eBay

canuckchat · ‎11-23-2006

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

renzyd · ‎09-09-2011

I should have read this before starting to buy things in ebay! Luckily, 2 of the items that I bought from the US are shipped via USPS because there is a tracking number. Pheeew!

So I bought a game for less than $20 from the US via USPS. Will I incur additional tax charges or not?

pierrelebel · ‎09-09-2011

If the declared value is under $20, there should be no tax or brokerage fee payable.

tobyshitzu · ‎09-09-2011

The chance of having a single game mailed by USPS/royal mail, regardless of the value on it, ever end up charged is very very slim

renzyd · ‎09-09-2011

Thanks pierrelebel and tobyshitzu! That's a relief.:-)

wenrath · ‎09-09-2011

"Sometimes, a few low value parcels go through the system without taxes being charged."

What's the definition of low value?

I recently bought an $89.95 item from the USA that shipped through the US post office and had the correct value declared on the customs form. I was fully expecting to pay HST and the Canada Post brokerage fee, and duty if applicable (I didn't bother looking up whether duty would apply or not). But, even though the mailman required my signature at the door on delivery, he did not ask for any money.

Did I just get lucky? Or do they not charge unless it's worth more than $100? Or what value?

scifan57 · ‎09-09-2011

Count yourself lucky and don't count on it happening every time.

pierrelebel · ‎09-09-2011

"Did I just get lucky?"

Yes

"Or do they not charge unless it's worth more than $100? Or what value?"

No. I have seen packaged with a $25 declared value charged tax and brokerage. Once again, you got lucky. 🙂

tobyshitzu · ‎09-09-2011

Its more unlucky when you do get charged rather then lucky when you do with the odds of small items like ops game

Of course if it comes by courier it will be charged every tiime

724lynnc · ‎09-19-2011

Buy Canadian 😄

agsusin · ‎11-08-2011

I prefer to shop Cdn if for no other reason than to avoid brokerage fees. ups once charged the $25 fee on a 4 dollar item. Clicking on the Canada only button doesn't ensure that you won't get nabbed with this fee. Yes, I did have to pay brokerage and tax on an item that I was made to believe was from Canada. The best link that I have found is http://www.thefinalcost.com/shipments/calculate/ you just imput the cost of the item, shipping cost, who the carrier is ie: ups/ fedex etc. and which province it is being shipped to and it calculates are the costs associated with your e-purchase....very helpfull

pierrelebel · ‎11-08-2011

"ups once charged the $25 fee on a 4 dollar item."

Someone screwed up somewhere. There is no brokerage fee charged by UPS for shipment worth less than $20

For more information about UPS brokerage fees, once again, the link is;

http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html

Possibly the sender (seller) made a mistake in the value declaration.

mesbah.javid · ‎11-22-2011

Yes UPS Canada is a rip off brings item at your door and asks for $25 ransom otherwise takes it back...so I do not purchase items shipped by UPS Canada...so US sellers don't try UPS Canada at all or you lose many Canadian buyers.

savannasmummy07 · ‎11-26-2011

I have been iffy about all of this customs stuff since I bought something from the fisher price website and was charged 20 dollars when it came to my door.

I keep hearing different things about customs I haven't exactly had the time to read all 21 pages on this forum I hope eventually I will be able to.

My question which may have been answered I am hearing a lot of under 20 dollars things.. the 20 dollars is that with/without shipping.

I recently bought some thomas items I think 5 trains and it was 15.00 for the trains but then 25 for shipping so Is it going to be marked under 20 dollars or marked for 40?

Also there are a couple of games I want to buy that are 56 dollars canadian for my daughter with 4 dollar shipping do you think I will have to pay customs/brokerage/taxes? if so how much?

Thank you to the original poster who started this thread I have been looking to find out more about this kind of thing for months!

mesbah.javid · ‎11-26-2011

Savanna,

Ask seller to send you by USPS, and then even if Customs are due then is what Gov charges not plus UPS ransom fee!

UPS regulations can change overnight and you never know how much ransom you must pay UPS until the big guy knocks at you door.

2011limey1 · ‎11-29-2011

I live in Canada and only joined ebay in September and the first buyer I bought from was one great lady in an eastern province. We struck up a friendship and she educated me about all of this - lots I knew already. I will never buy anything that is coming UPS, Fedex, etc. and anything that has been sent by USPS I've never had to pay taxes or duty. From a website I found, I know the $ limits of doing any of this. Yes, there all kinds of goodies in the States that I would like, but when adding the shipping, duty into it,it just isn't worth it. I have had a couple of buyers who do something for me which isn't strictly "kosher" - that helps.

mesbah.javid · ‎12-18-2011

Canadian import duty on eBay packages usually has been very resonably low...I never worry about custom duty. The only unpredictable thing is UPS ransom charges. As buyer you pay S&H to seller and then at the time of delivery a big-belly heavy & dumb looking UPS guy demands ransom in order to hand over your package or else he disappears and finding him is nearly impossible...and when found still you must pay the UPS ransom.:^O

goldpot109 · ‎12-19-2011

Yes I to got taken, bought a well used motocyle seat reasonable priced. but I did not know of UPS... Well the seller lives just across the border from me 92Km and he just took the packed seat to UPS. Well I wish he didnt. Cost me 78.00 cnd borkerage fee on 47.89 declared value to UPS in VAN. They lied about the item being delivered to my address and there was no one to sign for it. Yah right, so when I finaly got trough to their costumer service, the person speaking on the phone told me that the seat is in their warehouse at the border and hasnt been shipped and wont be till I gave them my CC number...

What to do? I accepted the billing and lo and behold the seat arrived in my town, by Canada post way.

Beware of UPS, beware of UPS!!!!!!!

wendy.amos12 · ‎12-29-2011

The ebay seller screwed me big time. My purchase landed at my door with a big $160.00 COD charge. "surprise" . I contacted the seller who basically told me tuff s**t. I contacted ebay who couldn't bother to get back to me. Another attempt, I was informed that I could return my purchase but I would be out the 160 plus another 160 to send it back to the boarder. They would look into the seller and possibly suspend them. Big deal! I'm livid. This was my first and last dealing with ebay. I tried to find detailed info regarding cross boarder purchasing. Also contacted paypal and ebay who only said I would be covered through them if anything went wrong. The only thing they did was hang me out to dry as soon ad I hit the purchase now button.

pierrelebel · ‎12-29-2011

Wendy.amos12 - A week ago, you purchased a saddle from a seller in Ohio, USA, for US$ 650.00, showing shipping through UPS.

It was delivered to you within a week (exceptional over the Christmas Holidays). You are asked to pay consumption taxes (GST/HST and PST if applicable) just as you have had to pay if you had purchased from a local store.

Frankly, I fail to see the problem. Did you expect to buy from outside the country without paying taxes (and duty if applicable)? What do eBay and PayPal have to do with it? It was your decision to buy at that price, from that seller, at that location, using that method of transport.