HELP for a Canadian Buyer

mrkim

Travelling enthusiast
Oct 21, 2013
6
0
4,641
I am from Canada and here is my situation:

I just ordered the Canon 24-70 f2.8 ii from B and H during the Double Dip Rebate period and mailed the item to a US city just one hour south of me to avoid the expensive brokerage/shipping fees that would be charged for shipping to Canada.

My question then is, when I go to pick up my order from the Parcel Service company that I used and bring it back across the border, will I be charged additional taxes on my way back? I have tried to consult the information on the CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) website as well as the Cross-Border Tax, Duty, and Brokerage Fees, Demystified section on http://www.photoprice.ca/article/tax-duty-brokerage-demystified to see if I could find any clear answers, but I did not find any.

If anyone who is familiar with the issue could provide their insight on the matter, it would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

CanadianTryingToSaveMoney
 
mrkim said:
I am from Canada and here is my situation:

I just ordered the Canon 24-70 f2.8 ii from B and H during the Double Dip Rebate period and mailed the item to a US city just one hour south of me to avoid the expensive brokerage/shipping fees that would be charged for shipping to Canada.

My question then is, when I go to pick up my order from the Parcel Service company that I used and bring it back across the border, will I be charged additional taxes on my way back? I have tried to consult the information on the CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) website as well as the Cross-Border Tax, Duty, and Brokerage Fees, Demystified section on http://www.photoprice.ca/article/tax-duty-brokerage-demystified to see if I could find any clear answers, but I did not find any.

If anyone who is familiar with the issue could provide their insight on the matter, it would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

CanadianTryingToSaveMoney

There is so much confusion over this issue for so little reason.

As a starting point, assume this: everything you buy in the us and bring across the border, whether personally or by shipping, is subject to the same tax you'd pay at retail in Canada.

So yes, you'll have to pay hst.

The process is super simple, when you get to the border answer yes when they ask if you have anything to declare, they will direct you topark and go inside. Present yyour receipt, they'll generate a bill, you pay it with cash or credit an your done, super easy.

Most agents tend to give you a bit of a break, often when I declare say 600 they charge me hst on 500.

Whatever you do don't try and cheat. If they catch you and they will they will make the process super annoying and will flag you for extra checks every time you cross the border in the future.

Ttyl
 
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Thanks for your quick reply and help hgraf! :)

On another note, does can anyone clarify this part of the Terms and Conditions of the Rebate?

"Use of the Reward Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a
reward or a gift and that no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder in exchange for this Reward Card. Except where prohibited by law, a $2.00 monthly
service fee (waived for the first six months after delivery of Reward Card to Cardholder) applies. Available funds on the Reward Card do not expire. See Cardholder
Agreement for complete terms and conditions"


Does this mean that after 6 months, there will be a charge that is associated with keeping the card if it is not fully used by the end of that time?
 
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mrkim said:
Thanks for your quick reply and help hgraf! :)

On another note, does can anyone clarify this part of the Terms and Conditions of the Rebate?

"Use of the Reward Card constitutes acknowledgement that it is given as a
reward or a gift and that no consideration, value, or money has been paid by the holder in exchange for this Reward Card. Except where prohibited by law, a $2.00 monthly
service fee (waived for the first six months after delivery of Reward Card to Cardholder) applies. Available funds on the Reward Card do not expire. See Cardholder
Agreement for complete terms and conditions"


Does this mean that after 6 months, there will be a charge that is associated with keeping the card if it is not fully used by the end of that time?
The rebate is for US residents only, but assuming you get one, Yes, you need to use up the card within 6 months or they will charge you a percent of the remaining balance. For me, it was no issue, I used mine to buy groceries at Costco and other places, it was gone in 3 weeks.
Read the fine print on the back of the rebate form.[font=arial#20narrow,bold]"Terms of offer: [/font][font=arial#20narrow]Offer good in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico"[/font]
 
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Thank you for the clarification Mt. Spokane!

I will point out however that I did carefully go over the details of the rebate in regards to who would be eligible to claim the rebate and the details specifically state
"Offer good in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on products purchased by an end-user customer from Canon Authorized Dealer
only"

This should mean that because I bought the lens from B and H (a Canon Authorized Dealer) and am using a US address to claim the rebate, that I fall under the requirements of the rebate :)
 
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mrkim said:
Thank you for the clarification Mt. Spokane!

I will point out however that I did carefully go over the details of the rebate in regards to who would be eligible to claim the rebate and the details specifically state
"Offer good in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, on products purchased by an end-user customer from Canon Authorized Dealer
only"

This should mean that because I bought the lens from B and H (a Canon Authorized Dealer) and am using a US address to claim the rebate, that I fall under the requirements of the rebate :)

That should work.
 
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