Hi all,

Quick question for the Canadians in the group. Is there any customs fees or taxes to pay when importing USED parts into Canada if they were Porsche parts (German made) from the US?

-L

I know that when I ship some stuff to Canadians, that a common request is to label contents on the customs form as Used car parts, or Antique car parts, that is supposed to save money somehow. I am unfamiliar with taxes on packages, so I am not sure any more details on this.

Hiedi

Depends on the Customs agent. Duty on Germany made auto parts is 6%. While cars come in as antique (over 25 yrs old) and are duty free (or suppost to be) the agent can add the 6% on parts because of where it's made.

Have whomever your buying them from just write the bill as used auto parts (no mention of Porsche) and Canada Post (I'm assuming that's how you are getting them shipped) might let them slip thru. If you don't use Canada Post be prepared to pay thru the nose for brokerage fees.

You still have to pay the G.S.T. & P.S.T. on the converted value of the goods.

US $ cost X rate of exchange = value in CDN $ X 7% G.S.T. + value in CDN X your P.S.T. rate

I have been wrong before but NAFTA was to allow cars and parts to flow through the border without charge.

I however have been dinged many times having things shipped from Pelican or AA to my office in CANADA.

My solution has been to have things sent to some family on the states side and they ship it to me after removing the bills/invoices. By placing a nominal value on the custom slip, things get to me free of charge (even new swag!!).

T

UPS will ding you for $65 on brokerage

Post only charges $5

Plus GST, PST and the the surcharge for fuching your butt.

What is the largest size package that can be sent to Canada through the Post Office?

I need to send a front spoiler to Winnipeg and the cost through FedEx, calculated from their web site, is approximatley $67.

i thought you could send stuff marker for repair and have it get in for free, just hope the dont open it

QUOTE (scott thacher @ Sep 15 2005, 02:20 PM)

i thought you could send stuff marker for repair and have it get in for free, just hope the dont open it

You'll always get dinged for the taxes.

There is a lady that accepts UPS deliverys in Pembina, ND (if it is too big to ship by USPS). She charges $5 to accept the packages and calls the person who it's addressed to when it arrives. They then just have to drive down and pick it up. You write a bill of sale to them calling it auto parts and they pay the GST & PST when they cross back into Canada. Date, sold to, Item description, sign it, print your name. Ask if the buyer wants to go this route and I'll get her address for you. If you check UPS ground is prob a bunch cheaper to Pembina.

To check for sizing use the USPS calculator found HERE . If USPS says it's too large, then UPS or Fedex is your only option.

If it's going to a club member I have a P.O. box in Pembina.

NAFTA only covers goods made in the USA, Mexico & Canada

QUOTE (CHAFF @ Sep 15 2005, 10:53 AM)

Hi all, Quick question for the Canadians in the group. Is there any customs fees or taxes to pay when importing USED parts into Canada if they were Porsche parts (German made) from the US? -L

The shipper is ultimately responsable for those fees so you can always refuse to pay them. Eventually the bill gets back to the shipper. How do I know this?

QUOTE (lagunero @ Sep 15 2005, 10:12 PM)

QUOTE (CHAFF @ Sep 15 2005, 10:53 AM) Hi all, Quick question for the Canadians in the group.  Is there any customs fees or taxes to pay when importing USED parts into Canada if they were Porsche parts (German made) from the US? -L The shipper is ultimately responsable for those fees so you can always refuse to pay them. Eventually the bill gets back to the shipper. How do I know this?

My unserstanding is that the buyer is responsible for the fees. If they don't pay them, the item can sit at Customs and then is declared unwanted and sold at auction or destroyed. Sometimes it's returned to sender.

Have you had to pay any fees for goods you shipped up here?

QUOTE (GWN7 @ Sep 15 2005, 11:27 PM)

Have you had to pay any fees for goods you shipped up here?

