Quote:
Originally Posted by SensualPoet
Seems to be a whack of misinformation in the last several posts about "import taxes" etc for bringing things by mail / courier into Canada. You pay regular taxes: you pay that if you buy across the street here, too. You paying a delivery fee (duhhh!) unless the vendor is swallowing those costs / hiding them somewhere else. There may be a "handling fee" added by the courier -- Canada Post charges $5 for "customs clearance"; certain courier companies charge usurious rates for one-off customers -- I've seen $30 and more. Bust actual "taxes" that are associated with bringing stuff across the border: many, many goods are "zero rated" including almost everything from the US.
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Not to argue with you or anything but I did not post any misinformation. Actually, you have some information wrong. I said essentially that regarding the taxes (GST & PST) except that what you call a handling fee is actually called Brokerage Fees. Brokering is the process of clearing an item through customs when being imported from another country. Couriers - UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc - always charge brokerage fees unless the shipping service selected includes it, most don't. That's a service that they charge for and where they make a lot of money. There are lots of complaints about that online from Canadians.
Duty is based on where the product being imported is made not where it comes from, where it's made. Just because it comes from the US doesn't mean anything. It has to be made in the US to be duty free not just shipped from there. The Kobo is not made in the US.
Here's a 2007 Toronto Star article on the subject. It's a few years old but the same pretty much still appies.
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/281890
"Duties can range from zero to more than 18 per cent,
depending on the product and where it's made, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, the federal agency responsible for assessing duties."
"Importing goods into Canada requires the payment of duties and taxes. These fees include PST, GST, duties and other taxes on goods (e.g. excise tax)," UPS Canada said in an email. "UPS Customs Brokerage rates and provides payment to Canada Customs for these fees to expedite clearance at the border on behalf of its importers," UPS says. "UPS provides a charge for this service."