Canadian members, questions.

Paulabass

Paulabass

Sep 18, 2017
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#1
Who here from Canada has made a private purchase from a TB member in the United States?
Did it go smoothly? Were you charged HST? Does anyone know if CITES is going to be a problem if the bass has an Indian rosewood board? Was the whole thing a poopie-show, and would you and the seller do it again?
Just for the record, it would be a U.S.A. made bass, so there should not be any duties, or tariffs.
 
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#2
Been there done that. The HST is charged if the declared value is over $100 CAD. The CITES issue might creep up if the country of origin is USA. It might pass unchecked or it might be blocked.

Why do you think there should not be any duties or tariffs? NAFTA?

NAFTA does not preclude the Canadian Government to impose tariffs if they feel like it. It is a crap shoot.
 
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#3
^^ Thanks. I was led to believe there were no longer duties between NAFTA countries.
Is the whole process worth the time and money?
I know places like Club bass, and Bass Central are easy to order from, cause they know the hoops. It's a private sale I'm concerned about. It's got to be a pain for the seller.
 
#10
Only you can say if the deal's worth it. CITES is real but I have yet to encounter problems regarding the convention application and I buy/sell in the U.S. weekly (knock on wood).

As Laurie suggested, ask the seller to use USPS/Canada Post. You'll mostly have to pay taxes but they aren't as greedy as UPS (or any other courier) regarding processing fees.
 
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#11
LoTone said:
Been there done that. The HST is charged if the declared value is over $100 CAD. The CITES issue might creep up if the country of origin is USA. It might pass unchecked or it might be blocked.

Why do you think there should not be any duties or tariffs? NAFTA?

NAFTA does not preclude the Canadian Government to impose tariffs if they feel like it. It is a crap shoot.
Click to expand...

the $100 thing does not apply anymore. in the last year or 2 I have been consistently charged taxes on items less than $100.

Paulabass said:
^^ Thanks. I was led to believe there were no longer duties between NAFTA countries.
Is the whole process worth the time and money?
I know places like Club bass, and Bass Central are easy to order from, cause they know the hoops. It's a private sale I'm concerned about. It's got to be a pain for the seller.
Click to expand...

NAFTA does not apply to all "trade". there are certain conditions that must be me for a good or service to be part of the free trade agreement.

Laurie Bass said:
Myself I find is a bass is sent UPS or FedEx then I get dinged on Brokerage/Duty/Taxes fees. If it is shipped via USPS chances are better for a direct to my door delivery with just Taxes oweing... So yes it is a crap shoot
Click to expand...

yes always use USPS. UPS will almost always charge at least $60 in brokerage fees. FedEx seems to be random. most of the time I don't get charged but it does happen. with USPS there are no fees just taxes.
 
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#15
I have been buying from US TB members for 12 years. All good experiences with the sellers. Delivery/shipping is a fine art. Do not get any shipments from UPS. They rape Canadians in brokerage fees. If the box is too big for USPS (preferred method of shipment for receiving goods from US) then go with FedEx. Their brokerage fees are far less than UPS and consistent. UPS outsources to independent brokerage houses and charges are all over the place.

Any declared value of $100 is subject to taxes and brokerage fees. If the item is manufactured in the US there are no duties but sales taxes can apply. Not with USPS but sometimes with FedEx/UPS.

Many people ask US sellers to devalue the item but you take the risk if it is damaged in shipping. i.e. you can't declare a value of $100 and insure it for $1500.

Some people have their US items shipped to friends near the border and have their friends bring in the items. There is risk but many do it.

ALWAYS have written agreement between you and the seller of what you will both do if the item arrives damaged. Get all of the details ironed out before you send money so you both know what happens in the rare case if something goes wrong. This stops a lot of ugly threads from happening.

CITIES - state on the shipping customs label that the neck is maple. No issues and since wood is stated they are not checked. Never had an issue with packages being held for CITIES. If they are held no one gets paid. They don't want that either.

Seriously the only thing stopping US purchases right now is the exchange rate. When we were at par it was great as instruments are about 20%-40% cheaper in the states. It made sense to buy. Now....it makes great sense to SELL!

Hope this helps.
 
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#19
I did a purchase from a US member about a year ago. I went and picked it up. I was charged HST at the border on the declared value (for which I have a receipt). But musical instruments have no duty on them. So only HST. No one asked anything about what woods were involved not did I volunteer any information.
 
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#20
Paulabass said:
Who here from Canada has made a private purchase from a TB member in the United States?
Did it go smoothly? Were you charged HST? Does anyone know if CITES is going to be a problem if the bass has an Indian rosewood board? Was the whole thing a poopie-show, and would you and the seller do it again?
Just for the record, it would be a U.S.A. made bass, so there should not be any duties, or tariffs.
Click to expand...


I have done three TB purchases from USA, they all went smooth as glass. :):thumbsup:
I did confirm that they would ship USPS (postal mail) before I purchased.

Canada Post is hit or miss with charges - typically if it's under $100 I do not get charged anything, but this can vary ( official exemption limit is CAD $20 ). If they do charge, its straight up 12% tax ( 7 percent provincial + 5 Percent federal) and a flat rate 9.95 brokerage fee.

Only one of the three purchases was charged taxes (a USD$300 amp), the other couple were around $100 (pickups) and came in "Scot-free" :D

All were US purchases, and no, (thanks to NAFTA) in Canada there are never any "duty tariffs" on USA musical gear ( I have bought several basses and other gear from USA via reverb, ebay). I always request USPS shipping, and though some of those were upwards of $1000, not all of them got 'dinged' for tax. (Thanks, posties!) :) If you get hit with anything, it's just the tax and brokerage.

Canada Post brokerage fee is a BARGAIN compared with the onerous brokerage larceny that the criminal couriers (UPS, FedEx, Purolator, etc) rip us off with. (Never again will I buy anything from outside of Canada if they cant ship via postal service!)
 
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