Simulacra – cre8ica

I was getting really annoyed with the ridiculous fees UPS was charging me on brokering shipments i needed from the US. I understand i need to pay for GST on shipments coming into the country and on occasion Duties for products that don’t qualify under NAFTA but at times the UPS fees alone would double the price of my orders.

Apart from the issue with overcharged UPS fees, I order a pallet worth of bottles and packaging twice a year. Last year UPS delayed the paperwork for shipment by over a week because i used them as a broker and another company for shipping the pallet. Lets not even get into the fact I’ve had numerous damaged packages arrive. Inexplicable charges added on after the shipment arrives and mismanagement of paperwork.

I started searching for alternatives this year and found a company called Dilas International. I liked the fact that their brokerage fees were listed on their website so i could calculate costs before even contacting them for a quote.

I contacted them to sign up and everything was handled quickly via email within 24 hours. My Agent at Dilas even recommended that certain paperwork from my order be sent in advance so they can prepare  things in advance of the shipment arriving to speed up any delays at the border.

The shipment arrived at the border. Paperwork and duties were calculated and the item was released within 24 hours. i received an email from Dilas stating everything was released and they provided me with the following information in case any other issues arose.

Entry Number
Service Option
Port of Clearance
Cargo Control Number
Processing Date/Time
Process Indicator

Within 30 minutes of receiving the email i get a call from the shipping company asking what time I’d like my shipment delivered.
Easy, Quick and Simple. Exactly what i expected and wanted.

So now for the fees and savings. This order processed through Dilas cost

CUSTOMS ENTRY $30.00
EDI USAGE $4.00
ADDITIONAL LINES FEE $6.00
DISBURSEMENT FEE $7.19
BOND FEE $7.19

Total Fees: $54.39

Obviously on top of these fees there was GST on the purchase and some duties on products that didn’t qualify under NAFTA

From UPS I would have paid $100 more for the same shipment just in fees alone. Let alone the constant delays and lack of communication.

In the end I’m won over with my service from Dilas and I’m happy that i wont have to deal with UPS as my brokers ever again.