@latique101 wrote:
Just replying to all of the GSP apologists, above.
First, the Seller does somehow get the item to Pitney Bowes, who seems to put a label on it and sends it forth via USPS to KY ( the label is a P-B label). So, its wrong to say that the Seller did send it to KY. P-B did that.
As already stated, the seller mails the item to the gsp shipping center in Kentucky which is run by Pitney Bowes. When they send the item out from the gsp center, they cover the original label from the seller.
Second, Canada Post label shows the sender as Pitney Bowes in Mississauga. So P - B is supposedly dealing with Canada Customs. No evidence - stamp, label of this.
Check Canada customs websites, the $20 minimus is the value where no duties or taxes are applied. But it also shows that most electronics, incl. cellphones, are imported duty-free.
Using their website their estimate for duties and taxes on my item comes to 5%, that being the GST. Again no evidence, that this was actually collected by the Customs. Also, GST is applied to new items, one needs only a customs label indicating used, to avoid any tax.
The Mississauga location is where the item gets transferred from the carrier that brought it from Kentucky to Canada Post. I'm fairly sure that they are cleared by a customs broker in the US. There is no indication on each package of customs being paid because all the packages shipped at one time from Kentucky to Canada are put on a manifest and duty / taxes are paid are based on that manifest as a whole.
How does putting an item as used avoid tax? When I shop for used items at Value Village, they charge tax just like any other retail store. If you buy a used vehicle from a car dealer, you would be charged tax. All new and used items are liable to be charged tax when they cross into Canada regardless if you purchased from a store or private individual. That's true if PB shipped the item or if it was sent by USPS.
Bottom line. I have ordered about 40 electronic items from the US, including a heavy receiver.
No duties, nor taxes ever paid. either by mail, or by courier. GSP has two main negatives, it exposes the Buyer to extra costs, for non-existant duties, and delays the shipment, to fill a truck, in my case for 7 days in KY, without a peep from anyone. So what is the advantage for the Seller, who pays for this, as opposed to USPS/ CP service, non-stop and tracking all the way.
The end.
I've received many packages from the US without being charged anything duty and tax but I've also had to pay duty and/or tax on some packages sent directly here. You're lucky if you have always avoided paying anything extra. I don't anyone here would disagree with you that chances are good that items sent through the mail will not be assessed any extra charges...but it isn't a given.
I agree that the gsp can cost the buyer more in some circumstances, especially when the item is inexpensive and under 1 pound. And sometimes it does take longer as well. The last time I ordered something through the gsp, it took 2 weeks to arrive. The day I ordered that item, I had also ordered an item that the seller sent with USPS directly to me. I received that item in 13 days.
The main advantage to buyers is that they may be able to buy from sellers that wouldn't normally ship outside of the US. I've seen many US sellers say that if they didn't have the gsp, they would not ship outside of the US at all. Some of them are a bit paranoid shipping outside of their own country and many don't realize that first class international has had tracking to many countries for the past few years.
The actual shipping cost is sometimes cheaper with the gsp for heavier items. USPS international is getting quite expensive for items more than a pound or two.
w~~_7.JPG "pjcdn2005"){kind=avatar}
3g~~_7.JPG "retroman_studios"){kind=avatar}
