If you reside in Canada - and purchase an item from the USA - you need to educate yourself as to the fact that you WILL be paying applicable taxes and possibly duties on the item when it crosses the border into Canada.
Yes, if the item is shipped by postal service, your "brokerage handling fee" will be a nominal $5 or $8 - plus the applicable taxes for your province (and possibly duties, but seldom are they charged.)
And yes, MANY times the items shipped by postal service are NOT charged taxes or duties incoming - so sometimes you will escape paying the taxes that are due to the Canadian and provincial governments.
However, you should ALWAYS - and I stress ALWAYS! - calculate the cost of the taxes and possibly duties into the decision to make a purchase internationally.
Additionally, if your item is sent by the USA seller (or other international seller) through a courier service (for example, UPS, FEDEX, DHL, etc.) then your applicable brokerage fee will be upwards of $25, on a sliding scale dependent upon the value of the incoming item.
Yes, these fees (brokerage, tax, duty) are ALL part of the cost of buying an item internationally and having it shipped to you in Canada.
It is NOT up to the seller to pay these for you - YOU are the importer of record - YOU are the one who will be billed for these charges - YOU are the one who will NOT get your parcel until you pay these charges.
So - before hitting the "BID NOW" button, do a bit of calculating and make an informed decision to see if it is really worth getting that imported widget!
Happy Bidding, Folks!
:-D
Yes, if the item is shipped by postal service, your "brokerage handling fee" will be a nominal $5 or $8 - plus the applicable taxes for your province (and possibly duties, but seldom are they charged.)
And yes, MANY times the items shipped by postal service are NOT charged taxes or duties incoming - so sometimes you will escape paying the taxes that are due to the Canadian and provincial governments.
However, you should ALWAYS - and I stress ALWAYS! - calculate the cost of the taxes and possibly duties into the decision to make a purchase internationally.
Additionally, if your item is sent by the USA seller (or other international seller) through a courier service (for example, UPS, FEDEX, DHL, etc.) then your applicable brokerage fee will be upwards of $25, on a sliding scale dependent upon the value of the incoming item.
Yes, these fees (brokerage, tax, duty) are ALL part of the cost of buying an item internationally and having it shipped to you in Canada.
It is NOT up to the seller to pay these for you - YOU are the importer of record - YOU are the one who will be billed for these charges - YOU are the one who will NOT get your parcel until you pay these charges.
So - before hitting the "BID NOW" button, do a bit of calculating and make an informed decision to see if it is really worth getting that imported widget!
Happy Bidding, Folks!
:-D
"will never be required to pay brokerage fees."
???
Canada Post does charge the recipient (buyer/importer) a flat $9.95 brokerage fee at time of pick up or delivery whenever Canada Customs assessed taxes (GST/HST/PST)
From the official Government of Canada webpage:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html
"To process goods imported as mail that are subject to duty and/or tax, Canada Post charges the recipient CAN$9.95. If the item is duty-free and tax exempt, no amount is charged."
"more US companies are getting in on the game of dipping their hands in our pockets."
???
Changes taking place simply force Canadian buyers to pay the taxes (GST/HST) they would normally pay if they purchased the same items from a Canadian merchant, using Canadian labour and creating or maintaining Canadian jobs.
The American sellers do not keep the tax collected. It goes to the Canadian federal government.
And I agree with you: buying from Canada is a good thing and will help the Canadian economy.
<<there seems to be a conspiracy toward Canadians now. Both ebay and Amazon are charging us import charges at checkout.>>
Hello 'darylm',
Not a conspiracy, no. Depending on where you buy from, Canadians have always had to pay import costs
on amounts above $20. A large business like Amazon adds it on at the checkout, yes, if your total order is
over $20 Cdn. Amazon then forwards the import charges to the Canadian gov't.
A small seller clearing out her attic has no way to do this and so just mails the item. Our dear government still
wants a share of every nickel we spend and has thus entrusted Canada Post to do the collecting on its behalf.
On small amounts, however, it is simply not worth bothering, not when some provinces pay only 5%.
All importers must pay these charges, so when you buy outside your own country, -- you are the importer.
Always be prepared to pay these charges, and if you are assessed, cough up the dosh gracefully and
without a lot of whining. You've probably already seen this link about importing, and there are all sorts of
related links to explore on the page:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/menu-eng.html
Ebay never added on the charges, and they still don't. It is Pitney Bowes (the shipper/handler) who does
this. But ebay is the culprit who put that program in, so yes, blame ebay for that bit of inconsiderate
short-sightedness and avoid GSP listings even if they were the last listings on earth. 
<<I stopped buying from any US merchants who shipped via UPS.>>
Haha, you and everyone else who ever made that mistake once. UPS has long been known to be one of
the worst for brokerage fees. The taxes and duty you pay according to your province, just as if you bought
the item locally. But Canada Post only charges 10 bucks (well, 9.95) no matter how large the declared amount.
But UPS? Phewie!
<<I won't be buying very much from the US any more. I'd rather give my money to a Canadian company.>>
Weeee! Yaaaay! That's the spirit! (clap clap clap) 
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