Canadians who've been dinged by customs

[shamshir]

I've ordered stuff from the US before, and once or twice I've been dinged. I can't remember if it was just GST/PST or if there was duty. Another time a friend of mine got hit with a big-*** brokerage charge, but I think that only happens when the stuff is sent by a courier (and not the postal service).

So my question is, if anyone has actually had a duty assessed, what was it in terms of percentage? Did the stuff fall into the sporting equipment category? I looked up some forms and it seems like protective athletic headgear is in a different category to general sports clothing. Not sure which is worse.

Any info on whether PST was assessed, on top of GST, is also appreciated. I'm just trying to determine my worst-case scenario price, to see if the gamble is worth it.

[pkt]

shamshir,

The regal prerogative: that's what the Customs officers are exercising.

I bought from
http://www.fechtsport-langenkamp.de/
twice and did not have to pay anything Cdn - GST or PST either times.

My clubmate got dinged the first time he bought from them.

The diff may be that I got mine sent to the ofc and he to his home.

So, it all depends on, I guess, the mood of the Customs officer handling the package.

BTW, I've discovered this site form Victoria BC selling 'Conductive Thread' to mend lame's
http://members.shaw.ca/ubik/thread/order.html
CAD 12 for a 200-yard spool
plus shipping...
I'm ordering 1 spool, cheaper than buying a new lame, eh?

PK

PK

[shamshir]

Can you ask your clubmate what the actual duty was, as a percentage? There must have been a breakdown on a piece of paper/form. I just want to know what the worst case damage would be.

[pkt]

The actual duty depends on the item. Clothing and gloves, which could be made in Cda would have a higher rate than something that can't be made in Cda, e.g. masks and blades.

I'm sure you could find the answers to your Q.

Better yet, having discussed this 'problem' with Misha, my club mate and Robert Smith, he who sells the conductive threads for repairing lame's
http://members.shaw.ca/ubik/thread/order.html
these are the conclusions I've come to:
1. when ordering from overseas, ask the supplier to use the post office.
2. That is: don't use a courier.

Reason:
The post office has such a volume that it is up to the Customs people to stop and examine the stuff and calculate the costs in CAD and then levy the duty, etc. That's REAL work. [No disrespect to the CCRA customs people meant.]

With the couriers, the courier company do all the calculations and they charge YOU the duty and the Cdn taxes.

The evidence, M'lud:
Misha ordered once and only once from FechtSport.de, because he needed the Sabre lame' in a hurry for his son for the Cda Winter Games, he asked FS to send it via courier. He had to pay Caesar.

I ordered twice from FS, both times using Deutsche Post. Neithr time did I have to pay anything to Caesar.

Robert Smith - see above - noticed that too. So unless requested he doesn't use couriers for incoming packages.

Q.E.D?

PK

[Lemberg]

Wow Patrick, I am surprised you guys at North Van aren't doing all of your business with Zbig...... Too steep I guess??? (not to mention zero customer service (in fact last time I bough stuff from him I somehow got yelled at LOL))

[pkt]

Lemberg,

I wasn't too surprised u got yelled at: Z has the attitude that if you want it buy it, if not, bugger off, don't bother him.

Z told me AllStar do not have sabre gloves. So I bought a foil/epee glove.

Then I found out about FechtSport on the net.

Well, it turned out that it was Z's wholesaler who deosn't carry the sabre glove...

Yes, cost is def. a concern. Why pay 2 layers of MUs when you can save some $$$. Afterall, $$$ is a limited resource.

I do feel bad about not supporting Z. But hey, that in economics is called being rational.

My next purchase will be a Leon Paul X-change elec. sabre mask and a 2-armed sabre 800N plastron. Z doesn't sell either.

PK

[shamshir]

Ok, thanks for the advice. It was pretty much what I try to do anyway.

I remember having to pay PST and GST on one of my orders from the US a while ago (it was by regular mail). PST/GST but no duty.

I wonder if they sometimes just slap taxes on a shipment without assessing duty. I bet the duty part is real work.

That said, I wonder if Leon Paul in the UK would be inclined to "downgrade" the approximate value of the package on the shipping slip, since that price is probably what the CCRA guys go by. If I get charged tax on the full amount, it'll still save me money over what the Wetterbergs will charge me to do the importing for me (into Calgary). Esp. since I think they can only charge tax on the value portion, not the shipping portion, and I think the mask itself is about 215 canadian.

It's the duty I'm afraid of, esp. since I'll be ordering two masks at once. Not sure if the potential duty is like 5% or 25%.

Does the total value and/or weight/size of the package matter, I wonder? Perhaps a larger order is more likely to attract attention -- two masks at least, possibly even three.

And it is precisely the LP X-Change sabre mask that I'm considering ordering. $285 plus GST (no PST) and around 8 bucks shipping from Calgary (fencing canada). And 118 pounds (incl. shipping) from the UK, which works out to around 272 canadian. Even with PST/GST charged, it comes in about a dollar under ordering from Canada, and if they charge only on the mask value (not what I pay LP for shipping), then it comes in about ten bucks under.

Wonder if it's worth the risk of additional duty being assessed on it. If that duty is horrendous, it could end up being an unwise gamble.

[Zelda]

When in doubt ASK! Phone customs an excise and ASK them their policy on assessing duty/tax/etc.

[pkt]

Zelda,

What about the Net? Haven't you forgotten that we live in the 21st century? You can find almost everything on the Net.

Shamshir,
go to the CCRA's Customs site
http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/customs/menu-e.html
enjoy yourself there.

PK

[civiltech]

I'm not admitting to anything...

However, what may be of a less expensive route is,...have the supplier you deal with send it by courier, and make arrangements to pick it up at the UPS or whatever yard personally on the American side. It takes a trip across the border however, and would only be viable if your purchasing a lot of equipment, and live somewhat near.

Sincerely,

From a "somewhat" regular cross border shopper even thought the dollar is so crappy!!!