Shipping Belongs (Canada to USA) via UPS etc.

[spa 12]

My wife is gearing up for her interview in a few weeks, and we are contemplating SHIPPING all off her personal belongings (which only consist of clothing, shoes, and purses, no furniture or heavy items) via UPS to my place in the USA as it is more economical than checking in a lot of bags on a flight or driving.  Of course, neither of us would be present at the border as she is shipping the boxes from her home in Canada directly  to my house in the USA. 

 

Are there forms or anything we need to do from a customs or import standpoint, or can she just drop off the boxes at her UPS store in Canada and they will handle everything?

 

We are on a CR1 visa for what it matters.  There's a similar question asked in this forum, but they were shipping furniture etc. via moving trucks so that may have been different.  Thanks.

[Ashley Scott 180]

22 minutes ago, spa said:

My wife is gearing up for her interview in a few weeks, and we are contemplating SHIPPING all off her personal belongings (which only consist of clothing, shoes, and purses, no furniture or heavy items) via UPS to my place in the USA as it is more economical than checking in a lot of bags on a flight or driving.  Of course, neither of us would be present at the border as she is shipping the boxes from her home in Canada directly  to my house in the USA. 

 

Are there forms or anything we need to do from a customs or import standpoint, or can she just drop off the boxes at her UPS store in Canada and they will handle everything?

 

We are on a CR1 visa for what it matters.  There's a similar question asked in this forum, but they were shipping furniture etc. via moving trucks so that may have been different.  Thanks.

Your best bet is to open a UPS account for your location in the United States and process the shipping labels from that address as an import.  This will give you more control of the shipments once you enter the United States and will allow you to deal with the US customs and customer service.  You will need to produce the commercial invoices and attach them to the boxes so that UPS is aware of the belongings inside the shipments.  You can handle all of this on UPS.com by creating a login ID and new account number with the address of your US location.  I would contact UPS customer service and ask them to have your local representative reach out to you once you create the account.  They will be able to help you with any questions that you have as well as possibly offer shipping discounts for your imports.  Below are links to some international tools on UPS.com that will help walk you through the shipment as well. 

 

 

https://www.ups.com/uis/create?ActionOriginPair=CreateAnImport___StartSession&loc=en_US

 

https://wwwapps.ups.com/tradeability?loc=en_US

Edited November 30, 2017 by Ashley Scott

[GreatDane 366]

I don't know where you're living or what airline she's travelling with, but when we looked at shipping, using suitcases on the airline was by far the cheapest route. International shipping is so expensive - you'll only be able to ship a small box (2-3 pounds) for the typical price of a check in. 

[spa 12]

2 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

I don't know where you're living or what airline she's travelling with, but when we looked at shipping, using suitcases on the airline was by far the cheapest route. International shipping is so expensive - you'll only be able to ship a small box (2-3 pounds) for the typical price of a check in. 

Most airlines, including Air Canada and Delta, charge about $100+ for the third, fourth etc. bags.  Only the first 2 checked-in bags are at the lower $25 or so.  I made some sample quotes on UPS.com from her home in Canada to my home in the U.S. for 50lb boxes of luggage size (about 20x24x18), and for 6-8 boxes it was less than $700 USD.  Which is less than checking in 6-8 bags.

[Ashley Scott 180]

4 minutes ago, GreatDane said:

I don't know where you're living or what airline she's travelling with, but when we looked at shipping, using suitcases on the airline was by far the cheapest route. International shipping is so expensive - you'll only be able to ship a small box (2-3 pounds) for the typical price of a check in. 

International shipping can be very expensive from most places.  Luckily, you can ship ground service from Canada with UPS (standard from Canada) which helps tremendously when it comes to cost.  It is still not "cheap" but definitely more affordable than international shipments in general.  For a 20lb box from Canada you should be looking at $33-$45ish depending on where in Canada it is coming from. 

[spa 12]

Just now, Ashley Scott said:

International shipping can be very expensive from most places.  Luckily, you can ship ground service from Canada with UPS (standard from Canada) which helps tremendously when it comes to cost.  It is still not "cheap" but definitely more affordable than international shipments in general.  For a 20lb box from Canada you should be looking at $33-$45ish depending on where in Canada it is coming from. 

Exactly - this works I think from Canada, but may not be a viable option for those oversees.

[GreatDane 366]

That is amazing! It's really nice that it's an option for Canada! I'm surprised by how affordable it is.

[Ashley Scott 180]

2 minutes ago, spa said:

Exactly - this works I think from Canada, but may not be a viable option for those oversees.

If you don't mind me asking, where in the US will you be shipping to?  I may be able to get you in touch with a good resource to help you with your shipment.

[Ashley Scott 180]

Just now, GreatDane said:

That is amazing! It's really nice that it's an option for Canada! I'm surprised by how affordable it is.

Yes, one of the advantages of being a neighbor to the US.  This is also an option to/from Mexico.  Makes shipping between the borders much more affordable.  Overseas shipping is getting more affordable but is still not a great option in a situation like this.  Maybe one day!  lol

[spa 12]

4 minutes ago, Ashley Scott said:

If you don't mind me asking, where in the US will you be shipping to?  I may be able to get you in touch with a good resource to help you with your shipment.

I sent you a DM.  Thanks.