3 Oct
2002
3 Oct
'02
4:10 p.m.
--- Eric Smith <eric(a)brouhaha.com> wrote:
I had one of them contact me while the shipment was being held. This
was > 10 years ago and was one of the first times I'd ever ordered
a product by e-mail from Canada. It was also the first time that
this guy (small company) sent any thing _from_ Canada. He just took
it to UPS and off it went.
They wanted $80 to process the paperwork. I told them there was no
way I was paying them and that they needed to send the shipment back
to the shipper. They were genuinely surprised.
What I have learned since then is that when shipping via UPS, a one-
page form, properly filled out, is all you need. No brokers. No
funny business. There is the potential for duty, depending on the
price and nature of the item, but that's a different issue. Mostly,
my personal experiences have been shipping 10" 9-track tapes to
Canadian COMBOARD customers (software, no duty; $4 tape, no duty)
and GG2 Bus+ boards (via Post, so I expect that any duties are paid
by the recipent - I certainly didn't pay any to export - that's
unconstitutional).
ISTR a UPS export declaration form was all I had to submit with my
shipper's book for a pickup. Things may have changed with NAFTA
(easier rather than harder, I would expect), but it shouldn't be
a major production.
Physically taking the goods with you across the border is a different
story. Accompanied goods are subject to different regulations (like
the $100 exemption previously mentioned). Proof of place of manufacture
can be handy ("Made in USA" stickers *should* suffice). Proof of
purchase is nearly as good.
I've never had any problems with bringing anything across the border
with me except the one time I was asked to pay import duty on some
Canadian beer I brought home with me, because I didn't spend enough
time in Canada to qualify for an exemption.
-ethan
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One needs to
consult with a customs broker, and there are many in
business on both sides of the border.
For old equipment, the broker's fee will exceed the import duties you
could expect to pay. I've had people send me stuff from Canada, and
later received outrageous bills from customs brokers, usually for around
five times what I paid for the merchandise. As far as I'm concerned,
I have no established business relationship with these customs brokers.
I did not expect the sender to use such a broker, and was not told that
it would be done. So I have never paid them.