How to ship

Open this address label, fill out your return address, print it and put it on the box. Please ensure there is sufficient padding material to protect the lens.

Please do NOT ship your lenses to me by courier such as FedEx, DHL or UPS because they have NO access to our premises. They cannot get into our building and your package may be returned to you unopened. Also, we have had custom clearance issues with UPS in the past. On one occasion, UPS had a delay of 3 weeks using their "express" grade of service. Please use the post office. The post offices of most countries offer international parcel delivery with insurance and/or tracking, and that in our experience has been the fastest and the most reliable way of shipping lenses. In the United States, it is called "USPS Global Priority Mail" and in many other countries it is called "EMS Speedpost". As a rule of thumb, go with the cheapest Air Mail service with tracking.

Customs declaration

When you ship the lens to me, please state on the customs declaration: "TEMPORARY IMPORTATION 9993.00.00. Photographic lens 9002.11.10.10 made in Japan for repair or alteration in Canada. Do NOT charge GST: special authority code 16-089Z1663." (The customs declaration may be to small to write all these but please affix a separate label.) This will get the lens into Canada without paying any taxes to the Canadian government.

Packages without customs declaration will be returned to sender. Please ensure there is a custom declarations form filled out and affixed to the package as we have had a couple of incidents before where packages without customs declaration were returned to sender.

Common Questions

Help! I sent my lenses to you but when I track the package using the post office's web site it says 'failed delivery attempt'!

The post office does not deliver your package to my door. Rather, they just leave me a delivery notice and I head to the post office to pick it up. This happens a lot and there is no reason to panic. They probably do this to cut cost. It was not a failed delivery attempt. There was no delivery attempt to begin with! I accumulate a few delivery notices before picking them up so this may take a couple of days. I usually pick up your packages on Sundays. (Yes, Canadian post offices are open on weekends.)

How do I track your progress ?

Enter the serial number or tracking number of your lens here:

According to the lens tracking system, the lens has been successfully converted, but there is no shipping information. How come?

After conversion, your lenses will be queued for packaging and shipment, which takes about 1-2 weeks.

Is it safe to ship lenses by the post office?

Hundreds of lenses have been converted but so far we have not yet lost a single package, both incoming and outgoing. Hmmm, there is a first time for everything, but so far that first time has not yet occurred.

Can you mark the shipment as 'gift'?

Sorry but we do not lie on customs declarations.

What is the total turnaround time ?

day 0you mail your lens
day 7lens arrives in Canada
day 11lens picked up from the post office
day 18lens tested and recorded in our tracking database
day 61lens modified to EF mount
day 79lens shipped!
day 87lens arrives at your door
The above are average figures in 2008. For 2009, the wait times are approximately doubled. Potentially, your lens' progress may be slower than average. Sorry but there may be unpredictable surges in demand and as such we are unable to make any guarantees on turnaround time.

Buying a lens and have the vendor directly ship to us

If you are buying a lens from a third person and have that third person ship the lens directly to us, the package MUST include a memo or an invoice or whatever telling us where to send the lens back to (the return address). Otherwise the lens will be sent back to the sender's address. Purchase only from reputable sellers. Please be advised that you take legal title of ownership as soon as your lens is shipped from your lens vendor and you are solely responsible for the lens sale transaction between you and your lens vendor, as we are unable to assist you in that regard should any disputes arise. Caveat Emptor.

When the package is returned to you

For countries in the European Union, the United States, and many others, you may have to pay duties and/or VAT when the lens is returned to you on the value-added while it is abroad (i.e. my conversion fee). You may be required to establish that you are temporarily exporting your lens abroad for alteration (e.g. proof of purchase or proof of legal importation into your country), so that when the lens is returned to you, you will not be levied duty, sales tax or VAT on the full value of your lens. Please verify the exact regulations with your local authorities. In most countries, this means you keep a receipt showing where you purchased your lens from. No receipt is okay most of the time, but if you do have it, including a photocopy when you ship your lens to us will address any concerns that your customs officials might have. That way, you will be levied duty and VAT only on the value added by us (i.e. what we charge you).

The following table shows our past customs clearance experience, which is in no way indicative of future performance, so your mileage may vary.

Austriano clearance difficulties reported
Germanyrequired to establish the lens was exported from Germany
Indonesiayou may be required to pay a tax which may exceed 36% of the full value of the lens
Irelandplease obtain proof of export from your post office
Japanno clearance difficulties reported
Hong Kongfree port; no duties/taxes on photo equipment; please ignore the receipt requirement
Singaporeplease include a copy of your lens' invoice when you send your lens to us
Taiwanupon the lens returning to Taiwan you may be charged 5% duty plus 5% VAT on the cost of the conversion
United Kingdomcustoms requested receipts of the lenses
United Statesno clearance difficulties reported