Why are import duties to Canada so much with Global shipping.Never pay close to that at border

[toby_le_pue]

You pay the same taxes at the border that you do if the item

is taxable and sent by Global shipping,  except you pay a small handling fee

to Pitney Bowes.

However the taxes when the item is sent by mail or courier start

if the item is valued at more than $20.00 Canadian.

[rockp5233]

... ''small handling fee'' is very relative here... 😉

[rockp5233]

Hi,

For any items falling under ''Free Trade Act'' (item must be USA/Canada made), you should not pay more than the 5 % GST on what you import in Canada. But Pitney, as a profitable corporation, they are not doing anything for free so they charge ''Handling'' and ''Custom Charge'' to process your package.

But from my experience, more the value of the item is low, more you may avoid to pay anything if the item is send outside eBay Golbal Shippingvia and via US mail.

Cheers, 

[toby_le_pue]

Pitney Bowes handling fee is around $5.00 compared to Canada Posts $10.00

for taxable items.

[toby_le_pue]

In addition to the GST you also pay the provincial taxes

for whatever province you reside in.

[wfg60]

I just made a purchase of small item; purchase price $30, which is not subject to customs fees at the border but would be charged

13% hst/pst for a total of $33.90. By the time Pitney Bowes and seller added the various shipping, handling, agents, customs, tax fees it amounted to an additional $20 on top of a $30 purchase.

I assume the 'border free' option is an advantage to sellers but it's certainly becoming prohibitively expensive for non-US

buyers.

[mater721]

Supposedly more US sellers will offer international sales because of the GSP. 

However, it is not much use to Cdn buyers, especially if they use it for items priced less than $50. Canada Border Services typically only charge import fees when price is $50+,  or more likely $100+.  So we end up paying import fees on a-typical items.

For many items, this GSP is horrible for Cdn buyers. It does raise the cost of those lower-priced items.

[treasure.hunter.d]

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@mater721 wrote:

Canada Border Services typically only charge import fees when price is $50+,  or more likely $100+.  So we end up paying import fees on a-typical items.

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Sorry to say but that statement is completely false.

I have been importing packages from the USA for many years and have been charged, or not charged on packages for everything from just over the $20 limit up to hundreds of dollars in value. There seems to be no pattern that I can discern but suggesting that the value pertains to what is charged and what is not, in any way other than the legal $20 value limit is patently false.

I have been charged on plenty of packages under $50 as well so there is no typically about it. The only thing that can be said for sure is that any package with a value of over $20 is at the least taxable and perhaps even qualifying for duties to be charged against it. On top of that there is also the $10 handling fee on any package that is caught and assessed.

[kh-leslie]

Please post all comments about the GSP here: Comments about the Global Shipping Program

Please post all questions about the GSP here: Questions about the Global Shipping Program