[Songforyou]

Hello,

Any ideas on how long things take to clear customs?  I've purchased a pair of speakers from ebay two weeks ago and they haven't arrived yet.  I've been able to track the order from Denver to Chicago and it left Chicago January 29th (by air).

Everything seems legit (I'm not worried about that...the seller has even asked if I have received the speakers yet), but how long should I wait?

Also, who do I contact on the Canadian side?  Shipped using US Postal Service.

Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[Daygloworange]

It can get hung up in Customs for a day or a week, there's no way to predict.

Do you have a tracking number? You can check on it's status and any updates. The updates are slow. If it's showing in the system, that's a good sign.

Cheers

[DonnieW]

USPS integrates with Canada Post on our side (interesting enough so does Hongkong Post as well as a few more countries - they all integrate seamlessly with tracking and billing).  CP won't be of much help, at least not until sufficient time has been given for your package/s to arrive.  Standards for mid-tier services allow 7-10 business days.  In your case it's been only 5-6 days.  Because you're not using a broker, you're subject to all kinds of delays (Customs) being the biggest.  The problem with USPS and Canada Post is that they don't have the 'sender' fill out all the paperwork - such as declaration forms, tariff forms, etc.  There is a reason why you need to fill out pages and pages of forms when you ship with broker-based services such as FedEx and UPS.  That paperwork expedites the process and saves them from trying to figure out what's in the package and how it should be tariffed, if at all.

Bottom line... ship USPS/CPS and you're going to be stuck waiting.  Good news is you probably saved a lot on shipping.

[Steve-N]

From my experience it can take anywhere from 14 to 21 business days from the US to Canada, including customs, if by Air. EMS is usually a little faster cutting down the time by a few days. Surface is usually 30 or more business days not accounting for customs delays. Interestingly enough shipping from Canada to the US I find is cheaper and faster...Go figger.

[TomS]

I just shipped a Wadia into Alberta using Fedex International Economy.  It only took 2 days including customs clearance.  The buyer "self brokered" it through without issue.

[fajimr]

my experience is that it varies greatly especially with USPS... anywhere from a week to three.  I always thought it was just quebec though 

sounds like you are still in an 'average' time frame though.

jim

[Songforyou]

Thanks for all the responses.  Sure enough, the speakers arrived today.  My experience seems to be similar to others: I had to wait with USPS, but I didn't get stung with crazy brokerage fees.  I once bought a vintage amp from the US and it was delivered by BAX Global.  They quoted me a low shipping rate but it didn't include the brokerage fees and boy was I unpleasantly surprised.

Thanks again.