Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
What happened to NAFTA?
As far as the global shipping scheme is concerned, no small seller in their right mind would ever consider shipping any other way now that Global Shipping from eBay is available. I have done it the old fashioned way and know how hard it is.
NAFTA only applies to products
made in the respective countries. So it would apply to a hand made frame made in Canada, but not to the Shimano components attached. There's a somewhat complex set of rules for items produced one place using imported parts.
But since so little bike stuff is made in Canada, I suppose that the OP is buying imported goods, and so NAFTA doesn't apply.
BTW - the US Customs Service does not involve itself with state and local taxes. Depending on the state, the recipient of goods "imported" into the state is supposed to pay those taxes directly. In practice, the states rarely enforce these rules on retail consumers because it's too difficult, but they do enforce them on business that, for example, buy office equipment out of state.