Yes I did, unfortunately. I shipped thru FedEx and according to them it's in the fine print on the contract (my fedex account). It's the brokerage fee that I had to pay ( 49.00US for some used parts. The customs or import taxes were paid by the recipient. I talked to their customs dept. and they assured me that was correct and if I didn't pay it would go to collections. Since I need my credit card to keep wasting on my car, I paid them.
As the saying goes; no goodwill goes unpunished

That sounds like a Fedex policy, not law.........another reason not to use them. The importer (buyer) is responsible for any fees. FedEx and UPS both have a brokerage department which main job is to screw anyone using their services.

You could have shipped it freight collect. That way the importer gets screwed not you.

QUOTE (GWN7 @ Sep 15 2005, 07:58 PM)

There is a lady that accepts UPS deliverys in Pembina, ND (if it is too big to ship by USPS). She charges $5 to accept the packages and calls the person who it's addressed to when it arrives. They then just have to drive down and pick it up. You write a bill of sale to them calling it auto parts and they pay the GST & PST when they cross back into Canada. Date, sold to, Item description, sign it, print your name. Ask if the buyer wants to go this route and I'll get her address for you. If you check UPS ground is prob a bunch cheaper to Pembina. To check for sizing use the USPS calculator found HERE . If USPS says it's too large, then UPS or Fedex is your only option. If it's going to a club member I have a P.O. box in Pembina. NAFTA only covers goods made in the USA, Mexico & Canada

Bruce,

Will UPS deliver a large carton, 64" long, to a PO box?

The buyer of the spoiler is in fact a club member.

I have had my last 2 items sent from the US using their mail service rather then through a courier company. The end result was no duty. With FedEx.... I was nailed large!!

kd

QUOTE (GWN7 @ Sep 15 2005, 11:07 PM)

That sounds like a Fedex policy, not law.........another reason not to use them. The importer (buyer) is responsible for any fees. FedEx and UPS both have a brokerage department which main job is to screw anyone using their services. You could have shipped it freight collect. That way the importer gets screwed not you.

GWN7,


Taxes are taxes..no matter who you import with ( UPS or FDX).

I do think some of you need to educate your self on how
your / our customs dept works.

If and only if you want to import /export legit, then follow the UPS and or FDX rules..sorry it's a US / Canadian Customs thing

Alberto,

I thought that you had charged the FedEx fees to my FedEx account. I really do appologize! I'll get you a money order in the mail for the fees this afternoon. There must have been some miscommunication on my part, and I'm sorry. If there is anything else I can do to get this fixed, let me know.

QUOTE (mike_the_man @ Sep 16 2005, 10:50 AM)

Alberto, I thought that you had charged the FedEx fees to my FedEx account. I really do appologize! I'll get you a money order in the mail for the fees this afternoon. There must have been some miscommunication on my part, and I'm sorry. If there is anything else I can do to get this fixed, let me know.

Good man Mike!

Alberto should never have been charged the brokerage...this is Fed-ex's screw-up.

If you are looking to get a car into Canada, you will need to get info to the same border crossing you plan on crossing, 72 hours advance, bill of sale, ownership papers, to the American border including your licence, when you cross the Canadian side, be sure to have proof of purchase, you may have to pay gst but the charge will be reversed as the car is antique,
steve

QUOTE (STL914 @ Sep 15 2005, 01:48 PM)

What is the largest size package that can be sent to Canada through the Post Office? I need to send a front spoiler to Winnipeg and the cost through FedEx, calculated from their web site, is approximatley $67.

OK, how does this sound?

I install the LE spoiler to my 72, as well as a set of speaker grilles I'm selling. I drive my car into Winnipeg to the buyer's house. I remove the items, he pays me, and off I go back to St. Louie.


Wait, at close to $3.00 a gallon for gas, times the mileage to Winnipeg and back......... Never mind!

