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Thread: Duty?? - UPDATE

  1. #1
    EllasMum's Avatar
    EllasMum is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default Duty?? - UPDATE

    Rotten FedEx. About 2 weeks after receiving my stroller, I got a FedEx invoice for "customs clearance charges". I paid $15.00 in "brokerage fees", $3.09 in GST, and $0 duty. Unbelievable - a brokerage fee for a zero duty purchase. Nice. x(

    Does anyone have any experience with duty on international orders? I received a "you have a parcel" notice today and marked on it is an amount owing. I am guessing this would be duty? I think it is a shipment I ordered from hannaandersson.com, but I am sure that when the total on their invoice came up it included duty. Any idea what this additional charge could be?? The order was roughly $65 and the amount owing on the notice was $30... that can't be right, can it? 50% duty charge??? Please help!


    Thanks!
    Susan
    ~~~
    Susan
    DD 08-2005
    Impatiently awaiting adoption match!
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  2. #2
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    Default RE: Duty??

    It shouldn't be from Hanna - they include duty when they charge you as you mentioned. But, unfortunately, duty can be that nearly that much. Last month I ordered a shirt for Ryan from Janie & Jack, it was $20 US. When the package came I had to pay $11 duty. Eeek! I have ordered from there before and NEVER paid that much. In 2004, for $20 US I used to pay $7.XX (5 of that being the fee charged by Canada Post). Now I have to be really careful about what I order, and I try my best to find the same item (or an ok substitute) in Canada.

    OT, but wasn't it you that was looking for the FP hedgehog? Did you find one? They are back in stock at TRU Market Mall now.

    Natalie


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    bubbaray is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Duty??

    Hanna charges you duty on your invoice. Perhaps its something else?

    Or, if you ordered it express, $50 of that $65 will be the FedEx/UPS "brokerage" fee.

    Some items are 50% duty. Duty is charged on the type of item and the country of origin. Plus, you pay GST on the amount of the goods.

    HTH

    Melissa

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    EllasMum's Avatar
    EllasMum is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Duty??

    Nope I ordered it regular (not express) and the invoice showed the total, with shipping, duty and taxes to be $77. I am wondering if this mysterious $30 might be duty on a Zooper Salsa umbrella stroller I got from eBay - although the stroller is coming by Fed-Ex and their tracking website shows it to be in Richmond BC - so why would Canada Post here have the duty charge??! I will be really curious to see what the parcel is there tomorrow. $30. Ouch. I'm at a loss. :(
    ~~~
    Susan
    DD 08-2005
    Impatiently awaiting adoption match!
    Cure FOP - www.ifopa.org
    ~~~

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    EllasMum's Avatar
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    Default RE: Duty??

    Hi Natalie - yep, that was me looking for the hedgehog. I went to MM TRU after I read your post back when I was searching for one, but it was gone. :( I did end up getting one on eBay, though! I'm sure I paid way too much but it has turned out to be DD's favourite toy! She loves it! I'll have to pop in to MM TRU and see just how much extra I paid!

    How are you feeling these days? How's #2 coming along??

    Susan
    ~~~
    Susan
    DD 08-2005
    Impatiently awaiting adoption match!
    Cure FOP - www.ifopa.org
    ~~~

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    Default RE: Duty??

    I just got some Bobux via Canada Post and the mailman charged me $10 -- $5.00 was their Handling Fee and the rest was GST & PST.
    It urkes me -- sometimes I have no fee and other times get dinged pretty heavily. It seems to be no rhyme or reason...

    I really didn't want to spend $36 USD on baby shoes but that is what ended up happening...$30.00 though on a $50 order -- that sucks!

  7. #7
    Piglet is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Duty??

    Just a bit of an FYI on duty and such. The duty amount is charged based on what the SENDER states as the value of the good. There can be a BIG difference between what you actually think an item is worth and what the sender thinks it is worth (because they sometimes think that if they put a large value they cover any losses if the package is insured). As far as I can tell, there is no connection between thte stated value of the good on the package and the insurance.

    SO... senders that are familiar with shipping to Canada often will understate or not state the value of the goods. That is why sometimes you get dinged and sometimes you do not. I order from It's a Pag Dolls Life (SKR shoes) and she just omits the amount from the shipping label and I don't pay duty somehow. Other times, I have paid duty because the amount was stated as $30 or whatever.

    The rule from Canada Customs is that duty is payable for anything over $25 CDN unless it is labeled "gift" on the shipping label (the green one on your package). If it is a gift, the amount is $75 CDN. In the future, you would be better off asking a private sender to mark the item, "gift" because the exclusion is higher.

    Oh, and avoid couriers like the plague (unless you want Express shipping). For ground shipping, their brokerage fee is exorbitant. I once had to pay UPS $25 brokerage + $25 duty for a stroller that I paid $100 plus shipping. My bargain stroller turned into a nightmare. I fought the brokerage charge (by trying to argue that it was a used, beat up stroller that the shipper overstated the value on). Once I was burned by the charges, I never made the mistake again and that is true for far too many of us on this board. Now I only order items that are shipped by the postal service (USPS). Canada Post only charges $5, regardless of the value of the item.



    Mommy to:

    DS1 07/2001
    DS2 03/2005

    DD1 05/2007

    DD2 03/2014

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    Neatfreak is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Duty??

    That's a great summary, Marina!
    ~ Laura



    One in 2004 and the other one in 2008

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    Default RE: Duty??

    Thanks Marina for the info -- that clarifies so much.

    As a sidebar, I just received in the mail, no knock at the door from my friendly postman, $100 bucks in jewellery I ordered for DH and no extra $$$ was required. They wrote "jewellery" on the customs form but no value and that slipped through...um,,ok.

  10. #10
    Piglet is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Duty??

    Yeah, that is what I mean when I said they sometimes don't put the value of the item. There have been times when a store has done that for me, but the item was flagged for customs inspection as a result. The item was delayed, but Canada Post never charged me customs. I think that they could have charged me or gotten mad at the seller, but so far it hasn't happened. DH orders things online too and somehow he has never had to pay duty - the stores he deals with seem to know what they are doing.

    I generally try to stick with products that are under $20US or are from private sellers. If I go through a store, then I will only buy if they can ship USPS. I don't gripe about paying duty or taxes, but I HATE paying brokerage fees (they are pretty much made up charges for "negotiating" your sale at the border).


    Mommy to:

    DS1 07/2001
    DS2 03/2005

    DD1 05/2007

    DD2 03/2014

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