Buying an item from Canada

I’ve purchased electronics twice w/o any problem. I would advise speaking to the seller by phone first, so that there are no misunderstandings.
If you ship via Canada Post, it will be very slow and the tracking # will be meaningless when it leaves Canada. After clearing customs USPS will transport the item.
UPS is fast; they pickup the item, it gets held in customs for a short time, then UPS continues the delivery. You will be charged a customs fee based on the manufacturer’s country of origin plus the fee to import from Canada to the US. If the seller is a dealer he can give you an estimated fee.

When UPS comes to your door they will charge you the fee as COD (and they want cash).
Today $2500 CAD equals $1968 USD and that gets charged to your credit card or PayPal.

Folkfreak is correct; if the item is from a private seller there shouldn't be any fee. My purchases were from a dealer. For electronics I still recommend using UPS.
I purchased vinyl and CD's no problem thru Canada Poat.

@trelja ,
As a former UPS employee, I know for a fact that they had/have the highest number of damaged parcels and claims, and the highest fees. Damages are due to the high quota of packages moved per hour.
Can't speak to their service from Canada, except that it was fine for me.

As far as customs fees, Canada seems to be different than other countries delivering to the US. I've purchased many items from UK, Japan, and EU and never paid a fee (VAT). Purchases are from dealers and private sellers.