Does anyone have any idea what the situation is with buying a used lens in the US and having it sent to Canada. I've bought some less expensive accesories in the US and haven't had any problems. I was dinged by UPS for some sort of fee a couple of times so I would avoid them, but what is the situation with duty, customs etc?
I try and deal with Canadian sellers mainly, but that limits selection and often you see much better deals offered in the US that makes it tempting. If someone were to buy a lens in the $3000-$4000 range, what other expenses would you be looking at? It's pretty frustrating living in Canada and seeing such nice stuff offered for sale in the US but not having easy access.
I sold a lens on ebay and had to ship it to Canada. Keep in mind this was the first time I had to do this, but from POV, it was a PIA. I think eBay has a new system where you ship to a US address and they handle the forwarding.
Steven Campbel wrote:
It's pretty frustrating living in Canada and seeing such nice stuff offered for sale in the US but not having easy access.
Yes, having the same issue myself. Some years ago I bought several times used from the US and then I found myself paying the customs fees... so nice deals were at the end just average. I stopped buying from US because of that. Custom fees depend on the province you live, this info from Canada Post may be helpful for you if you want to know the fees you will have to pay for importing a good from the US:
"Any item mailed into Canada is potentially subject to duty and/or taxes with few exceptions. Visit the CBSA web site at cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/menu-eng.html for more information on mail imports. The CBSA collects provincial sales taxes (PST) on most taxable imports valued at over $20CDN entering Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The CBSA also collects Harmonized Sales Taxes (HST) on most taxable imports entering Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Ontario."
rater wrote:
Yes, having the same issue myself. Some years ago I bought several times used from the US and then I found myself paying the customs fees... so nice deals were at the end just average. I stopped buying from US because of that. Custom fees depend on the province you live, this info from Canada Post may be helpful for you if you want to know the fees you will have to pay for importing a good from the US:
"Any item mailed into Canada is potentially subject to duty and/or taxes with few exceptions. Visit the CBSA web site at cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/menu-eng.html for more information on mail imports. The CBSA collects provincial sales taxes (PST) on most taxable imports valued at over $20CDN entering Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The CBSA also collects Harmonized Sales Taxes (HST) on most taxable imports entering Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Ontario."...Show more →
Looks like it won't be worth it on a pricey item. A small filter or somethiing is no sweat, but a pricey lens might not be a good idea. Prices only vary a bit, but selection is so much better. Any extras charges would kill any price margins.
I buy and sell lots of lenses between Canada and the US, on eBay and camera shops. I always prefer to have my stuff sent from the US by USPS Priority International mail. With UPS and FedEx, you always pay sales tax and a handling fee. With USPS, it's fifty-fifty if you'll get charged sales tax, for items under a few hundred dollars. For more expensive items, you generally get charged sales tax every time. The handling fee for USPS/Canada Post is small in comparison with the couriers. The insured value can't exceed the declared value, and so you can't sneak an expensive lens into the country by having a low declared value, unless you don't want it to be fully insured. I always get my stuff fully insured.
rater wrote:
Really? I had to pay duties when I bought used from USA...
Check again. I suspect it was sales tax and brokerage/handling fees. I've bought more than 200 used lenses from around the world, mostly from the US. I've never paid duty, but I've frequently paid sales tax and brokerage fees.
If you really did pay duty, then you're due a refund.
jcolwell wrote:
Check again. I suspect it was sales tax and brokerage/handling fees. I've bought more than 200 used lenses from around the world, mostly from the US. I've never paid duty, but I've frequently paid sales tax and brokerage fees.
If you really did pay duty, then you're due a refund.
I guess I should check, it is good to know for next time. Thanks for the feedback!
jcolwell wrote:
Check again. I suspect it was sales tax and brokerage/handling fees. I've bought more than 200 used lenses from around the world, mostly from the US. I've never paid duty, but I've frequently paid sales tax and brokerage fees.
If you really did pay duty, then you're due a refund.
Agreed, it has been Sales Tax and Brokerage Fees that I have been charged, never 'duty'.
And it has been hit and miss as well. I got charged Sales Tax when I bought a 20D years ago, but an 70-200 F4 (for the same price) got through with nothing extra.
