I have brought software across the Canadian US border to the charmed and beautiful land known as Vancouver by 2 means.

One, is to have the shipper use UPS/Fedex/etc/etc/etc/Air Canada. Your comment regarding the hit at the border is correct as the above named companies do not separate out the value of the software (no duty) and the printed docs (duty). Also you are guaranteed to get stung with GST and PST.

The second has been to have them ship by the fastest method possible in US Mail. I get to deal with Customs and they seem quite happy with a 95% no duty 5% duty cut in most things. Also, I dodge the PST, which may or may not be legal so I really didn't say that. :-)

Incidentally, the record is that the stuff generally arrives faster and to my door with US Mail as opposed to slower and having to drive miles to some seriously ugly industrial park way out in the burbs to pick up my package.

Of course my main whine with CL is that they use an address verification system for credit card orders, for secutity I understand. My issuer won't do that, also for security reasons. (I might be able to talk them into it if I notify them ahead of time.) I'm hoping CL will start using the 3 digit security number thing on new cards and bypass the adress verification but I'm not counting on it. So...it will be off to buy a money order if everything else fails cause I'm gonna get this come hell, high water, Canada Customs, credit card issuers who won't respond to address verification systems and vendors who insist on using them. :-)

Oh, and with the above, if CL would put on thier customs declaration a breakdown of the value of software and the (lesser) value of docs that would help no matter which carrier hauls it across the border into the land of the 60 cent dollar. :-)

ttfn