.

Thankfully, there’s a Canada Tariff Finder where you can find out whether there is duty on a specific type of item. It’s not perfect but should give you an idea of what to expect if you’re trying to figure out whether it’s worth it to buy something or not.

As a generalization, if your item is from the US, the Free Trade Agreement (now called CUSMA) should apply and you won’t be charged duty.

Can you avoid this: If you’ve been charge this, no.

PRO TIP: Check out CBSA’s basic calculator to give you an idea of the taxes and duties. You might have some trouble finding an exact category for the item you’re shipping but try to find the closest one.

Brokerage Fee

ups delivery truck in local neighborhood

Then there’s the infamous UPS brokerage fee. This is the name that they use and is synonymous with customs processing fee, broker fee, and clearance entry fee that other couriers will use.

Essentially, when a package is flagged for taxes and duty, UPS offers a convenience service to pay it for you so it’s a seamless delivery process straight to your door.

In theory, this is great and for some the convenience factor is worth it but for some of us, it’s shocking that service charge is as much as it is.

What’s appalling is that out of all the primary couriers out there, UPS is the most expensive. It’s honestly highway robbery.

Here’s the current customs clearance rates (UPS calls these “entry preparation fees”) on shipments into Canada from international origins. All of these are in CAD and there’s taxes on top of this fee.

  • [$40.01 – $60] – $18.45
  • [$60.01 – $100] – $22.00
  • [$100.01 – $150] – $29.357
  • [$150.01 – $200] – $33.55
  • [$200.01 – $350] – $63.15
  • [$350.01 to $500] – $70.30
  • [500.01 to $750] – $83.75
  • etc. etc.

Visit the UPS rate guide (go to Page 115) for the full chart.

Can you avoid this: Yes, keep reading.

Disbursement Fees

To add insult to injury, there’s something called a disbursement fee.

When UPS remits payment of duty/tax to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), on behalf of the customer, UPS invoices the customer. They charge a *insert expletive* fee for the invoice.

This is the greater of 3.7% of the duty/tax amount or $7 on UPS Standard Service or $11 on UPS Worldwide services.

Sneakily, UPS bundles the disbursement fee with the brokerage fee.

Can you avoid this: Yes, keep reading.

Import Collection on Delivery Fee

Fees on fees on fees.

UPS then has the audacity to then add something called an Import Collection on Delivery (ICOD) fee which is “assessed when collecting import charges on delivery”.

This is when somebody knocks at your door and gives you a package and tells you that you have to pay the fees in person. This is the fee they charge on top just to twist the knife after the initial stab.

NOTE: In the e-mail you receive, it says the ICOD fee is $6 according to the official rate guide.

Can you avoid this: Yes, if you pay UPS online, they remove this fee but keep reading to find out how to avoid paying ICOD, brokerage fee, and disbursement fee completely.

How To Avoid UPS Brokerage Fees

This is why you’ve come here and so there are 3 basic ways to avoid these import fees.

1) Don’t Use UPS

We’re not trying to be snarky but seriously UPS is the worst. Avoid them at all costs unless you can buy from a vendor that is using a version of UPS where duties, taxes, and fees are all pre-paid.

Companies like B&H for camera and gear offer this which makes it so much easier.

If you’re not using UPS, who should you use? We recommend USPS, Royal Mail, or any other local post office. They don’t charge any type of customs or brokerage fees. Instead, they charge taxes and duties. Normally, I’ve found them to be much more lenient when it crosses the border and is given to Canada Post to deliver. I feel like you can get away with much more with them.

2) Declare The Shipment As Under $20 CAD

The Canadian rule is that if the shipment is $20 CAD or less, it’s not subject to taxes and duties.

In some cases, you can ask a vendor to declare the item for less value than its worth.

There are of course insurance implications here so if an item is declared as less value, if it goes missing or is damaged, the coverage (if purchased or built-in to the courier) will be according to the declared value. This is why most companies won’t do this.

If it’s friends or family, this shouldn’t be an issue.

NOTE: Remember that Canada cares about the Canadian dollar value and not the foreign currency.

3) Declare The Shipment As A Gift And Under $60 CAD

The other exception are gifts. Any gifts that are $60 CAD or less are also exempt from taxes and duties.

Again, either convince the vendor to declare it this way or get your friend/family to write the import slip that’s stuck on the package accordingly.

For more details, make sure to check out CBSA’s Determining duty and taxes owed clarification.

BONUS: There are also rules around samples and warranty returns but as an individual, that’s a bit harder to pull off and we don’t know what the tax-exempt value is.

4) Ship The Item To An Amerifriend

This is a bit tongue-and-cheek but I’m serious, it’s crazy how relaxed customs and duty policies are in the US. As a result, for some shipments where I don’t want to deal with self-clearance and am willing to wait, I will often ship to my American friends and pick them up myself at a later date.

Another option is to ship to a holding area near the border. In the past I used in Buffalo are American Mail Box and

Another option is to ship to a holding area near the border. In the past I used in Buffalo are American Mail Box and NYAddress.

PRO TIP: You can also ship directly to the UPS Customer Center. If you live in ONtario, the Niagara Falls location is 4 miles from the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Your Name- Hold for Pickup
UPS Customer Center
6601 Packard Rd
Niagara Falls, NY 14304

Step-By-Step Instructions For Self Clearance Of UPS packages

entrance to cbsa inland office in toronto to avoid paying ups brokerage fees

Most pages we’ve seen that cover the topic of how to avoid extra fees for international delivery services just list out the instructions at a high level with no explanation.

In our guide, we’ll go through each step for Canadians in detail.

Summary of Self-Declaring Packages with UPS

This is a little TLDR as some have asked. Thank you to Jeremy for this idea!

  1. Wait for your package to arrive in Canada
    • You must wait until the package has physically arrived in Canada before you can self-declare.
    • You will usually receive a UPS tracking number from where you purchase the item from.
    • Once the package has crossed the border according to the tracking, reach out to UPS.
  2. Contact UPS proactively
    • Immediately call UPS to initiate self-clearance (call or e-mail).
    • Request a UPS Self Clearance Reference Page or Casual LVS Self-Clearance Reference Page.
  3. If the package gets delivered, refuse the package
    • DO NOT ACCEPT DELIVERY.
    • Tell the driver you refuse the package so that it is held at a local depot or post office for pickup.
  4. Gather the required documents and head to CBSA
    • Head to your closest CBSA Inland Office.
    • Gather your item’s receipt, waybill (if available), and government-issued ID.
  5. Pay the taxes and get B15 Form
    • The LVS form isn’t stamped by CBSA anymore.
  6. Send the documentation to UPS
    • Take a photo of the LVS form and B15
  7. Item is released and delivered

That’s it! Super easy. That said, there more details that are good to understand before you proceed so we also have the detailed instructions below.

Step 1: Import Charges Are Accessed

import charges email from ups including brokerage fees

After the package is picked up from the country of origin, it’ll make its way into Canada and cross a port of entry. It’s in this processing facility that your package will clear customs and ultimately accessed taxes and duties.

There’s a few likely ways you get notified:

  • Your e-mail is attached to the shipment – You will receive an e-mail with the subject “UPS Update: Import Charges are Due”.
  • If you already have a UPS My Choice account – You get notified of any packages delivered to a specific address and as a result, you’ll get an e-mail with the subject “UPS Update: Import Charges are Due”.
  • By phone – It’s mandatory for the shipper to at a minimum to put the receiver’s phone number so if they don’t have an e-mail on file, they’ll be calling to let you know. At that point, in theory you could let them know that you’d like to self-clear the package.
  • You’ve been following the tracking number – There’s always the UPS tracking page which will display that there’s an import fee.
ups tracking page with brokerage fees notice

Important: Whatever you do, do not pay the import fees online. Once you pay, you’ve essentially accepted the UPS brokerage fees and there’s no turning back.

You might get a call about import charges instead

Something we’ve noticed happen recently is that UPS will try to pre-emptively call you about upcoming import charges on a package and get you to decide on the spot whether you want UPS to clear it for you or to use your own broker. Self-clearance is never provided as an option.

The call can come from the port of entry but can also be one of the routing offices. For Fort Erie, they seem to be managed by Fredericton, New Brunswick.

When this happens, simply say “I’d like to self clear this package”.

If you miss the call (or think it’s another spam call), they will leave a voicemail telling you to e-mail [email protected]. Make sure to put the tracking number in the subject and in the body of the e-mail and immediately tell them you’d like to self clear the package.

At this point they should be able to code the package in their system as “clears own”. You can skip Step 2 and go straight to Step 3. On the tracking page, it should also be reflected as a line item that says “Pending Release from Non-UPS Broker”.

Step 2: Call UPS To Initiate Self-Clearance

how to contact ups canada for self clearance of packages

Once you either receive the e-mail or you see in the UPS tracking website with the line “Import charges are due for this package. Select Pay Now (where available) or pay at delivery.”, immediately call UPS.

Go to the UPS Contact Us page, scroll to the bottom and you’ll see the customer service 1-800 number.

Call this number and explain that you’d like to self-clear this package. Have the tracking number in-hand.

The good thing is that the customer service representatives are well-versed in how this process works and will make the necessary changes in the system. There are no pressure tactics or anything. This might be a change from before where they’ve tried to play coy with this.

Don’t bother with e-mailing UPS. Calling is the fastest and most direct way.

Another name UPS uses for self-clearance or self-clearing is “clears own”.

