I met with the head of Kobo today...

[TallMomof2]

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

I'm afraid not. Canadians have an import limit of $20 Canadian. Anything over and above that is subject to federal taxes (GST), provincial taxes (PST) which vary from province to province and duty depending on where the item being imported is made. If goods are sent through the postal system it's hit and miss as to whether or not they get assessed taxes. With millions of packages being mailed they can't inspect and collect on all of them. If the goods are sent by courier, which this likely would be, then you are guaranteed to get hit with taxes AND brokerage charges from the courier. Couriers sometimes collect before handing over the goods or they'll leave you the goods and send you a bill in the mail.

Brokerage costs are what courier companies charge for the priviledge of clearing your item through customs from one country to another. They're always expensive even for low dollar value items.

If the Kobo reader is being sent to Canadians from inside Canada, then none of the above applies. If it's coming from the US or directly from China or wherever it's been made then the above will apply.

Americans have an import limit of $200 US before their packages are assessed taxes and duty.

I sell stuff on eBay and bring it over the border myself to mail inside the US. I also import items into Canada for resale. I've gotten pretty good at this import/export, customs, tarrif codes and stuff over the years.

Guess my customers have been lucky but the only item I shipped to Canada in 10 years that was taxed was an $$$ guitar and that was sent FedEx.

If the Kobo couriers my reader for $9.90 I'll be surprised. It's only a $149 item. I bet they stick it in the mail.

[coolVariable]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I heard it from the guys at Kobo themselves. Canada end of April at Indigo, Borders in US in May, Red Group stores in Aus/NZ/Singapore in May or June, and elsewhere to follow.

That's great news! I can wait a little bit longer. Curious though that Indigo has a pre-order page and Borders hasn't said or announced anything on their website.

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

I'm afraid not. Canadians have an import limit of $20 Canadian. Anything over and above that is subject to federal taxes (GST), provincial taxes (PST) which vary from province to province and duty depending on where the item being imported is made. If goods are sent through the postal system it's hit and miss as to whether or not they get assessed taxes. With millions of packages being mailed they can't inspect and collect on all of them. If the goods are sent by courier, which this likely would be, then you are guaranteed to get hit with taxes AND brokerage charges from the courier. Couriers sometimes collect before handing over the goods or they'll leave you the goods and send you a bill in the mail.

Brokerage costs are what courier companies charge for the priviledge of clearing your item through customs from one country to another. They're always expensive even for low dollar value items.

If the Kobo reader is being sent to Canadians from inside Canada, then none of the above applies. If it's coming from the US or directly from China or wherever it's been made then the above will apply.

Americans have an import limit of $200 US before their packages are assessed taxes and duty.

I sell stuff on eBay and bring it over the border myself to mail inside the US. I also import items into Canada for resale. I've gotten pretty good at this import/export, customs, tarrif codes and stuff over the years.

Thank you for the information. The Kobo is shipped from Canada (AFAIK) to the US.

[BongoBong]

Well I put in an order for a Kobo yesterday. I wanted the black version but theres no set release date for that one and I can't wait!

[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.

Anyway ...

There are two articles about the imminent launch of the Kobo in today's National Post:

Q&A with Heather Reisman
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2944756

and

Call It An ehReader
http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2945820

If you're interested in the device, they're both worth a quick read.

[Shopaholic]

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.

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."

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

Not to argue with you or anything but I did not post any misinformation.

...

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.

I wasn't singling you out. The point is, any duty and tariffs paid as a single importer are the same as paid buying it across the street. There's nothing "extra" with the exception of handing and shipping fees. Also, in practice, if it's brought in from the US and made in China, the tariff applies as if it came from the US. Practically everything is made in China or its neighbours and tariffs for electronic goods are zero. Some folks worry about getting hit with "high duty and taxes"; they do not ... they get hit with the identical taxes you pay locally.

Did you find the two article about the Kobo, which is the point of this thread, interesting or helpful?

[Shopaholic]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

I wasn't singling you out. The point is, any duty and tariffs paid as a single importer are the same as paid buying it across the street. There's nothing "extra" with the exception of handing and shipping fees. Also, in practice, if it's brought in from the US and made in China, the tariff applies as if it came from the US. Practically everything is made in China or its neighbours and tariffs for electronic goods are zero. Some folks worry about getting hit with "high duty and taxes"; they do not ... they get hit with the identical taxes you pay locally.

Did you find the two article about the Kobo, which is the point of this thread, interesting or helpful?

Sorry but your information is incorrect. The taxes you pay on import are what you pay if you bought it at your local store, yes. Duties are extra over and above taxes and depend on the item and where it's made. Brokerage is something else altogether.

Tariffs apply depending on where the item is made NOT where it comes from as you've stated. I've been importing and exporting for my own business for the last 10 years. I've done it myself for the last 8. Prior to that I paid someone to do the paperwork. Prior to that, I did it as part of my job for a manufacturing company. I buy goods from US companies that are made in China, Indonesia and the Phillippines. I pick them up in the US and when I import them into Canada I am charged duty based on the country the goods are made in. More commonly referred to as country of origin.

Yes the point of the thread is the Kobo reader but you're giving out very wrong information when it comes to importing it and it needed to be corrected. I know of what I speak. I've been doing it for a long time, almost 20 years in all. Sorry for the intrusion.

[BongoBong]

Here is a Kobo eReader video review.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by Shopaholic

Sorry but your information is incorrect. The taxes you pay on import are what you pay if you bought it at your local store, yes. Duties are extra over and above taxes and depend on the item and where it's made. Brokerage is something else altogether.

I apologize. I am not making myself clear.

Yes, for commercial shipments, origin of manufacture, not origin of shipment, is the key driver. Computers, cell phones and similar devices are zero-rated items for duty from the US, China and many other places. That's why the "duty" some folks are fussing about is irrelevant. You are paying the same duty (in this case $0) if you purchase it in a local store -- you just don't see it because it's embedded in the sticker price.

For one-off imports, the brokerage fee is the distinguishing charge that matters, depending on the shipping method. Folks buying Google Nexus One phones, as example, bought from the Google US website but made by HTC in Asia, are imported into Canada duty free. E-readers, like the Kobo, would follow the same model.

Of course, we're buying Kobos from a local source so none of this discussion of duty matters. These policies do kick in buying things like Android tablets direct from Hong Kong on ebay. But again, this class of goods are in the duty free category.

[SensualPoet]

Originally Posted by BongoBong

Here is a Kobo eReader video review.

I notice the text is left justified. One of the things i like about the Kindle 2 is that everything is full justified. I'm not sold on the blue plastic button. What were they thinking? Could that be any uglier?

However my sense of curiosity is quite aroused and I expect I will pop into my local Chapters/Indigo late next week to play with one. It may be worth the $169.49 (my local taxes included) to be the first kid on the block to own one.

[asjogren]

This could be a good addition to my Kindle. Less screwing around with Public Library books. The MobiPocket Public Library books are only a minor inconvenience to get on my Kindle.

The ONLY feature mentioned that I would miss is the word look up. I have changed the dictionary on my Kindle to be a purchased Spanish-English translation dictionary.

I may wait for introduction into the US market. But, a 2 hour drive to Vancouver is tempting.

[ATimson]

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