I believe this has all been explained quite well. No sense over thinking this. If Al has any further concerns he will let us know.
No, I would leave it alone. Al's now shared with us the appropriate method for non-US watchmakers to file the customs paperwork with couriers for watch repairs. I'm sure this will all work out for you in the end. FWIW, I believe that the contractor vs. employee issue with courier services have been out there for decades. Not just FedEx involved. All of the companies are involved. It should wind up with the Supreme Court one day as it directly affects interstate commerce. Last, the USPS and Canada Post have been conducting their own little war for quite some time now. I've had packages held up by customs for weeks. This doesn't seem to happen except for mail service between the U.S. and Canada. No clue as to why it's happening, gatorcpa
I just received a letter from FedEx asking for just under $4.00 for the SM300 I received from Al. Needless to say, it made me chuckle.
FedEx is F-ed up sometimes. It happened to me with one of my watches and I tried over and over to get them the paperwork they needed to prove the duties weren't due, but finally I got to the point where I had put in much more time than the money was worth and was getting nowhere, so I just paid them and put it behind me.