QUOTE (Mark Henry @ Sep 16 2005, 07:58 AM)

QUOTE (mike_the_man @ Sep 16 2005, 10:50 AM) Alberto, I thought that you had charged the FedEx fees to my FedEx account. I really do appologize!  I'll get you a money order in the mail for the fees this afternoon.  There must have been some miscommunication on my part, and I'm sorry.  If there is anything else I can do to get this fixed, let me know. Good man Mike! Alberto should never have been charged the brokerage...this is Fed-ex's screw-up.

Partly FedEx's screw up, but mostly mine. I lost the bill for the shipping fees, and they were unable to tell me how much I owed them. Apparently they have no way to search by name, they need an account #, which was on the bill, that I had lost. So, it made it difficult for me to pay them. They told me what I had to do was to open an account with them, then get Alberto to reverse the charges to my account. I did this, but apparently they wouldn't let Alberto reverse the charges to my account.

In looking back on my PMs, Alberto told me this, but I obviously wasn't paying attention, and thought that everything was taken care of. In any case, I owe Alberto money for the shipping, and this is something that should have been taken care of long ago. Alberto went out of his way to help me out, and I screwed up. This is a public appology to Alberto. I will have it taken care of today.

P.S. Did you know that you can't pay FedEx by Credit Card over the phone?!? The only ways to pay are by check, or by emailing them your Credit Card #. They feel that taking CC #s over the phone isn't secure, but that emailing it to their general email account is. They certainly make it difficult to pay them.

QUOTE (0396 @ Sep 16 2005, 04:32 AM)

QUOTE (GWN7 @ Sep 15 2005, 11:07 PM) That sounds like a Fedex policy, not law.........another reason not to use them. The importer (buyer) is responsible for any fees. FedEx and UPS both have a brokerage department which main job is to screw anyone using their services. You could have shipped it freight collect. That way the importer gets screwed not you.   GWN7, Taxes are taxes..no matter who you import with ( UPS or FDX). I do think some of you need to educate your self on how your / our customs dept works. If and only if you want to import /export legit, then follow the UPS and or FDX rules..sorry it's a US / Canadian Customs thing

Actually I know quite a bit about importing and exporting. Having done it for over 8 years as a manufactures rep for various companys. Not saying I know it all, but Fedex and UPS are companys. Their policys (rules) are not the Customs acts which both countrys use when your importing or exporting. I gather you work for one of the two companys mentioned (Fedex?) Sorry if I ruffled your feathers, but in my experence they are both extreemly expensive. Fedex hides the customs charges (fee for filling out the paper work, not the taxes) in there shipping fee, so that it looks easier. UPS breaks down their fees because their brokerage business is done in Canada so they have to charge extra on the tax end (our G.S.T.) and show it as a separate line item so it can be claimed back as a imput credit for a business.

I won't get into delivery problems using those companys as they have been covered in several other threads.

USPS/ Canada Post is the way to ship most items up here. CP only chages $5 to do the paperwork as opposed to 6X that for UPS. If the item is oversized there are other options than using private companys that think they are the government.

You want to get into something that is really confusing? Try reading about the Federal Excise Tax (USA) Most people don't even know it exists.

QUOTE (pete-stevers @ Sep 16 2005, 08:39 AM)

If you are looking to get a car into Canada, you will need to get info to the same border crossing you plan on crossing, 72 hours advance, bill of sale, ownership papers, to the American border including your licence, when you cross the Canadian side, be sure to have proof of purchase, you may have to pay gst but the charge will be reversed as the car is antique, steve

Steve,

you still pay the GST on the value of the car (converted to CDN $) no matter what the age. The antique exemption is if it's over 25 yrs and that is for the Duty because the car was made in Germany. I've brought 4 cars up here. Your right about the other parts, fax a copy of the title & your bill of sale to the US port of export at least 72 hrs in advance of your crossing (fax numbers are listed on the US Customs web site) Have you ID and the original title & bill of sale with you. US Customs will check to see if the title matches the serial number on the car, stamp the title and off you go.