I learned a few things during the preparation for the Eastern Canada Pastel Society show that I wil share with you:

#1 - if you send work to Canada, do not call it personal. It should be sent as gallery to gallery.

       Why? Because I didn't and at the other end the recipient was charged $200 when the package arrived to cover the cost of  taxes and a UPS brokerage fee (almost $75.00)  for putting the package through customs. Of course, I have to pay him back. I can recover only about 1/3 of this expense by filing a form at UPS.

#2 - Do not use  UPS because they do charge this brokerage fee.

#3  You can't buy a prepaid return UPS label here in the USA for your work to be shipped back. Luckily I am going to the opening so I can buy one there and give that along with my $200 to the person who was kind enough to take care of all of this on his end.

 #4 I learned that Canadians are very nice and the French speaking ones  do not expect you to know how to speak French - they appreicate it if you try though.  A UPS employee in Canada spent much more time checking this out for me than the one here did - otherwise I might have known all this BEFORE I sent the stuff!!!

But now I know - experience is sometimes the only way we learn.