GOOD TO KNOW: According to UPS, you can still initiate self-clearance as late as the driver making their first failed attempted delivery. We were surprised to hear this when we asked UPS this question.

ALTERNATIVE: You can also e-mail [email protected]. Put your tracking number in the subject and body of the e-mail and tell them that you’d like to self clear the package. We’ve found that they are not the quickest to reply to e-mails but they should eventually get back to you.

Step 3: Await UPS Documentation Via E-mail

example of ups self clearance documentation
Documents from Windsor

Even though the UPS customer service agent has set the package to be reconsigned to you for self clearance, the document you need doesn’t come into your inbox right away.

In our case, it took 36 hours for the e-mail with subject line “Shipment (insert tracking number)” to arrive. This is a highly manual process and comes straight from the office admin at the port of entry. In our case, this came from Windsor. The admin that responded worked the night shift (11PM – 5AM) and received a response at 12:56AM.

example casual lvs self account procedures document from ups
From Fort Erie, Ontario

In a separate scenario, a package from B&H came through Fort Erie and someone from that office who only works Monday to Friday 6:30AM – 2:30PM e-mailed us at 8AM the next day.

The document is two pages and comes in the form of a PDF. Having done this a few times, these documents don’t seem to be consistent but are effectively:

  1. A UPS document called an LVS (low value shipment)
  2. Invoice from the sender which can either be directly from the seller or a generic invoice generated by UPS, primarily containing the contents of the package and value.

What’s becoming clearer is that every port of entry’s office does things a little differently. In the two examples shared above, Fort Erie has a much more thorough document than what Windsor provides.

The LVS Conspiracy

Not that UPS has acknowledged this but according to CBSA, the Courier Low Value Shipment Program was placed on a moratorium starting June 3, 2019.

In theory, the LVS shouldn’t be required but in the real-world, that’s not the case. If you want to push back, you can reference the CBSA importing casual goods by courier page and this PDF.

This means that UPS should not require an LVS to release an item. This explains why CBSA no longer stamps LVS documents anymore.

Couldn’t you bypass UPS completely?: If you’re feeling ballsy, we’ve heard from our readers that you could take a gamble and bring the item’s order invoice and a screenshot of the UPS fees and the CBSA officer can help sort out the rest. I haven’t tested this personally but thank you for sharing Kari. It’s worth trying if UPS is giving you the run around.

What if they never email or call you back?: In case of purposeful or accidental stall tactics, one reader, Steve simply jumped to Step 4 with the invoice from the vendor and a printed screenshot of the UPS tracking and their invoice. He was able to get Casual Goods Accounting Document (Step 5) and submitted this back to UPS (Step 6). Another reader, Scott, left a case study of his experience in the comments where he also went straight to CBSA where they could pull the commercial invoices from the system simply by looking up the tracking number (as long as they’ve been cleared at the Canadian port).

Step 4: Look For Your Closest CBSA Inland Office

entrance to cbsa inland office at toronto pearson

One of the biggest tricks of this whole process is knowing where to go in Canada to pay the tax and duty yourself as part of self clearance of packages.

The CBSA has many different types of offices around the country but the one that can do the type of processing you’re looking for is called an Inland Office.

I won’t list out all of them but here are a few offices that we’ve located:

  • Vancouver – Vancouver Commercial Operations West (809) at 1611 Main Street, 412-1st Floor, Vancouver.
  • Calgary – Calgary Air Commercial (701) at 175 Aero Way North East Unit 162, Calgary
  • Toronto – Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport Commercial Operations (4,973) at 2720 Britannia Road East, Mississauga. On the map, it looks like it’s literally in the airport but in reality it’s outside of the airport and can be driven to.
  • Montreal – Montreal (395) at 400 Place d’Youville, Montreal.
  • Quebec City – Quebec (312) at 130 Dalhousie Street, Quebec.
  • Halifax – Halifax Commercial (9) at 263 Susie Lake Crescent.
  • Prince George – Prince George Airport (820) at 4 – 4141 Airport Road.

To talk to someone directly at CBSA, call 1-800-461-9999.

PRO TIP: From one of our readers in Prince George, they visited the Inland Office by the airport but it turns out that they don’t handle anything like this. This means that there’s a chance that smaller offices may not have the capability or CBSA officers on-staff to help with this.

Step 5: Visit CBSA Inland Office To Pay Tax And Duties

exterior entrance sign for cbsa inland office for self clearance of ups packages in canada

Before you leave the house and plan your trip to the CBSA Inland Office, make sure you have a print out of the documents UPS provided in Step 3. Also make sure you have a piece of ID. Your driver’s license will suffice.

Each Inland Office will be set up differently so we can only speak from experience with the Toronto location.

The Toronto office is adjacent to the airport and is located on the first floor of a large office building. You’ll likely see many courier trucks in the vicinity. Once you walk in, the Inland Office is to the right.

Speak to CBSA Officer

queue to speak to cbsa officer for personal effects and broker clearance

When you enter, you’ll first head to the left and line up to speak to one of the CBSA officers. These officers are luckily in a much better mood than the ones at the airport although YMMV.

You’ll hand over your UPS document and ID.

The officer will enter the information into the system and print out paperwork that you’ll need for the cashier. In some cases, they’ll ask you to sit down and they’ll call you up when the paperwork is ready.

This is a quick process and shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes.

PRO TIP: If your officer says that you can’t clear it because your package came through a port of entry in a different province, ask to speak to a supervisor to get more clarity on the rules. It may be possible that the one you have doesn’t know the details of the rules.

Pay cashier

cbsa inland office cashier desk

The cashier is at the back of the Inland Office where you’ll queue again. The CBS officer will directly pass the paperwork to the cashier.

At the cashier, you’ll pay the taxes and/or duties owed. You can pay by cash, debit, or credit card (American Express accepted). They said that they prefer not to handle cash at the moment.

The output of this step is a “Casual Good Accounting Document” (also called a B15) stamped by the cashier that says “Duty Paid”. You’ll also get the UPS documentation (also called LVS) you provided back.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Not long ago, they used to stamp the LVS but I was told in August 2023 that CBSA no longer does this anymore.

What of UPS refuses self-clearance without a stamp? I would be quite forceful on this issue that CBSA no longer stamps the LVS. If they cause you trouble, make sure to escalate this issue.

Potential to do all of this over the phone

There is a chance that for some locations that they’ll be able to help you through the phone. This is very rare case but it might be possible.

Following the example from one of our readers living in Prince George, they eventually called the Kelowna office and a CBSA officer was able to help through the phone. In this case:

  • Initial call through the phone
  • Documents sent to CBSA through e-mail
  • Call back with the assessed charges where they then take your payment details
  • When processed, they e-mail you scanned copies of everything (stamped) and ready to be forwarded to UPS.

We suspect that this CBSA officer was willing to help this reader out because they are located in a more remote location. For those on the west coast, Kelowna might be a good office to call as they might not be that busy.

What if I don’t have an existing contact? If you skipped right to Step 6 because UPS is giving you the run-around, you can try to submit your documents directly to UPS through an e-mail form that’s on a hidden page. You’ll need to have a UPS account. You can always try to get a contact through their contact page.

Step 6: Email Photo Of Receipt To UPS

example casual goods accounting document
Receipt of taxes and duty paid with official stamp (B15)
example stamped ups self clearance invoice
UPS invoice (LVS)

With the stamped “Casual Good Accounting Document” (B15) and the UPS invoice (LVS) in hand, you can either take a photo with your phone or scan the document. This is the proof you need to provide to UPS that you’ve completed the self-clearing and that the taxes and duty have been paid.

In the e-mail from Step 3, there’ll be instructions for who to send this photo or scan to. In most cases, this’ll be the admin from the UPS port warehouse. If they happen to be working night shifts, they won’t be able to process your documents until they are back at work.

updated ups tracking after self clearance to avoid brokerage fees

After this has been processed, you’ll receive an e-mail back with confirmation that the package is now released for shipping. Your tracking will be updated according and start moving from the port warehouse to your local warehouse.

Step 7: Package Is Delivered

ups delivery at door with cod paid and brokerage fees avoided

The final step is like any other package UPS delivers except there won’t be any warnings of ludicrous import fees.

Your UPS tracking will be updated, your package will be delivered, and most importantly, you won’t owe them any money.

Is UPS Self-Clearance Worth It?

UPS brokerage fees are infuriating especially when you know they are the highest in the industry. Having learned how to avoid DHL custom fees, we applied the same learnings with our latest import fee surprise from UPS.

Something we often get asked is whether this process is worth it. In this personal case study, you’ll see how avoiding UPS brokerage fees can be very much worth your time.

ups import fees including brokerage fee
Example invoice from UPS including brokerage fee

I purchased a Lord of the Rings collectible from Weta Workshop coming from the United States and you’ll see that UPS charged these additional fees: HST, Brokerage Fee, Duty, and taxes on fees.

Something that triggered some alarm bells was the fact they charged duty which didn’t make any sense since was coming from the United States.

UPS Import Fee Bill Total: $232.19 CAD

After going through the self-clearance process with CBSA, I paid significantly less.

CBSA Taxes and Duty Bill Total: $89.37 CAD

Total savings: $142.82 CAD

Not only did we save the ludicrous brokerage fee (disbursement fee embedded), but we also avoided the bogus duty charges that were accessed.

Worth it? Oh yes!

