If your a business forget about importing anything over $1600 Canadian through the mail.

FREE TRADE MY ASS!!!!



Stupid dickhead rules....let's put a nice arse fuching to the small business guy.

Looks like we need a new "System"......

Mark: Care to elaborate? I have a $1500 US turbo kit being shipped up as we speak. I don't expect any problems. Should I?

it's all about western timber exports & tariff, or lack of. sorry to hear you got caught in the middle.

k

If your a business they sieze your crap (if over $1600 Canadian) and you have to go to customs, and waste a whole afternoon, fill out a B3 form and others, pay whatever and then they'll fax the clearance over and you should see your stuff in a couple of months.

If your not a business you just pay your taxes when it comes to the door.

This is through the mail....

Wish I was closer to the border (min. 6hr round trip for me) and I'd just pick it up and clear it myself.

i am in quebec and we import us vga cars.. never have other problem than usuals tons of papers.. maybe it's different?

2 $799 boxes, sent 2 days apart? 1 to the house and 1 to the shop?

k

That does suck. I bet the customs officer really cared that you had to waste a alll of thet time

Manuel, it's different because Mark is in Cannada...

QUOTE (Kerrys914 @ Mar 23 2005, 01:31 PM)

Manuel, it's different because Mark is in Cannada...

Running right into Canadian political minefields !



ROTFLMAO

lol dont start that please

Sometimes a different valuation on an item can assist. Unless there are insurance issues with the transporter. Par example, value of product: $69.95, value of handling service on separate invoice: $1530.05. dum dee dum dee dum

Or you could hire that company that runs smokes and guns over the St Lawrence in 16' aluminum boats.

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Mar 23 2005, 01:20 PM)

If your a business they sieze your crap (if over $1600 Canadian) and you have to go to customs, and waste a whole afternoon, fill out a B3 form and others, pay whatever and then they'll fax the clearance over and you should see your stuff in a couple of months. If your not a business you just pay your taxes when it comes to the door. This is through the mail.... Wish I was closer to the border (min. 6hr round trip for me) and I'd just pick it up and clear it myself.

I have exported tons of high value stuff into Canadian businesses. As long as you use proper tarrif codes, have very clear commercial invoice, declare values honestly and transmit all necesary preclearence work for Candadian Customs I have never had a problem. The secret with any Customs authority is to make sure you follow all the rules so you arent pulled into inspection and make sure you use comodity descriptions and codes that dont raise any red flags.

And with expensive stuff just use a Canadain based customs broker. Then its partially their butts on the line as long as you provided accurate information about the shipment.

A lot of US companies ignore Customs rules and learn the hard way when sending shipments across to Canada or worse Mexico. If your stuff gets held by Mexican Customs good luck ever getting it back unless you pay the "special Customs fine"

If it makes you feel any better its not just Canada - anything entering the UK with a value over something stupid like £36 is liable for import tax. They really like to screw you too as the tax is on the whole value including the shipping cost, then just to rub salt in your wounds they stick a handling charge on top. None of this applies if I buy within Europe (still think there is a limit though) but I didn't find out until my new parts from Pelican were in the hands of Her Majesties Customs and the bill arrived though my door

Everything is on the up and up, made in the USA, I don't like 'em (who does) but I have no problem paying the tax.

"Free Trade" was sold to us by saying that it would open up the border for goods a services...but it only works for big business.

Bureaucracy at it's finest…I’m sure there’s a form to fill out if you want to fart while crossing the border.

The problem is that it's going to a business.......if you were importing it as a individual (re: not for resale) there is no limit as to what can be sent thru the mail.

A "business" is supost to be part of the "system" I.E. ship commercial carrier, hire a broker, pay, pay, pay...... not use the cheapest route (Canada Post's $5 charge for doing the paperwork and their cheap shipping).

Next time have anything (over the amount) sent to yourself, not the business. If you payed for it by personal credit card, technicaly you bought it, not the business.

The only difference sending it to yourself makes is for the P.S.T.. You pay it on the import price. A commercial import shipment is P.S.T. exempt. You would have to charge back the P.S.T. when you submit your monthly P.S.T. statement (more book keeping).

The other way is to have the shipment split invoiced ( X amount on one, X on another) to keep it under their stupid rule.

I'm sorry, I confess! I mailed them USPS since it was supposed to be cheaper than UPS. :-( Next time it's hand delivery and a week vacation to Canada.

Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
http://www.LNengineering.com
Aircooled Precision Performance

USPS is cheaper than UPS.......you would still need a broker do the import for you if you delivered them yourself (commercial shipment no matter how it's carried)

Just split the shipment/invoice to keep it under 1.6K

That's a good idea. Now why didn't I think of that :-)

It's just a pet peeve of mine that I always ship everything fully insured and fully declared, just as a matter of principle. I've lost business because of it and I really do wish that "free trade" actually meant what it says.

Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
http://www.LNengineering.com
Aircooled Precision Performance

This is what the customs guy said to do…he’s telling me to cheat. A little cheat but still a cheat WTF. He even told me to have the packages sent on different days or they would catch on and do the same thing.

Thats $1600 Canadian, so what about $1300US per package...thats a PITA.

This is not Charles' fault, I've had many a package sent to "Mark Henry" no problems. Yes I'm PST exempt, but if I pay it I can claim it back, so what's the big deal.

QUOTE

A "business" is supost to be part of the "system" I.E. ship commercial carrier, hire a broker, pay, pay, pay...... not use the cheapest route (Canada Post's $5 charge for doing the paperwork and their cheap shipping).

And Canadians wonder why shit is so expensive here...I'm just a little guy with a couple of boxes that are made in the USA.

I go throught that crap every day, our company resell stuff from the states in canada and EVERYTHING has so much paperwork that we have a dedicated person to fill it out, we have all our shipment ship to a Broker (if you want , i can give you the iinfo, he's a great guy)they ship all our stuff to the states and the broker crosses it the next day

about Free Trade,, Free trade only means that you do not pay duty on US made goods, you still have to do the paperwork actually twice the paperwork to compensate for the lack of duty LOL , I sometime have personal parcel shipp to my broker and i go pick it up as it is cheaper than paying UPS 50 brokerage fee,, by the way Mark you are close to the gananoque bridge..

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Mar 24 2005, 04:51 AM)

This is what the customs guy said to do…he’s telling me to cheat. A little cheat but still a cheat WTF. He even told me to have the packages sent on different days or they would catch on and do the same thing. Thats $1600 Canadian, so what about $1300US per package...thats a PITA. This is not Charles' fault, I've had many a package sent to "Mark Henry" no problems. Yes I'm PST exempt, but if I pay it I can claim it back, so what's the big deal. QUOTE A "business" is supost to be part of the "system" I.E. ship commercial carrier, hire a broker, pay, pay, pay...... not use the cheapest route (Canada Post's $5 charge for doing the paperwork and their cheap shipping). And Canadians wonder why shit is so expensive here...I'm just a little guy with a couple of boxes that are made in the USA.

Customs authorities in the US and Canada dont really discriminate between little and big guys. In fact little guys can usually get away with more. Customs is pretty much a pain in the A$$ for all of us. I've run into similar issues with US Customs.

And if you think waiting for a part is bad just think what its like for a company who sends a full truck of product worth $$$$$$ without proper preclearence, etc. Stuff sits, customers in Canada are freaking out asking where stuff is, The truck driver is getting paid overtime and hotel cost etc while some customs official is waiting to rubbber stamp the import.

Here is Canadian Customs commercial import page if you dont already have it.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4041...1/rc4041-e.html

And after reading it importing anything over $1600 by mail sucks. It would always be cheaper to use a commercial carrier who can broker goods for you. Unless your time is free and you live next to a Customs office. And the more I think about this issue probably has more to do with the Canadain Postal Authority not wanting to adminster customs brokerage and less to do with Customs.

QUOTE (freezing14 @ Mar 24 2005, 11:31 AM)

by the way Mark you are close to the gananoque bridge..

Not close enough...about a 5hr round trip.

If I get bigger and start selling more import parts (not just bug/Porsche stuff) I'll look in to it. But thats only if I'm doing enough sales (when I get a shopping cart up later this year) to hire a kid. Not worth it if I could be at the shop doing work.

yeah , it is a bit far,, in my case I live by the bridge and it is still a hassle to go get stuff

There are a bazillion companies shipping product both ways over the border every day with improperly declared values. I know, I have worked for some of them in the past. Once you get caught, then you are flagged by the system and they look harder at everything you do.

I am not sure if it can work the same with USPS, but when a UPS shipment is sent to my business they have instructions in their system to contact our Canadian customs broker to clear the package. Cost is GST on the value plus the brokerage fee ($30 or so) per shipment. GST you have input credits to adjust against GST collected. That way your product is not delayed, and the GST and clearing invoice is settled with your broker after the fact.

The person at customs didn't know how to fill out the form

She got her supervisor....she didn't know as well

They had to read the manual

Paid the GST

They had to fax it to Toronto

No way around this...but what do they know...clueless

Oh well, I've got my P&C's out of jail.

Should be here in a couple of days

What a load of