F*%$%ng Canada Customs

I bought a used set of pistons and rods off another HAMB'r and was just hit with $93 in duty on a $20 purchase.

They "evaluated" old grungy USED pistons and rods to be worth $600 and charged duty on that. I am currently on hold with Customs who are not answering their phones - I have been on hold for 30 minutes now. NAFTA says they are duty free...

I have to pay the $93 duty to pick them up and then they MAY re-evaluate my claim. And when they evaluate it they MAY give me the money back.

 

Been there... Paid 60$ duty + 10$ GST on a 20$ Whizzer stand.
Seems NAFTA does NOT cover 'Structural Iron Works'...

 

Ironically if you got them at a flea market and drove them across the border they wouldn't move their lazy ***es off the stool to bother you about them. And you are correct they should be duty free as you said. A friend of mine has a buddy in Buffalo to mail stuff to and then just drives the stuff over. Stu

 

i never had that problem but i have been hastled by the Canadian customs officials on more than one occasion when i was visiting Canada. there was this one guy witha heavy French accent that just LOVED to be a real hard *** with us EVERY time we happened to get him when we came across.

 

that ****s

 

Making sure the items come in under the right tarriff numbers are what Brokers are for.

The customs guys will just pick the first number that looks close.
If you go to the trouble to track down the right number and do their paper work, Customs will refund the difference.
That's still a better deal than UPS, who will bring it in under the wrong number AND charge you $40 to $60 for Brokerage. You can get the overpayment back from Customs but Brokerage fees paid to UPS are gone forever.

Mike

 

I just spoke to canada boarder services agency and they said that they are not allowed to to put a value on an item - it has to be professionally appraised to get a value.

Even the customs agent I spoke to said that the duty ***igned was nuts. He directed me to the proper forms, and said to send in photos of the casting numbers and the parts listing showing that they are antique car parts to CBSA and they will refund the money.

One problem...I don't have the money to go and get them...

 

Thats canada customes for you, I have had similar problems in the past when getting parts across the border. I try to purchase locally if possible because at customs, they are running a scam. Appeal the charge that canada customs placed on your order and turn the heat up on them

 

Thank you!
It's nice to know people actually read the "crazy" stuff I write, much less remember it!

And I still stand by that concept.

It would cut down a lot on the ****ing Government/Gang over-***essing personal (real?) property value.

As I sit here trying to figure out how to budget in a $2620 property tax bill, on top of federal income taxes, inflated vehicle registration "fees", telephone service "fees", electricity use "fees" (after charging us three times as much per KWH as Mid West States,) heating gas "fees" water service "fees", Sewer service "fees" (Ya gotta pay to **** in your own house now!)
STATE income taxes, State sales taxes, (The *******s tax you when you get your money and then tax you again when you ****ing try to spend it!)
And Driving down the street is like a sink hole obstacle course slalom...
What the **** do they spend it all on?
I know (from reading the HAMB) they don't spend it teaching people how to spell in schools.

And Kaiser Arnold is NOT the answer, he's a worse problem than before.

Ok, I'm done.

Oh yea, Drop a BOMB on South Park, Canada!

 

I see stuff on eBay that I would get....except it is in Canada....
I had to pay almost $100 customs on a used 40 Ford bumper....

That's why ....

I never buy from Canada.....never...

 

catapult it over I say ......

 

The best way I know of to get around that **** is to have it sent as a gift, otherwise they are gonna use your colon for a condom and throw a handful of sand on every in stroke

if your dealing with a company of some sort have them send it to a friend of yours in the US even if you have to pay postage twice on most stuff it will still save you money

 

I just sold a set of valve covers a couple of weeks ago and shipped them to canada UPS with no duty on the parts cost was 19.00 dollars shipping.

 

I keep a mail box in Niagra Falls N.Y. for this very reason;you beat UPS on their ******** brokerage fees and when you deal with Canada Customs one on one they seem to believe almost any invoice you give them especially on old parts.It's well worth the one hour drive and the $5.00 fee for the package at the mailbox.

