When you import anything that has a value over $20Cdn, you are supposed to pay duty and Sales Taxes. The carrier will also charge you a service fee (which has several names including brokerage and import fee).
On small inexpensive items mostly under $100, CBSA and Canada Post tend to ignore this, but couriers (like UPS) are legally required to charge you.
The sneaky one is FedEx, who will had over the parcel and charge you later.
Another problem with buying from overseas is what happens if there is a problem.
You are covered by Buyer Protection by both eBay and Paypal. If you also back your PP account with a credit card, that's a third level of protection.
But if you have to return the purchase to an overseas supplier, it can be very expensive. Sometimes more than you paid for the item and shipping!
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1
Also it's a hassle.
Read the seller's feedback. If he has 100% positive great, but even there click on the number of negatives* and look for patterns - poor quality, bad communication, slow delivery.
*Because a good seller with 100,000 FB may have 100 negs or even more. Ratios. He's still darn good, and some people do not want to be satisfied.
