eBay

okamiisan · ‎04-09-2013

Hello, have two questions here,

A seller puts up an item and says nothing about whether the it works or not. However the seller sets its item condition as 'used', so is it safe to assume that it will work? But if it doesn't then can I return it?

I noticed some items now have Import charges. Hate those but what I want to know is do I add the import charges on top of the shipping or is the price written on the import charges already the collective total used to send the item?

BTW for some reason I can see an import charge price when looking at the item from a mobile app and not in a computer website.

Thanks!!

marnotom! · ‎03-20-2017

@dlpaus wrote:

I'm buying a pair of used (rare/vintage) Made-in-the-USA boots from a seller for $300. I checked with Customs & Excise, they confirm that there are no import duties on them. HST on them, at 13%, is $39. Pitney Bowes is charging $85 in 'import fees' and $20 for shipping. I'm fine with paying the shipping and the taxes, but what the hell is the other $46 for??

Classic case of GIGO. If the seller hasn't categorized the boots appropriately or hasn't indicated appropriate information in the listing's "item specifics" section on the item's country of manufacture, that's going to throw off the GSP's automated calculation of "import charges". Also don't forget that some of those import charges are customs clearance and processing fees.

If the GSP doesn't have much to work with to reach an accurate figure for the import charges (or shipping charge, for that matter), it bases those charges largely on an average for the category in which the item is listed, according to AF.

If you haven't yet committed to purchasing the boots, you may consider asking the seller to put a bit of information in the "item specifics" portion of the listing that may serve to tweak the import charges. Or just ask the seller to relist the boots as a private listing with direct shipping to Canada and you can deal with the taxes and stuff on your end.

premrv · ‎02-06-2018

Yes you do but when you buy from someone selling their used stuff such as a garage sale or kijiji or Craig’s list you don’t pay Gst or import charges or any tax. eBay encourages people to sell off the items sitting around their not using anymore so why is their any taxes or import charges? Sound like a scam to me.

femmefan1946 · ‎02-06-2018

If you were buying from a Canadian seller, there would not be any import charges, and there would only be sales taxes if your seller were registered to remit taxes in your province.

At a garage sale the seller is not registered. In fact he is discouraged from doing so unless he is grossing over $30,000 annually. In which case, he's not really a garage sale, is he?

But in this case the item is being imported.

Every import, at least in theory, is assessed for :

a) admissibility. You can't import, for example, ivory or fireworks or paintball accessories or fentanyl. The penalties for doing so vary. And in some cases, you just need a special license.

b)duty

And that starts with a declared value of $20CDN (~$16USD). And has since the mid-80s.

Now in real life, Canada Border Services Agency has taken to sensible position that if it's going to cost more to do the assessment than they could possibly collect, they just let it slide by in over 90% of cases.

They watch small cheap things from China (that's the fentanyl) and low value but bulky items from anywhere. That's the ~10% they do check.

And while we're at it, NAFTA only applies to stuff manufactured in the USA or Mexico, not just purchased from there.

Generally there is no duty on used stuff, but there are still sales taxes. And most of the import fees are sales taxes. Those go to the Canadian government.

The carrier is also allowed to charge a fee for wrangling the item across the border. Canada Post charges $9.95. UPS charges $25 and up. The GSP/Pitney Bowes charges ~$5.