eBay

fergua3 · ‎07-12-2022

I've never used GSP before for buying so i am a novice. There is an item that costs $26 USD plus about $25 shipping via GSP but $0 import charges. Is this a trick of some kind? After i pay am i going to get nailed with some $10 charge or something after the fact that i have to pay ? ie get billed separately for it.

recped · ‎07-12-2022

It's possible you will see some "import charges" when you get to checkout and confirm the shipping address, you would still be able to back out at that point (I think). The free limit was increased to CA$40 a couple of years ago so US$25 would be below that so maybe there are no "import charges".

The would not be any "after the fact" charges, no supplemental chages from eBay and no supplemental charges from Canada Customs, what you see in checkout is what you pay.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

fergua3 · ‎07-12-2022

ah, ok thanks. I did a mock checkout and there were no additional charges. Just item plus shipping, so i guess that 's what it is. I didn't realize the minimum was $40 CAD now, i thought it was still $20.

Do items shipped with GSP come via Canada Post or do i have to deal with a courier?

reallynicestamps · ‎07-12-2022

If your seller is in the USA, you can import goods worth up to $150Cdn duty-free and up to $40 tax-free.

The GSP does have a ~$5USD service charge, which is part of the "import fees" you will see before you confirm the purchase and pay.

If the seller is in the UK, those allowances both drop to $20Cdn.

The $25 shipping may already include those import fees.

Only the USA and UK have a Global Shipping Program, which is a Seller Protection program, aimed at encouraging paranoid and xenophobic Yankees and Brits to sell outside their own borders.

You pay all the import fees before the seller is even told to ship. Nothing on arrival.

recped · ‎07-12-2022

@fergua3 wrote:
ah, ok thanks. I did a mock checkout and there were no additional charges. Just item plus shipping, so i guess that 's what it is. I didn't realize the minimum was $40 CAD now, i thought it was still $20.

Do items shipped with GSP come via Canada Post or do i have to deal with a courier?

I've only bought a couple of things via GSP, they were both delivered by Canada Post.

I usually have my US purchases shipped to a forwarder in Niagara Falls, it means paying New York Sales Tax but even that and the forwarder fee to get it across the border are usually less than direct (or GSP) shipping plus it's faster most of the time.

I use Cross Border Pickups (Mississauga) for that stuff, it's a good service.

GSP which was crazy expensive in the early days is pretty reasonable these days if you ignore the fact that many items sent direct don't get charged GST/HST by Customs.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-12-2022

Canada Post used to deliver GSP items but according to various posts on the board, they often use Intelcom.

There have been some complaints about deliveries being missing etc so if you are uncomfortable using them, I've read that you if you use a Post Office Box the GSP will use Canada Post or if you use CP Flex delivery. I don't know first hand if that's true, its just what I've read from other users.

marnotom! · ‎07-12-2022

@fergua3 wrote:

I didn't realize the minimum was $40 CAD now, i thought it was still $20.

It's still $20 for items sent directly through the postal system (which isn't the case for GSP items) and for items not sent from a CUSMA country.

The various customs processing fees (usually less than five bucks US last time I checked) for a GSP-forwarded item that's below the C$40 de minimis are folded into the shipping charge. They're part of the "import charges" for items valued above that limit.