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
Double post because it needs to be told:
A tidbit clip from todays Toronto Star:
Dec 13, 2007 01:00 PM
Dana Flavelle
Business Reporter
......Meanwhile, Canada's consumer watchdog issued a warning about brokerage fees, saying it had received a number of consumer complaints about them.
The fees, which can add as much as $30 to a $100 purchase, are charged by private courier services that deliver packages ordered from outside of Canada, the federal Competition Bureau said.
Often unexpected by the shopper, they are poorly disclosed on sellers' websites and come as an unpleasant surprise on top of duties and taxes, the agency also said.
Private courier services, such as UPS Canada, have defended the fees, saying they cover the cost of steering the packages through Canada Customs.
with files from The Canadian Press
A tidbit clip from todays Toronto Star:
Dec 13, 2007 01:00 PM
Dana Flavelle
Business Reporter
......Meanwhile, Canada's consumer watchdog issued a warning about brokerage fees, saying it had received a number of consumer complaints about them.
The fees, which can add as much as $30 to a $100 purchase, are charged by private courier services that deliver packages ordered from outside of Canada, the federal Competition Bureau said.
Often unexpected by the shopper, they are poorly disclosed on sellers' websites and come as an unpleasant surprise on top of duties and taxes, the agency also said.
Private courier services, such as UPS Canada, have defended the fees, saying they cover the cost of steering the packages through Canada Customs.
with files from The Canadian Press
bump again because people can't see it from 5 down from the top apparently
bump one more time to help inform CANADIAN BUYERS so they know to ask sellers for UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE shipping ONLY and NOT the other UPS one which is a COURIER
.. it would be really helpful if a pink would TACK this at the top of the forum so that it can be seen regularly by especially NEW buyers!
THANKS PINKS!!
THANKS PINKS!!
Very interesting and informative thread. Well done.
Unfortunately, even off ebay, the educated consumer list is limited to those possessing some intellectual acuity.
This information, exactly as written, should appear under the ebay Help menus, although I have my doubts that many bother reading those either!
For the majority, it is the old proverb once bitten, twice shywith outrage being substituted for shy.
eBay and UPS sleep together. We will never see these threads pinked or even mentioned anywere. They probably wish this would go away. Until then....keep bumping 'em up to the top.
