As far as shipping UPS and Fedex, charge brokerage fees, so that adds extra cost to what you buy. If possible ship with USPS, as they do not charge brokerage fees.
If you ship with the first two, and the brokerage fee is high (it's percentage of the total value), you can self declare. Inform the shipper prior to delivery that you wil self declare, they wil send you the documents and then you go to the nearest Canada Customs office (usually at the airport), pay your duty and taxes. Once those are paid, you let the shipper know and they wil deliver.
If the duty is $10, then it is probably not worth the hustle and the gas to drive to Customs. If it is $200, then it is worth it.
Another tip is to get parts that are US made, then they are covered by NAFTA and no duty is required. Ask you parts source to provide NAFTA documentation.
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