Held up in customs

There is no duty between Canada or the US if they are manufactured there due to NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). The only fee the government could charge is sales tax. Canadians pay sales tax on items every time they receive an item from the US.
UPS charges a fee to take the package to customs. Usually they do not take the package. Not only do they rip off Canadians getting packages from the US, but they rip off Americans getting packages from Canada.
The total fees end up costing the customer close to what the cost would be if we paid for Air Service. UPS etc. do not charge this fee if we select air service. Think of it-for an example pay 100 for next day air and pay no other fees. Instead pay 65 for 5 day ground service and then pay another 35 for brokerage. Your total cost is 90 and you had to wait an additional 4 business days. Including weekends, this could be an additional 6 days and pay the same amount. Clever marketing on UPS part. Charge less for an inferior service and then charge and end user fee which ends up costing the customer almost the same fee for this service. They must love ground shipping between countries. If they charge a fee outside a brokerage or sales tax, it is not payable. In the future, try Fed-Ex two day service. It is cheaper than next day air and is cheaper than ground + brokerage. They do not charge a brokerage fee on the 2 day service.

This is odd.
Is this a common model?
If this laser equipped product has not been cleared for the U.S. before
you will have quite the problem, as in they will not let it through.
The laser is used in lots of other models that are sold here? Doesn't matter.
If you are lucky they will fax you a form for this, which you will have to have the mfr assist you with (the bad part).
Odds are your unit is going back unless you can slip through the customs cracks.
What ever happens do it fast or it will go back regardless.

What is the make and model?
Something not usually sold here, I assume (based on your description of the events).

BTW, there is a very easy way around this, but few know how to do it
(and it is now too late since it was already shipped).

Brian@Hello.lt

Well,sorry Canadian sellers;I won't be buying anything from Canada. (Afer reading this mess.)

Customs is *NOT* the issue.

This is a good example of why many non NA buyers are very hesitant to deal with NA sellers
(no experience with these issues, or how to solve problems like this, or better yet, how to AVOID them in the first place).

The problem has ZERO to do with duties, NAFTA, customs broker, etc. Zero.

Laser and its approval via the FDA is the issue and the only issue.
If it has not been approved than it has to be before it can be shipped to the U.S.
This is a slow and annoying process (with the FDA).
Hopefully this model has been approved already.
Check with the mfr or most recent importer.
They will have to fax you a few pages, you fwd them, and that's it
(assuming they exist). Don't delay, FDA has no problem with sending items back, seizing them, or "liquidating" them (aka: destroying them), and regular ship insurance does NOT cover this.

Brian@Hello.lt

Customers in every U.S. state and 48 other countries.
wir sprechen deutsch / angol/ingles/englisch / hablamos en espanol / beszelunk magyarul!

Hello,

I would bet that the individual who sent the unit from Vancouver did not send it along with the proper form that must accompany laser devices. If this form is not supplied in triplicate along with the statement of origin delays can occur at customs. It is important to make sure the person sending you the item is aware of what is required by customs in the way of paperwork. This is not always the case when dealing with someone who rarely or never ships internationally.

Gene