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money do you save by self clearing UPS packages

This depends on the value declared on the package. At a minimum it’s $23.25 CAD + tax (brokerage + disbursement fee) but increases as the value increases.

What if I’m not close to a CBSA Inland Office?

There is unfortunately no substitute for going to an inland office in person. You cannot do self clearance of UPS packages online or over the phone.

How quickly do you have to call UPS after an import fee is accessed?

In theory, UPS will not deliver a package with import fees unless they’ve been paid for ahead of time. That said, UPS has been known to deliver to your door and expect payment. Your best bet is to initiate the self clearance process as quickly as possible and while the package is still in transit.

Can you self-clear after a package has been delivered?

If the delivery guy drops off the package at your door despite having import fees, expect to receive a bill in the mail. At this point, it is too late to self-clear the package because it is in your hands already.

Which courier has the cheapest brokerage fees?

Using the national post office of the originating company (i.e. USPS, Royal Mail) don’t charge a brokerage fee if taxes and duty are accessed.

After a package has arrived at the local UPS warehouse, how long do you have to self-clear?

They cannot hold your package indefinitely. UPS says that they will hold your package for 5 calendar days before warehouse storage fees kick in ($20.00 + $0.04 per lb. per day).

What is an ICOD fee?

ICOD is an acronym for Import Collection on Delivery. This is a UPS fee that’s applied when the driver collects the import fee. Currently, it’s $6 CAD + tax that’s added to your import fee total.

Can you refuse delivery of a package with brokerage and import fees?

Yes, you can refuse shipment. The package will then be returned back to sender.

When is the latest I’ll be able to let UPS know you’d like to self-clear your package?

You’ll be surprised to hear that you have up all the way until the first failed delivery attempt to let UPS know you’d like to self-clear the package.

How do I get notified of the brokerage fee if they don’t have my e-mail?

If you signed up for a UPS My Choice account (free to sign up), you’ll receive an e-mail. Otherwise, shippers have to put a receiver phone number so if you don’t receive an e-mail, they will be calling you. Now you know why e-commerce sites always ask for your phone number.

After you initiate self-clearance with UPS, how long do I have to complete the process?

Officially, UPS says you have 2 business days from the point that you receive the self-clearance documentation or else the package will be shipped back to the sender.

Which types of UPS shipping methods don’t charge brokerage fees?

UPS Worldwide Express Plus, UPS Worldwide Express, UPS Worldwide Express Freight, UPS Worldwide Express Saver, and UPS Worldwide Expedited services.

If for some reason a package was delivered but the driver didn’t ask for payment, will I still get charged?

If import fees (including brokerage fee) was assessed, you will receive a bill in the mail afterwards that you’ll be required to pay. UPS says that this should never occur but it has certainly happened to people.

Are brokerage fees an issue for Americans that import from Canada?

Brokerage fees exist for Americans but only if the value of the duty exceeds $800 USD which is significantly more lenient than what it is for Canadians.

Where does the package sit while doing the self-clearance process with UPS?

If you catch the package on its way in, the package will be held in the border port warehouse.

If I reject a package with taxes and UPS brokerage fees, what happens?

When you reject a package, it automatically goes back to the sender. At this point, you are no longer responsible for any fees so don’t pay for them even if an invoice arrives. If you do get an invoice, make sure to call UPS to make sure they cancel the bill.

Read More Life Hacks

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William Tang of Going Awesome Places
About The Author

William Tang

Will is an expert and award-winning travel content creator with 54 countries under his belt. He has a passion for outdoor adventure and experiential travel and loves writing insanely detailed itineraries, travel guides, and packing lists. Will’s travels have been featured on Huffington Post, Men’s Journal, and Entrepreneur. He’s also a member of SATW, TMAC, and ATTA.

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The Discussion

  1. I just received my parcel and saved $92 in brokerage fees.

    Some notes:

    In my case, the package was not held at all despite there being fees of $150+ due. It just kept on moving through the distribution system. I am curious if I would have had to pay the driver at delivery time to take possession.

    After UPS updates their system that you will self clear, the status on the tracking page *might* be updated with a line item that says “Pending Release from Non-UPS Broker.” This did not happen for me.

    It took just over 48 hours for me to receive the required documentation from UPS (LVS) after I requested to self-clear.

    CBSA *might* request proof of payment. I was able to do this on my phone. The LVS and a commercial invoice were not enough.

    After UPS receives the B15, it still needs to be processed. “It usually takes up to 24 hours for the paperwork to be processed. Then the COD tag will be removed and the package will go out for delivery.”

    The COD tag (import fees) was not removed 24 hours after submitting the B15. So, I inquired with the Data Entry Administrator to whom I had submitted the B15. They provided me with a tag pull # and told me to contact UPS.

    So for the steps above, I’ve come up with a step 6b or… 6-7. lol.

    6b. Update local delivery with tag pull #
    – You might want to request the tag pull # and provide it to UPS for a couple reasons:
    — If COD tag is still showing more than 24 hours later.
    — The item is scheduled for delivery and the status still shows the COD tag (import fees need to be paid).

    To do this:
    – Reply to the B15 submission Data Entry Administrator and ask for the tag pull #. (Format DDDD C-DDDDDDDDDD where each D is a digit).

    Then do one of the following:
    – Call UPS and provide them with the tag pull #. They will put in a request to make the driver aware that the item is paid. The local UPS agent might call you to let you know the driver is aware.
    – OR wait until the driver arrives. “If the COD is still on there, ask the driver to call his driver line with the provided tag pull # and they may be able to leave it otherwise advise them you will need redelivery as soon as its removed”
    – Note that even after the tag pull # was provided, the COD tag was still showing on the UPS tracking status until it was delivered.

    Reply

  2. So I took the plunge and have decided to try this process. The package is approximately $380 USD.

    I just received this update from UPS:
    Status: on the way.
    “Your package has cleared customs and is on the way.”

    Estimated delivery: Thurs, nov 6th

    The updates don’t yet show it as being in Canada. I have not received the “Import Charges are Due” message, not do I see it in the status. Should I see that soon? Or is this the point when I should contact UPS to ask to self-clear?

    Reply

    1. Usually at this stage, you should see that “Import Charges are Due”. That said, if you are expecting it, I might get the process going in case.

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the reply. The next morning, the status updated with Import charges being due. I called and opted into their callback service. No call back after an hour, so I called back and reached an agent in about 5 mins. They said I should receive the paperwork within 24 hours and to take it to CBSA with my receipt. It’s been about 20m and the UPS status hasn’t yet been updated to show “Pending Release from Non-UPS Broker”, but I assume that will happen eventually. UPS brokerage fees were CA$92.49, so THANK YOU FOR THIS PAGE!

        Reply

        1. It’s now been 48 hours since I called UPS to self-clear, but I haven’t received the documents yet. The package is on its way and scheduled for delivery tomorrow.

          I called again this morning and UPS confirmed the package it set to self-clear and I should receive the paperwork soon. They said I can accept delivery and do the self-clearing at CBSA after receiving it. From reading this, that doesn’t sound correct though. I should make sure I meet the delivery guy and refuse the package, right?

          Reply

          1. Here are the UPS status updates for those who may be interested:

            Estimated delivery: Friday, November 07 between 15:15 – 19:15

            11/06/2025 1:30 On the Way Arrived at Facility Caledon, ON, Canada

            11/05/2025 19:32 Departed from Facility Windsor, ON, Canada

            11/05/2025 13:51 Warehouse Scan Windsor, ON, Canada

            11/05/2025 13:45 Your package has cleared Customs and it is on its way.

            11/04/2025 16:56 Import Scan Windsor, ON, Canada

            11/04/2025 14:23 Arrived at Facility Windsor, ON, Canada

            11/04/2025 11:51 Arrived at Facility Detroit, MI, United States

            11/04/2025 8:08 Your package is pending release by a Government Agency. Once released, it will be on its way. Check back for updates.

            11/04/2025 6:36 Departed from Facility Hodgkins, IL, United States

            11/04/2025 5:14 Arrived at Facility Hodgkins, IL, United States

            11/04/2025 3:52 Departed from Facility Oak Creek, WI, United States

            11/04/2025 4:47 Import charges are due for this package. Select Pay Now (where available) or pay at delivery.

            11/04/2025 4:47 Import charges are due for this package. Select Pay Now (where available) or pay at delivery.

            11/04/2025 4:42 Receiver’s customs broker has been assigned. The shipment is now released to move in transit

            11/04/2025 0:06 Arrived at Facility Oak Creek, WI, United States

            11/03/2025 21:53 Departed from Facility Green Bay, WI, United States

            11/03/2025 21:24 Your package has cleared customs and is on the way.

          3. The paperwork arrived. For Ottawa, the CBSA is at the airport. 140 Thad Johnson. There was no lineup. I brought the UPS LVS, commercial invoice and ID, but that wasn’t sufficient. I had to pull up proof of the amount paid on my phone because anyone can generate an invoice.

            Here are the emails I received:

            Sent: November 6, 2025 10:24 AM

            Please see file attached. This is your information that you will need to clear your own shipments with Canada Customs. Please print the paperwork and bring it with you to your closest CBSA location to complete the B15 or B3.

            Once you have completed this with Customs, please email me back all stamped paperwork so that we can release your package.

