Taxes and Duty on Ebay items - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

shane_c · 02-20-2009, 07:51 AM

I'm looking at buying a camera lens on Ebay from the US. They want $30 US for shipping which IMO is a complete rip off for something that might weigh a pound, but anyway it also says that buyer would be responsible for any duty, taxes, etc. For the shipping method it says "Standard Int'l Flat Rate Shipping". Would I get a second bill in the mail for these charges or would I have to go to the post office and pay? Or is it just a disclaimer that it might happen? Any idea what those charges would be on a $150 lens?

Byrns · 02-20-2009, 08:08 AM

You'll likely only have to pay GST and $5 handling charge to the mailman or at the post office before he hands it over. There is also a small chance you may not get charged at all.

sparky69 · 02-20-2009, 08:18 AM

get it ship USPS and you most likely wont get charged extra. if you go UPS you will get dinged big time

macker · 02-20-2009, 08:25 AM

http://forums.ebay.ca/thread.jspa?th...=1203523630664

CubicleGeek · 02-20-2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky69

get it ship USPS and you most likely wont get charged extra. if you go UPS you will get dinged big time

Yup USPS doesn't use brokers, so no brokerage fee, which can be a killer.

You can also choose something like UPS Expedited or the Fedex equivalent for avoiding the arbitrary brokerage fee (it's already built in). This route is good if whatever you purchased is valuable and/or fragile, as shipping insurance is no longer valid after it crosses the border since it is now handled by Canada Post and the insurance doesn't transfer over from USPS. The expedited service is also very fast - 72 hours I believe, but obviously more expensive than USPS or UPS/Fedex standard services.

BlackEleven · 02-20-2009, 09:13 AM

Camera lenses are duty free items, so no duty to pay. Just make sure its shipped with USPS then you'll only get charged $5 +GST at the border. Any other shipper will kill you with brokerage fees.

shane_c · 02-20-2009, 11:31 AM

I confirmed with the seller that it would be sent via USPS.

Nancy · 02-20-2009, 11:41 AM

Tell them to mark it as a gift.

3 Justin 3 · 02-20-2009, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

Tell them to mark it as a gift.

Why use green (sarcastic)? I have people do it for me all the time. That or they put the value of the item lower than it actually is.

Byrns · 02-20-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

Tell them to mark it as a gift.

$60 is the max "gift" allowance

REDVAN · 02-20-2009, 02:15 PM

Marking as a gift FTW... but that is fraud isn't it?

Usually get them to be vague, and to say that it's worth less than it is.

Byrns · 02-20-2009, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Why use green (sarcastic)? I have people do it for me all the time. That or they put the value of the item lower than it actually is.

I'd guess it's in green because its fraud.

Nancy · 02-20-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

Why use green (sarcastic)? I have people do it for me all the time. That or they put the value of the item lower than it actually is.

Here are some of the reasons American eBayers refuse to do business with Canadians:

1) Canadian buyers ask them to commit the above act of petty fraud.

2) Canadian buyers get angry if they refuse to do this and leave negative feedback.

3) They ship the item by UPS and the buyer freaks out because of brokerage fees, which aren't the sellers fault. (It's the fault of OUR government and of UPS, why do people always blame the sellers?)

4) Items marked as gifts may take longer to clear customs. Buyers freak out that their shipments are delayed and leave negative feedback.

5) Seller gets tagged by revenue Canada as a fraudster and can't sell here any more. Negative feedback ensues.

bcb · 02-21-2009, 10:50 AM

Actually, In the 8 years I've been on ebay, Canada Post and Customs are getting much less picky about the $5 handling charge and GST. Recently, I've had things marked at $200 on the customs sticker unceremoniously dumped in my mailbox. This is particularily true during high traffic times, such as Christmas.

Nancy · 02-21-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcb

Actually, In the 8 years I've been on ebay, Canada Post and Customs are getting much less picky about the $5 handling charge and GST. Recently, I've had things marked at $200 on the customs sticker unceremoniously dumped in my mailbox. This is particularily true during high traffic times, such as Christmas.

I've noticed that also. I also wonder if having something marked "gift" really means anything to Canada Customs anymore other than a possible flag that to them that your item has been declared falsely.

bluejays · 02-21-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CubicleGeek

Yup USPS doesn't use brokers, so no brokerage fee, which can be a killer.

You can also choose something like UPS Expedited or the Fedex equivalent for avoiding the arbitrary brokerage fee (it's already built in). This route is good if whatever you purchased is valuable and/or fragile, as shipping insurance is no longer valid after it crosses the border since it is now handled by Canada Post and the insurance doesn't transfer over from USPS. The expedited service is also very fast - 72 hours I believe, but obviously more expensive than USPS or UPS/Fedex standard services.

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm buying a bunch of cables from monoprice.com for my speaker system (HDMI, Subwoofer, Banana Plugs), and it's almost a $90 bill + $46 USPS Priority International or $39 UPS Worldwide Expedited. Which one should I go for? I don't want to be dinged for Duty, and having the cables right now isn't that big for me. As long as they're here, and I get them for as cheap as possible, I'm a happy camper.

Rathji · 02-21-2009, 01:41 PM

I never had issues with anything coming from Monoprice using whichever the default shipping was. I think my largest order was ~50 bucks though, including shipping.

metallicat · 02-21-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fleury

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm buying a bunch of cables from monoprice.com for my speaker system (HDMI, Subwoofer, Banana Plugs), and it's almost a $90 bill + $46 USPS Priority International or $39 UPS Worldwide Expedited. Which one should I go for? I don't want to be dinged for Duty, and having the cables right now isn't that big for me. As long as they're here, and I get them for as cheap as possible, I'm a happy camper.

Go with the USPS, because the brokerage fees from UPS are very likely going to be way more than the 7 dollars you will save. WAY more.

3 Justin 3 · 02-21-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

Here are some of the reasons American eBayers refuse to do business with Canadians:

1) Canadian buyers ask them to commit the above act of petty fraud.

2) Canadian buyers get angry if they refuse to do this and leave negative feedback.

3) They ship the item by UPS and the buyer freaks out because of brokerage fees, which aren't the sellers fault. (It's the fault of OUR government and of UPS, why do people always blame the sellers?)

4) Items marked as gifts may take longer to clear customs. Buyers freak out that their shipments are delayed and leave negative feedback.

5) Seller gets tagged by revenue Canada as a fraudster and can't sell here any more. Negative feedback ensues.

Let me rephrase. I don't ask the people to do it, I just have had people do it. And I don't get the $5 fee, I don't think I have ever paid it, I just have to sign for a package, and recently the mailman just leaves it in the mailbox (no fee). I only have had to pay customs a few times, 2-3 times, once was a lot, the others may have been only $5, which was probably the fee.

Tower · 02-21-2009, 03:47 PM

If it's value is too high you can chop it in half along with the price.

Two packages and two charges. Problem solved.

You're welcome.