Anyone had experience buying in the US and shipping to Canada?

[Mtlguy]

Do you always get nailed for GST and HST?
Do you have to pay duty?
How did you bring in to Canada?

[emale]

Originally Posted by Mtlguy

Do you always get nailed for GST and HST?
Do you have to pay duty?
How did you bring in to Canada?

I picked up a pre owned Breitling SQ a couple weeks ago . I had it shipped to an address in Niagara Falls , NY

Crossed the queenston bridge, picked up the item, declared the item on the way back and paid 13 % hst.

The customs officer ( at secondary inspection) asked if i had proof of payment. I showed her the wire transfer receipt and a screenshot of the listing on TZ. She waived the 5 % duty. The serial number of the watch was entered in their computer.

I have imported watches through the same customs office previously , most of the time, i just had to pay the 13 % tax . Only once or twice did the officer enter the serial number in the computer.

[Mtlguy]

Thanks emale...other wise if you dont pay the duty and taxes I guess you're limited to wearing that watch only in Canada

[Sunshine]

If it helps, my company works in Canada a good bit throughout the year and if we need extra parts or something in a hurry we buy the box a plane ticket and fly it up that way.

[chris russell]

The nice lady there charged me only the 13% HST.

When she calculated the tax, she made an error entering the numbers, and the tax showing was only 1/3 of what it should have been, so I told her about the error. I asked her if someone looking at the paperwork later would charge her personally when they found the error. She intimated they might.

[cdnwatchguy]

Living in Edmonton I don't have the luxury of being able to stroll across the boarder though. Essentially it breaks down as such:

5% GST and x%PST depending on your Province (in AB there is no PST) or your %HST depending on where you are. There is also a 5% excise tax which is every so often waived at the whim of the CBSA inspector.

As far as shipping FedEx is probably my method of choice however they charge brokerage fees on your package. Sending it by mail works fine, no brokerage fees but it can take weeks to clear customs. I personally stay away from UPS as they have a tendency to leave. expensive packages on the doorstep even when a signature is requested for delivery.

[Mtlguy]

Any additional experiences?