            If you need to locate your local CBSA office, here is a website Directory of CBSA Offices and Services

            **Please note that your faxed/emailed B15 or B3 receipt must be received by UPS ([email protected]) within 2 business days of today’s date or the shipments could be processed for return.**

            UPS email Reply:
            The paperwork has been received and sent for processing. It usually takes up to 24 hours for the paperwork to process and the COD tag to be removed then the package will go out for delivery. I don’t have access to delivery information but for an updated delivery date you can call customer service later today or tomorrow at 1-800-742-5877.

  3. Hi everyone,
    My case is similar to many that I have read in the comments below. I have researched a lot in the last week but with all I have and I am still not sure how to complete the process of self-clearing my package without being charged by UPS a ridiculous amount of 120$ brokerage fees + taxes. My package is a suitcase with personal items (clothing) which was lost and found and was sent back home through UPS. As soon as UPS processed the package in UK I called and stated that I will self-clear. They said fine, the documents would be sent by email. That was last Monday. The same day someone from the UPS Canada Brokerage Support left me a message on my phone asking me why on the commercial invoices I have declared the items as “used : blah blah” and if, as she suspected they were personal items, not commercial. I confirmed by email at [email protected] that it is so. The package arrived Thursday and the tracking read “package pending release from a non-UPS broker” but then it was “out for the delivery” in a matter of minutes. Since Monday I have been calling UPS to send me the self-clearing documents, I must have called over 10 times and each time they just say “expect them by the end of the day” or some other lie of their own. I went to the CBSA agency here in Quebec City the same day with my commercial invoice and the agent said he could not help me self clear the package without some info that were not on the commercial invoice. He suggested that I looked at the UPS Import bill of 137$ if I could find the missing info but its just an online form to do the payment. Then on the same evening, as scheduled, the UPS delivery man came at my door with the suitcase. Of course I did not accept the suitcase but it was tempting to end this time consuming process of trying to beat them. I told him I want to self-clear and to that he responded that they had a meeting not long ago and were told that “they don’t do that anymore”. He was nice enough to give me a copy the UPS brokerage C.O.D and he let me decide on which day he would come back to do his “second delivery attempt”. On the C.O.D. paper I could see that the complete amount charged to me is 120$ + taxes brokerage fees! No duties! Next day morning I called UPS again, was told that I should receive by email the documents to self clear by the end of the day, another lie.
    So next business day which is next Monday I am planning to head to the CBSA agency with the copy of the Brokerage C.O.D. without waiting after UPS to send me their papers to do my self clearing. According to the CBSA agent it should be good enough and they would hand me whatever document I will have to send back to UPS to prove I have self-cleared. On the other hand, the agent said it is likely that UPS might reject that.
    Would that work? I do not have the UPS procedure to self-clear, so which email address do I use to send them the CBSA proof that I have self-cleared (if it works)? Is it [email protected] ?
    What do you think? I feel like UPS will try everything to delay the process until the “ultimate third delivery”. I am also tempted to ask the CBSA if they could require UPS to send them the package for inspection so I may gain some time and even recover the package from the CBSA after they clear it?

    Reply

    1. Thanks for sharing this with the group! This seems like quite the complex case here. I’m curious, in terms of the value indicated on the package, who set that or was it whoever mailed it from Lost and Found? It’s late now but I wonder if it would’ve been possible to just get them to declare it as $20.

      Overall, what a nightmare it sounds like. I think you have to get really aggressive with UPS and keep calling different numbers or the same one repeatedly to get the right person. Ask to escalate to a manager if you’re still getting the run around.

      I know it’s been a few days. Any luck??

      Reply

      1. I have called multiple times this week, and I haven’t received the papers. I’ve just called again this Saturday and the agent says I cannot self-clear myself because of the “type of package”. First time someone says at UPS that I can’t do it myself. There’s no supersvisor on weekends. What a waste of time. I’ll call again Monday morning.

        Reply

        1. Thanks for the update. That is incredibly frustrating. I wonder if there are certain limitations/rules around commercial/not-commercial. I still feel like in general your package was mis-labelled though because these are your own personal things right? I wonder if that’s another avenue you can take – to make it a personal package so it shouldn’t be subject to any import duties/taxes.

          Reply

          1. I may go to CBSA and attempt to self-clear with the ups C.O.D document the delivery guy gave me on the first delivery attempt. If that works that would just prove UPS wrong in telling me that I can’t do it for whatever reason they make up and I will certainly call them to make the point that I won’t ever be their customer again. A small win even if I am forced to pay.
            Anyway thank you William for making this forum possible and for your support!

  4. Thanks for this amazing resource. I’m going to try self-clearing for the first time. I’m concerned it will be delivered before the details are sorted. If I used UPS My Choice service to request a hold for pickup at a UPS Access Point location, would that solve the potential problem of delivery too early?

    Reply

      1. The shipment hasn’t been scheduled yet. I’m still trying to work out what will work best. UPS never asks for signature – always drops and gos at our place. They don’t even ring the doorbell. So it will be hard to refuse delivery.

        Reply

  6. Called to initiate self clearance shortly after the “Fees are due” import email. No paperwork. UPS then made a first delivery attempt while we were out. Called again to check on self clearance, was told they could see the first request but it didn’t go through, took all my info again. Days later LVS paperwork shows up from UPS AND local warehouse attempts to make second delivery same day! Driver is now telling me the final attempt is tomorrow. Anyone get stuck with this?

    Reply

    1. This feels like your typical stronghand move by UPS. The key is to not accept the delivery. With the LVS paperwork, try to get this done ASAP so that you’ll be able to catch it in their local warehouse and get them to release it afterwards. Keep us posted on how it goes!

      Reply

  7. Just went through the process again with UPS today. This time around, they can only send me the documents after first delivery attempt (they never actually did). I waited till the status of my tracking showed first delivery attempted and emailed them back. Got the required documents within a few hours. I also had a terrible experience last year with UPS too (I’ve done self-clear a few times with other couriers so I thought it should be easy with UPS). Albeit, I called/emailed as soon as the package cleared customs, I never ended up getting the documents. And guess what, the driver force dropped the package at door without payment remitted. I was pissed given I did not consent UPS acting as my broker with back and forth communications prior to this. I ended up going to CBSA without any UPS documents, telling the officer what went down and provided the invoice from the vendor and whatever tracking info I had, the officer felt bad for me and stamped on the invoice I brought with and wrote down Memorandum D2-1-1 in lieu of Form B15 essentially exempt me from paying any taxes/duties…So I considered that a win even though it took me almost a month. And in a few months, I got a letter from UPS telling me I have outstanding balance on account. That took me another phone call to get it resolved. I hate UPS :)

    Reply

    1. My goodness what a journey. But this is a great case study for what happens when they force-deliver a package that has taxes/duties on it. Thank you for sharing this story with us and hope this helps someone else that runs into this issue. UPS…seriously…BE BETTER!

      Reply

  8. Hi William,
    I can’t thank you enough for writing this article. I live in Scarborough and I am expecting a package coming from the U.S. in a few days. I plan on visiting the CBSA office at 2720 Britania Rd. to clear my own package. I called UPS yesterday and requested the Self-Clearance paperwork from UPS yesterday (Tuesday) and was told they’ll be sent to me the next day. That didn’t happen. When I called again today, the UPS agent told me that they’ll be sent out the expected import date (~this Friday). The two business day paperwork return window is ridiculous.

    William, have you had or heard instance where UPS giving the customer trouble for not having the LVS paperwork stamped. (This was something that you briefly mentioned in the article updates).

    Thanks,
    Jacky

    Reply

  9. ***SELF-CLEARANCE PAPERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY UPS IN 2 BUSINESS DAYS***

    Just as a heads up to people, I received the self-clearance papers and they needed to be completed within 2 business days and received by UPS otherwise UPS would return to sender or destroy the package. Unfortunately, I’m out of the country so I’ll have to pay online since the CPBS papers must be done in-person.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for that note and that’s a great warning. It’s a little crazy that they only allow 2 business days when UPS is the one that often drags their feet.

      Reply

  10. This is wonderful information! Went to CBSA and paid only $91 vs $209, in and out of there less than 5 min. How long does it take UPS to clear the charge? (assuming when I track the item online/app, it won’t show I need to pay). Tomorrow will be the third attempt in the morning for delivery and I won’t be home. The only thing I can do now is give the B15 paperwork to the person helping me receive it to show to UPS if it’s not clear by then.

    Reply

    1. It should be quite fast to release your package if you’ve provided all of the paperwork they need. Hopefully this all gets processed today so tomorrow they’ll be able to just drop the package off without trying to collect.

      Reply

  11. Just followed this article
    and Ups was asking me $87
    went to Hamilton CBSA inland office and they charged me $22 and after informing on call and emailing the paid slip same day, got my package next day.
    Thanks a lot for creating this document

    Reply

  12. Im from Prince George and we are getting a CBSA agent in the coming days due to the addition of a
    direct, international flight that will be flying out of PG. Im unsure if they’ll be full time or permanent vs temporary for the holiday season.

    Reply

  13. Thanks for this detailed post. I think this is the first thing I’ve read online that’s actually worked how it was described. Everything you said was how it happened. Of course that could change tomorrow. I didn’t need multiple copies. I took the invoice and document that UPS supplied and a CBSA officer took it and in 5-10 min the cashier called my name. I saved $88.00. It might’ve helped I went to a smaller airport with a CBSA office. They were super nice. I will for sure remember this for next time. I assume FedEx is the same?

