Shipping camera to Canada?? Need some information.

[asha]

I am trying to sell a camera on Ebay. A buyer asked me if I can ship to Canada.

I have never shipped anything to Canada before, so I am clueless.

This is a brand new camera that is also sold in Canada.
Will I have to do some special mailing?
How do I find out how much this will cost? Customs fee? etc

What should I know? I just told the guy, I need to find out more about this before I answer his question.

Please help,
Thanks,
Asha

[mom2binsd]

If you go on the discussion boards on ebay there are some very helpful folks, I find the ones on the children's clothing board helpful and they often discuss non clothing items- in the last day or so they discussed shipping to Canada, as I have family in Canada and from reading the ebay boards, avoid using UPS or other shipping companies as they charge a brokerage fee, using regular mail is generally cheaper...it is more complicated to ship there esp. higher value items but the ebay boards should answer your questions.

[MontrealMum]

I live in Canada and I have my parents ship me things from the US all the time - though nothing as expensive as a camera.

Generally, someone ordering something across the border like that will have to pay GST, PST and duties. GST and PST are federal and provincial sales taxes, and their total depends on the province the buyer lives in. Duty is a separate fee which is assessed on anything entering a country not accompanied by an actual person (ie - mail order).

Larger companies such as LLBean, JCrew etc. take all these charges into account when someone orders something, and it all goes on their credit card at once which is very easy for the buyer. Other, smaller companies use brokerage firms and either collect at the door or send the buyer a bill later. Those who are just sending things in the mail (like you) generally just ship the thing off via the regular mail, and the sender is responsible for paying the tax and duties on their end.

As the sender you take the package into your post office and fill out a little green slip stating what's in the package, and what it's worth - ie what your buyer paid. You should also state the country of manufacture. Due to NAFTA a Canadian buyer is not required to pay tax on items manufactured in NAFTA nations. Not likely with a camera, but who knows?

Customs Canada watches packages as they enter the country and may open your package to confirm what's in it, and also to decide what tax/duties to assess. It's a good idea to include some sort of documentation as to this -like a sales slip. Your buyer will then have to pay the postman in cash or by check when it's delivered (PITA) - or if he's not at home, when he picks it up as his postal outlet (that's what we have here in Quebec, not sure which province your buyer is in). The card left in his mailbox will state whether he owes anything and what it is.

Generally speaking when I have bought things from Ebay or used items from the US Amazon, the seller's listing contains a caveat like: buyer pays all tax and duties. People are usually aware that Customs Canada is responsible for assigning those fees, it's not something that the seller is equipped to take care of, or can predict. Unless you're a larger storefront business, they should not expect this of you.

You could send it UPS or FedEx but they do charge a fee in addition to the tax/duty which would be charged by the USPS. They do have the advantage of having a tracking number in case something is lost. I would definately send it registered or express mail (if you're doing the USPS route) so that you have some proof of: when you sent it, and a way to track it. I don't know if they do insurance included in their expedited pricing or not.

I have received some packages that I expected to have to pay tax/duty on, but they somehow made it under the radar, and I paid nothing. So, you never know. But this generally occurs with packages that are not sent via registered mail, or express mail. As an ebay seller you probably don't want to go that route in case the package got lost.

Something else to be aware of: post-9/11 there are very strict rules about what can be mailed out of the country (either way, from the US or from Canada). Your post office should have a list of these. Some are pretty self-evident, like things that are combustible, but there are a number of electronics on the list too. You might want to check the Post Office's website to make sure.

I've noticed that some electronc merchandise sold by online retailers are not available for shipping to Canada, although their other products are. I had a package of hand lotion all ready to ship to my Mom for her birthday and the post office wouldn't take it when they saw what was on my customs slip - lotion has alcohol in it. So, you wouldn't want to tell your buyer that you will ship it etc. only to find out that you're not allowed to.

You also want to keep in mind that Canada is divided into zones for predicting delivery of packages. So, if your buyer is in Ontario or Quebec he's in zone 1 and can expect to receive his package fairly quickly. If he's in the Yukon...it's going to take awhile. A tracking number is a good idea so that he can be sure you've sent it and not just sit around wondering.

So, I'd check out those ebay boards, keep the above in mind, and then tell the guy: whether it's legal to ship or not, when you're going to send it and maybe a tracking number, and that he is responsible for the duties/taxes on his end.

[asha]

WOW!!!
Montreal Mom, That was a detailed response.

Thanks for taking the time to explain everything to me. I owe you a big Thank you for that.

It seems like a hassle to do all that. I might just tell that seller that I cannot ship.

I will check out the ebay boards before I decide though.

Thanks again ladies,
Asha