Anyone has ever bought used audio equipment in person in Canada and took it back to USA ? What is the cost associated with that. What taxes do you pay at the border ? What if you paid cash ?
Thanks !
Anything to declare is the question you will be asked. I don’t think I have ever said yes... as I never brought anything back. But I assume as long as you don’t lie there will be paperwork to fill out and money to be paid.
I sent my bicycle to Canada once (wrong way for you). The bicycle shop got a bill from Canadian customs for 35% the value of the bike... it took a lot of paperwork and affidavits to show I owned it... sent it there and rode it out of the country.
Personally, I would send it back and let FedEx or the company act as exporter so you don't end up with the paper work.
Personally, I don't lie to the government or anyone else for that matter.
To be totally prepared, make sure you have a County of Origin Certificate, and a bill of sale. You may pay a small duty but hey, you just got $1.47 CDN for your US $1.00. 🤣
I drove a pair of UK manufactured ProAc speakers through U.S. Customs on the border between British Columbia and Washington state. The Customs agent had absolutely no idea how to deal with the situation. She spent at least fifteen minutes looking through lists of equipment trying to match what I had with something in their lists. She finally settled on a figure that had absolutely nothing to do with either the original cost or what I was paying for them.I paid it and fled.
If you declare it, the taxes are the same as shipping it. If you don't declare it, it is a federal crime but clearly not a problem for many forum members.
Regardless of paying cash or not, items purchased in Canada beyond the personal exemption ($800 US) are subject to duty, surcharges, and taxes. If you paid cash and hit craps on your way back, how will you prove you brought it with you to Canada and are just returning to the US with it, and how will you prove its value. If you bring a family member, the exemption for the family multiplies. I recommend if you pay cash, you get a receipt not only for customs clearance but also to protect yourself if there are issues with the equipment. Border crossing declarations will probably be given greater scrutiny since the onset of the tariff/trade war. Read the following:
Here is an anecdotal story I hope you enjoy burned into my grey matter. It was about 59 years ago on a road trip back from Niagara Falls crossing the Rainbow Bridge into New York with my 3 year old sister in the back seat. My father bought Canadian quart size alcohol within the exemption, or at least, that’s what he thought. At that time, spirits were much cheaper in Canada. But the imperial quart is more volume than the US quart so he was 1.5 bottles over and was told he had to pay the duty on 2 bottles. He calmly walked to the edge of the bridge with the two bottles in hand, holding them over the rail, and said to the customs agent … I am not paying duty and hell will freeze over before I relinquish the bottles to customs for you to bring home latter. Please let me enter or say arrivederci to the bottles. The customs agent shouted …no, it would be a sin … and let us pass with the imperial quarts. Now, that people are so up tight, with no humor, my father would probably be arrested for that stunt. It’s a shame.
Get a second invoice and say you took it up to be repaired and that it was yours all along. (this from a Canadian and former NYC resident) To be fair someone already paid the tax on it when it was bought. The governments want you to pay tax on things that were already taxed and paid for! This is just a slimy governmental practice.
As a former federal prosecutor, I don’t recommend lying to a customs agent.
Particularly in the fraught environment of a trade war.
on the other hand, some say fortune favors the bold.
+1 @kerrybh I am one that has a high probability of being caught.
@mesontoInteresting, but only partially correct. Without the original invoice and proof of payment showing the tariff was paid upon the original entry and proof of only repair and no value added work performed, your playing Monopoly and have a high probability of pulling the Chance Card - Go to Jail, Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go, Do not Collect $200. Follow what Kerry says.
I am in Canada and have done a lot of transactions. Need a bit more info....
What are you buying? This will tell us size, price, fragility, etc.
Where are you located and where is the item? I am in Toronto and drove to Tennessee for a Pass Labs X350.5 at an amazing price. I also drove to Houston for a pair of speakers at an amazing price as well. For the right deal on the right item $300 for a return flight to pick up a high end CD player is not a difficult decision. It does cost an extra bit for land travel but I get to see my $10k used investment before my hard saved dollars are given. Why not? I get a smoking deal on a CD player $3k under market value that I have been looking for AND take an extra day in the visiting city as a mini vacation :)
As for fees/taxes I have found that the boarder doesn’t want to deal with this in person. The only time they pulled me over was pay tax on the X350.5 and they also bent the rules and took off the couple of hundred dollars off the value for being over the boarder more than 24hrs. When they released me the agent didn’t want to see the item, only the stamped paperwork from the inside agent that I was clear to leave.
If you ship it different story all together. Again need to know what you are shipping. If it is possible ship Canada Post. It is cheapest and least likely to receive any attention for extra taxes. Claim $400, $600, $800 good chance no taxes. Claim $3k good chance there will be taxes owing. Ship UPS, FedEX, DHL, etc expect a nice fat brokerage charge unless the sender pre-pays in advance and I can assure you that you will pay any taxes owing. Ensure they do, it is less than half the price. Way less.
