How much is customs & duty taxes on items sent from asia?

[cherishthischarm]

I want to order a few items from china, their prices are affordable & some offer free shipping. I then saw that customs isn't included in the price which is understandable. however, i want to know if anyone knows how much i will have to pay in taxes because if it is some astronomically high price, then maybe these purchases aren't worth it.

[dmil8030 · Accepted solution]

Duty - if any - and taxes depend on what the item is and where it is made.  Any item over $20 in declared value is subject to these charges. 

Most things coming from Chins are sent through the post at the lowest possible rate.  That means your items will take 3-4 weeks to arrive, maybe longer.  If there is to be duty, it is usually small, around 10%, give or take, but can be as low as 5% or as high as 18%.  Clothing has about the highest duty rate whereas camera equipment generally has none at all.

Taxes you pay according to your province, just like buying locally.  And Canada Post charges $8.50 for the paperwork to pass the cash on to the gov't.  On the bright side, though, quite often cheap items from Asia just show up in your mailbox without being assessed.  Don't plan on it, though, - you never know.

So, -- start with the item price, add tax on that.  Possible duty, + tax on that.  CanPost fee, tax on that.  Add it all up and it's the most you'll ever have to pay. 

It is economical to avoid couriers because they charge big brokerage fees.  And they don't miss a nickel, - items sent by courier are always assessed.  But if it is coming from Asia, even the tracked 'signed for' services come through the post, - and depending what it is, you might get lucky and have it simply handed over.  If you want to read about importing by mail, there's this:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

The problem, if any, is less likely to be arrival in Canada, than dealing with returns.

If the item is not as described and you want to return it for a refund, Paypal will require that you prove that the seller got the item back. This service for overseas sellers is ExpressPost International, and it starts at $40.

Plan, if you are dissatisfied with any product you buy from overseas, simply to trash it and leave appropriate feedback. Refunds are usually too expensive.

That being said, most Chinese sellers do supply what they say and do so promptly. There are sketchey sellers in every country, but the Asian get a lot of complaints because their Western customers are “putting in a nickel to get a dollar song”  and are furious (with themselves?) when they get five cents worth of music.