Does anyone know of Canadian distributors for products from Racing Beat and so on? I'm interested in RB's DTSS rear toe eliminator bushings for my fc, but I get tired of being @$$-raped by UPS handling fees - I just got a set of Ground Control coilovers, worth ~$460CDN, and paid UPS $62 (plus the GST on the product, of course) for the privilege of their customs services On computer parts, I often find if shipped via UPS, the cost doubles on small items. And everyone seems to ship UPS.
Suggestions?

 

Racing Beat lists all their Authorized Dealers on their website. For Canada:

RX-7 Specialties (Rotary)
3813 17th St, Calgary, Alberta
(403) 246-6980

Mazdee's Performance (Rotary)
1031 Toy Ave., Toronto, Ontario
(905) 619-8813

Rotary Motorsports LTD (Rotary)
20111 Industrial Ave, Unit 103, Langley, BC
(604) 534-5400 Fax (604) 534-5408

The problem is that buying from a retailer you will pay some of those UPS charges and a markup. But for something as small as DTSS bushings, why don't you just get them to send it USPS? I know USPS wont take an exhaust because of its size, but the bushings should be no problem.

 

whenever i order from Tigerdirect.ca, they use UPS worldship for shipping. they say you don't have to pay any extra fees with this, and i never have had to. don't know if you can use that shipping method though.

otherwise, yeah, if they can ship USPS go for that.

 

I hate UPS and I wish there was something we could do to prevent having to pay those absurd brokerage fees they demand. They don't give you any options, they just slap on their fees as they please and expect you to pay it. I had to pay $110cad on a $300usd wideband system... it's just not fair!

 

I had them ship my sway bars and springs usps and didnt pay alot of border fees. On the other hand when I ordered my mufflers the sent them ups and i ended up paying over $100 (closer to 150 i seem to remeber).

 

Thanks Nick86 - should have been obvious to me to check out the local rotary specialty shop. I realize shipping and brokerage fees still get paid by retailers (plus markup), but importers usually arrange their own brokerage, at far better rates than UPS. The problem being with so many American businesses, UPS is the only option they offer to regular international customers - UPS presumably offers cut rate prices to the business for international service, and counts on bending the recipient over the table at the receiving end, to be punny.

 

The biggest problem with UPS is that they own their own brokerage house - therefor they set their own rates. What makes matters worse is that shipping internally within the US, UPS is often by far the cheapest. They set up deal and line rates with retailers and end up getting a lot of business that way. Because of that, many US retailers use UPS as their shipper. When us non-americans want to buy something from them, they automatically send it UPS as they have agreements already set up. Problem is that there is no agreement as to customs and brokerage.

USPS is by far the best way to go when you can. The main issue with them is their size/weight restrictions. An exhaust is too big for USPS, but things like DTSS bushings are perfect size for USPS. The best thing to do is get RB to send it USPS and you'll pay a max of $5 at the border.

 

Just a note, Rotory Motorsports in Langly went out of business a couple years ago.

 

Yea, I know. I left it there because it is still on the RB site, and the address listed was similar (if not the same) as Forcefed's.

 

I bought all my racingbeat stuff from Dave Gibson at www.fc3s.org aka speedmachine performance. He is always very accomedating to Non US residents.

I bought RB turbo back, engine torque brace, his oil pedalstals. Mazdatrix is good too they ship USPS. Mazdaspeed motorsports is even better (they ship via fedex/ups/whoever, and you don't pay any brokerage fees).

 

I can get RB products so search around for the best possible price you can get and ill try and beat it

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, I've actually found a local source for the DTSS eliminator bushings that prompted the inquiry - special thanks to Maxthe7man (and soloracer951, who also directed me to him).
It is in fact possible to do your own brokerage even if your supplier does ship UPS - I'm not quite sure of the process, but you need to go to the airport (or wherever their stuff comes into in your particular locale), fill out some forms for customs, and pay the GST and any duty (rarely an issue for stuff from the US). The process takes about 15 minutes, I understand. The problem is you have to contact UPS prior to your package's arrival to effectively intercept it. When I ordered my Ground Control coilovers and springs a few weeks back, I did it by phone, and didn't get a tracking #, so I didn't know when it was arriving, or the tracking.
The real issue, as has been pointed out, is that UPS obviously secures shipping with many US companies by offering best rates to the seller, which are then subsidized with larcenous brokerage fees paid by the purchaser on international shipping. I really go out of my way to avoid buying from US companies that ship only by UPS, and request USPS whenever possible (often just as quick anyway), but sometimes you can't avoid them - grrrr.

 

If you live within an easy driving distance of an American town with a UPS, FedEX, Greyhound or whatever office then you can have it shipped there and just go pick it up yourself from the US and take it across the border yourself to pay any duty and taxes. Depending on the price and so on the customs agent may just let you on through (don't count on it, probably just for small $ items, and still declare it!).

 

i have had alot of stuff shipped from the states recently.

ups will charge duty and brokerage fees 100 percent of the time, but the driver let me in on a secret. he said ship it priority air, not ground, and they waive the brokerage fees

usps will ship almost anything, and from what i've experienced, you only get hit with duty half the time. the other half it goes unnoticed....and its seems to be about 25 percent. they will charge duty on the price written in the "value" box by the shipper. so i just tell the shipper to spend an extra 5 bucks on packaging to make sure it doesn't break, not to insure it, and to value it low. then you've got a 50 50 chance of paying 25 percent on that amount.

WERD

UPS SUCKS