The Houston trip was a pair of speakers 210lbs each. I rented a minivan through a website and the entire trip cost me $1k CAD. Speakers were $2k USD under fair market value. All expenses included plus I got a wonderful mini vacation O my goodness the US has some beautiful scenery and landscapes in areas. If I tried to ship it would have been the same price- $1k freight to Buffalo then I go get them (1.5hr drive one way, not bad). I got to audition the very expensive to replace drivers/repair speakers to ensure they were perfect.
Considering there are 2 states bordering Canada that do not charge sales tax, how much would you save by crossing into your country through those states? If it works the same as from the US into Canada, they don't care where you live, they only care about collecting applicable sales taxes for that province the goods arrive into.
Might be worth the extra drive if you have a large purchase.
@2psyop-- I have a question to ask you before this thread goes the way of most Audiogon threads (i.e.; "Deleted By Moderators" because we apparently are a bunch of toddlers whose panties get into wads due to opinions being voiced that are opposite of our beliefs, and for God's Sake, we CAN'T HAVE DIFFERING OPINIONS!!!!).
My question: What does your reply have anything to do with the Original Topic of taxes being paid on equipment crossing the border with Canada? The answer: Absolutely Nothing. You are just providing another example of Canada making a knee jerk reaction over tariffs -- a cutting your nose off to spite your face reaction.
The Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, has already hosed rural customers by ripping up a sweet-heart deal for internet service with Starlink. Do you really think Elon Musk is going to miss a $100 million contract? Instead, citizens of rural Ontario are going to pay much higher fees for crappy coverage with Telestat, which has said its Starlink alternative, Lightspeed, is years away from roll out. When Ford realizes his mistake, and comes crawling back to Musk with his tail between his legs, expect Ontario to get a huge "F##k You" from Starlink. Same goes if he tries to shut off electricity crossing the border. Soy Boy Justin sealed Canada's fate when his government cancelled the Canada East Pipelne and the Northern Gateay Pipeline. If Ontario tried to play with U.S. energy, it would be an ugly FAFO scenario.
As far as the F-35 contracts you need to do a little more research. The actual story is:
"Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked Defense Minister Bill Blair to review the purchase of America’s F-35 fighter jet to SEE IF THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS "given the changing environment,” a spokesman for Blair said Saturday. Defense ministry press secretary Laurent de Casanove said the contract to purchase U.S. military contractor Lockheed Martin’s F-35 currently remains in place and Canada has made a legal commitment of funds for the first 16 aircraft. Canada agreed to buy 88 F-35’s two years ago. The government had budgeted about $19 billion Canadian (US$13 billion) for the F-35 purchase in what is the largest investment in the Royal Canadian Air Force in more than 30 years. The full life cycle of the program is expected to cost $70 billion Canadian. The Canadian government said in 2022 that Lockheed Martin was deemed to be the top-ranked bidder for a new fighter jet to replace aging F-18s, deciding against Boeing’s Super Hornet and the Swedish-built Saab Gripen. That ended years of deliberations over its aging fleet. The purchase would fulfill Canada’s obligations to defend North America’s air space."
Just like the debacle with Starlink, just WHO or WHERE do you think Canada is going to be able to turn to in order to purchase this HIGHLY TECHNICAL and ADVANCED military aircraft on short notice if Canada again "cuts off its nose to spite its face"?? The Royal Canadian Air Force is currently 30 YEARS BEHIND in its funding and technological upgrades. Good luck in finding a quick replacement for the aircraft supplied by Lockheed Martin or Boeing. The same goes for Portugal, the only other Country that is on record "exploring other options" if needed. If you have proof of "OTHER COUNTRIES IN EUROPE" shopping around, I'd love to see the articles.
I hope there is a quick and speedy resolution to the tariff squabble going on, but I for one will happily pay more for products and goods if they are built or raised in the good old U.S.A. I have no issue with putting America First.
To the OP, ask the seller to write a receipt for the amount paid and declare it at the boarder. If you don’t declare it you may have get in trouble and pay tariffs and taxes on the new value of the item.
@allenf1963Everyone seems to chalk Canada’s response to tariffs only.
As a Canadian, I truely believe our response would not be so aggressive if our country was not threatened to be taken over or absorbed on multiple occasions.
I would ask anyone who can’t understand our reaction to all of this, to please try to think about what you would do if the leader of another country voiced this type of desire towards your country.
newfzx7- Good points. I am one person living in the US and I apologize to ALL Canadians for the conduct of our government. That apology extends to the citizens of Greenland. To the OP, pay attention to the laws governing taking any item’s fixed or purchased across the border without paying appropriate fees. You might end up in prison.
WHERE do you think Canada is going to be able to turn
yeah, I get that bully logic. Canada should just become your slave because they have limited options. Declaring Canada the 51st state, the president the governor is seriously the most primitive, disgusting threat I have heard in my lifetime. My fellow Americans continue to shock me.
