Item coming from US to Canada, charge no sales taxes to Canadians?

[iwantmyriokarma]

I'm supposed to charge sales taxes to Canadians at time of sale and remit this to the government.

However the item I am selling is in the states. The Canadians will be charged again when it crosses the border.

How do I avoid charging or paying taxes twice?

[pierrelebel]

"I'm supposed to charge sales taxes to Canadians at time of sale and remit this to the government. "

Only if you ship from your location within Canada.

If the goods are shipped from outside the country, the buyer will be charged GST/HST and PST (if applicable) at time of custom clearange (pre-delivery) in addition to brokerage fees. You are not expected to charge or remit GST/HST on these sales.

The brokerage fees will vary widely depending on the carrier used to import the goods.

Many Canadian buyers will let you know of their displeasure in having to pay extra through neutral/negative feedback or low DSRs.

[pierrelebel]

For example, if the goods come through UPS, brokerage fees will be based on this table: http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html

For a $50.00 value, the buyer will be charged $19.45 brokerage fee, plus $4.25 COD fee, plus a disbursement fee $5.85 in addition to GST/HST and PST.

If you were a buyer, how would you feel having to pay $36.05 in taxes and fees for a $50 purchase from a Canadian seller?

What kind of feedback and DSRs would you leave for the seller?

[art-in-the-making]

when shipping to Canada from the U.S. USPS is the way to go.

[craftycatsattic]

> when shipping to Canada from the U.S. USPS is the way to go.

Yes I agree and it's very good to know if you purchase items from the US to have shipped here. I make sure to specifically ask for it as the fees of UPS and other carriers are outrageous. I had one seller though last summer that went against my wishes and shipped a bunch of books through DHL in several envelopes rather than in one package. DHL delivered them to my door and then a month later stuck me with 6 invoices, each with a $10 broker fee to collect a total of $2 in taxes. Well hell was freezing over before I paid those...and I didn't....returned the invoices with a letter stating they should have collected at the time of delivery giving me a chance to refuse the envelopes. I never heard anything back...lol...but I suspect I won't be shipping anything via DHL and neither will that seller.

[iwantmyriokarma]

Thanks for the answer. I have no intention of having my customers charged twice.The alternative is to handle taxes at border myself.

Couriers perfectly fine, and preferred, as long as you know how to use them.