My experience ordering extrusions from Misumi USA

[Daniel Friesen]

I ordered some aluminum T-Slot extrusions from Misumi USA – for the Wilson TS I'm planning to put together – and I thought I'd share my experience with others that might want to make an order.

If anyone wants to try and make an order they will probably find the process a little awkward: The website is designed for industrial orders so you'll find stupid password policies, order options that assume you know already know what they are, and options trying to help you make a bulk order for a company. But in the end you'll probably manage to make your way through it yourself.

I made an order for T-Slot extrusions, 4 of them 400ms long and 2 of them 330ms long.

My quote was:

Part	Qty	Unit Price	Total
HFS5-2020-400	4	$2.28	$9.12
HFS5-2020-330	2	$1.88	$3.76
Weight			1.13kg
Total			$12.88 (USD)

One uncomfortable part, Misumi has multiple shipping options but gives no quote for what any of the shipping methods will cost including in the final invoice.

I picked UPS Ground and placed the order on January 7th.
The package arrived around January 15th.
They got around to charging my credit card on January 17th.

The credit card charge was $13.51 USD ($16.68 CAD).

So the bad news is I spent a little over a week without any knowledge of how much shipping was going to cost me, the package was already here and open before I got that info.
((Actually due to both the processing delay and the fact that I didn't look at the latest transactions a second time after the 15th till today it was even longer))

The good news is the shipping was only $0.63 USD.

-- 
~Daniel Friesen (Dantman, Nadir-Seen-Fire) [http://danielfriesen.name/]

[John Biehler]

You may not be done with shipping as UPS is notorious for sending a brokerage invoice after the fact....sometimes weeks later. It will likely be more than your entire order.

Or you may get lucky and not get anything.

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[David Collins]

Well, I've been lurking on this group for awhile, now I feel I have something to say.  It's rather long, but it details my rather unpleasant experience with UPS and highlights their brokerage 'scandal.'

I had a $275 order delivered a couple of months ago by UPS.  They were persistent (3-4 calls / day over 4 days) trying to get me to agree to have them as my import broker.  I refused.  The calls were consistently from different people who apparently didn't know someone else form UPS had called multiple times.  No one could (or would) tell me what UPS charges to be the import broker.  I wasn't asking for the customs tax; just UPS charges for handling it.  The closest I got to any ballpark figure from these dozen+ people was that it would be "more than $10" and "more than $25".

I took the emailed order confirmation to the local customs office, paid the duties, and received a B15-1(Flat).  If I didn't call this document the "Accounting Document", then no one from UPS would admit they knew what it was.  The customs agent told me to call it by that name or no-one from UPS would know what it was, and just laughed when I retold how persistent UPS was in trying to get me to agree to let UPS be my broker, and implied that I made a smart move by handling it myself.

So now, I spend the next two days (days 3 & 4 of the above mentioned 4 days) trying to figure out where (within UPS) to send the "Accounting Document".  None of the people who want me to agree to let UPS be my broker knows where I need to send the "Accounting Document", but they are more than happy to transfer me and put me on hold.  During this limbo-period, the UPS callers are now telling me that if the "bonded and secure warehouse in Richmond, BC" doesn't receive confirmation that the customs fee has been paid, UPS's policy is to return the package to the shipper, ... so "why don't I just agree to have UPS handle the brokerage."  I relentlessly refuse.  Nor do any of the UPS callers know the phone number of the UPS "bonded and secure warehouse" in Richmond, BC where my package is being held.  Thus, I am unable to call the Richmond warehouse and tell them I have the "Accounting Document", and please don't return the package to the shipper.

At some point near the end of these two days, some UPS person to whom I had been transferred (I think that time it was the fourth transfer during this phone call) didn't get the memo and coughs up a fax number to the UPS "Imaging Department" in Nova Scotia.  Go Figure.  I fax the "Accounting Document" to this fax number immediately.  Well, the next day (day 5) the persistent calls from uninformed UPS callers stop.

This same day, I find out that the "policy to return the package to the shipper" is in fact a ruse: I get a call from a person in the Richmond warehouse.  She leaves a number.  I call that number: no automated answering service, no waiting, no transfers; I real live person answers the phone.  This number is actually to the bonded and secured Richmond, BC warehouse.  She says she has a package for me and the directions say I'll be handling the brokerage, but she doesn't know anything else about it.  I tell her that I already faxed the "Accounting Document" to "Imaging Department" in Nova Scotia. 

She recognizes that place and presses a few key on her computer keyboard.  Then tells me "Oh, I see the B15 right here.  We'll send it to you right away."  I ask her how long it will take to get to Victoria,  She doesn't know.  We have this conversation on a Friday.  The package arrives at my place in Victoria the following Wednesday. 

Now, the shipping 'option' was UPS International because that is required by the shipper Adafruit for international orders over $200.  So, the order was fulfilled and shipped on Monday from New York City: NYC to Richmond - 4 days (including waiting in customs); Richmond to Victoria - 5 days (when I act as my own broker).  Again, Go Figure.

So, if anyone needs to get a hold of UPS's ever elusive "Imaging Department", here you go: 800.972.7676 (fax).

And the shadowy, bonded and secure warehouse (unbeknownst to many UPS phone agents) in Richmond: 604.279.2709

At this point, if I ever find myself required by a seller to use UPS International, I think I'll either find a different seller or take a ferry ride to Port Angeles.

David

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[Stefan Mohr]

What a shame. This has been my experience with couriers as well - their "import brokerage" process is shady, not well defined, and by the time the fees are assessed it's too late for you to do anything about it.

If I'm ordering from the US I either ship USPS or have it shipped to a shipper in Blaine and drive down to get it. If a shipment has deteriorated to the point where you have to pick up the phone and call the courier for any reason you're already in for a miserable experience.

UPS, Fed Ex, and DHL are all on my wall of shame.

[Nick Wimpney]

Yep, I bought a hot air soldering station a while back, shipped by UPS.  About $30 for shipping, an additional $80 at the door, (I think about $25 was tax, rest was brokerage and other various fees)

The worse part is the late billing thing too.  I've known people who've gotten shafted on group buys where they've ordered a bunch of stuff, everyone has paid their share of the cost and shipping,  and then 6 weeks later another bill for $75 shows up.

Last time it happened to me, it took a while to even figure out which charges were on which shipments, because I had made a few orders around the same time.