This thread has a good explanation of the mechanics of the GSP and how taxes/duties may be assessed and remitted. I would imagine it works in a similar fashion for Canada:
http://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Buyer-Central/Is-anyone-else-having-an-issue-with-e-bays-internationa...
The poster also has a similar philosophy to mine:
I am no-one's sock puppet, and I think the GSP is ill conceived, marketed very deceptively, far too expensive for the buyer, and badly designed with many aspects such as damage in transit and returns to sellers being opaque when you try to seek a policy on resolution from ebay or PB, where it is difficult or impossible to find anyone who understands the program and possible glitches.
However, I do object to silly posts about how it is all a fraud, a cunning plan to steal UK tax money, and other rubbish. Therefore I try to point out how things really work, based on a fair amount of import/export experience.
I hardly think this makes me an apologist for the scheme, just someone who objects to ignorance and misinformation being propagated with no balancing information for the more sensible reader.