There is a way to avoid duty/brokerage costs with the big carriers such as UPS, FEDEX, and Purolator. If you use air service (anything but ground), you only pay taxes. Brokerage is included in the cost of shipping, so that's why you pay more for shipping air.
That beig said, B&H and Adorama recently struck a deal with Purolator and FedEx where they use ground and you pay the brokerage up front. You usually save 10-15$ by using ground with them, and you still get the package pretty fast!
For anything on FM, I only use USPS PRIORITY, and, depending on the price of the item, the most you will pay is the provincial sales tax.
Why do you disagree? There are limited Canadian sellers, and if I see something I like on here from a US seller, I can't buy it. Sales tax? That's one of the big reasons we buy used. If I'm paying sales tax I'm going to buy new because used prices on Canon lenses aren't that far from new. Ever looked at the difference in car prices in the two countries?
Steven Campbel wrote:
...Ever looked at the difference in car prices in the two countries?
Yes, but that's generally not true for cameras and lenses. I've been tracking used lens prices since 2004, see Lens$db, http://tinyurl.com/jcolwell-lensdb.
I agree that it's nice to get something from a private individual in Canada, and so not have to pay sales tax. OTOH, you have to pay sales tax when you buy from a Canadian store. I understand that you don't like to pay sales tax, but it's a normal part of life in most parts of the world. Maybe you should move to Alberta. Don't move to the EU.
Steven Campbel wrote:
Looks like it won't be worth it on a pricey item. A small filter or somethiing is no sweat, but a pricey lens might not be a good idea. Prices only vary a bit, but selection is so much better. Any extras charges would kill any price margins.
Looks like we get the shaft again here in Canada!
What shaft are you talking about. You pay whatever shipping charges plus taxes on your purchase.
I've bought many used and new lenses from the US. The best way to ship to Canada is USPS Priority International or USPS Express International. The only difference between Priority and Express is shipping days and both shipping options have a tracking number which tracks each time the shipped package is scanned enroute. With USPS, there are no brokerage fees. I try and avoid the big couier companies because of their high brokerage fees and shipping charges.
Canadian purchasers are responsible and will pay GST/HST regardless of how the package is shipped or whether the item purchased is used or new. Canada Customs clears the package before it is handed off to Canada Post or a courier service for delivery. All photography equipment is duty free according to NAFTA. The only caveat is some video equipment which is not duty free which makes no sense to me.
As a word of caution, Canadian purchasers should avoid purchases of more than $1600. These purchases are flagged and held by Canadian Customs until the purchaser hires a broker. The broker will then complete all required Canada Customs forms for items imported into Canada considered "large dollar" items.
Regarding Canadian purchasers getting "shafted", this is not the case. Aden camera in Toronto has generally better prices for Camera equipment than B&H or Adorama. Henry's usually has better prices for most Lowepro and Think Tank items. As an example, Aden sells the Canon 800L (new) for about $2500 cheaper than B&H.
mogud wrote:
With USPS, there are no brokerage fees.
Not quite correct, since Canada Post takes over when it enters Canada, and they charge a brokerage fee, but nowhere near what FedEX and UPS charge.
As a word of caution, Canadian purchasers should avoid purchases of more than $1600. These purchases are flagged and held by Canadian Customs until the purchaser hires a broker. The broker will then complete all required Canada Customs forms for items imported into Canada considered "large dollar" items.
I have never had any problems with items over $1600, nor was the brokerage fee excessively high. My end price was still less than buying in Canada from a retailer.
Steven Campbel wrote:
Why do you disagree? There are limited Canadian sellers, and if I see something I like on here from a US seller, I can't buy it. Sales tax? That's one of the big reasons we buy used. If I'm paying sales tax I'm going to buy new because used prices on Canon lenses aren't that far from new. Ever looked at the difference in car prices in the two countries?
Buy used camera gear from any Canadian retailer and you will pay tax. Same with used vehicles.
Best option is buying used from private individuals in Canada, but as you say, not as much selection.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. When I posted this I was primariliy inquiring about buying used equipment from private sellers off forums like this one. I have checked new lens prices from retailers in both countries and there isn't much difference if any. There really are too many variables and unknowns by the looks of it when it comes to a major purchase of even used equipment from the US to Canada. I guess I'm just bitter that there are many more US sellers than Canadian ones and thus more variety, better deals, more choice etc. Guess I'll have to be patient.