    Reply

  14. Hi, William
    Your article really helped me doing self clearing. UPS was humiliating me but I put my foot down to make them send me the paperworks and they did.
    I paid my taxes and got the casual goods accounting document. I sent it to the person from UPS and He said I have to send the manifest with a stamp on.
    CBSA officer said they don’t stamp this paperwork anymore but UPS wants it!
    I told him that casual goods form is proving that I paid the taxes and proved by Canadian customs. No reply yet. It is frustrating and I am so close to finish this nonsense.

    Reply

    1. Hey Jun, thanks for sharing this with everyone. It frustrates me to no end that they continue to give customers the run around with this. Only for those that really know the process can push back but everyone else is left in the dark. I think you should be okay. CBSA doesn’t stamp anoymore so they need to update their processes. If it goes through, please let us know here!

      Reply

      1. So the issue is the ups and the port.
        I am in nanaimo and did my taxes at inland office nanaimo.
        But package is in Vancouver so the officers can not give me the stamp even though they want to.
        They said they never had problems with stamping. They never do and no one comes back and ask to stamp like I did.
        I am losing it now and last thing I want to do is going to vancouver.
        Also It should be done by 12th. Otherwise it will go back to the States.
        Hope no one is having this same issue like I do. It is frustrating.
        Thank you for your reply!

        Reply

        1. A stamp should not be required now. I cleared something last year and learned that as well. It went through fine.

          Are they completely rejecting you because of this?

          Reply

          1. Yeah! He is crazy. I asked him his supervisors phone number or email address and he left me stupid ups service phone number haha.
            I don’t know what to do anymore.
            H is not going to release my package unless I have a stamped paper.

          2. Hi, William
            I have a good news! They released my package today from the Richmond warehouse!
            I almost go to Vancouver to get that stupid stamp but I am cheap and lazy so I asked the CBSA officer in Nanaimo about the phone number of CBSA Vancouver airport. So I called and asked on Monday if they can give me the stamp. The officer said they don’t stamp anymore there must be some misunderstanding. I sent an email to the person from UPS that I have no idea what to do but I never got email back until today. And finally he replied he released my package. I am so happy now and everybody listen! CBSA is not stamping anymore!

            one more thing I did was I sent an email to brokerage UPS and explained my situation with my casual goods accounting form and conversations with the stamp lover ups person. And the lady from UPS told me that she is going to hand this matter to the different department to check. I was wondering if this helped to solve the problem.

  15. Just want to thank you for the helpful info. I just finished this process today and a few things I can note for anyone doing this too.

    -UPS was trying to charge me 14 times the amount CBSA ultimately charged. Saving me hundreds of dollars.

    -I had to call and email UPS several times for the paperwork and they still showed up to my house to deliver the package. I had to be very clear with the delivery person as initially they understood that I was rejecting the package. He (not the people I had spoke to over the phone several times) then informed UPS that I wanted to self clear, I know this because I called the next day only to be informed that my request was “new” and only had come in the day before. Had they not tried to deliver the package, I don’t know how many times I would have to call to get the paperwork. It seems the first few times no one took action.

    – After waiting a few days for any sort of acknowledgement they received my paperwork, I spoke to someone on customer service after. They had told me I only had 4 days to do all of this or my package would be sent back. Only then I received an email saying “received” and nothing else. I had to then speak to someone in customer service to ask if that meant I could pick up the package. Apparently an acknowledgment that they received your documents means the package is cleared for pick up.

    -at the office picking up my package I was asked to pay duties again (?) and once more I had to remind them I had self cleared. They then released my package to me.

    So based on my experience I can say that the onus is on us to be on top of them and seek information every step of the way, there will be little to no effort on their end to make this process smooth for you. But it’s doable.

    Thanks again!

    Reply

  16. What if UPS repeatedly lies to you, doesn’t allow you to self-clear a package with import fees (brokerage fees + GST), and then delivers it and leaves it on your doorstep (without payment), not even giving you the opportunity to refuse it because they know you will and they don’t want to return it to the sender and then send you an invoice in the mail after? If you can get them to waive the brokerage fees, can you pay the GST directly to CBSA instead of paying UPS?

    Reply

    1. Ugh that’s frustrating and I’ve seen/heard them pull off this practice many times. Any luck reaching out to [email protected]? I think at this point, you’re a bit at their mercy but you can certainly propose that idea to see if that’s a possibility.

      Reply

  17. Hi, I’m just about to do this tomorrow as I just got the manifest and commercial invoice emailed to me today. The email says I have until June 15 although the attachment (manifest) says I only have two business days. Which deadline should I actually go with? Also I noticed that you said CBSA no longer stamps the manifest. The body of the email from UPS does state that I need to have it stamped and either emailed or faxed back to them with the receipt from CBSA. What if the office refuses to stamp it for me?

    Reply

    1. Hey Kassy! If it were me, and you had the time, I’d go with the 2 business days although June 15 is a Saturday and they don’t usually have people in the office to process the documents.

      Yes, the last time I went, they told me they didn’t do the stamp. It ended up being fine. Who knows if the process has changed now but I wouldn’t stress too much about it.

      Best of luck!!

      Reply

  18. I was just able to do this in Toronto with one caveat – I was required to bring two copies of my UPC docs, one to keep for myself and one for the agency.

    I only brought one the first time–the agent I spoke with insisted they couldn’t help with making a print/copy, and recommended I try the Staples down the street to make a copy. Unfortunately, it was too late in the day by then, and I ended up wasting that entire trip.

    When I returned with a second copy later, the agent working that shift told me if I hadn’t brought another copy, they’d just charge a $7 copying fee–steep, but still better than making another 50-minute round trip.

    Thanks for the help though, I only ended up paying $26 (plus the cost of time and gas of two round trips) instead of the $115 that UPS wanted.

    Reply

    1. That totally sounds like bull. I’ve been numerous times and I never brought multiple copies of the document unless this is a brand new requirement. And for them to force you to go to Staples and not just use the office copier right there is ridiculous. Glad it worked out for you but that is so not cool how you were treated.

      Reply

  19. Hi, I want to thank you guys for this awesome help regarding self clearance of packages from UPS.

    The first time I tried this, things went fairly smooth and UPS provided me with my paperwork by email, but gave me someone else’s commercial invoice on the the first try. I suspect this was on purpose personally.

    For my next much larger shipment I requested self clearance within minutes of receiving their email that fees were due. I called at least 15 times and spent several hours on hold and several BS excuses that self clearance wasn’t possible. One noted that it was a high value shipment that didn’t qualify. This is of course total BS as CBSA told me that there is no such thing on importation for personal use goods. I actually had to send the first delivery attempt away as they were requested payment upon delivery. I opted to give things a try on my own and requested my commercial Invoice from the vendor/shipper. I took this and a list of the related tracking numbers (4 for my shipment) to CBSA. They processed without issue once they saw that the packages had already cleared customs. This is key since a remote CBSA office cannot process your B15 duty/GST paperwork until they can see the item(s) have been cleared at another port. The CBSA agent said that they can actually process with tracking numbers alone as they can see the commercial invoice details in the system. I cannot confirm this will work in all cases.

    Anyhow, I logged into my UPS account and jumped through the various website hoops to find the spot to send them an email, and I attached my B15 form and requested that they lift the COD owning. This seemed to do the trick. I hope this helps others! Email link here below:
    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ups.com/upsemail/input%3Floc%3Den_CA&ved=2ahUKEwjYsNmth_KFAxUCIDQIHbZZD_kQFnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw07Zv5-99DAiAGD0yaVWGfI

    Reply

    1. Thanks a bunch Scott, this is another case study that others can use. This further reinforces the type of games UPS loves to play. We’ll be sure to add that e-mail contact page in the article.

      Reply

  20. Attempted to self-clear with documents in hand that I got from FedEx. CBSA office at the Edmonton airport said they couldn’t do it because the port of entry was listed as Winnipeg. I’d either need a third party broker or go to Winnipeg. Called CBSA’s toll free number and they confirmed that it can only be done where it crossed the border.

    Reply

    1. That doesn’t sound right. I would clarify to find out whether they mean that if it crossed in Manitoba, you have to clear it in Manitoba versus the port of entry city itself (if this is the case, that’s certainly news to me). As an example, most packages coming into Toronto cross in Windsor but I’ve never been told that I have to self-clear in Windsor. My only theory is that it’s some sort of provincial restriction.

      Reply

    2. I want to share a key important thing that has been noted regarding remote CBSA clearance. If you get a CBSA agent that claims you cannot self clear because your good crossed at a different port, ask to speak to a supervisor. I was lucky that a supervisor was nearby on my visit and they educated the agent that was dealing with me. As long as your UPS tracking info shows that the goods show ‘Cleared Import Customs’, any inland CBSA office can process your B15 Duty/GST payment. So don’t go to the CBSA office until you see this statement in your tracking info.

      Reply

  21. Thank you so much for this article…Recently had to deal with UPS.. $8 in duties and $40 brokerage fees ..told them will self clear.. 4 days no email from them even after calling them every 24 Hours.. talked to their supervisor ..no documents.. then like your article says.. got the invoice from the sender and took my tracking number to CBSA toronto .. Met some nice people behind the counter.. went above and beyond and help me pay my $8 HST amount.. and sent the email to UPS and now i’m back with UPS calling back and forth so they can clear the account so i can receive my package. one week late because i chose to self clear.

    it feels like they are doing it on purpose so next time you pay them their scam charges.

    THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR THIS ARTICLE… WILL NEVER PAY ANY BROKERAGE FEES FROM NOW ON. AND WILL AVOID UPS.

    Reply

  22. Thank you for this article! Super helpful!

    Do you recall the operating hours for the Toronto office? Online it says 24 hours and the phone number listed to verify is out of service.

    Reply

    1. Hey Sam! When I was last there, I asked if they were truly 24 hours/day and they said yes. They told me that people come in at all random hours of the day so you should be good to go at any time.

      Reply

  24. First off- thanks William for the excellent article!
    After being burned in the past by UPS brokerage fees, before learning about self clearing, I had been ordering online solely from US or European retailers that offered free postal shipping, or a reasonable “all in” guaranteed shipping price that included the Canadian taxes. Mostly we are talking about bicycle parts here, which are generally duty free.
    However, I recently came across a killer deal from a US source that ships with UPS. So, here’s my experience with self clearing:
    Monday -order placed, CAD value $465.
    Tuesday- order sent out, receive tracking info, no mention of taxes or fees on UPS site.
    Wednesday-check tracking, update shows “pay now”- $23 GST, $95 brokerage fee! Phone customer service line and ask to self clear and hold delivery. Told “no problem, expect the UPS documents via e-mail within 24 hours”.
    Thursday-no documents, repeat phone call and get the same response. While I am out during the day, UPS attempts to deliver, despite my request to hold.
    Friday-same as Thursday, with a third call to customer service, and also including a second delivery attempt while I am home, which I ignore. Checking my tracking later on finally shows a 5 day hold on my package. Progress? Maybe, but I still don’t have the UPS docs!
    Saturday- send e-mail to [email protected], hey it’s worth a try, right?
    Sunday-no change
    Monday- fed up and with the clock ticking on my hold, I print off my invoice from the vendor, along with screenshots of the UPS tracking and billing info, and head off to the Calgary CBSA office, where after less than 10 minutes I have my Casual Goods Accounting Document paid for and in hand. When I get home later in the morning I finally have a response from UPS in my inbox, with attached docs that they want me to have stamped by CBSA. Whether this resulted from the repeated phone calls, or the Saturday e-mail, I have no idea. There’s no way that I am going back to the CBSA to get the UPS papers stamped, so I simply scan the CBSA doc and send it off. No reply to that from UPS, but by mid-afternoon my tracking shows that my shipment is again,”on the way”.
    Tuesday- checking tracking shows “out for delivery” but is also still showing the same “pay now” amount. I prepare for a possible showdown when it arrives, but instead it is simply dropped off silently without me even noticing, with a handwritten note saying “COD paid” taped over the UPS invoice. Success!
    So- the point of this rather longwinded story is to get on with self clearing right away, and to not give up in the face of what seems like delaying tactics by UPS.
    Below is a useful page from the CBSA that I don’t recall being mentioned in the article:
    https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/courier/lvs-efv/prsn-eng.html

    Reply

    1. Hey Steve, thanks for that brilliant retelling of your story. Trailblazing work! First off, that’s quite the journey to go from where you started to finally getting it to pass through. It’s so strange how they are so unresponsive these days. The big lesson learned here I feel like is that you don’t necessarily need their paperwork to get the Casual Goods Accounting Document. Of course, it’s still better to have the UPS papers in case they come back to you and say that you need that stamped.

      Reply

    2. Quick question, do they breakdown where the $95 brokerage fee came from? Based on your $465 value, I can’t seem to do the math for it to get that high.

      Reply

      1. I’m not sure how they arrived at that ridiculous amount! There was no breakdown of any possible hidden charges- the $95.29 comes from a brokerage fee of $90.75 plus GST on that of $4.54

        Reply

        1. If that’s the case, the only numbers that add up are that your package was deemed to be a value of [500.01 to $750] – $83.75 plus a $7 disbursement fee.

          Reply

  25. i once walked into my local UPS and asked the guy who’s been working there for years about self-clearing a package.
    he said “i have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    yeah, ok.
    i’m so tired of UPS crap that i’m finally gonna give this a try today.

    also the Vancouver Main St CBSA office has moved from the 4th floor to the 1st.

    Reply

    1. Hey thanks for the heads up about the 1st floor change. Yeah, I just don’t think UPS wants anyone to know about it and they certainly don’t train their staff on it.

      Reply

  26. Thank you for this detailed post. It was my first time ordering a package from the US and was surprised by the UPS brokerage fees. I went ahead and called UPS customer service to self clear and is currently waiting for the paperwork from their end.

    Meanwhile, UPS kept sending me the prompt email to pay charges. I forwarded the email to [email protected] to let them know that a self clear has been requested for that package. Their reply was: ‘The shipment has already been cleared at customs by UPS before we received your request for clears own’.

    What a disconnect! I replied with the link to the CBSA website (Importing goods for personal use by courier) and told them i will only be communicating with the customer service team.

    Reply

    1. It’s stories like these that really make customers angry. The frustrating part is that the quality of service and you could say overall decency of UPS varies so wildly. The rule should be that UPS should be reaching out to the customer about potential customs/duties and obtaining consent before just doing it for you and telling you it’s too late to self clear.

      Reply

      1. I agree! Not everyone has the time to pay in person at a CBSA office, especially since they are only open on weekdays and during office hours, so choosing to pay brokerage fees may be more cost efficient for some instead of taking time off work. But at least give the consumers a choice.

        To update on my case: I did receive the email with the paperwork attached (very detailed and clear on instructions, it was from the port of Winnipeg) from UPS today after a follow up call, and will make the payment tomorrow.

        Reply

  27. Thanks for the amazing detailed information! Couldn’t have done it without it. I followed all the steps and finally self cleared at CBSA office. Hopefully will receive the package in the next 2 days :).

    Reply

  28. I’m not sure why this isn’t working for me.

    My package from the US cleared customs last Thursday, Oct 5th. It is duty free but I owe HST of $29.34 plus, of course, $90 for UPS broker fees.

    The following day it was out for delivery in North York. Unfortunately, I was not receiving the tracking updates so I didn’t know that it had already cleared customs the day prior until I looked into it the next day, Friday, at which point I immediately emailed [email protected] requesting self clearance. I also phoned UPS (by the way, the contact number for Canada is 1-800-782-7892) and explained that I was going to self clear my package and requested the forms you’ve mentioned here. They told me I’d hear back from someone, which I never did, nor did I receive a response to my email. As I was not home on Friday while my package was out for delivery, I had a neighbour leave a note on my door instructing UPS not to leave my package there. Thankfully, it was taken to a local UPS access point.

    Today I phoned the broker line (1-888-520-9090) which is not actually the brokers as you would expect, but rather someone in a foreign country. They pulled up my case number from Friday and informed me that as per the UPS warehouse in the Windsor, ON port, my request for self clearance has been denied, citing the “duty type of this package which is dutiable”, whatever that means. So, I requested to hear from whoever it is at that location that denied my request, which will hopefully be sometime today. But what do I do if they continue to deny my request? I followed your instructions. Do you have any insight into this??

    Is it perhaps a better idea to request the self clearance BEFORE the package clears customs with UPS as the broker?

    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Hey Christina, sorry to hear about all the troubles you’ve had. So I’ve had such wildly different experiences the times I’ve had to deal with this. Sometimes, they like to surprise you like this and if you don’t catch it in time, you’re out of luck. I’ve also had other experiences where they’ve been very proactive and they’ve given me the choice of what I want to do. It’s really head-scratching. In your case, it’s the former I fear. You can possibly still fight for it but in all likelihood, they’ll tell you it’s too late. The best case is to start tracking the package immediately after it’s shipped from the sender so you can see if there are taxes/duties as its crossing the border. Another thing that’s a good idea is to create a UPS account so that anytime there’s a package that’s sent to your address, you’ll get notified right away. Keep us posted on any updates with this one.

      Reply

  29. Great information – Thanks. I will report back on my experience when the transaction is completed.
    Background: while on a trip to the US with a friend, came across an item I wanted. Not in stock with the vendor, and the vendor does not ship to Canada. My friend is going to receive the item in the US for me, and will ship it to me in Canada. For them, UPS is the most convenient.
    Fortunately I have some experience with CBSA in Halifax and Sydney, when we moved back to Canada from the US. In short; I found them to be very helpful and supportive, especially if you can acknowledge comprehending their objectives.

    Reply

  30. Thank you for this information!

    I preemptively emailed UPS requesting to self-clear my package that is in transit from the US. The response I received:

    Hello clears own is not possible as the port of entry is Winnipeg and the delivery address is Saskatchewan. The shipment has already been consigned to personal and UPS will do the clearance.

    I will be calling UPS customer service as soon as the package clears customs to try again. I have a local CBSA inland office, though they don’t deal with LVS. I hope it’s not an issue.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sheri, I’d definitely call your CBSA inland office to see if there’s anything that you can do or whether it’s possible to do it through the phone. I think it’s quite presumptuous for UPS to just do it for you since they don’t think you have any options.

