Shipping large boxes to the U.S.

[The Barracuda]

Hey everyone, I need to ship four large boxes to the U.S. for as cheaply as possible, totaling 150 lbs. Purolator's going to cost me about $500 and that doesn't include any kind of duties when going across the border. I was just wondering if anyone has any other ideas/thoughts on the cheapest way to ship oversized boxes.

One way I can keep the cost down is by keeping the declared value down as well; though it is risky, the risk itself is small since Purolator's very good at tracking their parcels.

[pandaprime]

Hey everyone, I need to ship four large boxes to the U.S. for as cheaply as possible, totaling 150 lbs. Purolator's going to cost me about $500 and that doesn't include any kind of duties when going across the border. I was just wondering if anyone has any other ideas/thoughts on the cheapest way to ship oversized boxes.

One way I can keep the cost down is by keeping the declared value down as well; though it is risky, the risk itself is small since Purolator's very good at tracking their parcels.

are you close enough to the border to drive across and ship them from within the US?

[Nomad]

That would be the best & cheapest option, but unless he's planning to spend a day driving there and back... maybe not haha.

[The Barracuda]

Actually, I live close to the border in BC and I could drive to Eureka Montana to the Montana Shipping center. I just sent them an e-mail to see if the cost is lower than shipping from my home and saving on gas (even if I use my gas-guzzling truck, I might spend $100.00 on gas at the most). But shipping plus possible brokerage fees might end up costing a shit-ton, so I'm open to anything.

EDIT: Of course, I have to get a U.S. passport. FUCK!

[Big Filipino]

Why would you need a US Passport?

[dougman]

you still need to declare the items and pay all the import/duty costs when crossing the border to the USA if you are planning to ship these items.

[UltraMarknus]

US residents don't pay import taxes/duties on items AFAIK.

[gagagalvatron]

US residents don't pay import taxes/duties on items AFAIK.

They do, but the declared limit is pretty high -- it's over $200 and that does not include shipping (which is not taxed or factored into the value in any way).

[The Barracuda]

Why would you need a US Passport?
Sorry, a Canadian passport to get into the US. I still haven't applied for mine as I haven't needed to go to the states for a while.

you still need to declare the items and pay all the import/duty costs when crossing the border to the USA if you are planning to ship these items.
Yeah, I know, but I'm wondering if the declaration would be smaller than the eventual brokerage fees I know I'm going to be charged. I think the only way is to keep my declared value down low enough that I still have protection against damage or loss but don't have to rip my left arm off and mail it in as payment.

Anyways, I got a quote from the Montana shipping company in Eureka and coupled with the cost of a tank of gas, I'm not saving much anyways, if anything. I'm going to call Purolator and see what freight costs (LTL) will be.

[sikkbones]

What a about greyhound parcel delivery