I agree with everything Ruth just said.
Shipping company will make a big difference. UPS charges a flat rate of (I believe) $50 for brokerage. (It's been a while since I used UPS so it might have gone up.) When I ordered my last skimmer from the U.S. it came by Fedex and their brokerage fee was in excess of $70 or $80 (can't remember exactly anymore). Brokerage fees generally include the GST on the item, and whatever they charge for the customs paperwork and so on. USPS/Canada Post charges a flat rate of $5 for brokerage (maybe I'm wrong) but you'll still be nailed by the GST. The vendor will know nothing about these charges, these are all after the fact. I.e., above and beyond what they're charging you for box fees, shipping rates, and so on.
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-- Tony
My next hobby will be flooding my basement while repeatedly banging my head against a brick wall and tearing up $100 bills. Whee!
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