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Shipping across the US/Canadian border: A couple questions
Hey Ashtray
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey, I want to buy some nice new headphones that are unreasonably expensive in Canada when compared to what even amazon.com is charging for them. What I'd like to know is: Other than shipping and sales tax, do I get charged anything else for bringing them into Canada? Let's say I order them from Amazon.com, for simplicities sake. The price is $358 before taxes, and I live in Montreal, in case you want to venture a guess.
Thanks!
Thanks!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Hey Ashtray on
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Your best bet is to get an Amerifriend.
Also, please tell me you're in audio editing/DJ work/something that requires $358-cans, because otherwise, holy hell overpriced.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Not to start a debate, but your last sentence is very rude. Who are you to say what someone REQUIRES? Just because a person doesn't work within the field doesn't mean he can't benefit from amazing headphones. We all have ears. Also, just because an item is expensive doesn't mean it is overpriced. With a lot of the higher end audio gear you get exactly what you pay for.
But for the record, I'm a composer/audio engineer with a degree in music, so yes, these are a work tool.
My father has a PO Box set up across the border and get stuff shipped to it. Montreal is pretty close to the border.
For $400 headphones? Absolutely. Having them shipped to an American friend isn't exactly going to help though, since you still have to smuggle them over without claiming them*, or else pay the duty.
*don't do this!
Also, you aren't supposed to be charged for goods "Made in the USA," but good luck with that.
1) Amazon.com won't ship anything to canada that they don't normally sell up here so you're stuck with books/cds/dvds
2) USPS is the best for cost as they transfer it to Canadapost and you'll get stick with maybe a $5 fee + taxes/duty which you'll have to pay through anyone. You will however have to deal with a lack of prompt tracking and it'll be slower.
3) Avoid UPS ground like the plague as they will rape you when it comes to brokerage.
4) Fedex air is pretty good (and my favourite) because even though you might get dinged a bit for some brokerage, the tracking/speed is exceptional.
Places I've ordered high end headphones from in the US with good success
www.headphone.com (a little pricer than other places, but very reputable)
www.earphonesolutions.com (for in ear headphones)
i've also done ebay and the head-fi buy/sell but that is of course riskier.
As for calculating duty, you can theoretically do it yourself on the Canadian Boarder Services website. I wish you the best of luck, it's a royal pain in the ass. Also, on top of all that is the Brokerage Fee, which is the money you pay someone else to do all that calculating for you. That's where you get screwed. Duty may only be 10 dollars, but they might charge a $50 minimum.
If you ship the item to a P.O box in the States and then declare it when you cross the border, (as you legally must) you go into the kiosk and will only be charged the duty, not the crazy fees.
I've heard rumour that you can apply to clear your items at customs yourself through UPS, FedEx, etc, preventing the brokerage fees. But I've never actually seen step, by, step direction on how this is done.