New compulsory "Import Fees" from USA to Canada

[what-a-guy-2002]

Member since 2010 (632 100% feedback). I have been experiencing the new compulsory "import fees" policy on items from USA. Surprising! I am disappointed with this policy. It is a negative one on many levels notwithstanding for USA and eBay revenues, as many like myself will now be sure to be motivated to resource items outside of USA, and outside of eBay.

Also disappointing is a story I was told that USPS recently (January 28, 2013) redefined Canada from being an 'intermediary' to an 'international' country, and therefore shipping fees from the USA to Canada have risen 80%!

Must be people in rooms in the USA racking their brains on how to support the USA economy versus just printing money.

[portfelt]

Yes, it is a total rip-off because nowhere in the listing does it tell the buyer of these additional import duties until you receive the invoice. This happened to me recently and I complained to the seller who was oblivious to the problem. Once he checked with eBay and realized what was going on he agreed to cancel the transaction and relist the item as Buy it Now at a discount to what my original bid was. Did buy the item at a bargain price.

Ebay is digging their own graves with these outrageous scams to maximize their profits. When sellers were listing their items for 99 cents with $20 shipping charges they decided to include shipping charges in calculating their fees. What happened is that shipping charges have spiraled out of control from US sellers and made eBay policy a major part of the problem and no will to curtail the excessive charges. My advice is do not buy anything form a US seller period. I do not waste my time anymore going through hundreds of listings looking for bargains when 80% of US sellers overcharge on shipping. Not fair to the minority of  honest US sellers you say? Well I expect a modest profit from my labour and not give it all to eBay. I buy the majority of my items that I resell from Cdn sellers only and have expanded my buying from sources such as Kijiji. 

[z80]

Member since 1998... Global Shipping Program is BAD!!!

SELLERS DONT OPT IN THIS!  It just tried to charge me (buyer) well ABOVE the normal duties I would have paid if shipped by USPS and duties paid to Canada Post, how do you call this?  Fraud?

EBAY's REPUTATION is taking a DIVE!  Let it know on all Social Media...

good luck

[canadianguy1]

They said it would help their sales. Obviously it won't as it's a complete rip off to buyers.

Not only that, but I've bought many items from Europe and Asia which were in the $100 range and Canada Post haven't bothered to collect duty/tax for a very long time.

I keep a mail box in the USA and collect and clear my own stuff. Customs rarely bothers unless it's over $200 and on a couple of occasions I've had totals of $400 and $450 and they've told me to drive on - no tax.

I'd contact sellers before bidding and make sure they aren't using this very bad system.

[trepfra]

I just delt with one seller who did not even know what I was talking about when I said that she had charged me this import duty and yet the parcel came direct in the mail.  I just also got hit by a seller who charges almost double what the shipping calculation is saying it is to bay for the international shipping and then charged me the so called import charge.  This is to the stage of being a blatent ripoff

[thegroupofone]

What is the alternative to the Global Shipping option? I have to explain it to a new seller in the US and feel completely lost here.

Rob

[vintagenorth]

What is the alternative to the Global Shipping option? I have to explain it to a new seller in the US and feel completely lost here.

Rob

Alternative is to opt out of it or not use it and purchase postage through PayPal, Stamps.com, or the post office (USPS).

[thegroupofone]

OK thanks for the info.

One follow up. Under this new system, I am paying $21 on a $76 item or 27% "import duty". Ordinarily, Canada Post would charge 13% + $5 admin. Does anyone know if the 13% is charged on the full purchase price or is the first $20 free? Just trying to determine how much extra Paypal/Ebay is charging me compared to what Canada Post would have charged.

Rob

[pierrelebel]

"Ordinarily, Canada Post would charge 13% + $5 admin"

That was many years ago.

The brokerage fee charged by Canada Post has been $9.95 for a while, that is in addition to the taxes and duty (if applicable).

[pierrelebel]

"Does anyone know if the 13% is charged on the full purchase price or is the first $20 free?"

Taxes and duty (if applicable) are charged on the full Canadian dollar value of the item if the value exceeds Cdn$ 20.00

For more information, please take a look at the official government information page:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html#c1 

[pierrelebel]

For example:

An item worth Cdn$ 19.00, shipped by mail, would enter Canada tax free, no brokerage fee.

An item worth Cdn$ 25.00, shipped by mail, would be subject to GST/HST/PST and $9.95 brokerage fee by Canada Post. In Ontario, that would be a total of $13.20

[rainbow71113]

also depends on what the items are, there are different categories for duty and customs charges .  I just received books that were valued at $159.50 and only got charged $7.98 GST/HST and the $9.95 brokerage.  I've just looked up all my charges and it looks like I've only been charged GST/HST on all sorts of items from fabric to cross stitch kits.  Normally those would have had duty charges especially at the dollar amounts of $350 and more so it looks like when it comes through regular channels you would still pay a lot less than their import duty.

Now on the flip side I have seen a negative given to a seller because the buyer was charged duty/customs/taxes.  I think they were in the UK. I thought it was against policy to leave a negative regarding a comment on duty charged but I guess the seller has to be the one to address the issue and either doesn't know or didn't care.  

[pierrelebel]

Books are generally exempt of the provincial portion of HST in most provinces. That is why only 5% GST was charged.

[rainbow71113]

good to know, maybe I'll ask all my sellers to put books on the outside of packages...LOL

[pierrelebel]

I should add that the same 5% GST (instead of 13% HST) would be charged if the shipment was handled by Pitney Bowes (Global Shipping program).

[pierrelebel]

"maybe I'll ask all my sellers to put books on the outside of packages"

I know you know but for all the readers out there who do not know, that was a joke. 

It is illegal to ask a seller to misdeclare goods with the intent of avoiding or minimizing duty and/or taxes.

[rainbow71113]

yes, I was joking....sorry, I didn't realize people would not understand the LOL at the end.

by the way, my listing that charged me import was for books totaling $18.25 so if it would have gone like Canada Post does there would only have been a 91 cent charge since that's 5% of the total.  I was charged $3.34 so it is charging a flat rate regardless of what's inside the package. I was trying to find out what percentage shows up but after the end of the listing it no longer shows that info on .com.  Also looked into the question mark and at a quick glance could not find out any info on the percentage charged and if it's regardless of the item sold.

[pierrelebel]

What is the listing number?

[rainbow71113]

271168265445

[pierrelebel]

"Lot of 20 Decorative Painting Books and Magazines"

Magazines are fully taxable.

[pierrelebel]

From the link supplied earlier:

Items that do not qualify for the CAN$20 exemption include the following:

tobacco; books; periodicals; magazines;