what is this " import charge" I had to pay for my purchase from a seller in Ca.,USA ? Other sellers from the states, do NOT charge this

[londoner02]

I bought Fluke meters, from 3 sellers in the USA came without any 

IMPORT CHARGE fees.  All these were shipped to me fine in Canada.  Perfect ... every ones happy!

 But with one seller from Calexico, Ca.,  my used Fluke meter came with extra fee called  IMPORT CHARGES for $11.62

What is this all about?   Why did I had to pay this @ time of purchase?     It certainly is not a Customs Canada fee.

To the best of my knowledge, I should deal with all this after Customs Canada gets to evaluate my purchase & then decide on the duty / taxes if any is  needed. I pay on this side, inside Canada, & Canada Post collect the fee. ( if any )

Seller claims he does not know anything what its all about.

Have I been rip off by this seller on eBay?

[heidilynn0_3]

Hi .. Yes it is the Canada Customs fees. View the listing.. top section under shipping will see this statement....import charges..to be provided at checkout.

Seller has signed on to ebay's new Global Shipping Program explained here..

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

If don't want to have this happening , avoid listings with that statement.

[heidilynn0_3]

PS.. For reasons that escape me, when viewing an item on ebay.com , charges show so no surprises. But.. on our .ca site , where it matters, zip other than the statement i posted.

Hopefully ebay intends to correct and i will try to pose the question this coming week. I see the costs are viewable on UK site.

[reallynicestamps]

It looks like Canadian buyers now, in addition to confirming that a US seller does ship to Canada, does not use a courier, but does use USPS, must also ask that the seller NOT use the Global Shipping Program.

Keep in mind that most US sellers are not aware how low our import value is. If your purchase is over $20,theoretically, Canada Post should be charging you a service fee of $9.95, applicable sales tax and applicable duty.  That CP often lets small items slide through without these charges is just a bonus.

With the Global Shipping Program, CP has no choice any more.

Always expect to pay the border fees. Be happy when you avoid them.