Canadian customs

#46
CanuckBagLover said:
I'm mistaken - here's a page from Canadian customs website. You are charged duties on gifts over $60:

Visitors to Canada
What you can bring with you
As a visitor, you can bring certain goods into Canada for your own use as "personal baggage". Personal baggage includes clothing, camping and sports equipment, cameras and personal computers. It also includes vehicles, private boats and aircraft.

You must declare all goods when you arrive at the first CBSA port of entry. Border services officers do conduct examinations of goods being imported or exported to verify declarations. If you declare goods when you arrive and take them back with you when you leave, you will not have to pay any duty or taxes. These goods cannot be:

•used by a resident of Canada;
•used on behalf of a business based in Canada;
•be given as a gift to a Canadian resident; or
•disposed of or left in Canada.
The border services officer may ask you to leave a security deposit for your goods, which will be refunded to you when you export the goods from Canada. Should this occur, the officer will issue a Form E29B (PDF, 507 KB), Temporary Admission Permit, retain a copy and give you one for your records. When you leave Canada, present your goods and your copy of Form E29B to the officer who will give you a receipt copy of the form and your security deposit will be refunded by mail.

Gifts
You can import gifts for friends into Canada duty- and tax-free as long as each gift is valued at CAN$60 or less. If the gift is worth more than CAN$60, you will have to pay duty and taxes on the excess amount. You cannot claim alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or business-related material as gifts.

Here is the website link: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5082-eng.html#s2x2
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Thank you so so much for the information! It's very useful and I can see Canada customs are indeed very tough! Wow!
 
#47
LillyJ said:
I'm planning on purchasing a chanel flap in LA for about $3000. I'm way too nervous to carry it through without declaring it but I can't seem to find anywhere how much I would have to pay for being over the limit. I'm going from thursday-monday so depending on how much I am allowed to bring back, does anyone know approximately the duty/tax price I would need to pay for being over my limit? Really appreciate any responses!!
thanks!
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Leather goods are 11% (some times they smack you with 18%, depending on the counry of origin) duty plus depending on the province PST/GST.
They do not subtract the allowed limit (see above there is a nice table for how long you should be out of the country to have the right to bring goods for XX amount), you pay duty/tax on value of the piece you are bringing in.
 
#48
Ugh, Canadian customs! I got my obitsu from Hong Kong with clearly declared value of USD 325 – no duty, package unopened. My hand cut Italian paper patters, EURO 70 – duty plus PST plus handling (8 bucks), opened package and crushed delicate paper! I’m mad!
 
#50
I recently ordered 2 pairs of Christian louboutin for my bf from NYC's men store, the total came to 2100 as no tax required for my purchase in the states. UpS called me today and told me that I have to pay a custom duty of 681$ I was total shocked! The reason was the shoes were made in Italy , including the import tax on top of HST! Canadian gov is a little ridiculous in this IMO
 
#51
daphnelyzed said:
I recently ordered 2 pairs of Christian louboutin for my bf from NYC's men store, the total came to 2100 as no tax required for my purchase in the states. UpS called me today and told me that I have to pay a custom duty of 681$ I was total shocked! The reason was the shoes were made in Italy , including the import tax on top of HST! Canadian gov is a little ridiculous in this IMO
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Ye, you have to be careful what you buy and who is shipping it. If it is being sent with UPS, FEDEX or DHL be prepared to always pay tax, duty and a ridiculous handling fee.

I agree that the Canadian government is OTT. It bugs me a lot and I am always very careful with how I buy things from international websites or
Stores. Usually I buy things from European retailers and send it to my boyfriends house in Czech. Whenever he goes to czech to visit he brings back all the stuff I bought and never declares it. They have never stopped him and are never really too interested when he approaches the declaration officers.
 
#52
my mum passed away last Feb, she gave me a luxury handbag. do i have to declare when entering canadian custom at the airport, if so, any duty/taxes? anyone has answer to this? Thanks
 
#53
chuan6618 said:
my mum passed away last Feb, she gave me a luxury handbag. do i have to declare when entering canadian custom at the airport, if so, any duty/taxes? anyone has answer to this? Thanks
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Unless you have all the paperwork, starting with the original purchased receipt and your mother’s last will and testament clearly stating that she left you the said bag you will be opening a can of worms to walk there and declare it. Are you just a visitor? Or a returning resident? There is a difference. There is this clause that a person can bring to their country of residence personal belongings (for example, if I’m returning back to my home country I can get my car, providing it was my mine for longer than 5 years and pay no duty).
 
#54
meganfm said:
Really? I have done this with my computer and camera when I travel out of the country (especially to Asia since a lot of people pick up electronics there) and they have never asked for the receipt-I just fill out that form, they check the serial numbers, and stamp it.
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I was just wondering if you do this every time you leave Canada with your computer and camera? Or was it just a one time thing?
 
#55
layd3k said:
I was just wondering if you do this every time you leave Canada with your computer and camera? Or was it just a one time thing?
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My stuff is older now so I don't bother, but I think it's a good idea. I also feel if anything was to be stolen, I have some hard evidence of the value of exactly what I took out of the country with me.
 
#56
So crazy, I have carried expensive items purses etc with me and back and have never been asked to provide a receipt on something that I already own. Who on earth is carrying receipts of their purchases made months or years ago, to show customs upon entry into the country.

Canada customs is truly the worst I've come across and the reason being is that it is simply a cash grab. The government taxes and taxes on anything they can get their hands on. That is their training - lol, - not to keep the country safe - that and they are obviously aware that purchases made in a large part of the world are significantly less due to the high taxes.

Most countries barely ask you a thing when entering or returning.

Their job is to try and collect money, simple as that.
 
#57
Went to NYC last week and came back last night with a gorgeous Saint Laurent mini sac du jour. Declared it on the custom form and was ready to pay taxes and import duty but the lady only asked me what it is, smiled and let me go without having to pay for anything. I am just wondering, if i bring this purse for my future trips outside of Canada, do I need to worry about getting questioned/paying taxes when I come back? Thanks!
 
#58
Hi pls need advice I'm from Ontario and would like to buy a bag from a friend who's living in California. Any experience here how to be sent here in canada avoiding duties or taxes? It's an LV bag and wouldn't want to pay customs as it's used/preloved. Still trying to see if I can pull this through! Thanks
 
#59
I bought a 1800 bag in italy. I was gone for 22 days and declared it when I came back. Customs actually didn't make me pay anything. Anyone know how I got so lucky?
 
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