Shopping Online from Outside Canada

[pierrelebel]

Well worth reading:  http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/customs/a/shopshipcanada.htm

If you're on the Canadian side of the border and shopping online on U.S. sites, hidden costs may catch you by surprise. There are things you should check before you give out your credit card number.

First, check that the shopping site offers international shipping or at least shipping to Canada. There is nothing more irritating than going through an online store, filling your shopping cart and then discovering that the vendor does not ship outside the continental United States.

Shipping Charges to Canada...

Canadian Customs Duties...

Canadian Taxes on Goods Imported Into Canada...

Customs Brokers Fees...

Finally, from the Canadian government website: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html

[2011limey1]

I shop at a couple of U,S. sites, one specifically is wonderful for vitamins - SO much cheaper than here for the same or similar ones with great shipping costs.  When looking at other sites in the U.S., that's the very first thing I do - look to see if they ship to Canada, some say it very clearly when you click shipping - if I can't find whether they do or not, a quick email to their customer service lets me know - many don't.  I certainly wouldn't go ahead with anything before doing this.