"Duty Free" limit on international online orders
 

Hi all,

I've ordered some batteries and charger from Hobbyking which came out to about $65 and was charged $25 in duty and fees. I remember ordering things online from retailers in Hongkong before (upto $30 or so) and was never charged duty.

Just wondering if there is a $$$ threshold where Canadian custom apply duty on international orders? Or is it random? :-?

Thanks!

it is absolutely and totally random.

I heard that it is $50.
But in my experience, it looks random.

I've had around 50 package that came into canada at my name and never paid a dollar on taxes or duty fees.

2 packages of 200 n 300 from airsodtparks n no duty :)

Whether or not you're dinged for taxes/duty on shipments is somewhat random, but generally it's a safe bet to *expect* taxes at the very least.

To my understanding, there is no "duty free" limit on items you have shipped. It only applies when you actually visit another country.

Most of the time it is not the importing duty, but the HST/GST, I think.

What was the breakdown of the charges? You probably got charged tax and then a flat brokerage fee.

Threshold was 25$ per day. Above that, you can be hit by duties... But I think they have raised it to 35$ a couple weeks/months ago (need confirmation here please)...

But for what i've seen, it's purely random (over the threshold)... Got hit only twice when using HK post, EMT, Singapore Post, USPS or any other transporter that was transfering the package to Canada Post...

$25 sounds about right for tax/duty and broker fee.

At work for $65, I'd pay $3.25 GST + $16.50 entry fee as we already have a broker in place. YMMV depending on which broker you get. eg. UPS in house broker can be a lot more expensive.

Our minimum entry fee is $16.50 but only goes as high as $21.00, regardless of how big the shipment is. Pays to have a broker. (or to do it yourself as it would only cost you time)

You got lucky before with your under $30 shipments. They can still assess a charge, but in most cases you are paying only the GST.

it will show on our waybill the breakdown of the importation costs... and like the others have said, it's totally a random occurrence if you end up paying or not.

13% hst
5% duty (this varies depending on location of manuracture)
and 5-10$ in brokerage/customs clearance process... this is the service ups charges 50-80$ for on top of the other 2.

Import duties can range from 0% (NAFTA items) to 18% for overseas items. This is determined by a specific importation code attached to the package/item by the broker.
Taxes will always be the taxes of the province the package is destined for.
Brokerage/Customs charges will vary depending on the broker used, size of shipment, etc.

And it's the luck of the draw if your package gets pulled for additional inspection, and whether the inspecting officer is having a good day.

I've had packages held for several weeks before clearing without opening. I've had packages held for a single day before being cleared. I've had packages opened but not tagged for taxes, and others that were.

Some days your lucky. Other days, not so much. But the odds are generally in your favour.

I just recieved a 240 dollar box from Hobby King. Inspected, but no extra charges / taxes / duty.

Seems to be 110% random.

Lots and lots of misinformation spewed out here. If you don't know or aren't sure, don't speculate.

It's really random. As far as duties are concerned, Matt got it exactly right. Unless the shipper has explicitly declared that the goods were manufactured outside of NAFTA, you won't be billed for duties. Thousands of packages move in and out each day, CBSA does not have time to figure out the origin of each and every package. This applies for packages mailed in. Bringing it in through customs yourself (by plane, car, or boat) is a different beast. You can find out how much you should be billed with the following document: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-com...-01-99-eng.pdf

Taxes is where you usually will be responsible for. This is the HST (13%) in Ontario, or whatever is equivalent in your province.

As for exemptions: anything under $20 is not charged tax nor duties. Packages declared as "gifts" are exempt from taxes and duties up to $60. If you exceed your gift exemption, you pay taxes/duties on the difference.

Brokerage is carrier specific. You are charged this for basically "borrowing" UPS/USPS/Canada Post/FedEx's money for crossing the border with your items when tax or duties need to be collected. Canada Post/USPS from what I know charges a flat rate of $5, while FedEx and UPS will probably rape you. You can easily Google this to find prices.

In short, if you don't care about how quickly you receive your items and go with EMS/CP/USPS and with something that takes weeks to arrive - you will likely not need to pay at the doorstep. Want speed? Pay for it.