Canada post - Find a harmonized system code page not working?

[forester_studios]

When I enter the destination and item description and click the find button, I keep getting a service not available message.  Anyone else getting this today?

[femmefan1946]

Have you used it before?

Do you have a written/printed record of any of those previous exports?

I have (as a technodolt) entered a series of "0"s instead of an actual number a few times, and got the label to print. I don't often need labels so it could be an oddity.

[pjcdn2005]

I just tried it and got the same results as you.

[momcqueen]

I know I tried to use it yesterday afternoon and it was not available either. I'll be printing a new label within the hour so we'll see if it functions or not. 

I print a pdf of every postage label purchased for my accounting records. Is it possible you can find an HS Code for an item like this you've sold in the past? If you go into your paypal account and look at the transaction records for labels printed, there will be a Customs section at the bottom of each page that might have your HS Code on it. It's worth a shot.

There are other websites which say they give you the right HS Code but I am always doubtful. I'd hate to enter the wrong code and have my untraced Small Packets containing toys mistaken by Customs for containing cow eyeballs or something and seized all because I trusted the wrong source for that HS Code. 

[momcqueen]

No. It's still not working as of ten minutes ago which will pose a problem for many people as not everyone will have HS Codes from previous orders just laying around. 

[pocomocomputing]

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@mjwl2006 wrote:

I know I tried to use it yesterday afternoon and it was not available either. I'll be printing a new label within the hour so we'll see if it functions or not. 

I print a pdf of every postage label purchased for my accounting records. Is it possible you can find an HS Code for an item like this you've sold in the past? If you go into your paypal account and look at the transaction records for labels printed, there will be a Customs section at the bottom of each page that might have your HS Code on it. It's worth a shot.

There are other websites which say they give you the right HS Code but I am always doubtful. I'd hate to enter the wrong code and have my untraced Small Packets containing toys mistaken by Customs for containing cow eyeballs or something and seized all because I trusted the wrong source for that HS Code. 

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HS Codes are universal so theoretically any site can give you the correct code or at least the first 6 digits which is all you need.

I tried a couple of other sites but they did not return any HS code for what I was looking for.

eBay, Canada Post, why all messing up at the same time?

[pjcdn2005]

I have my own list of HS codes for the products that I sell frequently so that I don't have to look them up each time.

The link that I have for the Canadian HS site isn't working so perhaps that's why it isn't working on the CP site.

Here are a couple of other sites.

http://www.findhs.codes/

http://www.foreign-trade.com/reference/hscode.htm

[pjcdn2005]

The HS area on the CP site does seem easier to use and more comprehensive but I was able to find some codes on other sites.

[momcqueen]

It certainly does. I'll give it that.

[Anonymous]

When I am using the PayPal Shipping, I never need to use HSC at all.

[momcqueen]

No matter, it's working again. 

[cue-tr]

thank you so much

http://www.findhs.codes/ works 🙂