Has anyone else in this group had any problems with Canada Customs and it's levying of excessive duties on instruments bought in the USA and shipped to Canada?
I have had a few unfortunate experiences with their bizarre way of attaching duties and percentages to instruments that I have had shipped here. One example was that I am a very big fan of arch-tops and had a S.S.Stewart arch-top that I had paid $160 American for through E-Bay shipped to my home and to my surprise I was not allowed to take possession until I paid the $66.00 duty bill. I find this extremely outrageous . I am baffled by their calculation of what duty rate of duty should be attached. Believe me, this had been the standard for about 4 other instruments that I have bought through auction sites from the US . I guess what I am hinting at is maybe there is a need and a want for a separate category within the Banjo Hangout community for Canadian listings .
Oilerguy.
11 Comments |
 | theoldman says:
11/19/2012 7:57:02 AM
I have had similar experiences with Canadian customs. I now do not order large products from the US. This is a shame. I know that I'm losing out but I do not want to get ripped off by customs.
When I purchased my Deering Goodtime I found a Canadian distributor and avoided the whole customs mess. I would not have purchased that banjo otherwise.
I for one would appreciate a Canadian only catagory on this site. Whenever I see an item that is up for sale here the first thing I check for is location. This would simplify things greatly.
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 | kino99 says:
11/19/2012 8:00:35 AM
Hi Oiler,
You are able to search Canadian listings in the Classifieds. Just choose by Country and select Canada.
Re duties and taxes, there are a few things at play. If the instrument is US made, there is no duty. If it was charged, you can get a refund. Re tax, you have to pay the HST - 13% in Ontario. Then, you have to pay a custom brokers fee, which starts around $22 for anything with a value over $100 or so - yes, the is a stupid cash grab, but it pays someone to do the paperwork to have it clear customs.
If you were to bring it over the border yourself, you would only pay the HST or sales tax.
Mike.
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 | Oilerguy says:
11/19/2012 8:03:45 AM
Hi. yes I totally agree and as far as the hunt for some great instruments seems to be limited to local Kijiji listings and of course,The Banjo Hangout, to which I have had two great buying and selling experiences with ,but yes I certainly would support a "Canadian Corner" so to speak.
Cheers,
Oilerguy
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| Oilerguy says:
11/19/2012 8:08:54 AM
Thanks Mike That is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for and certainly stuff that I was not aware of. I will most definitely contact Canada Custom's and research it further. Cheers, Oilerguy
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 | Fathand says:
11/19/2012 8:14:43 AM
I have bought hundreds of items from the USA on ebay. Many of these were heavy and valuable antique motorcycle parts. I learned a few things very quickly.
There is NO Duty on US made Instruments or any US made items other than alcohol and tobacco. You do pay GST and PST or HST depending on your province. This is 13% in Ontario but is often not charged for lower value items.
You do not want to have your item shipped by couriers such as UPS, FedEx or DHL. These couriers charge a "Brokerage Fee" for filling out the paperwork. It starts around $20 and I have had it attached to items as low as $10. Couriers also always charge every penny of tax they can because they get a percentage to collect it.
Any time you order from the USA, have your item shipped through the Post Office (USPS). When it arrives the Post Office may or may not charge you the 13% taxes depending on the value. I have sometimes been kucky on items up to $200. If they do they also charge a "Handling Fee" of $5 or $8.
I refuse to buy anything unless the seller will ship it through the Post Office or the deal is so cheap that it covers the extra courier charges. The paperwork at the Post Office takes about a minute or can be done by the seller online. Alternately, have the item shipped to a US friend near the border or go for a road trip and pick it up. Last year I stopped in NJ on my way home from Florida and picked up a banjo that I had pre-arranged.
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 | Spitfire-Smith says:
11/19/2012 9:16:00 AM
I bought my Recording King R35 this last May from Zepp's and was having it shipped to Pembina, ND as they were doing free shipping at the time. I drove across the border to pick it up.
When I was coming back to Canada, I must have gotten a border guard in a really good mood. He explained to me how the duty works on instruments and that almost any item you can bring across the border has a separate duty rate to it. He said that banjos, mandolins and ukeleles all shared a 4% duty rate (from what I can remember). He also said that these items were subject to GST & PST when coming into the country. This would work out to an effective tax rate of 16% here in MB.
After all of this discussion with him he sent me down the line to the cashier and it turns out he only charged me the GST on it! In talking with some other people about this, they have had the same luck to. It all depends who you hit at the border. If you have the means to pick stuff up in the US from a parcel holding service or someone you know, I would highly recommend it, as you may get lucky bringing your stuff across too!
Dwayne
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 | roady24 says:
11/19/2012 9:58:35 AM
Only buy an item if you can have it shipped by the postal service. Often there is no tax charged at all or at the most HST. all the couriers like Fed X and UPS charge a Customs broker fee of about $35 plus taxes.
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 | Pluckin Mutha says:
11/19/2012 10:58:30 AM
As stated above, there is no "DUTY" on US or Canadian made products.
It is the HST (harmonized Sales Tax) you are paying.
I bought a $100 "project banjo" last march and brought it back in my car with no hassles. It was within my allowable purchase limit.
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 | SirRight says:
11/19/2012 12:59:55 PM
Customs saw me coming then. For my wonderful Deering Calico that I bought last year, I paid an extra $75.96 in broker fees. Doesn't matter because it only took 2 or 3 days to receive it, out in the boonies.
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 | banjaboy says:
1/5/2013 2:32:13 PM
I live 10 miles north of the US border, I buy everything in the US and have it shipped to a service in a border town in Wa. I bring the stuff back, declare it and have never ever had to pay duty. The largest thing was a $750 guitar, they only care about booze cigs and drugs.
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| Oilerguy says:
1/5/2013 3:28:47 PM
Banjaboy. Thanks for the comment. I live right on the border with the bridge to the USA just down the street and unfortunately that is not the case here.Duty is the order of the day on any goods or items over the daily allotment which was $20-$25 per but now has been raised to a $200 daily exemption but anything like an instrument would be most certainly be taxed,especially since there is a casino just a mile away,so we are scrutinized to death here.Cheers, Oilerguy
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