Anyone shipping from USA ?

[dipmicro]

I would like to start sending my US and international parcels from USA.

Found this article:

http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet/ContentServer?cid=1085667968866〈=en&pagename=CBSC_ON/display&c=GuideInfoGuide

The documentation required for informal entry should contain "a Commercial Invoice stating "Informal Entry as per Section 321"

How does CanadaPost do it? Do they create a commercial invoice for each parcel or do they use the formal entry method and clear the whole truckload of parcels at the same time?

Do I need commercial invoice for each parcel or can I somehow combine them all onto single one?

If it's a combined invoice, who would be a receiver of this invoice ?

Thanks

[recped]

A girl at HSBC told me that I'd have to have a New York business licence....I thought that was BS

Standard practice for a business account anywhere including any Canadian bank.

You want a non-resident account

Not really, you just want a regular account, non-residents need to complete a simple IRS form (W8-BEN I believe). The form simply confirms you reside in a Country which has a tax treaty with the USA.

What's wrong with selling on eBay?

For banks it the probability of fraudulent activity, for manufacturers it's price discounting more than anything else.

[jakeeangel]

"The Nexus program will not work for what you want to do. You might get away with it but when they figure it out you will really be screwed, it could easily end your ability to cross the border."

I wish you could have explained that to some guy named Chitchat on the Selling board a while back. I tried to but was summarily dismissed. He was on there soliciting business to bring people's stuff over the border among other things.

He didn't like the Canadian Customs folks questioning him when he brought hundreds of books over the border at a time several times. They were for resale but he told them they weren't & they didn't believe him so he wanted to use Nexus to bypass them. Um.....good luck with that! sheesh

OP I've been going over commercially for years now. 4 or 5 I believe. I make up one single invoice with all the purchases on it. It's an Excel spreadsheet that shows name, full address, item they bought & it's cost. They accept that. I find it easier than having individual bills for each package. I use the 7523 as Surplus said & have the most current Tarrif code book to fill in the 7523.

I also have the annual decal rather than pay the per crossing cost. I find it makes it easier. When you get the decal they have all your info except blood type & DNA anyways. LOL It's $205 per year & it's calendar year.

I find it easy but it does depend on what you're bringing over. Someone on here has had problems with Swarovski stuff & the person here with the paintball. That would be a problem, yep.

I wouldn't recommend setting up a business in the US because then you'd be subject to the US Gov't for their taxes. And there is a reciprocal deal with the Canadian and US gov'ts when folks cross the border. When we hand them our 7523 & invoice/manifest showing the value of goods it goes back to Canada. You won't be hiding anything from anyone.

[surplusdealdude]

he wanted to use Nexus to bypass them.

He'd bypass them, alright - right into jail for smuggling.:O

He might have been thinking of the FAST system instead, but that's only for carriers with sterling reputations.

I make up one single invoice with all the purchases on it. It's an Excel spreadsheet that shows name, full address, item they bought & it's cost.

That's one option.

If you don't mind the paper and printing ink, there's another way to do it.

Click on "Awaiting shipment" in your "Myebay"

Select all of the items that are NOT going to Canada by clicking in the little boxes to the left of their entries, then scroll to the bottom of the page and choose "Print" from the buttons down there.

A page will come up with some options - choose the "Invoice/Packing slip" option. Click "Continue"

A separate window comes up in Firefox with all of the invoices ready to print - use your "print" command under the File button in the upper left corner to print all of them. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can ever fight; and never stop fighting." -- e.e. cummings

[jakeeangel]

Nope, he wasn't thinking of FAST. Someone asked if that's what he meant & he said no. I advised him against it & outright said it was foolish of him to jeopardize his business & that of the people who's stuff he was bringing over by clearly violating the crossing rules. But it's his choice in the end right? I tried to help but oh well.

It just makes no sense to me if you have a business of bringing people's stuff over why jeopardize it and their ability to sell with cheaper, faster shipping but whatever.....deep sigh.....

I prefer the spreadsheet for many reasons, less paper & wasted ink for one plus I keep a copy on my computer so I know exactly what I brought over when so I can follow up with my customers.

[ameroindustries]

Im gonna just open a company in usa . Figure ill save about 100k a year on postage 😛 ... Just need to hire an american worker to do my packing . I live right on the boarder anyways ... Easiest way to do it gives me a huge advantage for net selling 😄

[surplusdealdude]

If you do that, make sure you consult an accountant and lawyer first.

I've heard some horror stories about "surveys" small American companies are forced to fill out by their government - they're so complicated that an accountant is needed and they are NOT optional, apparently. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

Ameropaintball, would not be easier to do US import properly?

Perhaps a US broker could be more useful than own US establishment. Don't forget you will report to IRS as well, while with the broker you just pay them for service.

I dropped my idea of opening US company after diving into the details of that. I will have my UPS Store receiving address in both Canada and US and use USPS according to advices of some wise folks from this thread (thanks guys) who already do it.

[surplusdealdude]

Yeah, play with the IRS once and you'll find out why the Americans are scared stiff of them. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

I went there today through the truck lane with 35 shipments totalling $480 USD. Only had a spreadsheet with customer names and was hoping they would help me with rest of paperwork. The officer first gave me whipping for coming without paperwork, then they had me rewrite my spreadsheet by hand to the form 7523. They even refused to provide second copy of the form, but the nice fella from Fedex Trading Network made a copy for me. Little obstacle when some of the classification codes I chosen were not duty free.

