Buying Used Gear From Canada

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Rattlin' Bones, Sep 17, 2021.

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  1. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Sorry, I miss read seacliff’s post. I purchased 2 pairs of speakers and at least one amp I remember from Canadian sellers, and paid no fees at all. One pair of speakers was PSB Synchrony 2, large floor stand speakers, no fees.
     
    Rattlin' Bones likes this.
  2. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    yes around 6.5%. Not sure where they got it and where its going.
     
  3. SonicCzar

    SonicCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    .....and the balance is shifted hard to the left!
     
  4. Khorn

    Khorn Dynagrunt Obversarian

    Well we do have Moose, Beaver and certainly many Loons up here.
     
    Dave likes this.
  5. jeffmackwood

    jeffmackwood Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    When I import into Canada (ie. buy from outside Canada and have it shipped into Canada) there is currently a VERY long wait (most times) as it clears Canada Customs.

    When I export out of Canada (ie. I sell and ship something to a buyer not in Canada) I know that there can be a wait, within the destination country (not Canada), for the item to clear that country's Customs (or whatever it's called.)

    Shipping to, and from, the border points seems to be moving very well; it's just at the border that's the problem.

    Jeff
     
    Khorn likes this.
  6. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I decided not to make purchase. The additional potential unknown cost was exceeding my budget.
     
  7. Defdum&blind

    Defdum&blind Forum Resident

    From my understanding if an item was made in the USA, exported then imported back into the USA there should be no import charges.
     
    Roland Stoves likes this.
  8. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    It was a used made in UK amp, coming from Canada to USA. I decided not to pursue.

     
  9. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    It seems all shipping is dead slow since the pandemic - I sent a Christmas card last year to my mom in Canada from Hong Kong and it took 61 days to arrive.

    Coming the other way a Birthday card to me took 49 days. When I got my election letter I made sure to send it back to Canada the day after I received it but even with 35 days, I am not sure it will make it for the election. I am assuming since it's postage paid by the government of Canada and the fact that they sent it to me via DHL they really REALLY want my vote. They assume, probably correctly, that anyone who lives overseas probably isn't a conservative. I know that because until the Liberals came to power the conservatives didn't allow anyone living overseas for more than 5 years to vote in our elections.

    Now - I bought some Wyred4Sound monoblocks from the States on Dec 3 2020 and they arrived to me Dec 7th (not bad considering I am a day ahead) so it took them 3 days! So some stuff gets around the world bloody fast.
     
  10. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    The RCMP is a national police force, they don't deliver mail. lol

    I've sold a few things to our American neighbours, all they payed was GST ( 5% ) and the time frame was exceptable when one consider's shipping to another country.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  11. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    yes i know, i watched the dudley do right cartoons!
     
    Glmoneydawg likes this.
  12. BruceS

    BruceS El Sirviente del Gato

    Location:
    Reading, MA US
    Some time ago, I was sent a piece of audio gear from Germany. It was noted as a Gift, thus eliminating any customs fees, said the sender. He was right, although whether any would have been imposed otherwise I cannot say.
     
  13. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    I remember buying a beer at a bar in Whistler, BC. The beer said $8.50 I think. Tab was $13.00. Beautiful place though!
     
  14. brockgaw

    brockgaw Forum Resident

    We will gladly accept American currency at par.
     
    BruceS, Boltman92124 and Glmoneydawg like this.
  15. Glmoneydawg

    Glmoneydawg Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    More like a documentary than a cartoon:) very accurate portrayal of life here lol.
     
    Roland Stoves and avanti1960 like this.
  16. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    As a wise person once said: don't question authority, they don't know the answer either.
     
  17. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    Funny thing is we figured we'd stock up on some 12 packs and a bottle of vodka at the store. Didn't get any cheaper. I think it was $25 for a Bud 12 pack and close to $50 for a bottle of Smirnoff. Of course we were in a tourist trap anyway. Had a great time!
     
  18. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    That is definitely a glib, well-phased line from a humorist or a stand-up comic or a political pundit (or several of them over the years). Problem is, despite the advice offered in the thread, the OP apparently never bothered doing his own calculation based on the information available on the U.S. Customs web site. He apparently also never bothered calling any of the big shippers (e.g., FedEx, UPS, etc.) for a shipping quote from them that he could have then passed on to the seller. Typically, especially when specifically requested, the shipping quote includes an estimate for state sales tax (if applicable), duties, brokerage, and of course the shipping cost.

