We arranged for our goods to be shipped door to door from the UK to Canada via Excess Baggage. Last week we received a call from the movers to say that our goods are due to arrive this week in Vancouver. They requested that we fill in and return various items of paperwork, including a "One Time Power of Attorney" form and the original B4E form we received when we cleared customs on arrival. They have also asked for other documents like a copy of the photo page of my passport, proof of residency in the UK etc. They have requested these items be couriered to them in B.C. We were told that the goods would then be "fast tracked", by- passing Calgary and coming straight to us in Lethbridge. My main concern is that while I have paid for door to door with excess baggage, will there be extra costs associated not only in couriering the paperwork to the movers but also in them acting as the power of attorney for my goods? If all else fails I can go into Calgary in person with all he required paperwork and clear customs there and then. Has anyone else shipped goods with excess baggage? Can anyone help me out?

I do not think Excess Baggage will charge you for the one-time power of attorney. I also don't expect there will be any other charges beyond the costs you'll incur in sending your documents to them by courier. But you can check on that by phoning and asking them.

Yes, you can drive to Calgary if you like, but that won't be a cost-free exercise. If you assume it costs 30 cents per kilometre in gasoline and wear and tear on your vehicle, it'll cost about $125 for the drive plus the $10 or so you'll probably spend on a meal from A&W or McDonald's. And that's not counting the value of the six or so hours of your time that that will consume (drive + time at customs office + meal).

Sorry I should have made myself clearer. What I really want to know is if it is normal to have to send the paperwork, which the movers are requesting. I can't really ring Excess baggage as they are not the ones asking for the additional paperwork. Can anyone who has dealt with excess baggage clear this up for me?

Hi
We didn't us excess baggage, but had a 20' container, we had fast track customs with similar paperwork to what you mention, all done at no extra cost.
Customer service is a common thing here, pity we didn't get it in the UK.
cheers
jerry

We shipped some stuff by air through PSS and yes we ended up paying additional fees to the agent in Calgary, terminal fees, Documentation and Handling and liability fee (totalled CAD 195). This was mentioned in passing by PSS in the UK but no dollar amounts and for the modest amount of stuff we shipped I wouldn't do it again.

I went to customs with the documentation at 3.00pm on a Friday and got 'helped' by the most sour faced bag you'd ever imagine. Basically didn't want to help at all had to come back the following Monday....
You're shipping agent will tell you all the documentation you need, customs are also very wary about anything that may have come from the garden / outdoors in the UK...If so the agriculture inspectors have to check it over which may add some time and aggro.

If you can get the agent to clear your stuff through customs for you, I wouldn't make a special journey from Lethbridge !

A friend of mine is in the shipping business and he's told me other stories of people being sent home (to Medicine Hat etc) if they don't have the necessary.

Good luck..