george44

Hi guys,

I want to buy some Porsche parts from Germany and have them shipped to a US business address (from where I'll pick up to bring into Canada). Not sure if anybody has done this before and knows how much would be the US duty and taxes. Thank you,

George

cstyles

Hi George, I do this all the time re: shipping parts to Niagara Falls NY and picking them up / bringing them home.

First, make sure you have a copy of the sales invoice before coming back across the border into Canada.

Be prepared to pay HST on the CAD value of your goods, as well as 6.1% duty on the CAD value of your goods. If you're lucky, the customs officer just calculates HST and they don't add the duty. This happens to me most often when the part is not made in north america but the sales invoice is from a US-based company ie an exhaust system made in Taiwan but sold by a US business. If your sales invoice is from a German company, I bet they hit you with the duty charge.

Was it actually cheaper to ship the part from Germany to the USA instead of Canada? I couldn't imagine so. People usually do the Niagara Falls NY pickup routine when ordering from US based suppliers. Why didn't you just ship it straight to your Canadian address?

John 996 TT Cab

He will probably have to pay US duty on the items also and I think that's around 2.9%.

Brian 162

I use Kinek. They are located in Lewiston in a UPS store.
They charge from $5 per package (depending on size).
I think for tires it was $10.
Most of the time they just wave me through.
I've never paid more than HST at the border. It depends who you get at the gate. I've only been called in twice to pay HST. I just say car parts and if they ask further I just tell them what I've got.

JimV8

It is really really important when import stuff into Canada that it's understood it's for personal consumption otherwise you'll need to haul out a business identification number with an RT number ending in 002. Otherwise It'll get complicated and you'll need a broker to clear the stuff.

fbgh2o

Question, if you are already importing from Germany, why bother running them through a third country (USA)? Just have the shipped to Canada.

Xpit77

I also use Kinek when I purschase parts in the US. You can take advantage of free shipping deals. Having dealt with our Customs I think it would be better to ship to you in Canada. You can do snail or DHL is a German company may be a bit faster.

ronnie993tt

+1. We have a trade agreement with the EEC now I think? I've never paid duty on parts shipped from USA to my doorstep using USPS to avoid the brokerage fee as well. Under $250, Canada Customs hasn't even bothered processing the HST either. I don't get this US pick-up when you can have the stuff shipped to your doorstep.

george44

Thank you for all replies. Turns out shipping cost is identical to Canada and the U.S. at 125 euro however if I receive in Buffalo i can bring in duty and tax free for absences exceeding 48 hours. Customs Canada adds the shipping cost to the purchase price when calculating what is payable upon importation into Canada

George