Drive South!

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

If I were to go to the States could I just ship what ever I bought back without dealing with Customs or no?

I ask because I would take my motorcycle, not a car; and I can't carry much on a sportbike.

I don't think you can. It is treated as if you were never in the states and you'll be charged the duty (depending on the items - I think the free-trade agreement exempts certain items depending on where they are manufactured. Though if that's the case, there is no reason to buy the stuff in the states and ship it back, you could just do that from Canada instead).

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

If the total amount of your purchases is under the exemption limit (which is going up per the link in the OP), there is no extra tax or duty at the border. We were gone 7 days on that particular trip so we had $750 each (including the baby )

If you're over the exemption limit, you may be subject to duty and/or tax; no idea how much it would cost as it depends on the item and where it was made (i.e. I believe products made in the US are duty free but don't quote me on that).

Most times I've crossed the border, they do it by total amount divided by total number of people.

There's an entire book on what duties you have to pay at the border, some things, doesn't matter where it's made, is always exempt. Due to NAFTA, anything made in North America has no duty (as far as I know.)

I bought tires this year picked the up in the US (on my cross country drive), the tires were about $450, plus the rest of the things I bought brings my total to about $500, since I was gone for 4 days, my limit was only $400. Now, the guy that processed me at the booth gave me the yellow slip and told me to go inside and pay, the lady inside, on the other hand, just told me to go. So a lot of times, it depends on the person as well.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by bossy22

If a product is made in North America, it's exempt. After June 1st, you are allowed $200 for 24 hrs, $800 for 48 hrs, and no limit after a week.

Made in NA products are not exempt from HST/GST, only import duties.


You're also wrong on the limits, as there's no way the government would allow unlimited imports after a week. What if someone brought back tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods?

Really, they just got rid of the 7 day exemption and now anything over 48 hours qualifies for the largest one:


0-24 hrs: $0

24-48 hrs: $200

48+ hrs: $800

[GGG]

In spokane they have a Nordstom's rack whick is Nordstoms outlet store. There you can get real good deals on Jeans (true religion, rock and republic) and shoes. Also they have a Marshalls which is like a higher end version of winners

Other than that it is just the standard malls which are 20% to 30% cheaper. The malls though have basically all the stores we have here and are far better than Kalispell or Great Falls

For a real Outlet you have to hit Seattle which isnt a bad drive on a 4 day weekend. Due a little shopping, take in a baseball game, eat good seafood and drive home.

[tvp2003]

One other tip -- if you're from Alberta (and can prove it by providing an AB driver's licence), you are exempt from state sales tax in Washington state. A little extra discount if you're shopping in Seattle (or Spokane) -- just ask for it when you get to the till.

[Sylvanfan]

The one thing about Spokane though is that the economy there has been rough, many stores shut down, and the remaining selection isn't always great. If you can get to Seattle there really is a lot more there.