Used item coming from the US

[micgen_57]

 Good afternoon, I would like to buy some used brake calipers off of ebay.com the american site and i am wondering if i  have to pay duty on a used item, i mean it's not new how would customs determine the value? That being said, just wanted to know because would really like to order asap.Thank you

[ichopshop]

You pay duty/taxes on anything over $20, plus potentially brokerage fees.

If you purchase through the Global Shipping Program (GSP), all of these fees are calculated and charged at the time of purchase.

Ian

[marnotom!]

If the brake callipers were made in a NAFTA country, they won’t be subject to duty. If they weren’t, they’ll likely be subject to 10% or so in duty.

In both instances, however, they’ll be subject to whatever sales taxes are charged in your country (PST/HST/GST).

Whether or not you’ll actually be charged duty and taxes is a different ball of wax. If the declared value of the callipers is less than CDN$20, you won’t be assessed and charged duty and taxes. If the callipers are sent by mail, there’s a fairly good chance that Canada Border Services will give them a free pass. If they don’t, you’ll have to pay duty, taxes and a $10 processing fee to Canada Post upon receipt of the package.

If the item is sent through the Global Shipping Program, Pitney Bowes (administrators of the GSP) estimates the duty and taxes owing and pays them on your behalf. You still have to pay them back, however, and that’s part of the makeup of the “import charges” you may see in a listing page for an item forwarded through the GSP.

I suggest you do either your searching for brake callipers on eBay.ca or else double-check your eBay.com finds on eBay.ca, and make sure you use a laptop/desktop computer rather than a phone. The GSP “import charges” are pretty visible this way. They’re difficult to tease out otherwise.

[a51split]

---

@marnotom! wrote:
If the brake callipers were made in a NAFTA country, they won’t be subject to duty. If they weren’t, they’ll likely be subject to 10% or so in duty.

---

In addition to this info, if the calipers are to fit a car more than 25 years old, regardless of where they are made, they are duty free.

[maximus7001]

If it ships by USPS then Canada Post delivers it to you and might have to pay $10 plus pst and gst on the item amount. If it ships by fedex, ups, DHL or any other courier then you will be paying $40 to $80 in brokerage fees plus gst and pst.

In all the years of buying from USA shipped through the post office we have only ever been dinged 3 times upon delivery out of hundreds of items. Your results may vary. With couriers it will be over 99% of the time that you will have to pay. If the item is valued at $20 CAD or less then there will be no fees at the door.

[livlexi]

If I bought a used piece of jewerly off eBay, valued at $270 USD, will I have to pay taxes coming into Canada?

TX

[marnotom!]

---

@livlexi wrote:

If I bought a used piece of jewerly off eBay, valued at $270 USD, will I have to pay taxes coming into Canada?

---

Yup, just as you'd pay taxes on the jewellery if you purchased it from a Canadian seller on eBay or a Canadian brick and mortar seller registered to collect taxes on their sales.  "Used" doesn't make the transaction immune from taxation.

If the jewellery is sent by mail and Canada Border Services gives it a free pass, it's not because it wasn't supposed to be taxed.  You just got lucky.