R1ck

Hi! Any Canadian buyer had a good experience with Freeport forwarding warehouse (located in NY)?

I will be ordering a full aspec body kit and wheels from a group buy and ship these to the Freeport forwarding warehouse (in New York) next to the CAN borders (so I get go pick it up myself, pay taxes and customs fees.. I will be saving on shipping fees and others "hidden" UPS/FedEx fees).

That said, I'm I allowed to cross the borders, pick up the boxes (a 1400$ value total) and then come back into Canada within 1 hour? (the warehouse is very close to the CAN borders).

Someone told me that I need to stay like 3 days in the United States to be allowed to bring back items (bought in the US) in Canada that has a value of more than 1000$ or something like that. Can anyone tell me what I need to know about that?

Thanks!

odishaw

what do you plan on driving to bring back the kit?

R1ck

I'm planning on driving a Van to bring back the kit. Should be enough?

odishaw

i would just unpackage the items, toss em in the back, and not say anything, some random old parts layin around in the back of your van? throw some dirt on em.. thats just me though. haha

R1ck

And what do I say to the following question (if they ask): "What did you do for 1 hour? You just visited the US for one hour??"

lariat

You are allowed to bring back any amount,you will be charged local taxes (GST&PST), because of NAFTA you shouldn't be charged any duties.

Hi speed

iTrader: (3)

Went to check out a car in NY, if they ask about it start talking about your car and add some damage for a reason for not buying.

Speedy Six

iTrader: (2)

I'm on the other side of the country but have being bringing items over the border for over 10years. Check the "Personal Exemptions" section in this link: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...-eng.html#s4x1

But I'll paste it here for you too:

After each absence of 24 hours or more You can claim up to CAN$50 worth of goods without paying any duties. This is your personal exemption. You must have the goods with you when you arrive in Canada and you cannot include tobacco products or alcoholic beverages in this exemption. If the goods you bring in are worth more than CAN$50 in total, you cannot claim this exemption. Instead, you have to pay full duties on all goods you bring in.

After each absence of 48 hours or more
You can claim up to CAN$400 worth of goods without paying any duties. You must have the goods with you when you arrive in Canada. Although you can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, a partial exemption may apply to cigarettes, tobacco products and manufactured tobacco. See the sections called “Alcoholic beverages” and “Tobacco products” for more details.

After each absence of 7 days or more
You can claim up to CAN$750 worth of goods without paying any duties. Although you can include some tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, a partial exemption may apply to cigarettes, tobacco products and manufactured tobacco. See the sections called “Alcoholic beverages” and “Tobacco products” for more details. With the exception of tobacco products and alcoholic beverages, you do not need to have the goods with you when you arrive.
To calculate the number of days you have been absent, do not include the date you left Canada but include the date you returned. Dates matter but not times. For example, we consider you to have been absent seven days if you left Friday the 7th and returned Friday the 14th.


Who is eligible for these exemptions?
You are eligible for a personal exemption if you are one of the following:

• a Canadian resident returning from a trip outside Canada;
• a former resident of Canada returning to live in this country; or
• a temporary resident of Canada returning from a trip outside Canada.

.
.
.
Regular duty rate If you do not qualify for a personal exemption, or if you exceed your exemption limit, you will have to pay the GST/HST, as well as any duty or other tax or assessment that applies on the excess amount. Duty rates vary according to the goods you are importing, the country where the goods were made and the country from which you are importing them. You may also have to pay the PST if you live in a province where the CBSA has an agreement to collect the tax and you return to Canada through that province.

At the very least you will be required to pay GST and PST on the Cdn value (calculated at current exch rate on the day of importation) on the total value, including shipping.

Technically, if the items is manufactured in a NAFTA country (Canada, US, Mexico) there won't be any duties (but you'll still have to pay the taxes). If it's country of manufacture is not one of these then duty can also be collected, and it varies depending on the country of origin.

From my personal experience, the border guards over on our BC side have only asked once or twice over hundreds of personal importations. When they did ask I just give them a blank look and go "umm, I don't know where it was made. Is that important?" None have ever pursued it past that point.

So, if you just go over for a few hours and then return, expect to pay about $200Cdn or so for taxes (you're 13% for GST and PST combined, aren't you?) on your approx $1400 purchase.

Should you try to bring it back without saying anything? The penalties for not declaring (also know as "smuggling") can be very severe, up to and including impounding of your car and jail time.

Is it worth it to save a couple of hundred dollars? That's your call. Just remember they're trained and have lots of practice at spotting this, especially if it's a large item(s) and looks new.

Falen

what is the address of Freeport forwarding warehouse, is it near lacolle border. im thinking to buy a kit also

mglax13

iTrader: (3)

Edit: NEVERMIND! It's in Champlain, NY...doh!


Freeport is on Long Island if I'm thinking about the same place as you, so the question they would ask you would be more like:

"What were you doing in the US for 14 hours?"

MLČ

You can always speak with Tim at http://www.oemacuraparts.com/ and ask if he can still ship the kit and have http://peninsulaimports.com/store-ducati/ pick it up for you. This is what I did. Bill, I think that's his name as it's been a few years for me, at Peninsula makes runs to the US about once a week to pick up parts and when I ordered my Aspec kit, along with other items in the past, I simply picked them up in oakville. At the time I paid $1100 Cdn when the dollar wasn't as strong and that included everything.
Now I'm not sure they still do it as Tim works for a different dealership, but it won't cost you anything to ask and think of the hassle it'll save you

dna02

By the way, how much did you pay for your kits? Thinking of getting one too!