Question about American buying goods in Canada

[pasusan]

I figured someone here might know...

We are going to cross the border into Canada tomorrow to buy some parts for our trailer (Canadian made). I just started wondering about paying duty when we come back to the US. I read a bunch of stuff about having a $200 duty free allowance - what if we spend $1000 or more??? Will we have to pay some special tax or duty on that when we come back?

Anyone know about this or how much of a percent of the cost we'll have to pay? Should we bring cash?

Thanks much and please don't laugh - never did this before. 🙂

[hone_eagle]

JaxDad wrote:

hone eagle wrote:

We declare purchases and every so often get pulled in to secondary where we pay the sales tax (13%) we would of payed here.

But I hope you at least claim the sales tax refund from the State in which you made the purchase.

No use paying double taxes.

Nope, 9 times out of 10 we are told 'have a nice day' even if we are over the daily .
So way ahead anyway.

[JaxDad]

hone eagle wrote:

We declare purchases and every so often get pulled in to secondary where we pay the sales tax (13%) we would of payed here.

But I hope you at least claim the sales tax refund from the State in which you made the purchase.

No use paying double taxes.

[hone_eagle]

Free trade (NAFTA) means no duty for the most part but Iam sure there are exceptions ,are we saying duty when we mean sales tax ?
They never go away.
We declare purchases and every so often get pulled in to secondary where we pay the sales tax (13%) we would of payed here.
Never any duty except on overseas products.

[Grey_Mountain]

Actually, it never occurred to me to declare the repair parts for the car. Had I thought of it, I would have.
When Customs asked if I had anything to declare, I handed them a printed sheet itemizing what we bought, how many, unit price and total price, with an overall total at the bottom.
IIRC, the law requires that you declare everything, even though there may or may not be duty required on it.

GM

[Jarlaxle]

It's only illegal if you get caught.

[msmith1199]

Grey Mountain wrote:
We just returend from Canada and declared about $1300 for various purchases. We were allowed $800 each after a 48-hour plus stay.
We were not allowed to bring our tomatoes across. Had no citrus on board. Had no problem with beef and pork products.
Had $1300 repair bill on the toad, didn't even consider declaring the parts.
There will always be some who will tell of an illegal way around the law.


GM

But if you didn't declare the parts you did break the law.

[lakeside013104]

Matt_Colie wrote:
Try to have them dirty the parts up and mark them as used parts. I ship used boat and car part to and from Canada all the time and as long as they are used they never say a thing.

Matt

Wow...being this ethical makes you just right to be a member of our esteemed Congress. No remorse here I presume.

As far as paying DUTY on items crossing the border back into the USA:

If the item is manufactured in Canada the DUTY is: ZERO $s
If the item is manufactured in the USA the Duty is: ZERO $s
If the item is manufactured in Mexico the DUTY is: ZERO $s

NAFTA rules apply to goods manufactured in USA, Canada, or Mexico and entering into the USA. NO DUTY. Period :C.

Lakeside

[pasusan]

robatthelake wrote:
Ethics and guilt about giving the Government money!

Oh come on, the OP is buying a few parts to repair a worn out Camper!

The easiest route would be to have whatever is required installed at the Factory.

I don't think anyone would consider "Repairs" as anything other than maintenance , it wouldn't even be classified as merchandise or Imported Goods.

Of course there will be some folks that would declare the Hot dog they ate at Costco as a purchase.

Hey, wait a minute!!! This is hardly a worn out camper. I've got witnesses even on this forum that it looks like new. That's because it's always been stored inside and maintained meticulously.



And - to let everyone know - the parts we bought actually were used and the dealer told us not to worry about even being asked when we went back to the US. We weren't questioned by anyone - just drove right over the Peace Bridge and went through US customs on the other side.

That is a lot different from what I remember as a kid. One time my mom was driving us back home after a day at Crystal Beach and the customs guy on the Canadian side asked my mom if we had bought anything while there. My mom said no when my dear brother piped up from the backseat - "What about the beachball?" Thankfully everyone got a big laugh over that. LOL


And don't anybody worry - Canada got theirs to the tune of 13% tax!!! Plus we bought some gas!!:E

[duramaxdelight]

NAFTA would probably apply here.

[samandtheduck]

As someone who crosses the border regularly I can tell you what is allowed duty free depends on the customs official dealing with you. Best idea is to tell the truth and let them decide. What is consistent at a border crossing is what will happen to the mood of the official if they find you are lying or "forgot" something.
Brian

[loulou57]

I always think honesty is better, heck I even made my kid plead guilty to a DUI


I don't know about Americans taking things back to the US but we have found being totally honest pays. We cross over a lot at Sarnia/Port Huron and we always declare what we bought. We were over for 4 hours one day, declared the $1100 of goods and never paid a thing. We have never paid the tax. They don't call it duty on our side any more.
I thought free trade was exactly that, but apparently not, LOL Enough said politically.

Just remember....you will be refused entry into Canada if you have a record of any type. Shopping could become rather expensive.

[Sea_Dog]

When you reach Port Colborne, halfway to Dunnville,
Take a few minutes to stop and check out the Welland Canal.

If you are lucky, a large ship will be passing through.

[relaxin]

come on over and camp for the weekend, install the part and pretend it was always there... you left the old parts behind,, so even trade

LOL

[relaxin]

I find it odd that they would charge duty on something that is not readily available or manufactured in the US especially with our free trade agreement