      Reply

  31. Had a 10.5 lb package sent from the US via UPS. When I got the stores email providing tracking link , I immediately signed up for text updates. . I never received any. I kept looking for updates on UPS site & 1st update was that it’d cleared Customs. I never got an email nor any phonecall asking who I wanted to clear pkg through the border. While I can’t swear to it, I also never noticed any statement on the UPS website that there was money owing (I did expect Customs, duty & some handling fee..), never mind listing the amount. The package was just dropped off at my door, with a big COD sticker & bill inside. UPS wants $73.15 ‘brokerage fee’ +$9.51 tax! I had no idea I’d get charged this.
    Do you think I can fight the brokerage fee since I wasn’t contacted, nor given a chance to refuse the parcel as the driver didn’t even knock or ring the door bell??

    Reply

    1. I still can’t believe they’re doing that right now. I would definitely reach out to them to ask them what the heck happened and see if there’s a way that you’re able to self-clear after the fact but unfortunately, I think it’s too late. Optimistically, hopefully they can reverse the charges.

      Reply

  32. Any idea if I have to pay UPS’s fees on an item that’s already been returned to sender?

    Basically UPS failed to deliver a package I ordered from the US, and its already been returned to Pennsylvania. A few weeks later I got an invoice from UPS in the mail for customs brokerage for an item I never received. My understanding is that the sender should still be responsible for the item since I never took possession of it, right?

    Reply

    1. I don’t believe they should but I’ve never personally done this before. Have you called UPS to find out what’s going on with that invoice?

      Reply

      1. I called UPS today. They confirmed the package was back in the US and cancelled the invoice so I don’t have to pay anything thankfully.

        Reply

  33. THANK YOU for this post, saved $80 in brokerage fees.
    Was assured Friday morning I’d receive the forms by e-mail within 24 hours to “self clear” my package. Monday morning I took print outs (order receipt and a screenshot of the fees UPS wanted to charge me found online by creating a website log-in) to the nearest CBSA office and was able to pay the customs / duty fee easily. Whew!
    When the UPS delivery guy came I showed him my receipt and he just looked at it and said I was good to go!
    The forms did come by e-mail that afternoon (note that was 3 days later, not 24 hours) but the delivery guy didn’t even ask about them, nor did CBSA.
    DO NOT waste time e-mailing / calling / chatting with UPS. As soon as you find out that you’re being charged, either by FedEx or UPS, just go right to CBSA and take care of the charges yourself.

    Reply

    1. That’s a super tip/hack!! Thanks for sharing it. I’ll be sure to add it in here as an option.

      I’m surprised this works as from my experience they do seek out the UPS documentation but maybe what they really care about are the type of items that are being shipped and the amounts. But if they’re able to grab all of that from the order receipt, that’s great!

      Reply

  34. If I sent a reject request to DHL because of duty fees, will the parcel sent it back to US sender? Will I still pay any fees to DHL before they ignite return shipment?

    Peter
    Toronto

    Reply

  35. Awesome writeup William!

    1) Don’t use UPS
    2) See #1

    I KNOW UPS is the worst for US->Canada brokerage, but I forgot (and the seller’s web site wasn’t entirely forthcoming).
    I had to phone UPS 5 times before anyone would generate the paperwork for self-clearance.
    All phone reps were very friendly and assured me it would be done in 24 hours, but it took 8 days. I asked call center person number 4 to forgive me if their assurances offered me little comfort.
    CBSA was great. Saved $37 in brokerage fees in under 20 minutes once UPS got me the paperwork.
    I understand that no one at UPS would be inclined to help people self clear packages when brokerage fees are probably their biggest money maker, but as a receiver, it is VERY frustrating.

    Reply

  36. UPS is taking the runaround to new heights. After receiving an invoice for over $300 in fees(!) on a $700 package with $60 in taxes/no duties, I called UPS on Wednesday to refuse the brokerage fees and request to self clear the package. I was assured the forms would be sent within 24 hours. No forms Thursday so I call back. Am assured they sent a rush request again. Still no forms Thursday PM so I call and speak to a supervisor, who tells me that if I don’t receive the forms Friday morning he will waive the brokerage fees. Package was scheduled for Friday delivery but the supervisor assures me it will be held at the warehouse. Friday morning, still no forms arrive, and the package is out for delivery according to tracking status. I call back and ask to speak to the same supervisor, providing his employee ID. First I’m told he is on shift but unavailable. I get transferred to another supervisor who claims all she can do is re-forward the request for the paperwork again. I explain the package is already out for delivery and that the previous two requests did not provide the paperwork, so this needs to be resolved now. First I’m told the original supervisor will be ready within “a couple of minutes”. I say I’ll wait. Then it’s “a couple of hours”. Then it’s “oh, he isn’t working today”. I ask to speak to a manager. I’m told none are available. UPS is running a total scam operation and this needs to be shut down.

    Reply

    1. Oh man that’s pretty terrible. I’d keep pushing for it and just talk to new people until you get the the paperwork you need. I agree, it seems like they’re trying really hard to give people the run around.

      Reply

  37. Thank you for your article! I followed your advice after receiving a bill for $110 from UPS (the total of my purchase was $178 CAD) and tried calling UPS. The man said Windsor doesn’t allow self clearing (wtf seriously?) I asked him again to send me the commercial invoice. I think he lied to me. Have you heard of this before?

    Reply

    1. That sounds like a bit of BS to me. Don’t even mention where you’re self clearing from. Just get them to do it or you’d like to escalate this issue.

      Reply

  38. Has UPS reduced their fees? I just received the following invoice for my item (clothing) from the E.U.:

    NOTE: the total value used for calculation of all Duty-based fees is 87.49.
    Freight Charges:
    0.00
    HST or GST + PST:
    36.67
    Brokerage Fee:
    11.00
    Government Charges:
    79.70
    Duty:
    43.03
    Excise:
    0.00
    UPS Customs Brokerage Charges:
    12.43
    Brokerage GST/HST:
    1.43
    Brokerage QST:
    0.00
    Permit:
    0.00
    Other Government Charges:
    0.00
    Total Due CAD:
    92.13

    So it looks like I’m paying only $12.43 in brokerage fees ($11.00 + $1.43 in HST), which seems ok… unless there are more hidden costs that will show up when the driver delivers my package??

    Reply

    1. Hi Sheena, it’s possible? I just checked their rates guide and you might have a package that’s under one of the UPS Worldwide Express services where the disbursement fee is $11. This is the only area where I’ve seen that number come up. Perhaps the value of your item was <$40 but was still charged $11 in disbursement fees.

      Reply

  39. I recently tried to self-clear a UPS shipment, and got the following reply from UPS (email, so I have a paper trail):

    “I’m afraid to say that you cannot self clear your shipment due to the type of customs declaration required for your shipment. Your shipment was manifested as a dutiable and CBSA only allow importer to clear their own shipment if it’s a low value shipment.”

    Have you run into this? It would be wild to catch UPS in a lie, but might be hard to do anything about it.

    Reply

    1. That’s definitely a new one for us. That said, you’re right, I would imagine that what they said is true for how the shipment was declared/manifested. That’s the first I’ve heard of this though! Was this a very expensive item?

      Reply

  40. Thank you so much for your detailed post, it is very useful! I made a purchase of 480.USD from a clothing shop in the US. I received an email from the shop on Monday and Tuesday I had a “failed attempt of delivery” notice on my door from UPS. They wanted 250.$ for all their fees! After reading your post I self-cleared my parcel this morning and paid 80.$ for the missing tax…
    UPS never contacted me to notify me there would be a charge… Interestingly I have received a few packages from the US through UPS at our cottage in Quebec and was never charged any fees. It is the 3rd time in 6 months that I receive parcels from UPS in Waterloo and the driver always has his machine to collect money…

    Something maybe of interest, on the commercial provided by UPS the country of origin of the clothes I purchased was Vietnam, not the US. The CBSA agent had to look up if there would be duty on goods coming from Vietnam (there wasn’t), so just something to keep in mind…

    Thanks again for the information

    Reply

    1. I’m glad you were able to find a solution and self-clear the package yourself. For the previous packages you had from the US, were they smaller amounts in value perhaps? In terms of notices, I’d recommend that you create an account with UPS so that you’ll get an e-mail immediately if there’s a package that’s set to deliver to your address. This way, you can start following it right away and it’s through the tracking that you can see if there’s duty/tax/brokerage fee assigned to it.

      Reply

  41. Thanks for sharing your insight, which is very useful!

    I’ve been waiting for a package from Thailand to Toronto since Jun 10 via UPS (label created on Jun 10 and actually shipped on Jun 12). As usual, UPS notified me last Thu (Jun 15) that there was an import charge due, which I paid online. Shortly after, UPS indicated expected delivery would be end of day Fri (Jun 16).

    However, I received another notification on Fri, indicating that delivery will be rescheduled as “the package is in a secure facility pending clearance or resolution”. I called UPS right away and asked why I’d already paid import charge due, but still pending clearance. They said I only paid the due in advance, but in fact the package has not cleared Canada Customs yet. They told me rest assure, as the package is on its way.

    I called UPS a few times again today, as the package is still stuck at “warehouse”. However, different UPS staff gave me different answers: the 1st person said it’s at Canada Customs which requires documents (original invoice?) to clear package and gave me an email address to send documents, the 2nd person transferred my call to “UPS Brokerage” who gave me another different email address ([email protected]) to send documents, and the 3rd person said the package will be released tomorrow. I really have no idea what is going on.

