Duties/Taxes from Canada to United States (US)

Oct 30, 2011
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This may have been touched on, and I found a past thread, but it was not as helpful as many of you can be because of your personal experiences.
The Chanel thread may be a bit more helpful because the price of a Chanel can be much higher than other bags so I'm afraid duty/tax will be higher!

I just purchased a used Chanel M/L Caviar Flap via Bonanza after having it authenticated via the "Authenticate This" Thread. I purchased and seller said they would pay all shipping fees, but I didn't think of it until now that I may have to pay because I am importing a good. She has asked if I want the bag declared for the full value (which I do because I spend a pretty penny on it). My questions are:

-What type of fees to I have to "look forward to" when the bag is "imported" even though it is used? (Seller will claim its value over 2500 USD).

-Is requesting her use of Candian Post over UPS/FedEX better?


I'm concerned with fees that are a couple hundred dollars. I mean the bag is used and I got a good deal, but I'm starting to get nervous I'll be hit with hundreds in fees! Any guidance?
 
amag520 said:
This may have been touched on, and I found a past thread, but it was not as helpful as many of you can be because of your personal experiences.
The Chanel thread may be a bit more helpful because the price of a Chanel can be much higher than other bags so I'm afraid duty/tax will be higher!

I just purchased a used Chanel M/L Caviar Flap via Bonanza after having it authenticated via the "Authenticate This" Thread. I purchased and seller said they would pay all shipping fees, but I didn't think of it until now that I may have to pay because I am importing a good. She has asked if I want the bag declared for the full value (which I do because I spend a pretty penny on it). My questions are:

-What type of fees to I have to "look forward to" when the bag is "imported" even though it is used? (Seller will claim its value over 2500 USD).

-Is requesting her use of Candian Post over UPS/FedEX better?

I'm concerned with fees that are a couple hundred dollars. I mean the bag is used and I got a good deal, but I'm starting to get nervous I'll be hit with hundreds in fees! Any guidance?

Ask the seller to declare the bag as GIFT with insurance of full value. I've heard use post is better than FedEx or UPS.
 
Thank you for you help. She is definitely using Post but I will find out today what the deal is because she is shipping today. I suppose I'll find out the fees when it comes to me. I did the UPS "estimate" and it said almost $200 in fees, but I think that was for a new bag.
 
Canada Post will only insure up to $1000. If you upgrade to CanadaPost-FedEx service, they can insure more but that will be delivered by FedEx, and the fee is well over $100

In the past, I have never had problems with duties in the US. My buyers usually ask that I declare for full value, and insure for the maximum, and nobody has ever been assessed duties or taxes.
 
Hi, Does anyone know what the US Customs charges are when buying a vintage Chanel bag from Canada? The seller says her customers are not usually charged customs/duty fees. Any help would be greatly appreciated. i want the bag, but want to know the full cost before I buy.
 
The only way you could 'avoid' customs charges and duties is to ask your seller to declare your item at a lower amount (of course not recommended).

You will also be taking a risk that if customs does open your package to check (which is very unlikely to happen), they will know that your item is under-declared. I haven't seen or heard this happen but I'm guessing it would be quite troublesome.
 
I've done this in reverse. I sold a bag to a Canadian who didn't want to pay customs. So she asked me to put a $100 value on the package. I had it in writing though that she would take the loss if something happened or it was confiscated by customs. It was risky because it couldn't be insured for the full amount so it would tip someone off (declared value $100 but insured for $3000). It made it through no problem. But I would not do it again.
 
Customs, IMHO, is just too much of a hassle. So I always try to find items of high value from the US. Sorry I'm not much help. But best wishes in whatever you decide. : )
 
Hi, Does anyone know what the US Customs charges are when buying a vintage Chanel bag from Canada? The seller says her customers are not usually charged customs/duty fees. Any help would be greatly appreciated. i want the bag, but want to know the full cost before I buy.
From http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/basic_trade/internet_purchases.xml

Informal Entries: If the value of your purchase(s) is less than $2000 and your goods are being shipped by mail or freight, they may, in most cases, be imported as an informal entry. However, there are exceptions to this. For instance, if the importation is determined to be for commercial purposes, the value limit for filing an informal entry for many textile items is either $250 or $0 - depending on whether or not the item is subject to Quota (see below). Clearing goods through CBP as an informal entry is less arduous a process than clearing them by filing a formal entry. Essentially, when goods are cleared as an informal entry, CBP will prepare the paperwork, including determining the classification number and duty rate for your merchandise.

The duty rate for many items typically bought in an on-line auction is zero, however, CBP may charge a small processing fee for mail imports that do require the payment of duty.

If your goods are sent by a courier or express service, their brokers will usually handle the paperwork, and bill you for their services.

If your goods are being shipped by freight, and you want to clear them through CBP yourself, be sure the shipping company has instructions to deliver them to a port near you. Otherwise, you will need to arrange for someone else to clear the goods for you when they arrive. Your alternative is to ask the seller to make arrangements to have your goods forwarded to your door, in which case you should expect to pay for the services of the customs broker who coordinates this when your goods arrive in the U.S.A.