Just curious if anyone has ordered from the states, which I am sure someone has, and had to pay duty. Because man some s**t I can get like 300 bucks cheaper from the states then from canada...and I am sure duty wouldn't be that much. But I'd just like to hear from some poeples experiences.
How much did you pay for duty?
- Thread starter DaCheeseMan
- Start date
I had to pay duty on my rim and tyre package that I had to order from the states......I got 17" Konig Heliums in bronze for my civic and it was at the Fort erie border for like three days cause they had to inspect it.........So finally it leaves there and UPS brings it to my door saying that I have Money owing on the package for duty W T F $234 canandian
good thing i have a credit card but all together it wasnt bad paid about $1300.00 canadian for my rims and perfromance tyres....... Including the damn duty fee
good thing i have a credit card but all together it wasnt bad paid about $1300.00 canadian for my rims and perfromance tyres....... Including the damn duty fee
not bad. considering the value of the rims already.
Yea I was very supprised....... I Kno the bullshit rim and tire shop here I would be like 2 G's
Listen to this f**kin story Me and my buddy walk in the rim and tyre shop cause my buddy wants new rubber
So blah blah blah the guys it like im gonna give you a good deal.......He says like f**kin $800.00 for the tyres mounted and balanced + tax on top of that WTF? Which tyres you say ......Kumho I think the Ectsta Supras Whoa!!
We just walked out and didnt say s**t after we saw that......... Get it for like nearly half that from the states
Listen to this f**kin story Me and my buddy walk in the rim and tyre shop cause my buddy wants new rubber
So blah blah blah the guys it like im gonna give you a good deal.......He says like f**kin $800.00 for the tyres mounted and balanced + tax on top of that WTF? Which tyres you say ......Kumho I think the Ectsta Supras Whoa!!
We just walked out and didnt say s**t after we saw that......... Get it for like nearly half that from the states
The best way to get around paying duty when getting stuff shipped into Canada is to ask the seller to declare the item as a "gift", with a value of less than $50CDN. The government doesn't apply taxes/duty to items that meet these criteria.
I've done this many times, and it works well. Of course, there are some things to consider. Obviously, if you're ordering something really big (like a carbon fiber hood, an engine, or a set of rims), customs may not believe the item is only worth $50 and they may investigate (there's very little likelyhood of this, but there is a chance). I've also found that some of the big-name places (especially on-line vendors) like Tire Rack or Summit Racing won't do it.
The biggest risk comes if an item is lost or damaged due to shipping. If you've ordered something that is worth $300US, but the seller declared it as a gift valued at $50CDN, then if you put a claim in to the shipping company (assuming you bought insurance) then all you're getting is $50! This is assuming that you've bought shipping insurance. Some of the big-name places automatically include it in their shipping cost (which is why they won't declare items for a value less than actually are), but most places don't so ultimately it's still a risk you take anyway.
I've done this with items from eBay MANY times, and it's worked without a problem.
Hope that helps.
I've done this many times, and it works well. Of course, there are some things to consider. Obviously, if you're ordering something really big (like a carbon fiber hood, an engine, or a set of rims), customs may not believe the item is only worth $50 and they may investigate (there's very little likelyhood of this, but there is a chance). I've also found that some of the big-name places (especially on-line vendors) like Tire Rack or Summit Racing won't do it.
The biggest risk comes if an item is lost or damaged due to shipping. If you've ordered something that is worth $300US, but the seller declared it as a gift valued at $50CDN, then if you put a claim in to the shipping company (assuming you bought insurance) then all you're getting is $50! This is assuming that you've bought shipping insurance. Some of the big-name places automatically include it in their shipping cost (which is why they won't declare items for a value less than actually are), but most places don't so ultimately it's still a risk you take anyway.
I've done this with items from eBay MANY times, and it's worked without a problem.
Hope that helps.
The biggest risk in asking them to send it as a gift, or put an extemely low value on the item, is that you lose the insurance. They insure it for the value declared, so if they lose the package, don't expect to get your money back. I wouldn't worry too much about this though, as I've order probably 50 things from the states, and none have been lost. Also if they put an extemely low Value on something that is obviously not cheap, Customs will catch you on it. It almost happened to me with my exhaust. You will also pay a lot less brokerage if you don't use UPS. UPS are absolute scammers when it comes to charging you for brokerage. Get them to send Fed Ex or Purolator if you can.
Actually, I've found UPS to be one of the better courier services with respect to brokerage fees. FedEx on the other hand have always come after me for weird brokerage fees - even on items that were legitimately low-cost items!
But you're right - I've ordered TONS of stuff from the US and I've never had anything go lost or get damaged due to shipping. The risks are extremely low.
But you're right - I've ordered TONS of stuff from the US and I've never had anything go lost or get damaged due to shipping. The risks are extremely low.