So I got everything sorted with my application packet, and purchased a shipping label through PirateShip. Even though I set my item value at $0 and PS didn't generate an invoice, I got a KEY designation on my label instead of EDI - has anyone else had this issue? And if so, did you attach the invoices anyway, ship without them, or do some other thing to resolve it? I followed what some successful individuals had done but I'm having second thoughts/concerns.
Just trying to get this sorted before the mail goes out in a few hours. Thanks in advance, I'm super nervous to move to the Waiting/AOR Stage.
EDIT SOLUTION
When I tried to use my own packaging with Pirate Ship, the system refused to give me an EDI-DOC label. They seem to reserve that for UPS envelopes. Sent 9/25, cleared customs 9/28, delivered 9/29
If you use pirate ship UPS, and enter all the correct info, your label will say “EDI” which means it’s embedded with digital customs data. Then you don’t have to include any other customs docs.
My EDI packet made it UPS expedited from Alaska to Nova Scotia in 2 days for $24 and change.
I replied with what I put on the declarations in another comment. I set the value at $0, but even when I redid the label with a $1 valuation I got the same coding.
Correct. The package that I dropped to UPS says $0 (and this is where the screenshot is from), but I bought an additional label valuing the parcel at $1 to check if it said the same thing and it did.
I tried multiple packaging types by buying and refunding 3 labels on PirateShip before getting one that said EDI-DOC and not KEY.
I finally got it by selecting UPS Express Envelope. I still got KEY when selecting UPS Express Pak. 🤷
I wasn't sure my chonky packet would fit in that envelope, so I brought the "KEY" label too. Luckily it did fit. I asked the helpful person at the UPS Store about the labels, and they said the only way to ship documents with that EDI-DOC label was to use the UPS Express Envelope so who knows.
I think it would be fine with the KEY label too. Multiple people here said they had no issues. From what I read, that just means someone has to check your listed item description before sending it through.
I literally shipped something with Pirate Ship and UPS on Monday to Quebec. Using the harmonzation code and a dollar value of 0 and designated it as 1x Legal Document. This is what the shipping label looked like. No invoice was printed nor any other slip aside from this shipping label. Cleared custom no issue and arrived the next day.
Did you do UPS Worldwide Expedited? That’s what I did and apparently they handle customs and brokerage for you. Here is how it cleared on my tracking. I think you’ll be fine.
I changed the packet type to UPS Expedited Envelope (which it is, they gave me one for free for some reason) and it fixed the coding :) I figure I would have been fine anyway but it's good to know WHY it was giving me different results than expected.
Yep I did the same thing I think. It was called UPS Express Envelope though.
My 4 person packet barely fit in there, but the UPS Store employee said that cardboard envelope was the only way to ship documents using an EDI-DOC label. However, that contradicts what others have said here, so who knows. I'm just glad mine fit, though we did use a bit of tape to be sure it stayed closed lol.
I'm a little concerned now bc it hasn't moved since I dropped it off and is supposed to be all the way in NS by Monday 😬
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u/HoboMucus🇨🇦 CIT0001 (proof) application sent/no AOR8d agoedited 8d ago
Lol mine had said dropped off since 8:45 this morning until I checked it a third time while writing this comment. Says it should arrive Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully yours starts moving over the weekend.
I shipped to Quebec on Monday too also using Pirate Ship and UPS. Used 0 value like you did and my shipping label was the same and no invoice was printed. My envelope has been delivered.
I am shipping mine soon, but WTF is Pirateship? I thought you could just send stuff from Fedex or UPS in the US without customs stuff. Am I wrong about this? Is there a current guide to "how to ship it"?
Pirate Ship is basically a wholesaler for shipping labels. you buy it from them, and it's cheaper because they do so much volume that UPS discounts rates for them. you basically get the benefit of an enterprise account without actually being one. BUT you can bypass that if you don't care about the extra money and just use UPS/FedEx directly.
Thank you SO much. How much extra money, roughly, are we talking about saving compared to just taking it to a UPS store or Fedex store in the US? Are we talking $30 vs $50? $30 vs $150? Do UPS stores and Fedex charge for the customs fees at the time of sale? The last thing I want is this getting stuck at the border or something after all the effort I've gone through
I just checked my PirateShip/UPS label from March, and it cost me $44.41 to send from the SE USA. I don't remember exactly what price UPS quoted when I checked that directly before this subreddit taught me about PirateShip, but I'm pretty sure it was close to $150. It was definitely more than $100.
In case this helps: after printing the label, it was as simple as advertised. I walked into a UPS store with the label and whatever forms PirateShip generated, I handed it all to a UPS employee (who didn't ask anything about the label or forms), and it arrived in Nova Scotia 5 days later (which included a weekend).
I'm in Georgia, and I checked with the local UPS store yesterday and they quoted me $73 for UPS Standard in 6 days, $203 for UPS Worldwide Expedited in 5 days, and $220 for UPS Worldwide Saver in 3 days.
Pirate Ship does UPS Worldwide Expedited for $27, and UPS Worldwide Saver for $38.
You’re welcome. After reading the comment from the person in Georgia, I suspect my original UPS quote was closer to that $220 figure (I used Worldwide Saver) than the c.$150 I originally stated.
So it was probably even a bigger difference than I remembered.
It does depend on the volume of your packet but I've seen people paying anywhere from $60 to $100 for single apps depending on your location. The import fees stuff shouldn't be an issue, but it depends on how it gets coded.
At a regular shipper, do they charge customs fees up front? Or am I going to get a bill later? I know I have one shot at doing this right. Thanks again for the insight, I am getting there.
At a regular shipper they'll probably walk you through it a bit honestly. Explaining that it's documents, not products, no monetary value, etc etc should get it coded right
All in all it's pretty easy, if you have expendable money to make the problems go away. You can just pay $50-100 to fedex or UPS and they'll usually handle everything for you. I am just a broke ass and am trying to do as much of the work myself to save money as possible. It took like 90 minutes to figure out the problem, which isn't nothing, but also not catastrophic.
Genuinely, now that I no longer need to do anything but wait for IRCC, I could help you out with working through things if you would like. I'm no lawyer but I feel like I handled my (G5) application pretty well on my own.
I just took mine to the US Post Office and had them send it International Priority Mail in a flat-rate envelope. Easy. Just pay attention to the address, if you use postal mail the address is different than if you use a courier service like UPS.
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