I won't purchase anything from the US if UPS is involved. They charge ridiculous, needless, punitive 'Brokerage Fees' at the border that I will not pay.
USPS is the only way to go. I've had great success with them.
This has also been my experience. The first time i received an item from the US via UPS, i got an invoice a week later for $75 which was almost half the amount the unit cost me! (a vintage stereo amp)
This was years back and since that point i learned alot more about 'brokerage' fees. Being so close to the border, there is a company called Pembina Parcel service that sits in N. Dakota and holds your items for pickup. You bring the item across the border yourself, no fees.
Of course, i still have to take the time to drive an hour to the border and back.
