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Old 08-18-2018, 09:00 AM   #61
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I removed the exchange rate by grabbing it with Transferwise at a very low point and getting it frozen to send CAD dollars to Escape. My point is the shock of the difference between the amount Wells Fargo charged my bank and the Transferwise conversion. I really hope to help someone avoid the hidden fees.
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Old 08-18-2018, 12:14 PM   #62
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XE.com did all of this for us for free as long as you selected a mailed draft. Trasferred money from our acct at our agreed on rate, cut draft in CA$ and mailed to ETI for free. Took about 5 days from start to ETI receiving draft.
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:13 PM   #63
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Question Canadian purchase from private seller BF

I hope to read through this entire thread tonight. We are purchasing a BF from a private seller in Canada and we are as newbie to this process as you can get. From what I have gathered so far, it seems converting US to CDN first and then sending is best.
Obviously I don't live there so it is hard to wrap my head around verifying the information the seller is providing and working on the purchase and also any import information I need to get it into the United States. We would be purchasing an escape if they had the bed configuration we need. We love the escape and have seriously tried to make the configuration work. We so appreciate this forum.
Any hints or references that you can provide would be welcome.
Thanks!
newbie to purchases of any kind out of the US
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:32 PM   #64
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ebike1, if the Bigfoot is newer than 25 years old make sure it has the DOT sticker on it stating it complies to US standards. If it is made by the current Bigfoot factory they could give you a letter of compliance if it doesn’t. However if it was made by the previous Bigfoot factory (that went bankrupt) they will not do that and those ones seem very difficult to import, maybe 2008 and earlier roughly I think.
Good luck.
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:38 PM   #65
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Send a message via AIM to Farmerdoug
Had a similar problem, seems the transfer went very slowly, costing me an additional $700, worse yet there was no trail available to me to see where my transfer was. Live and Learn. If there is a next time.
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:57 PM   #66
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Originally Posted by kootenaigirl View Post
ebike1, if the Bigfoot is newer than 25 years old make sure it has the DOT sticker on it stating it complies to US standards. If it is made by the current Bigfoot factory they could give you a letter of compliance if it doesn’t. However if it was made by the previous Bigfoot factory (that went bankrupt) they will not do that and those ones seem very difficult to import, maybe 2008 and earlier roughly I think.
Good luck.
Thank you! Very helpful! It is newer so I will be sure to get the DOT sticker on it stating it complies to US standards
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:59 PM   #67
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Question did you use some of the services like transferwise that have been mentioned in this thread?
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Old 09-05-2018, 05:02 PM   #68
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Thanks CarlNH and to all who have commented on this thread. I just completed payment to ETI by way of TransferWire and all went as expected with no surprises. It was an eye opening experience to learn so many banks use different conversion rates. I had intended to use Wells Fargo as that is my main bank for checking. But their rate was a couple points higher and that was around $900 difference. Admittedly, the difference was not $900 after the TransferWire fee of 0.6% but still a significant savings.

Thanks again,
Doug
Escape 21 for pickup on Oct 17
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Old 09-06-2018, 08:53 AM   #69
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Glad it worked out for you! The thing I like best about transferwise was that I knew exactly what the fees would be before I initiated the process. Unlike the banks, whose fees were pretty much unknown until you were well into the process and as you notice, substantially higher. Have a great time with your new 21!

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Thanks CarlNH and to all who have commented on this twhread. I just completed payment to ETI by way of TransferWire and all went as expected with no surprises. It was an eye opening experience to learn so many banks use different conversion rates. I had intended to use Wells Fargo as that is my main bank for checking. But their rate was a couple points higher and that was around $900 difference. Admittedly, the difference was not $900 after the TransferWire fee of 0.6% but still a significant savings.

Thanks again,
Doug
Escape 21 for pickup on Oct 17
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Old 09-06-2018, 09:09 AM   #70
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Transferwise ended up as good as the reviews it gets and I appreciate the $800 plus dollars I saved from doing a direct transfer with them. As I said before, the only reason I had any difficulty is that I thought it was strange that they had me print out a form to take to my bank to finish the transfer. But that really was the cheapest and since I stopped this process and almost got through doing a direct transfer through my bank --- all on the same day --- I got to see exactly how much each way would have cost me. Just go with Transferwise in my opinion.
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Old 09-06-2018, 05:53 PM   #71
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Doug - We also have our Pick-Up / Orientation on October 17th.
Brad & Susan Donath
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Old 09-07-2018, 09:09 AM   #72
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Brad & Susan,
We will look forward to meeting you. My wife, Cher, and I are traveling with friends Doug & Claudia Daniels who are also picking up on Oct 17.

