Duty and import fees in Ontario
Summary: bonth_34 is considering purchasing a manga book set from Japan for $100 to $122 CAD with "free" shipping and is uncertain about the potential import fees to Ontario, Canada. They are aware of a 13% HST but seek advice on possible duty or import fees. marnotom! responds, explaining that books usually don't incur a duty fee, but advises caution regarding potential customs processing and clearance fees often embedded in shipping costs. reallynicestamps confirms that there is no duty on books imported into Canada and provides a link for further details. bonth_34 is advised to confirm the shipping method with the seller if it isn't specified.
2 comments
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoThere is no duty on books imported into Canada.
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/dte-acl/est-cal-eng.html
marnotom!
·2 years agoYou likely won't have to worry about duty on a book from Japan. What you might have to worry about are the various customs processing and clearance fees some carriers levy. (These are usually referred to as "brokerage charges.") Those fees are often folded into the shipping charge, but not always. For items sent by mail, that fee is just shy of C$10, if CBSA even bothers to assess and charge for the taxes owing on the item in the first place. For other carriers, it's a bit of a gamble as fees vary from carrier to carrier and the international shipping method used.
If the seller is offering "free" shipping to Canada and they're on the up-and-up, my guess is that they're going to be sending the book set by mail or a mail-courier hybrid. You'd be best checking with the seller if they haven't stated the shipping method in the item description.