CANADIANS: Read before you purchase from the USA!!!

[canuckchat]

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

[mike.megraw]

I should have looked this up earlier. Didn't even consider this when I made almost $1000 worth of purchases and got dinged on my first item over $100 (More are coming). Extremely pissed and will not buy from any USA seller ever again to avoid this. I think its disgusting how much they can charge. I now know for next time...

[scifan57]

> I should have looked this up earlier. Didn't even consider this when I made almost $1000 worth of purchases and got dinged on my first item over $100 (More are coming). Extremely pissed and will not buy from any USA seller ever again to avoid this. I think its disgusting how much they can charge. I now know for next time...


It is not the seller's fault that you pay these fees.Being pissed off at sellers because you forgot to check out the duty and tax implications of buying internationally is not the way to go.

[blue.ml]

> > >Canadians should buy from fellow Canadians.
> >
> > Unfortunately, no one in Canada sells anything I want...In fact, hardly anyone here sells anything at all.
>
>
> Even if we do buy from fellow Canadians there is no guarantee that the item is coming from Canada. In July I thought I bought DVDs from a seller in Canada. The seller was there, but the item was counterfeit and shipped out of China. I don't think location matters as much as the item you are buying and the trustworthiness of the seller. As each year goes by I get less and less confident in Ebay, as a buyer. There is just way too much fraud going on. A friend of mine thought she was buying a collector doll from a lady in New Brunswick. She got a knockoff from China. Paid over $400. I just found this out today after going though the scam I have been dealing with.

To avoid this, you can always ask the seller to either post or e-mail you larger pictures. I post multiple pics in my auctions that can be opened up to larger pics.

[sharlajustin]

So being from Canada..I am curious if I had a 8lb Robot (toy) shipped from the states also a watch and a halloween costume all of which was sent USPS from different sellers..should I be worried?... I reside in Manitoba.. also I am curious..when you owe duty fees and taxes and ect how do you go about paying them?.. do they actually phone you or do the items sit at the border until payment is received? or can you pay them once you receieve the item? can someone explain this too me?

Thank you!

[00stony00]

if saler take the right services and postal compagnie .. you dont get problem like this .. If thats happens just dont take the item and do a charge back .. !! I never paid extra charge of my life whit Us delivery and no boduy paid for mine .. anyway ..

00Stony00

[rodney2007_2007]

DHL sucks and so do the staff and drivers

[rodney2007_2007]

dynamix courier suck as well

[femmefan1946]

.when you owe duty fees and taxes and ect how do you go about paying them?..

If the seller followed your instructions and shipped by Canada Post /USPS, either the postie will knock on your door and charge you on the spot a $5 service fee and the applicable duty and taxes OR (more likely) he will leave a Notice for you to pick up your parcel at the local PO.
The counter clerk will then charge you the service fee, duty and taxes.

And don't ask the seller to mark it as a gift or to reduce the stated value on the label. The customs clerks get quite annoyed about that.

[ironbrad]

Hi CC,

well you are mostly correct that all courier companies and Postal Services are able to collect the brokerage fees, handling charges, etc etc but usually only the lovely and fair people at UPS do this 100% of the time!!

DO NOT USE UPS!!

time and time again I have been stung by them and their outrageously lovely astronomical fees!!

Just recently I have purchased a computer part and the seller said in his item description he would send it to Canada via USPS but he went and sent it UPS., which he thought would get it here quicker...and it's coming from Washington to BC. Well it's been TEN DAYS and then item is slated for delivery today or tomorrow. The lovely and concerned people at UPS keep changing the date of delivery...and it's been 10 days since I purchased the item and supposedly the seller shipped it immediately.

Using USPS or FedEx or DHL is much better and most of the time no additional fees other than maybe some GST/PST which we'd pay if we purchased the item here in Canada anyway!

PLEASE DO NOT USE UPS!! DO NOT USE UPS!!

Tell your neighbors and tell your friends!!

Cheers
IB

[marlou140]

Je comprend pas ? Il y a des frais suplémentaires a payer au moment de reçevoir l'achat?

[marlou140]

I understands not? There are expenses who is added moment to receive the purchase?

[lovelydeathgoddess]

Well, I certainly wish I had read this first... >_<; At least I know now though.

I just bought an item and after reading this, I noticed the person will be using UPS to send it. So I'm sure I can expect to have to pay a lot more... But will it get charged to my Paypal account, or will they ask me for the money upon delivery?

[lovelydeathgoddess]

Well, I certainly wish I had read this first... >_<; At least I know now though.

I just bought an item and after reading this, I noticed the person will be using UPS to send it. So I'm sure I can expect to have to pay a lot more... But will it get charged to my Paypal account, or will they ask me for the money upon delivery?

I meant USPS... Not UPS.

[marg2buy]

Why don't you explain to us what a pink is??
Also we can do without all the pictures here, more would read it if it was just a continuous read, but you have to try to glamorize it or is it a compition as to who can outdo whom?

What is a pink??

[lokijeep]

Do you expect help now that you were rude to the regulars that give their help, day after day, for nothing in return Marg?

[femmefan1946]

marlou

Oui.

Si l'achat a un valeur plus que$20, Postes Canada charge $5 pour sa service de recevoir les taux provinciales et federales (HST).

Si l'achat etait fait hors de la region de accord de libre-échangeNord-américain (Etats- unis, Canada, Mexique et Chile), i l ya aussi les douanes.

Meme si l'achat est achete dans l'E-U, c'est bien possible que c'est fait ailleurs. C'est aussi possible que l'achat est transporte d'ailleurs, par exemple , de la Chine.

Je m'excuse, selon que je suis fonctionnaire federale, je peut pas ecrit bien en francais, et cette patane n'a pas les accents francaises.

[femmefan1946]

peut = peux

[banditgirl99]

If you are buying from the USA and ask the seller to mark it GIFT and us Standard mail. Some companys wont though But if you send the seller a message before you bid ask to ship it ground regular mail.. I buy from the USA all the time as long as they send it regular mail and mark it GIFT.. they dont charge for gifts.. thanks I love ebay and shop the world.. you have to comunicate with the seller before bidding

You also should watch the Item you want and only bid the last five minutes cause some sellers have multipul accounts and drive up their items.

So watch the Item and bid last minute and watch out for the shipping fees they some will make money on just the shipping alone...

[bluesinjid]

Hi, I have a question, since I am new. I just bought a ipod touch case from US, under $20, so is it true I do not pay anything such as tax and customs?

[pjcdn2005]

banditgirl- Only a gift that is $60 and under is duty and tax free. Sometimes declaring an item as a gift will make the customs officer more likely to look at it because they think you are trying to hide something. Its really not a good idea to have an item sent as a gift unless it is one. If money changes hands, it is not a gift. Plus, a lot of U.S. sellers tend to get po'd when asked to do that.

If you haven't been paying duty or tax its not because your packages were listed as a gift but more likely because lower value items delivered by Canada Post are often not charged.