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Nope thats actually how much i paid (the part was a gasket for a CB450 gas cap, the jacket no one else bid on it, was ~14 GBP before exchange conversion). I cant remember the last time anyone actually put lower than my buying price on a customs sticker, i think that USPS/customs has been cracking down on it because 99% of ebay auctions list up front that they dont and will not list anything for lower than sale price or as a gift on the customs forms.Originally Posted by JohnnyP636
I also didnt pay anything on a gas tank which was 50 dollars declared value (looking at the box in the corner right now). Its not an automatic thing coming from US to canada via regular postal service, its whatever customs pulls in their random searches. Maybe there are some things that make packages more likely to get searched, like a certain person sending a ton of stuff over the border every day, or the way the boxes are taped up, but its still fairly random.
Like everything else, some people are lucky and hardly ever pay, some people get screwed on every single thing they buy. Watch, now for the rest of my life i will always have to pay because ive jinxed myself.
I'm glad to live about 15 minutes from the US mailing address that I use, frequently! I usually hop over to the US side from the Rainbow Bridge around 10:30 am weekdays, line ups never happen during that time of the day. Just this week I had about $400 worth of stuff in the truck and the woman at customs waves me right through... sometimes you get lucky other times you have to pay taxes.
Dealer/Vendor
This is not B/S. I can only speak from personal experience. Here's an example : this spring I brought up 10 sets of motorcycle disassembly bolts from MAXSALVAGE, A large bike salvage yard in the states. I paid $175 for the bolts, plus 75$ for USPS shipping. It arrived at my door with a USPS packing slip that read 175$, no Canada Customs notice, nothing else at all. The poor postal lady could barely move it, it weighed so much
I have had had countless packages slip through in the mail, regardless of their declared value. That's not to say I havent paid when the Canada Post package lady shows up at my door,..... I have, it just doesnt happen very often.
If I knew my US importing experiences were going to come under scrutiny and called BS, I would have saved my boxes. It seems BobJohnson, EX500R2001, and regder(all who've had similar experiences) must be BSing too??????????
DUNLOP GP-A Trackday Special !! 219.99$ a set!
I used usaddressinc recently (bought a pair of jackets & riding pants). Excellent experience (great price savings, free shipping & $5 to receive & store the package). The problem was coming back over the border. I travel across for shopping with the wife about once a month and have had good luck in never being pulled over. Not this time. I rode the bike over to pick up the jackets...I stuffed one in my side bag and wore the other one and the pants and didnt declare them. Big mistake. I was pulled over and the 3 items were seized. I had to pay a penalty + taxes to get them back (total $190 on $500 (CDN value) worth of goods) + apparently now my file has a 'failed to delcare' flag on it which I am sure will make future crossings painful.
So, I question you guys whether you declare the stuff or not. To R1Guy, if you didn't delcare and you had to pay taxes, did they pull you over? What's the process?
'09 Suzuki Bandit 1250 SEA
Dealer/Vendor
My ebay feedback is 100%. Not sure if I'm on a BBL. Any way to find out?
Here's my "threat to return". I asked eBay, and they said I am completely within my right to refuse the item for a change in agreed shipping method.
Feel free to use it if you like. It works like a charm, and i have yet to have a problem since I posted it. I copy/paste it into the "message to seller" box on every international purchase I make on ebay:
"By me paying for this item and USPS shipping in full, we have entered into a contract. As partial consideration for my payment, you have agreed to send the auction item to me by United States Postal Service. If the item is sent in any other fashion, it will not be accepted. UPS, Fedex, Purolator, DHL, or other common courier packages will not be accepted! The item will be "Returned to Sender", and I will request a refund via an eBay email. If a refund is not sent within a 72 hours of this request, I will file a SNAD claim(Significantly Not As Described) with ebay, and ask for dispute resolution. This may lead to neutral or negative feedback for the entire transaction.
Save us both the aggravation, and send the item by USPS the first time!
Thank you for your co operation.
5LV8RX7"
DUNLOP GP-A Trackday Special !! 219.99$ a set!
I declare everything.
I got in trouble once too, and for me it's just not worth it. The fine is 55% of your under-evaluation (sp?). Based on that, how many times would you have to sneak stuff through before you end up with net savings if you have to pay that fine. Not to mention the time you'll have to spend at the border and now your license plate has a "flag" associated with it. Everytime you cross from now on, especially if you go to a new border crossing, there's a good chance you'll get pulled and Canada Customs will take a look in your car. Knowing this, i always make sure my car is fairly empty so i'm not taking stuff over with me for no reason. (i have a rant thread in Trash Talk about this at the moment) They're normally pretty good about it if they do search my car because it's empty, they just open all the doors, take a look and see that i don't have anything and i'm on my way in usually 15 minutes.
For me, i just declare everything. Motorcycle parts, car parts, tools, the kind of stuff i get 99% of the time is duty free anyhow so it's just the 13% tax.