    Long story short, my questions are:
    1) What happen if I and/or the sender is unable to provide the documents? Would Canada Customs return the package to the sender? I hope they will send back… as my concern is they will destroy or seize the package. Since the package is a used/old bag from friend as a gift, she doesn’t have the invoice anymore. So she just declared a value in her shipping document.
    2) If UPS will return the package to the sender, when will this happen? (e.g., If not hearing/getting documents from myself or sender for XX days?)
    3) Should I go to CBSA Inland office in Toronto to get this resolved? i.e., paying import duty based on the declared value in the shipping document that the sender filled in?
    4) While the wait isn’t that long yet (get stuck at “warehouse” since last Fri), I’m really worried. But would you advise I should wait a bit longer. But again, I’m just really afraid that they will simply destroy or seize the package instead of returning to sender.

    Sorry for sending you such a long message… but I’ve been desperately looking for help and advice.

    Thank you so much for your help!

    Reply

    1. Oh boy that’s a complicated situation. It sounds like that they attempted to pre-clear it in advance but it’s possible that Canadian customs ended up charging more after the assessed the item? That’s my guess. 1) If the sender in Thailand isn’t able to provide documents, it’ll likely send it back. Yeah, she should’ve set the value to $10 or less and with “gift” selected. 2) That’s hard to say. If you let them know you can’t provide the documentation, it could be at anytime. UPS might be able to give you a better answer but at the same time, they probably don’t know either. 3) Is that possible based on your conversations with UPS? Can you pre-clear and is there a value/amount that has been set yet? You need the documentation from UPS to proceed with that. 4) I don’t think they’d seize or destroy the item unless it was some sort of contraband. Things can move quite slowly in this stage if you’re stuck so I’d probably wait a bit more.

      Hope that helps!

      Reply

  42. They are charging me 40% of my package value in brokerage fees. I emailed UPS and told them I’d like to self clear and they said they would send the documents in 24 hours, but it’s been a week now! I need my package. How is this not illegal?! Disgusting!

    Reply

    1. It’s definitely pretty frustrating. If they haven’t sent you anything by now, I would definitely follow up and if you have a phone number to call from your earlier interactions with them, call them again. Is it currently sitting in a warehouse by the border right now?

      Reply

  43. Well that was frustrating. I’m receiving a $700 product from Las Vegas. They emailed me the “Import charges are due for this package” notice for $137 at 2:41am this morning. I found your article and called UPS customer support at 8:00am to start the self-clearing process. The agent told me that it has already cleared customs at Windsor, and that they won’t take any reconsignment after that point. I tried arguing without success, but he at least offered me a 50% reduction on the fees. I haven’t seen the final bill yet (agent said it will arrive a few business days after the package is delivered), but at least it’s better than nothing. Thank for the valuable info!

    Reply

    1. Ah that’s frustrating. I hate how they basically give you no time to even think about this stuff and have the OPTION. UPS is fighting back against self-clearance and it’s got to stop.

      Reply

  44. I refused the fee and package at delivery (200$ fees for 600$ product) and now I got a bill from ups in the mail. Do they have any grounds for demanding payment from me?

    Reply

    1. You rejected the package, correct? If that’s the case, I don’t think you’re on the hook for the fees. I’d reach out to UPS to find out what’s going on.

      Reply

  45. Wow, insane article. Thanks alot.

    I got a 412$ fee to pay for a 1600$ CAD article from the US ( including 200$ cad shipping from UPS).

    Almost 150$ of that is the UPS Brokerage Fee. The charge came today and I found your article. I called right away and i’m waiting for the PDF email as instructed.

    Thanks for the info…

    What a mess, last time I order from UPS.

    Reply

    1. I am so sorry to hear that! That’s a hefty fee. Hopefully you’ll be able to breeze through the process. Best of luck!!

      Reply

  46. As of May 2023 UPS has added a 2 business day limit to when you need to make this trip by in order to self clear, or they will return your package to sender. They didn’t note this in the email, it’s just written on the PDF.
    I was also given the link to the CBSA but no instructions on type of office.
    Is this not price gouging?

    Reply

    1. Ugh that is terrible. How did you find out about the change? UPS is getting worse and worse when it comes to this. They’re definitely taking advantage of their customers and creating a situation where those that don’t know about this process or can’t turn it around in 2 days will get burned.

      Reply

  47. Once the shipment has left its destination, you can call to request the self-clearing documents. Today I called for a shipment due to arrive on Monday the 20th, and was told I’d receive the self-clearing documents by email within 24-48 hours. English customer service was very quick to answer; I waited no more than 30 seconds.

    Reply

  48. Very helpful information!
    As a point of interest, as of March 2023, the first response from UPS Customer Service to a request to Self-Clear was to offer a significant discount. In my case, they offered to lower a $130 Cdn fee to $50Cdn.
    Perhaps the revelation of your workaround has them scrambling!
    Thanks again, good work!

    Reply

    1. Oh wow that is new. They never did that before so you’re right, I wonder if they’re just trying to capture those that might be on the fence about doing the whole process.

      Reply

  49. Excellent article. For items that could be categorized “commercial” or “personal”, is there an advantage with one over the other? UPS seems to be very interested in knowing that right from the start.

    Reply

    1. Thank you! When in doubt, always use personal. Commercial just has other strings attached to it that you don’t want to risk it.

      Reply

    2. With commercial you only pay 5% GST, even in provinces with HST.
      I don’t find it any harder than personal imports.

      Reply

        1. Thanks for the update! Ah it sounds like the specific category of what you’re importing has a different process. Are you going to go through this process or just pay the UPS fee?

          Reply

          1. In this case, I will just pay the UPS fee. The seller valued the goods low ($30 instead of the $400 I paid), so it will work out to maybe $10. Not worth my time to do the paper work. I asked them to send USPS in the future however, as you suggested.

            For personal items mailed to me in the future, I will probably follow the steps outlined above.

          3. So the final bill from UPS for a business product worth $41.37 CAD was $18.87 CAD. The duty was $0. The “bond fee” was $11 the BN application was $5 (I have a business number, I’m not sure why this was needed). The rest was provincial and federal sales tax.

            I asked the company to ship it to me via USPS next time. They were agreeable to that.

  50. Ordered USD33.50 worth of personal use things from US. Tracking showed delivery attempted and will be re-attempted again tomorrow. I sat at home working with curtain open so that I see the UPS truck and greet the dude delivering it. Nobody showed up and tracking showed delivery attempted. At that point I became suspicious, first thinking they probably want me to come and pick it from their warehouse myself (saving gas?).

    Next morning googled then phone number, called and was told the item not delivered because I owed ‘fees’. I thought this was ok as it was probably import fees which are legit. But asked why the tracker showed delivery attempted when nobody actually attempted it. Then they told me I can come to the warehouse and pay there, a total of about CAD40. That felt like too much on a USD34 parcel! But I said that I will come to their warehouse after work tomorrow.

    Before I finished work a UPS delivery guy knocked on the door and said I owe C$39.xx. I paid him but still was not sure why it was so high. How can you import anything for business at that cost?

    Then I Googled “UPS charge on import” and learned that I paid my share to feed the fat cat…

    That aside though, I still wonder how can they get away with this. Luckily my loss was not that much but I read people paying large sums to these companies.

    Googling “Marketplace, UPS” next.

    Reply

  51. Thanks for this guide just started my process 2 days ago after receiving the payment due email and realizing that it has been quite some time since I had imported something from the US also forgetting what a rip off artist UPS is, I’m still waiting on the email with self clear docs at the moment its been about 36 hours.

    This guide is a little different than another guide I saw stating you had to pick up the papers from the ups hub, but this one is much more recent so I hope I just have to do the steps listed here.

    The guy on the phone did ask if the airport UPS hub is ok for me but he didn’t say what for which has me somewhat concerned. Guess I just got to play the waiting game for now.

    Reply

    1. Best of luck!! I hope it all works out. Yes, this one is more recent having gone through it myself with UPS. The previous guide was a bit more DHL-specific but the process is pretty similar.

      Reply

      1. Well, that was really interesting.

        Feb 8 started the process.

        Feb 10 came here to comment and to call them again as I hadn’t received paperwork after 48h. They said they hadn’t got the paperwork from the wherever and that I should have it in 24h

        Feb 13, today still nothing so I call again and the agent simply cancelled the brokerage fees and charged me only what was on the government section of the invoice, saving $140.

        I’m expecting two parcels on the same shipment and since I received two emails both asking for money I had thought the second tracking number would have a separate payment to make, but when I was transferred to yet another agent he said both were already paid. Lol.

        Here’s hoping I don’t get any surprise invoices from ups, but thanks for the guide anyway! Got me where I was going regardless.

        Reply

        1. That is so bizarre and definitely not how it should work but glad they sorted it out. You definitely got lucky and hoping there aren’t any nasty surprises later!

          Reply

          1. Well surprise surprise.

            Got letters from ups stating I have unpaid brokerage fees and now late fees.

            This company is a joke, will have to call and try to sort them out on Monday.

  52. question can i start the process for this as soon as i get the Tracking number from the shipper before the item even reaches the Border?

    Reply

    1. You should be able to although sometimes UPS might want you to wait until it’s been accessed customs/duty when it has cleared customs. Worth a shot to get it started early!

      Reply

  53. Great guide. Just wanted to reinforce out that you need to call them ASAP. I tried to do this once I got the email saying fees were due and was told it’s too late as the broker had already been assigned. Call as soon as your item is picked up or you see any movement in the tracking info!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for re-inforcing that Dave! Yes, you’re absolutely right. You definitely don’t want to be taking a gamble – call right away!

      Reply