 

Bro, I hear ya. I'm so f*ing sick of every c*ck-****er and govt. agency gettin in my pocket I can't stand it. Property taxes....a tax you have to pay every 6mo for owning property you already paid for, thats great, the King's ransom is what it is.

....."fees" this, "fees" that.......it's not enough that the God damn bills are high as it is, but they've dreamed up these ******** "fees".

 

That's why I hesitate to get anything shipped
by Courier into Canada,if I can avoid it.

I had UPS try and charge me Duty on some Burl slabs I imported
from Oregon several years ago,until I pointed out there was no duty
on rough sawn hardwood.They eventually agreed.
The only reason I knew,was because I did the research
a year earlier when I brought in the first batch.

The Post Office doesn't charge Brokerage Fees,in my experience.
They only collect sales tax on larger declared dollar values.

 

same to swedish customs

i just bought some intake gaskets from another hamber
and are supposed to pay 30dollars in customs

i do not urge anyone to falseify write down anything BUT PLEASE DO NOT EVER WRITE A HIGHERVALUE THEN IT WAS ACTUALLY SOLD FOR
if someone does that it will reflect in an HIGHER CUSTOM FEE

 

I bring parts across the line from the US with no problems.
Find your self a UPS or FedEx depot close to the border, order your parts on your credit card and have them shipped to your name c/o the US Freight Depot, in a few days call the freight depot to see if they have arrived, if so drive down and pick up your shipment, declare it at the border with a copy of the invoice or receipt,and pay the GST & PST.

 

so it's true, all canadians live within a half hour of the U.S. border!

 

About a year ago, I had two trips into and out of Canada within a week of each other.

1st one was going to and from Vancouver from Seattle. We all but got body cavity searched coming back into the states. The only thing we were bringing back across was hangovers. This was Sunday morning.

2nd one was the next Friday. I flew to Detroit from Seattle to meet my old man who had bought 3 Caddy 500's and 2 Eldo ******'s from a guy in Ontario. The way we had the engines strapped and tarped, and if you've ever seen an eldo ******. We might as well have been trucking in nuclear bombs. All we got was a head nod and roll on through.


**** customs, they made me put together the interior of a brand new truck that we didn't see how they got it apart, when I was so hungover I could have.........

 

Man...I'm thinking about buying a 409 engine from a guy in Canada this week!!!

But if the border is that much of a h***el, I may just p***.....

 

as a sailor for 21 years I lived all over the USA and some outside conus areas and I retired to NE florida, $25K off taxable value of home for ***essed taxes (homestead exemption), no city wage tax, no county income tax, no state income tax, 7% sales tax and as a disabled vet I pay $440. a year in property taxes on a $200K property. cheap car insurance and nice weather.

 

We cross over with parts all the time. The Canadian side is always worried about getting their duties and taxes!!! According to the Free trade agreement antique car parts are suppose to be duty free. When we cross over this time for example we had a hemi motor in the back the last time we had a straight 6 from a 48 truck. At the Canadian boarder we told them we are bringing them up to give to a friend. They wanted to know the value. My husband said the value is nothing to me I don't want it thats why I'm giving it to him. they really don't like that answer. The motors are filthy and we say well if you want to keep it here we will have him come get it. It's all yours. They really didn't like that answer but let us go and told us not to bring anything like that across again if we don't want the h***le. the US side lately has just let us thru.

 

I have been and forth over the boarder dozens of times. I brought two cars over this summer, and this is more duty than the two cars put together.

Some power tripping ***hole decided that he knew more than everyone else on the planet and "evaluated" used 50+ year old stock parts to be worth the same as brand new custom racing parts.

I still have to pay it to get the parts, but can apply for a refund afterwards...the government is really starting to piss me off.

 

Very interesting post, fellas.

Maybe we should invade and sow the seeds of democracy!!

Joel

 

Hey, its not Canada Customs that is charging you the $100. Its the US Customs. Canada Customs has no authority to charge on something going OUT of the country.

 

Wow Roost, tell us what you really think? Your right it stinks, but is still better than any other country.