Just my $0.02
www.tt-racing.ca
AM #483 - 2010 ZX-10R.
Thanks to: Inglis Cycle Pro6 Cycle Armour Bodies PBI Sprockets Dunlop Motorcycle Blue Streak Racing VnM Sportgear
I always declare everything in the truck... I have the receipts ready for the inspector along with my passport, quick to answer any questions with complete honesty. I don't know why they will sometimes just say carry on and other times not... I don't know anyone that works at Customs so I don't know what the procedures are. But this particular time with the $400 dollars worth of product I had all the receipts ready... she (border guard) didn’t' want to see them, when she asked what I was bringing back I told her motorcycle parts but the price of parts never came up.... and that's no BS
I've also had stuff shipped directly to my house in Canada but I'll only do that if it is shipped USPS... Most times I don't get charged taxes or duties.
I declare everything too and have only had to pay once (see Caboose's thread).
It's just not worth it for me to lie about it. I have receipts ready with passport.
You all must be very lucky, because I almost always pay on anything around or over $50...Its the law, and Canada customs always charge me tax/duty/brok if my packages apply...I cant see how you could get a $175 value package through without paying at least tax, unless of coarse its not listed as a sale on the documents or the seller listed a lower then actual value...Are you sure the seller did not list it as a gift, commercial sample, return, warranty, or other with explanation?
I have many boxs here some with Canada customs receipts on them and some without, it depends on the declaration...I have about 5 more packages on the way that will show up any day now, Im sure half of them will be taxed and the other not because of how the documents are filled out..
Im not saying you are BSing, but you need to really check the documents to see why your not paying any tax. On a $175 value due to a sale, you should have been charged tax if the documents were filled out legit...
Last edited by JohnnyP636; 05-13-2010 at 09:03 AM.
Not speaking for anyone... but I've had packages shipped with USPS with declared value over $100 and I didn't get charged duties or taxes, they were not shipped as gifts either.
Then what was the listed reason for import? gifts arent the only thing that will bypass taxing
Kinda hard to believe you guys when I have a Canada customs receipt right in front of me for a package valued at $23.61 Canadian...And was charged $1.18 GST $1.89 PST and $5 handling fee(brokerage). Again I dont question you not paying tax, that happens, I question your documents and declaration, because that is what makes the difference between paying or not...
This one was listed as a gift, and I actually payed over $500 for it....No duty as the motorcycle parts are made in the US so it does not apply....Its all in the documents I tell you!
Last edited by JohnnyP636; 05-13-2010 at 09:26 AM.
I've ordered crap from eBay and business' from the States and the ones that get shipped to Canada Via USPS will sometimes slip through with no taxes or duties, I don't know why... I don't ask the parties at the other end to ship any other way than what they would normally. I don't see gifts written on the labels or anything else that would give it a free pass cross the border.
Maybe packages are getting a lot of attention because your shipment contains lots of boxes shipped all at once? Believe me sometimes I wonder why some of the goods are getting dinged and other times they are not... I have no idea but I'm not about to start probing and stir the hornets nest.
Next shippment I'll hang onto the package label...and post it.
That box was one box 10"x10"
If you guys arent paying anything when you should be, I want to know why so I dont have to pay anymore either...
I know how to make the shipper fill out the documents so I dont pay anything, but some will just not do that for you...And I dont like asking, I just hope for the best...Sometimes you win and sometimes you loose, but in my experience it all relates to the declaration on the documents..Not "it slipped through"
I have shipped appox 15 purchases from ebay in the last month with USPS values from 100-800 dollars and havent been hit with customs, duties or taxes on any of them.
And that proves what? what was the declaration for those? Without that your info means nothing......
I got $2500 rims and payed nothing, but I had the seller send them as a warranty. You dont pay tax on a warranty because you already payed it the first time you received the item and they cant charge you twice
documents people documents!
I dont have them any more sorry, I do know there were no customs documents on the packages.
Steve
Then the shipper must have used one of the loop holes for you....You got lucky because the seller hooked you up with the declaration, not because Canada customs let your package slip through without caring about collecting tax from you...You can see they care about every dollar as they charged me $3.07 tax on a $23 package....LOL Its the Gov they will suck every penny they can from you
They are probably watching this thread, and all you lucky people will be flagged....LOL
Found 3 of the packages 2 from US 1 from Italy
Customs is Gov. but it also is run by people... maybe its the end of a shift or maybe joe blow Gov. worker just couldn't give a sh*t... who knows.
I do think your right about paper work as well... I've had warranty stuff come over no problems and I've also had gifts cross no problems. Had a bad experience with a jacket from Pakistan once... the shipper included the shipping in his selling price and shipped the jacket with a low value ( i didn't ask for that) Hamilton customs jumped all over that. Eventually I got my money back from the seller but what a pain in the arse.
I know a customs agent that works in mail processing.
Package checks are random unless you're a known offender or the declaration looks intriguing/interesting or is questionable.
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