Information for Shipments to Canada
Quick Summary
Orders to Canada are shipped according to the shipping option you choose at checkout. Add your selected items to your shopping cart, choose your country from the drop down menu, enter your postal code, then click “Calculate” to view shipping options available to you. For all international orders the billing and shipping addresses must match.
USPS
Brokerage and standard customs fees included. Possible COD fee required if additional duties, taxes, or other additional fees apply. Parcels are usually handed off to Canadian Post, or sometimes Purolator. Best for a single parcel, or a small order, as multiple boxes with this option can become very expensive.
UPS
Brokerage, Duties and Taxes will be assessed after the shipment reaches Canada. (Pay by phone or COD) Additional fees may apply. More cost effective for large orders sent in multiple boxes. Usually handed off to UPS CANADA or, depending on certain delivery areas and situations, may be handed off to the Canadian Postal Service or Purolator. We offer free shipping with certain order minimums, but please note that this only covers the shipping charge and not any brokerage, duties, taxes, or additional hand-off fees - those additional items will still be your responsibility.
Delivery Times
Delivery time for both UPS and USPS is approximately 6-10 business days.
Choosing UPS Standard to Canada or USPS Priority International
There are three different kinds of fees incurred when importing goods from the USA to Canada: Brokerage fees, duties & taxes and possible additional charges.
IMPORTANT: If you do not pay your fees and refuse the delivery, Starwest is billed for all of the fees, duties and taxes and additional fees, plus return shipping. Once we are in receipt of your returned parcel, you will be offered a refund amount that is equal to your invoice minus the cost of return shipping (ie: we will subtract any fees, duties, taxes, shipping charges and additional fees that we've been assessed for the packages return). Rather than refuse delivery, please contact us immediately so that we can help resolve any issues or questions that come up.
UPS Standard VS. USPS Priority International
Both USPS and UPS charge customs fees, but here is the difference:
USPS includes standard customs fees in the upfront shipping cost. The shipping cost will appear to be a bit more expensive because the brokerage and standard custom fees are included. You will not have to pay separate brokerage fees later. This is a good choice if you have a small order with just a few items that will arrive in one box.
UPS does NOT include the brokerage fee in the upfront shipping cost, but will look to collect it later from you after it passes through customs. UPS will add this fee to the duties and taxes (see below) and will attempt to collect it either by credit card over the phone before delivery or at the door upon delivery (COD).
USPS: These fees are often covered in the standard customs fees billed upfront. However, there are some occasions where additional duties and tax fees occur and they will attempt to collect these from you directly. UPS: Will collect duties and taxes, adding it to the brokerage fee, for all shipments. This total is collected either by phone or by COD.
You can visit this site and choose Health & Wellness/Vitamins as selections to get an ESTIMATE (may not be not ACTUAL) on what duties and taxes you might expect to pay: Cross Border Shopping
When your parcel goes through customs, some parcels are randomly selected for additional inspection. This is performed and charged by the Canadian customs office. There is nothing either the shipping carrier or Starwest Botanicals, Inc. can do to avoid this.
Starwest Botanicals has no control over this and cannot be held responsible if it should happen.
Additional fees for inspection are also taxed, so if you do incur an additional inspection charge (currently $16+ CAD) the same rates for duties and taxes that applied to your invoice will also apply to this fee.
Hand-Off Fees
When your parcel goes through customs, it is USUALLY handed OFF from one service to another.
For USPS: Your order normally gets handed off to the Canadian Postal Service for delivery.
For UPS: Your order is either handed off from UPS USA to UPS CANADA or, depending on where you live, to the Canadian Postal Service.
There are usually no fees involved when your parcel changes hands from one service to the other. However, there are some delivery locations and/or situations where the regular hand-off is not possible and your parcel will be handed off (either by USPS or UPS) to a third party delivery service, called Purolator.
Purolator: Additional fees may also apply in the case where it is handed off to Purolator. Please note: Your previous experience with imported parcels being delivered by Canadian Post or UPS CANADA is a good indication they will not be handed off, but it does not guarantee your package will avoid a hand off to Purolator for future deliveries. Starwest has no way to determine if this 3rd party hand off can or will happen for your address, however we have noticed it happens more often with UPS shipments. Also keep in mind, not all cases of hand off to Purolator incur extra charges. If you have questions, please call CANADA UPS to find out if your address is in an area that experiences 3rd party delivery 1-800-742-5877.
