From The Great White North...

[Dr. House]

The American thanksgiving sale has me tempted. I have wanted a pair of the 170SE for a while now. They really impressed me, the chance I did get to listen to them and have been thinking they would be a perfect fit in a small/medium sized room. They nailed a critical aspect of loudspeaker reproduction which many speakers fail miserably and that is the ability to convey natural speech/vocals on a wide variety of recordings. :cool: This is a huge compliment! I wasn't really surprised since I was aware of the family of curves published by Ascend and confirmed by many other 3rd parties which is quite impressive in its own right. I am interested in a pair to use as mains and also using a single 170SE in its natural vertical orientation as a centre channel.

For the Canadians that frequent this message board what have your experiences been with brokerage/duty fees on your orders and the preferred courier for international orders. In the past UPS has hit me hard with brokerage fees even with packages sent from relatives within the US so I try to avoid them. Just curious what others have experienced.

Happy Holidays! :) :D

[GirgleMirt]

UPS and FedEx are to be avoided like the plague otherwise you'll pay a ridiculous amount for brokerage, USPS is the way to go.

If you can do the brokerage yourself with UPS/Fed it's ok, but that's usually half a day lost, going to UPS to get the papers, then to customs for brokerage, then back to UPS to get your thing... Plus you have to call them to tell them you'll do it yourself, and to give your CC so they don't charge you 7$ or something to loan you 20$ for 3 days for the taxes, oh, and then they'll still charge you 3% of the order for the service of paying the taxes, that's in addition to the 7$ 3 day interest rates for 20$, even if you call with your CC, they'll still hit you with that...

So, for example, buy 140SE + center, like 50$ of brokerage (avoidable if u go pick up yourself), then 15$ tax loan service, 7$ tax loan (avoidable if u give CC..), for a possible total of like 72$, oh yeah, plus taxes, so 80$, on top of shipping, and CDN taxes...

With USPS, it'll cost you 5$ for brokerage, and that's it, just pay the taxes, it's shipped to your door.

[Dr. House]

Thanks for your input GirgleMirt.

I have had very good luck with USPS not getting charged any additional fees albeit it was just with small single packages. On the other hand Just a few months ago a relative sent us a used tea pot and on top of the $23 dollars shipping they paid for the shipping, I had to pay an additional $49 on delivery, most of it being brokerage. Ridiculous and on a used item no less.

Did you broker the shipment yourself or just arrange for USPS to be the courier and how did it all work out.

Thanks for your patience.

[GirgleMirt]

USPS charged you 49$? Nah... That must be UPS...

I ordered plenty of items from the USA, USPS has always been great. 5$ brokerage, plus applicable taxes. Ascend can ship via USPS, but you have to specify it, for multiple boxes though sadly you can't go USPS... So it's paying the ridiculous UPS fees, or doing the brokerage yourself. Did it once, it's relatively straight forward, but like I said, you lose a couple of hours in the process, lots of back and forth and wasted time, but, you don't give the UPS bastards the satisfaction of extorting you with brokerage BS fees.

UPS is really ridiculous. The worst is if you purchase many items. Ex: You decide to buy an amp, big heavy box, 1000$, let's say 150$ for shipping. But hey, you're paying 150$ for shipping might as well add a couple extra items, some screws (2$), some tape (1$), a crayon (1$), a cd (10$), some marbles (1$), some wire (10$), RCA cables (5$) guitar picks (1$), shiny stickers (1$), an eraser (1$) and to complete the order a picture frame for you favorite pet friend Fernando the monkey (10$), and it only costs you 8$ extra for shipping. Great!

But then UPS rapes you. "Each additional classification line after first 5 lines* $4.50/line". So hey, you're over 1000$, so brokerage is $67.95. But you have 12 items, 7 over first five lines, so that's an extra 31.50$ of brokerage fees! On top of 150$ of shipping! Woohoo! But that's not all! There's all the other fees I've mentioned in my previous post... Then they charge you taxes for these ridiculous "UPS we're crooks" fees... You know, just to add insult to injury and really rip you off with class.

If you go USPS, it's 5$, plus the sales tax.

And that's not all, I've also heard a lot of people get taxed on certain items that UPS deemed taxable, which in most cases were not. I`m not talking provincial/federal taxes, items deemed not illegible for "libre-echange", be it for item type or not made in USA. Never heard of this happening with USPS. Just another reason to avoid the crooks like the plague.

[Dr. House]

Yes, you are correct the $49 charged on delivery for a used teapot was by UPS. :mad: I have never had problems with USPS but have never shipped big items. Its funny because I have had items shipped from China and then handled by Canada post and not a single penny charged. :confused:

That sucks in the case with USPS not being cost effective to the UPS alternative when having to ship multiple boxes. This sale has me tempted but what I think I am going to do is sell off some speakers first which I am not using and are just taking up space and then bend over and say "who's my daddy" to UPS :eek: and perhaps go straight for the 340's.

I read one thread this morning discussing shipments to Toronto and Mr. Fabrikant noted that for multiple packages he still recommends going with UPS. Based on his experience with his customers, he would know best, so UPS is looking like the only and best option in my case.

Thanks for your help once again Girgle, much appreciated.

[GirgleMirt]

Yeah, even if you go with UPS, call them with your CC and shipping # in hand and pay for the taxes... You'll at least save COD fees which is almost 5$ with taxes... But yeah, considering doing brokerage yourself is a couple hours, spending the 60$ and saving your time and gaz money can be worth it. Cdn $ is strong, so that's very good!

Even with the relatively high shipping vs USA and brokerage, Ascend is still a very good value IMHO, own both 340SE and Sierras, and for the money or close haven't found an equal yet... Most goods come from overseas, and also pass by some sort of broker/importer/shipper/dealer so in the end, shipping with ID isn't a big deal...

When looking at my 1st pair, I liked the look of the Quads http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&rlz=&=&q=quad%2012l&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1237&bih=790 in piano black, but they were VERY expensive in Canada... Think >1600$, I thought that was the price of glossy/piano finish speakers... If only Ascend sold Sierras then, would have skipped a ton of speakers... Bargain! (<1000$ shipped shipped/taxed...)

[Dr. House]

I agree Girgle that the Ascends would be still worth it. I've owned other ID speakers and also some of the more popular B&M brands and from an objective standpoint to other speakers in their price class they are superior in terms of 3rd party measurements and build quality especially with the components and design used in the crossover region. Actually, Ascend is one of the few manufacturers that are not afraid to post full measurements of their products. How often do you see a company posting a waterfall plot? This speaks for itself and the confidence in the product. I also like the fact Ascend is low key, make killer products that speak for themselves and hence do not have to rely on hype. All of these factors would make it worth it for me.