How much does it cost to ship from Canada to England?

How much does it cost to ship from Canada to England?

If your shipment is an envelope of documents, the answer is $124 CAD with UPS Express Saver service; or you could send it by sea freight to reduce that price by about a third. However, if time is of the essence or it’s an especially heavy parcel, expect a substantially higher price. But no matter which you pick, a long-standing Canadian shipping broker – Secureship – can find you considerable price relief for all of your shipments (typically of 50%, and sometimes more) with known and reliable couriers. Shipping may also incur duties and taxes as well as ancillary fees such for insurance, oversized parcels, and peak season shipping surcharge, and those along with other topics are discussed in detail in this blog.

Table of Contents

• Some Estimates of Shipping Costs
• Secureship
• Duties and Taxes and Other Ancillary Shipping Costs
• Conclusion

Some Estimates of Shipping Costs

Presented below are estimates of shipping costs for a package of documents sent from Canada to England in early November, 2024.

You may find the results startling; firstly, that the carrier’s prices are so high, and secondly, the price savings that come with extending the delivery time.

But when you look at the savings Secureship can obtain for you – up to 50%, shipping from Canada to England has become a little less painful.

Secureship

As shown above, Secureship can offer big price savings and multiple options with noted carriers such as Purolator, UPS, and FedEx. And while the example is for a small package to England from Canada, Secureship can and has arranged thousands of varying parcel deliveries for 17 years with a wide range of goods across Canada and to virtually all countries worldwide.

Beyond saving you money when Secureship is your broker, the company’s intuitive online platform is a time-saver once you’ve selected a shipping option. The system guides you through completing the required paperwork, which for international destinations is far more involved than for a domestic shipment. The system’s final step of the process is to arrange a parcel pick-up, which you select for the time and place of your choosing, and that could be the office or your home. So, there is no need to spend valuable time and energy dropping off the package at the courier’s outlet.

Duties and Taxes and Other Ancillary Shipping Costs

Like all countries, England applies duties and taxes to incoming goods; as well, shipping may incur ancillary costs, some of which can be avoided with fore knowledge.

Duties and taxes

All countries apply duties and taxes on incoming goods though often there is a threshold below which no fees are collected. For goods shipped from Canada to England, the duty threshold is £135 (about $240 CAD as of November, 2024), so that if the parcel’s value is less than this, no duties apply.

However, in the case of the UK’s VAT (similar to Canada’s GST), all goods regardless of their value will incur a 20% tax. So, even a shipment valued at only several dollars will be charged VAT.

Ancillary costs

There are potentially many ancillary shipping costs, three of which are discussed below:

1. Insurance: Buying insurance is a choice that depends on the value of the goods being shipped and the risk tolerance of the sender should the parcel be lost or damaged in transit.
2. Oversized parcels: FedEx and UPS define an oversized parcel as one being heavier than 68 kg or longer than 274 cm or have a length plus girth greater than 419 cm*. And in the case of UPS surcharges, a said package would have a $1,315 CAD surcharge.
3. Peak season shipping surcharges: When shipping from Canada during the peak period of mid-September till mid-January, carriers apply surcharges because of the heavier volumes. The surcharges are added to the existing fees for additional handling, oversized parcels, and large package situations.

*length + girth = 2 x parcel’s length + 2 x parcel’s width

Conclusion

Shipping from Canada to England can be a costly expense for a business even if the item is a small, light-weight envelope. And while you could reduce the cost of sending goods by sea freight, most people choose the costlier air freight services of couriers. However, whichever you choose, Secureship’s bulk buying agreements with FedEx, UPS, and FedEx could save you upwards of 50% of a courier’s retail price. And by having Secureship work as your broker, you will save a lot of time when organising a shipment because of our intuitive platform. Be advised that shipping goods internationally also involves paying duties and taxes, and may incur additional expenses for insurance, oversized parcels, and when shipping during peak season; however, some of these fees may be avoided with careful planning.