EVER agree to allow Greenland to become part of the USA and also I don’t think Canada will EVER agreed to become a state in the USA. It’s absurd and offensive.
I would ask anyone who can’t understand our reaction to all of this, to please try to think about what you would do if the leader of another country voiced this type of desire towards your country.
It also seems fair to point out that Canada still bends the knee to a degenerate colonialist monarchy half a world away.
I don't follow Canadian news other than what transpires on this side of the border and I am not in touch with the Canadian zeitgeist, so please take this as honest wondering rather than as an attempt to inflame controversy on an otherwise quiet Sunday morning.
It's easy to understand why most everyday Canadians would be incensed by US claims to annex their country, but how do they feel about the issue of sovereignty in general?
Borders are borders, seems fighting and pillage historically has been human nature. There’s always a brainless grabber in control somewhere, know any of them ?
@newfzx7 & @grislybutter -- At no point did I condone the actions and verbiage coming from the leadership of the U.S., I was just pointing out the poker hand each country holds at the moment. It disappoints me that relations between the U.S. and Canada have become so frosty -- but hopefully, cooler heads will prevail.
This is a perfect example of one of my pet peeves when it comes to political discussions. During the months leading up to the election, any time I voiced opposition to a Biden or Harris policy, the Left would immediately pile on me accusing me of being a MAGA Cultists snd having blind loyalty to EVERYTHING Donald Trump stood for -- never having a calm discussion of the issues to see where we aligned with each other. If they had, they would have realized we weren't that far apart. But no...it was an immediate attack. And the DNC Polling Analysts still won't publicly admint why Harris got her tail whipped in every metric that is analyzed 😆.
@devinplombier-- You make a very good point. If push came to shove, just how far under the thumb of the U.K. is Canada?
you keep proving my point. It's NOT poker. That's a gross misunderstanding of international relationship WITH ALLIES. I am even more embarrassed that you keep digging this hole. Countries are not for sale, to be annexed by their bigger, dumber neighbors. I could go on and on but I would have to start with the basics, middle school world history? Look at the history of Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, Israel. Endless bloody genocides, starvation and wars when the country with the bigger army thinks it's a poker game. There is no such card as independence and freedom of a people, when it's used as a card, it's always a giant disaster.
And there goes good ol' @devinplombier, deleting my post that refute his ridiculous claims. Why is it you can't tolerate an informed rebuttal? Do you honestly think that those who've already read my response have forgotten it or that it's now gone, it's like I never said it?
Keep on censoring valid opinions and see how far it gets you. Pathetic.
The UK has long since ceased to be a world power so it’s doubtful how much sway, if any, it still holds over Canada and its other former colonies; and if in fact it does, how much does that sway actually matters. At this point Canada’s allegiance to the racist throne has probably more to do with habit and tradition than anything else.
However, it just begs question when a country drapes itself in unalienable sovereignty when it has yet to fully assert its own.
By way of disclosure, I’m not a Canada expert by any means. I know quite a bit more about Québec than I do about mainland Canada.
Keep on plodding along with the same inane and uniformed comments on what you don't know. It's all we have for entertainment tonight.
As for this jewel,
And the DNC Polling Analysts still won't publicly admint why Harris got her tail whipped in every metric that is analyzed 😆.
That followed your protests about being so apolitical and misunderstood, only to have it betray what you said. You're not fooling anyone with an ounce of brains. That, and Harris did not get her tail whipped by any measure. Your orange tin god wanna be autocrat won by about 1.5%. The fourth lowest in our history.
@devinplombier Me getting tedious? You're kidding, right? Soon after I factually refuted your comment, my post was deleted, only for to you say what I refuted again. What, pray tell, does that seem like to anyone following this thread?
It could be some admirer of yours or the silent type who's afraid to post and lets you do all the talking but to me, you're all from the same cloth and are interchangeable.
Canada is very much it's own country with it's own laws. Any relation to the UK is symbolic. Our country is far more intertwined with the US than any other country in the world.
Any "pushing and shoving " is bad for both countries.
be honest , declare and confirm with a bill of sale, it is basically a tax that has to be paid, USA, an Canadian customs are also there to help/assist you, any doubts call your closest customs office. good luck.
btw I am planning to buy a used amp from Canada. So if it's shipped, the carrier will take care of collecting whatever the applicable fee is? They will hold it until I pay the customs and fees?
I bought several audio items from Canada in the past, and there were no issues, it was shipped and arrived without any fees and the proper paperwork. I guess it was the shipper's side who documents it?
If you think about it for a minute. We audiophiles worry about paying more money in a tax or a tariff for a piece of audio equipment we want. How petty and ridiculous when you stand back and look at the larger picture. Our allies and their leaders are hating us because of our deranged lunatic leader. When such a man like Adolf tried to create a nation of a super race and failed the world hated Nazi Germans for decades. All German people were labeled this way. Now you see America being labeled. It’s a tragedy.
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