Originally Posted by bikerbob1
I know its been discussed before but I cannot find a thread on the custom duties of importing a USED bicycle from the U.S. to Canada. Canadian Customs has closed their telephone service for the weekend. I have a chance to purchase a long wanter bike this weekend
Can somone help, please?
Used or new, you have to pay GST + PST (or HST) on any item you import into Canada. There should be no duties on anything purchased from the USA (there may be some exceptions, but that's the general rule). The shipping company can charge you for brokerage.
USPS/Canada Post is reasonably fast, and the brokerage fees are minimal (but based on the declared value of the bike). For large or heavy items, though, mail is often more expensive that the courier companies.
UPS Expedited or
Express is fast and reliable to Canada, and the brokerage fee is included in the shipping cost- you still need to pay taxes at the door. NEVER use UPS Ground (aka UPS Standard), they charge outrageous brokerage fees, and you only find out how much at the door. GST applies to brokerage fees too!
I have less experience with FedEx, the fees seem somewhere between Canada Post and UPS.
The courier companies should all have info on their web sites about brokerage fees. I imported about $8000 worth of stuff from the USA last year for work alone, and I use UPS Expedited for almost everything. If the box seems damaged when it arrives, open it in front of the UPS guy and check it for damage before you sign for it: he may grumble about his schedule, but he has to allow you to check it. It may be hard for you to claim damages from UPS after you signed for the parcel.