Shipping using EMS to Canada not safe anymore?

so today i got my gmarket order and i was slapped with $40 from customs for my $95 order.

I was super shocked because i thought i'd be safe with EMS, since everyone knows that Canada has super strict customs and DHL/Fedex will charge you for sure but EMS was always the safe way to go

so i noticed that gmarket declared the value of every item truthfully, and since this is my first time ordering from gmarket i dont know if they did that in the past

customs didnt even open the box so i know they calculated the charge with the declaration form that said there was 95 bucks worth of stuff in the box

i know a friend who ordered over 500$ awhile ago and didnt get charged, and most people on the internet never get charged with EMS

so im wondering if there's been a change with EMS and Canada Post and how they do things or am I just unlucky TT^TT

anyways i know this topic is kind of redundant but im just super pissed

and seriously if even EMS is not safe then us Canadians will have no where to do our online shopping TT^TT

so im really eager to hear about RECENT gmarket orders or experiences with EMS in Canada

Anymore?

I thought both Canada and the UK are always strict with EMS. It's not just EMS Korea. In the Cure Natural Aqua thread there were people getting charged like $30 for purchasing something that's only around $30. (Note: Cure is from Japan) There's a smaller chance of getting charged custom if sellers mark your packages as a "gift". Sellers from Hong Kong and China are more likely to do so. (from my experience from sasa and adambeauty orders)

i did some research and from everyone i have heard from that have used EMS to deliver to Canada specifically have not been charged, so that's why i was really shocked.

also my package from gmarket was marked gift but its only charge free if it is under 60$ according to the customs website, and since my package said my stuff was worth more than that they charged me.

I have used EMS once and wasn't charged with customs, but that was way back. Nowadays, I've heard that they charge customs more frequently, but it depends on what time of year your purchase was in.