Jan,
There are no customs duties on equipment that is made in the US and imported
into Canada. If it is made in Japan then NAFTA does not apply and customs
duties are
charged.
Ben Poels
Kingston, Ontario
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jan Steinman
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 12:51 PM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Customs Duties-Another question
>From: "Arnab Kumar Banerjee" <arnabkb@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Having never ordered any photo equipment in the mail before, I am not sure
>how these things work...
>Arnab.
>ON, Canada.
How it is SUPPOSED to work between the US and Canada under NAFTA is that
there are no national customs import duties on almost everything in either
direction. Period.
However, you must still pay PST (which I think is 8 0n Ontario), since
NAFTA does not regulate provincial sales tax, only national import duty. On
top of that, some shippers charge you an outrageous "Customs Brokerage
Fee." Avoid UPS like the plague -- I recall once receiving a $50 item with
$4 of PST and a $24 "brokerage fee!" Outrageous! If the seller insists on
shipping UPS, tell them you'll take your business elsewhere, especially if
it is a cheap item.
As I recall, FedEx charged a $10 or $15 brokerage fee. I think Canada Post
was only an Arctic Peso or two. Not only that, they missed charging
anything about half the time, whereas UPS viewed the faithful execution of
Her Majesty's laws for their profit potential, I'm sure.
Bottom line: ship standard international post for the best deal.
Disclaimer: I'm not a Canadian, but I played one on TV once, until my mom
scolded me for scratching the finish. Perhaps a "real Canadian" can jump in
with any corrections to my experiences as an ex-pat in Ottawa.
: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229
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