I missed picking up my daughter from school, but all in all it was good experience. Next time I will have a tip-top paperwork.

Coming back through rainbow bridge Canadian officer was surprised when I told him I was there to ship 35 packages. He was even more surprised when I produced 4 feet long receipt from USPS. Then he could not help asking me some irrelevant details about my business.

All in all, this is pretty doable. Took me 3hrs today from entering at Lewinston till leaving at Rainbow Bridge, should be fraction of that next time.When doing this and your item fits multiple specifications, make sure you choose duty free classifications, saving you extra form to fill.

[surplusdealdude]

That sounds pretty much like my first time, too - all I got right was the lane.:^O

Instead of going the spreadsheet route, you can print a copy of your ebay invoices and hand them in with the form.

Are you using the Lewiston or Niagara Falls PO? Niagara is open later on Saturday, but Lewiston is easier to get at. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

That sounds pretty much like my first time, too - all I got right was the lane.

:D You gotta learn somewhere.

surplusdealdude, I get the feeling they are not really interested in who is receiving the goods as the HS codes and values. The 7523 has no space to write customer names and addresses. I am still thinking how to do this with printer - perhaps a print over 7523 ? Or a label and place it on 7523 ?

Today I got away with one line per customer order where the quantity was always 1 and the most prevalent item was used for classification. I am thinking if this might work longer term or I was just lucky.

If I do as you suggest and print all invoices, I would have to lookup and assign HS code for every line. Some of my lines are $1~$2 items, fortunately I have a lot of $5~$9 lines. Also let's not forget that eBay is not the only selling channel here. PayPal packing slip would be easier but my CubeCart does not itemize on PayPal, so the description is useless.

Are you using the Lewiston or Niagara Falls PO?

Originally I wanted to go to the Niagara University PO, but got lost, got on some 3 mile road with no exit releasing me onto Main St, so I just went to the PO there.

[surplusdealdude]

No, don't put it ON the 7523, print it out on a separate sheet and paper clip the sheets ( or leave them loose) with the 7523 on top.

They just want to see some proof that the visit is legitimate and some breakdown of the values of the individual types of items - the invoice copies provide that.

When I do it, I write "General" at the top of the description area, then" xx pieces of plastic" and put the total beside it.

Then I just list the types of plastic below without quantities for each and put the HS numbers beside them.

Only 1 guard has had a problem with this and she was a rookie in the F.A.S.T. lane - she eventually backed down from her demands.

You'll find Lewiston is a lot easier to deal with - I found the Niagara branch to be tough to get into with my bulky and weighty items. And the clerks there are generally a lot nicer than Niagara, IMO - it's a small-town atmosphere. Mike, there, is a real cut-up - sort of like cappi in a postal uniform. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

surplusdealdude, do you just hand the paperwork to the guard or they always send you to inspection station?

They keep your paperwork ... do you need multiple copies to go through smoothly ?

[surplusdealdude]

I always hand the 7523, my Hazardous goods declaration ( special case for my products) and the invoices to the guard. Generally, they do the processing.

I have been sent to x-ray quite a few times - that's pretty neat, a good way to kill the bugs in your car.

I have been sent to inspection twice in 6 months - inspection meant that the guard came out, looked to see if I had packages, asked some questions, then told me they were happy.

"Perfunctory" is the word that comes to mind.

But I am always super nice to these guys and I do whatever they ask - it's their country, it's their job and they have guns.

Never irritate a man with a gun, that's my policy.


As for multiple copies, i never use them, nor have they ever asked for them. Some of the guards don't even want the ones that I give them - it seems every guard has a different idea as to what's required.

I find that you have to "read" the guard, too - if he's being chatty, be chatty. If he's quiet, speak only when spoken to - they're all unique people with unique approaches. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

Second pass. Similar spreadsheet as last time (except customer addresses, just name and the item), but I brought filled 7523 this time. In case they would ask to see particular packing slips and inspect shipments, I was prepared to open and reclose them. I was in US in about 5 minutes. It's nice that 7523 can be prepared right in the browser, write and paste into it and then just send it to the printer.

http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_Form_7523.pdf

I tried Lewiston PO today and it was busy and they had me wait 20min for other customers because I had many parcels. It took longer than getting from my house to the PO. I will look into electronic shipping now.

Well, I am all hooked up to DIY exporting. Hope this thread helps others as well as it helped me. Thanks everyone.

[recped]

Depending on how much you value your time you should consider doing all your postage in advance. You can do it all with Endicia (including International First Class) then all you have to do is drop and run. In most cases you can just go directly to the loading dock and drop your stuff off there.

[dipmicro]

You can do it all with Endicia

I am trying because Click-N-Ship does not allow First Class Mail but do not have credit card with US address, which Endicia requires. Even my M&T account has Canadian address.

[surplusdealdude]

Your US bank account's debit card IS a credit card, as far as endicia knows or cares. They're the same down there. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman

[dipmicro]

Your US bank account's debit card IS a credit card, as far as endicia knows or cares. They're the same down there.

Yes, but my billing address associated with this card is Canadian.

[surplusdealdude]

You can get the bank to change it - sounds like the simplest solution. -------------------------------------------------------------------

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority."
- Ralph W. Sockman