That's true about UPS - Internationally, their cheap service becomes the most expensive.

Take a $400 item. UPS 5-7 day Ground might be $15; $23 Canadian. Then it comes to the border. Declared value of $400, or $620 Canadian. UPS takes a 10% of the declared value as brokerage fee - $62. Add that on your other shipping and you're at $85. Air UPS may have only cost $70 Canadian, and you'd have it a lot sooner.

GST, of course would be the same, plus you'd have to pay some sort of standard duty, unless Customs can be lead to believe it's computer equipment rather than audio/visual equipment.