Originally Posted by
rf2
Notice I said "brokerage fees etc." The fees you quoted don't include duties or taxes. I find that when I go to pick something up in the U.S., they never ask me the country of origin of the goods (so I avoid duties), and often, I won't have to pay taxes even though I declared the item at the border. I've heard and seen horror stories where people have ordered items from the U.S., had them delivered to their doors and the extra shipping + duty + brokerage + tax was practically greater than the value of the goods.
That being said, it doesn't always make sense to go pick something up in the U.S. instead of having it shipped directly to your door. However, in this case, both the OP and I live close to the border, and in my experience, the difference in price of automotive/ATV parts between Canada and the U.S. makes it worthwhile to do what I described. If I am able to order parts ahead of time for a repair, I almost always do it this way for big ticket items. If you combine several items into one trip across the border, you will save money.