See ya in Chilliwack!
Doug McHan


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Doug - We also have our Pick-Up / Orientation on October 17th.
Brad & Susan Donath
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Escape 19RFP
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Old 09-29-2018, 09:07 PM   #73
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Look, everybody, just send a personal check via US first class mail whenever the exchange rate looks attractive. I paid installments via a credit card that charged a ridiculous foreign exchange fee, and by EFT Electronic Funds Transfer. The EFT was a nightmare. The banks charged 1 % on top of an already artificially inflated exchange rate, and then punted the clear addressing instructions that ETI provided. The transfer disappeared for a week and was found at the wrong bank department. Meanwhile, I discovered that there is little recourse or appeal for international transfers that go astray, and it can take months to even process, with no guarantee of a resolution. My last payment was by personal check via regular first class mail, no FedEx fee or other special and expensive delivery service. ETI contacted me within a week to confirm that the check was received and deposited at the exchange rate in force on the day ETI received it. No fuss. No muss. Also, a check can always be cancelled by contacting your bank. Try that with an ETF, with upwards of four banks involved.
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Old 09-29-2018, 09:24 PM   #74
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And, there is no fee for converting a check to a cheque.
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Old 09-29-2018, 09:44 PM   #75
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I sent in full payment to Escape about four months before our trailer was built. But before I did, I did a little vetting on the company. Nothing like paying for something and the company goes out of business before you get your product.

I did not have to worry. Escape had excellent ratings in all categories. And as for Reace and Tammy, you’ll go a long way to find more conscientious people than them. Loren
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Old 09-30-2018, 08:10 AM   #76
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CasparScape View Post
Look, everybody, just send a personal check via US first class mail whenever the exchange rate looks attractive. I paid installments via a credit card that charged a ridiculous foreign exchange fee, and by EFT Electronic Funds Transfer. The EFT was a nightmare. The banks charged 1 % on top of an already artificially inflated exchange rate, and then punted the clear addressing instructions that ETI provided. The transfer disappeared for a week and was found at the wrong bank department. Meanwhile, I discovered that there is little recourse or appeal for international transfers that go astray, and it can take months to even process, with no guarantee of a resolution. My last payment was by personal check via regular first class mail, no FedEx fee or other special and expensive delivery service. ETI contacted me within a week to confirm that the check was received and deposited at the exchange rate in force on the day ETI received it. No fuss. No muss. Also, a check can always be cancelled by contacting your bank. Try that with an ETF, with upwards of four banks involved.
I agree that sending a personal check, if you have enough time, we were kind of an exception in that we didn't have time to do this. BUT -- for anyone weighing the decision now - please do not be scared of TRANSFERWISE -- just follow their instructions closely. It really saved us a lot of money - even though one had to take the final instructions from a printout from Transferwise to a bank. ALL international transfers from the US go through Wells Fargo -- very very small chance of anything going wrong with Transferwise. They have their reputation on the line.
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Old 09-30-2018, 10:00 AM   #77
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Agree - Personal Check. Sent ours via United Parcel Service (UPS). After 10 days it still had not arrived @ ETI. Canceled Check and sent second Check via First Class US Mail, and it arrived in 3 days.
Tracked our 1st UPS Check and found it was sent to CHINA. Canada code is: CA ~ China code is: CN.
Our first label was marked CA (Canada), but we had recourse & were able to cancel our large check.

No longer a fan of United Parcel Service.
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Old 09-30-2018, 01:22 PM   #78
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What’s wrong with just taking a certified bank check with you for the amount. If it’s off some ETI will either refund money if over or one just pays what might be owed. That’s what we did no issues at all we were under by $150.00
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Old 09-30-2018, 01:27 PM   #79
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What’s wrong with just taking a certified bank check with you for the amount. If it’s off some ETI will either refund money if over or one just pays what might be owed. That’s what we did no issues at all we were under by $150.00

Just make sure you declare that you have more than $10,000 CAD when you cross the border. It doesn't have to be cash. You can bring several million dollars across the border if you want, but you do have to declare it. There is no penalty, unless you fail to declare.
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Old 09-30-2018, 01:46 PM   #80
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Just make sure you declare that you have more than $10,000 CAD when you cross the border. It doesn't have to be cash. You can bring several million dollars across the border if you want, but you do have to declare it. There is no penalty, unless you fail to declare.
I believe that is currency, checks are not currency, otherwise your bank account at home on which you can write checks and you have your check book with you would be declarable!!
Visitors are required to declare currency beyond $10,000 Canadian
If you are carrying $10,000 or more in coins, domestic and foreign bank notes, securities such as travelers' checks, stocks, and bonds, you must complete a Cross-Border Currency or Monetary Instruments Report - Individual Form E677.
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