Shipping privately across border ?

[old&slow]

When making purchases across the border under private circumstances...are there brokerage fees and duty?

For example if someone were selling bike parts off a web forum (not from any store or commercial outlet) will you get dinged by customs??

thnx

[D. Dub]

ship it as a gift

[s3v3n]

different companies will charge you different handling fees

as long as its shipped as a gift under 60 bux (or a commercial sample) you wont pay duty and tax tho

[Khyron]

Be careful by under-declaring. If they lose it or damage it, the insurance is only what you declared.

Khyron

[snowboard]

just use discretion, dont sihp 60 pairs of 300 dollar jeans with the price tags on them as a 60 dollar gift :rofl:

[aquamarine]

What did you have in mind? Although you can ship an item as a gift and you won't pay very much (if anything), the CCRA (Canada Customs & Revenue Agency) --CAN-- open the package. If they do, then they generaly charge you a service fee for opening (I've had fees range from $15 to $35).

[ronaldo]

im confused....why do they charge you for opening??:dunno:

[old&slow]

I dont understand why the charge u tax and duty on used goods???

[Khyron]

Originally posted by old&slow
I dont understand why the charge u tax and duty on used goods???

Canadian economy, good thing, keeps jobs, etc - that sort of thing. :angel:

Khyron

[EternalRage]

they charge you a fee if they decide to open it, it is called an "inspection" fee. i have had to pay that "inspection" fee a few times, an i am pretty sure they did not even open the package, if they did they re-sealed it so good i could not tell.

i think it just ends up being the luck of the draw, some of my stuff has arrived with no fee's or duty, and others i have ahd to pay, you can increase the chance of not paying anything if you declare it as a "gift" but i have had CCRA ask me for proof of value for the "gift" and then i had to pay duty on that,

the duty charges are usually not that bad, most of mine were 2.5%,

[old&slow]

Got charged gst and a "handling fee" on a $400 item.