why do some items require a import fee?

[mysteryinc67]

I have bought a lot of things on ebay, I have never paid an import fee and all of a sudden there are items that require import fees, please explain. this will definitely impact my buying. also what are the standards for this because there are several HIGH end rolex watches on ebay ($230 000) that require NO import fee but a $35 Fossil watch does the question is WHY??????? Both being sold from the US

[rykkm]

It sounds like the second item you mention, with the import fees tacked on, is being sold by a seller who is using the GSP (Global Shipping Program) program. All import fees and such are paid up front, and the transaction is done through Pitney Bowes.

Other items may not show import fees, so those sellers are not with that program. But, once it reaches the border, any items may be subject to duties and taxes for a value over $20. Sometimes you get charged when the Post Office delivers them, sometimes not. But, you could get dinged at any time for those costs. Just because it may not have happened doesn't mean it won't.

For lower value items, the GSP is a waste of money, in my opinion. You'd be better off buying it locally, or from a Canadian based ebay seller. Much has been written about this GSP program, and it's impact on Canadian buyers. Go to the discussion forums, and check out some of the posts in the Selling category. It should explain it a lot better than I can.

[femmefan1946]

When buying any item priced over $20 you should always expect to pay the Canada Post $10 service fee plus your province's sales tax. If the item is made outside the NAFTA signators you may also have to pay duty.

But as noted Canada Post is easy going about collecting such fees, which by the way do not go to the seller or to eBay.

The new program is popular with US sellers since it relieves them of responsibility for undelivered shipments out of country.

The program has not been around for long, but it appears that PitneyBowes is charging a somewhat lower fee for their customs brokerage service than Canada Post. (Not enough information to be sure yet)

However, PB does charge these fees up front and every single time and does so before the seller ships out the purchase.

So the big difference is that when the seller is using the program the buyer is ALWAYS charged, while buyers whose purchases are sent through Canada Post MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be charged.

As to the lowend sellers using the program and the high end sellers not using it, I suspect that the high end sellers have been using tracked shipping for some time and do not see any need to change their systems. The sellers of the cheaper watches have learned that the Global Shipping Program is less expensive than Delivery Confirmed USPS/Canada Post shipping to Canada. They are unaware that GSP buyers are always paying border fees while USPS buyers were usually not getting charged.