custom duty on stuff ordered from states

[dreamchaser]

i have to order some stuff from states , the supplier told me that these electronic components are subjected to custom duty.

does anybody know what is the best way to avoid / minimize custom duties and / or broker fee?

i heard Canada post or independent brokers will charge you $75-$100 even if your order is $25 worth. is that true?

what can be done to avoid any surprises such as a huge bill from Canada post on delivery?

[Tik-Tok]

Duty itself depends on the country of manufacture.

"Customs brokerage fees" are the horsesh!t ones from Purolator, UPS, FedEx etc. They only charge for ground services though, on "next day" flight services, it's included in the cost of shipping.

The only way to avoid such brokerage charges is to ship it air, or get it shipped to that warehouse in Sweetgrass, and drive there to pick it up.

[eblend]

Marking the package down in price below 20 CAD would make it free of duty and all that. If they ship via USPS then u just pay 5 bucks brokage + gst

[wontonton_65]

All the depends on the shipper.
If they shippied USPS then it will be 5.00.

if they shippied it UPS then it could be anything... it could even be the same price as the item. IM NOT KIDDING.

everyone has to pay the GST unless its under 20.00

[modded46]

Getting the item shipped USPS is the best way to get "FAIR" duties on your products. It's usually only GST on the item that's all.

[kenny]

Not all electronics are subject to duty. It also depends on the value of the goods. I just ordered 1900USD worth of stuff, and the package was marked with legit value and I had to pay duty + gst on some of the items.

Memory card had no duty, just GST.
Camera bag and lens I had to pay 5% duty and GST.

The duty was applied based on the brand name of each product (country of origin).

The customs agent told me that anything marked over 1600 canadian is usually considered a commercial import. To avoid excessive duty (and GST), you could ensure the value of your goods are below this 1600 value, or simply have the shipper under value it and hope your package isn't checked. On packages that are not examined by customs, you'll just be charged GST on the declared value.

Even after paying about $200 CAD in duty + GST, I still saved over $500 by shopping in the US.

[97'Scort]

6% GST on everything, 6% duty on anything not made in North America (it MUST be marked on the shipping info). USPS has by far the cheapest brokerage fees but their overall rates change quite often. Usually you can request USPS for any of the North American online dealers.

[eblend]

for stuff made within north american there is a special document that needs to be filled out in order for it not to get dutied as per the NAFTA

[dreamchaser]

these are shipping options i have..
is one better than the other for custom duty purposes?
shipping options:
UPS Standard ($11.60)
UPS Worldwide Expedited ($53.23)
UPS Worldwide Express ($58.74)

[FiveFreshFish]

If it's expedited USPS, the brokerage is $8 + applicable GST.

About one third of all items I buy that are declared over $20 slip through without any charges.

[crazedmodder]

He listed expedited UPS though, not USPS. Might be more expensive

I would assume that all three of those options would be close to the same price for brokerage anyways. Did you ask the seller if they are willing to use USPS?