[Orange Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinitevirtue

I don't think I've ever been hit by taxes before whether its SAL or EMS, though knock on wood I hope I don't jinx that. Haha. With my current order with Mandarake EMS is about double what SAL costs but it probably depends on the size of the package. I find that larger orders tend to have similar prices for SAL and EMS.

Yeah, never had fees with either of those. Fedex, UPS, and the like go out of their way to make you pay the fees so they can charge brokerage. It's how they make money. You are actually allowed to self-clear packages and be your own broker but it's quite a hassle. The fact the same exact items can be shipped without fees 90% of the time and services like UPS always hit you with fees 100% of the time tells you all you need to know. It's basically legal scamming of your money as they charge whatever the heck they feel like for the brokerage. Their job is to deliver you a package, not to make sure the government gets their cut. At least Canada Post charges a flat $9.99 if they have to act as a broker.