@katlover1952 wrote:
I took a parcel across to mail one time. Of course they always ask at our border crossing "do you have anything that you will be leaving in the US?" I told them I had a parcel to mail. They immediately wanted to charge me a $10 fee. They indicated that you could pay an annual fee (can't remember what it was) or per item.
Any transportation of goods for mailing across the border is a commercial activity and has to go through an importation process. When you are mailing goods you have sold in the US you are entering the country for business purposes and need to declare this. As part of this you need to enter through the commercial lane with the appropriate paperwork (Inward Cargo Manifest Form 7533, copies of all invoices). In addition all goods have to be marked with country of origin and any appropriate safety labelling that may be required needs to be included. You need to know what can and can not be imported. At this stage you are basically going through a commercial importation of the items you are transporting, hence you have to adhere to the paperwork. It costs $13.20 USD per border entry or $404.20 for the calendar year (runs until end of December so you don't get a full year if purchased half way through the year). Transponders are tied to a specific vehicle and are not transferrable to a new vehicle so if you splash out for a transponder make sure you actually like your vehicle and that it will last at least the calendar year.
If you are mailing packages through the US I would advise people to follow the correct process and declare everything being imported. They care about what you are selling, where it was made, and to whom it is being sent. If you are not well versed, go into the US side's office and ask them to run you through what is required or call ahead of time and ask. You may get different answers as to how they want paperwork filled in so talking with them ahead of time is recommended. Don't be that person driving through the regular passenger lane with packages for mailing, they will get extremely annoyed with you.
While some staff are patient and will help out newbies, at a minimum you also run the risk of being turned around or being banned from the crossing if you aren't following procedures. Expect to go through an inspection of your vehicle and contents of your vehicle the first time or on subsequent trips. Follow procedures and it is a breeze other than waiting in line with all the big trucks.
If this sounds overly complicated it really isn't once you have done the process a few times. You need to be mailing enough that the spot entry fee or yearly transponder makes financial sense. Do not wing it, do not hide things in your car and mislead them about why you are entering the country. If you are picking up any supplies in the US that you use in your business, even casually, ensure you declare them as commercial goods when crossing back in to Canada. If you are smuggling shoes back in to Canada make sure you declare those as well. You need to let both sides know you have entered the country for business purposes, even if all you are mailing is a $2 ball of yarn.
