CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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11-23-2006 07:05 PM
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
- But when its online Canada SHOULD NOT be allowed to tax you for buying from international sellers
- I'm not part of USA and from Canada so I shouldnt get taxed buying from non Canadian sellers
- Not right
- Now this item is from USA not Canada
- One thing I find so stupid is that Canada will charge you tax on the item you buy in USA off eBay
- Only if I was purchasing in my own country online
- There is no such thing as international tax so why is Canada able to tax it
- Unless I was traveling in USA Id be taxed then its there country there rules
- Why should Canada beable to get tax on items not sold in Canada online
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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10-09-2010 05:32 PM
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.
Brokerage fee: If they are charging me this, then they should do what a broker gets paid to do - negotiate the best deal possible, shouldn't they? I should tell them what I'm looking for and hear back from them when THEY have researched ebay, found the best price/deal available and arranged for it to get to me. I wonder if small claims court is the place to go if I'm paying for brokerage services but not receiving them?
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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10-10-2010 02:28 AM
You can however, be your own broker but you would have to research how to do it first.
In some cases Canada Post will charge a small brokerage fee of $5 or $8 but couriers tend to have higher brokerage fees.
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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10-21-2010 08:47 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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10-27-2010 06:56 PM
And as many have stressed again and again, here and elsewhere, avoid buying items from the US that are shipped via UPS. Here is the link to see their customs clearance fees:
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html
GST/HST/PST is extra as is possible duty.
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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10-27-2010 06:59 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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11-03-2010 03:55 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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11-06-2010 03:52 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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11-26-2010 09:23 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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11-27-2010 06:24 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!

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12-04-2010 08:56 AM
I never buy anything where the shipping is by courier.
I wasn't home when the envelop arrived but the UPS driver attempted to collect $49.79 from my wife. She had no money so the driver went on his way.
I do not intend on accepting this package as in my opinion, the item was significantly not as described.
Is that the correct path?
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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12-06-2010 10:41 PM
I am F___d ....BIG TIME 😮
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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12-13-2010 06:14 PM
I just was sent a padded envelop containing a few small items valued at $25.00. The listing said shipping was by USPS. It was shipped by UPS.
I never buy anything where the shipping is by courier.
I wasn't home when the envelop arrived but the UPS driver attempted to collect $49.79 from my wife. She had no money so the driver went on his way.
I do not intend on accepting this package as in my opinion, the item was significantly not as described.
Is that the correct path?
If the listing stated that shipping was by USPS and the seller shipped with UPS,then yes,you could open a significantly not as described dispute on the basis that the shipping was not as described.If you refused delivery on the package it would be returned with UPS tracking to the seller who would be biled for the return shipping charges.
What you need when you open the dispute is the UPS tracking number so you can prove that the package has been returned to the seller.You will need this proof to get your refund from paypal.
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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12-13-2010 07:01 PM
If the listing stated that shipping was by USPS and the seller shipped with UPS,then yes,you could open a significantly not as described dispute on the basis that the shipping was not as described.If you refused delivery on the package it would be returned with UPS tracking to the seller who would be biled for the return shipping charges.
What you need when you open the dispute is the UPS tracking number so you can prove that the package has been returned to the seller.You will need this proof to get your refund from paypal.
Um...good luck with that Scifi. As described or not as described refers to the item not the shipping.
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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12-14-2010 10:27 AM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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12-14-2010 04:55 PM
The one time that I had a seller send by UPS instead of USPS as the listing stated, I suggested that I pay the tax and duty and she pay anything else owing to UPS. She wasn't happy, but she agreed.
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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01-11-2011 04:32 PM
Great thread.........Thanks
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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01-11-2011 05:56 PM

Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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01-18-2011 08:06 PM
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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02-11-2011 03:33 AM
So in 30 items over $20 I paid duty once. AND this is the item I had to ship back - lost my customs slip want to get the money I paid to customs.. Can it be done when you lost the slip?
Note I never ask a seller to lie on the claim form the correct price is on there. One thing I have asked in the past is to put the actual price on the slip. I had a seller put a high value on the slip she thought it would get better care! NO I paid duty and had to apply to get the money back. I also had a seller put the cost as item cost + shipping price - nailed on that one. I think I paid duty on 6-7 times out of hundreds of purchases over $20
Re: CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!
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02-25-2011 12:16 PM