    Instead, the OP came here. The OP then got a wide variety of opinions from which he was unable to derive or filter many specific numbers. The OP also unfortunately apparently never went to any of the authorities on the matter - the U.S. Customs web site (except for his failure to actually take some time to read carefully and absorb the relevant information - there’s a lot on that site and it demands a bit of patience and reading), the major shipping carriers - from which he could have obtained accurate information. Instead, he got the usual range of opinions typical in these sorts of thread: have it shipped as a gift ‘cause that was free to me, I’ve never been charged anything so you should take a chance, and the usual range of non-authoritative comments. So, I’d say that contrary to the pundit who first said, “…don’t question authority, they don’t know the answer either,” it is precisely the relevant authorities in international shipping to whom the OP should have directed his efforts and from whom he could have gotten solid enough estimates to provide him with enough of a comfort zone to make a purchasing decision. Instead (again), then OP just dumped the whole purchasing option because he seems to have ended up confused and skittish.

    That’s not what we’re supposed to be doing here. I think we’re supposed to be doing our best to express experiences and direct other members to authoritative information sources as needed.
     
    seacliffe301 and jeffmackwood like this.
  19. jeffmackwood

    jeffmackwood Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ottawa
    And that experience is different from any other thread on this site, or on any other site anywhere, for that matter?

    :whistle:

    Jeff

    ps. With reasonably good critically thinking skills I think it is possible to parse through most comments received in response to many questions that are asked. I don't post much looking for help, but on at least one occasion that I did on thgis site I did receive, amongst many suggestions, one that was super helpful. Many of the others were worth looking into. And then there's always those that critical thinking does away with right away.

    ps. I don't disagree with anything you said in the post I cut that quotation from.
     
  20. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Geez, I feel like I'm being slapped around and sat in the corner lol. Slap me silly and call me Alice lol.

    Well, I tried to use the US Customs web site, but it's a typical government web site. Every bit as confusing as when I was signing up for Medicare and Social Security. And customer service from Canadian post (which was sellers preferred method) was hopeless.

    Agitater, I wasn't able to find info on my own (so you're off the mark there) but I didn't get much useful info here. Which is OK the folks are having fun, and I recognize that.

     
  21. BruceS

    BruceS El Sirviente del Gato

    Location:
    Reading, MA US
    I did indeed express one my experiences: An audio unit was shipped to me from Germany and labeled as gift, without additional expense on my part. That is a fact, and it might have been a valid pointer or path to explore. I also once received—not labeled a gift—an $800 piece of audio gear direct from Japan, without further tax. I think it's up to each of us to ask appropriate questions and also to determine how we respond to answers. That said, I agree that while the best answer in this case might have been found in official documentation, information like that can be squirrelly and even subject to interpretation.
     
  22. BruceS

    BruceS El Sirviente del Gato

    Location:
    Reading, MA US
    Rattlin': If you're still interested, you never know when a phone call will do the trick. Easy for me to say (I put in in years as a CSR and know some of those ropes), but sometimes you strike gold that way. Good luck with getting the amp you want, in any case. No slapping.
     
    Agitater likes this.
  23. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I tried. No definitive answers from US or Canada.

     
    BruceS likes this.
  24. Agitater

    Agitater Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    It is not clear what sort of searching or inquiry was done. For example, in almost every Google search using ‘U.S. duties on shipment from England’ or ‘Canadian duties on shipment from U.S.’ and other variations using different combinations of countries, Border Buddy comes up near the top of the search results:

    Duty Calculator

    There are several other similar and generally reliable and accurate calculators. Border Buddy is good, but you may like a different one. I mean, why would anybody not think that such online calculators have existed for years? While some fees occasionally change based on revised rules, which occasionally causes the online calculators to be slightly inaccurate for a short period of time, the variations do not usually amount to much more than a twenty dollar bill. These online calculators are also generally easy and quick to use.

    Obtaining a shipping quote from UPS or USPS or FedEx or Canada Post or DHL or Royal Mail is trivially easy too. There are also third-party apps that are accurate and easy to use in case you happen to find (for example), the Royal Mail or USPS online shipping calculators difficult or unintuitive to use. Add shipping costs to the estimated duties, and you will have a hard number on which to base a decision.

    Suggesting or stating that no definitive answers are available is not accurate. I mean, how does anybody think private importers and commercial importers alike calculate their shipping and importation/duties/brokerage costs? Guess at them? Not at all. For general certainly they daily use the freely available online calculators.
     
  25. Rattlin' Bones

    Rattlin' Bones Grumpy Old Deaf Drummer Thread Starter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    This ship has sailed. I nixed import idea and bought another amp from within USA.

    If it helps, Agitater (fits your disposition well chosen there) I concede you win you're the ace the champ the bomb. You da man.

    But it's interesting that in your posts chastising me and others you failed to offer any assistance other than "look it up". That wasn't much help, either. You failed to help define duty vs tariffs vs fees charged by carrier. I was no more informed from your posts than the other posts you chastised. Seems you just want to put us down and win an argument.

    OK you win.

    Done. Wrap this up.

     
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