B&H Photo & Canadian Buyers

Are there any Canadians out there that have bought from B&H. If so have you had any problems with customs. What are they usually charging.......1) Are they charging GST & PST
2) Are they charging Duties on the lenses etc.
Does B&H Usually mark the item as gift and down size the value.

Just wondering.....am thinking of buying from them

Thanks

I have bought from them 3 times in the last two months and had not had any problems. You will pay GST and depending on what it is (lens are duty free) will pay a small duty. B&H always label the item correctly so you do not get charged the wrong duty (that has been my experience with them). B&H does not mark the item as a gift. Delivery is very fast if you use UPS Expedited - as in 5 days to the east coast of Canada. The bottom line is these guys are good at what they do and you won't get over charged.

Doug
PEI

* B&H prices tend to be lower by 10-20% than at Henry's/Vistek. Even with the shipping cost included, you will generally come ahead $-wise by buying from B&H, and not by a frivolous amount either.
* True item price is contained on the shipping notice.
* They package/cushion the article well for shipment.
* There is no canadian import duty on photogear.
* PST &GST is collected by the shipping company upon delivery. ( I have been pleased with the UPS service.Less than pleased by USPS/CPC, plus they are much more expensive )
* All items I got appeared untouched by a human hand.B&H carry a large stock, I never had to wait for a backordered item.

I have no experience with returning items to B&H.

In the future, I am considering not only buying all of my photogear from the reputable US retailers, but also having my gear serviced by Canon USA.
No political or social commentary is hereby implied.

Remember that UPS will charge a brokerage fee over and above the GST and PST, my last charge was in the $40 range. The post office charges a $5 flat fee for brokerage but they may not be as quick or convenient than a courier, especially if you have an account with a courier.

Gerhard

dont ship UPS ever from USA to CANADA!!!!!!

All of your questions have been answered really, but two weeks ago I ordered two lenses from B&H, I had them within 5 days, it was cheaper than buying locally or from Henry's, everything was well packaged, I'm a happy customer. I'd recommend them in a heartbeat.

If you use UPS Express service, the brokerage is included in the price and you will usually have your item in 2-3 days easily.

Whatever you do, don't ship UPS GROUND, that is an entirely different story

Thanks all that answered. That helps very much. I already knew about brokerage fees by UPS. Having bought things on Ebay.....I found that out...once.....and never again. It is usps now......I am not in a rush to get the lens.....so what if it takes a few more days.

Actually, you are fine as long as you don;t use UPD ground or standard canada service. This is where they nail you in brokerage fees.

Importing camera gear to Canada is duty free, you will pay only GST upon entry for the price of the goods converted into CND funds. So $850 usd = $1000cnd + 7%.

In Ontario they will also collect 8% PST and in the Maritime Provinces they collect 15% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax). Alberta lucks out with just GST and I have no clue about the other Provinces but governments rarely pass the opportunity to collect taxes.

Gerhard

I was also thinking of making a purchase from b&h and they have this posting

"If you are a first time "mail order or on-line" customer, or if you are using a new or different credit card for the first time at B&H, upon completing your on-line order, you must fax or e-mail a copy of both sides of your credit card to 212-239-7549 Our e-mail address is span style="text-decoration: underline;"verification@bhphotovi​deo.com, (Does NOT apply to customers from Canada)."

so is this correct, if you are from canada you dont have to do this? are we that trustworthy?

dng wrote:
I was also thinking of making a purchase from b&h and they have this posting

"If you are a first time "mail order or on-line" customer, or if you are using a new or different credit card for the first time at B&H, upon completing your on-line order, you must fax or e-mail a copy of both sides of your credit card to 212-239-7549 Our e-mail address is span style="text-decoration: underline;"verification@bhphotovi​deo.com, (Does NOT apply to customers from Canada)."

so is this correct, if you are from canada you dont have to do this? are we that trustworthy?

That's correct.
Yes we are, at least those of of us who are not politicians and other sorts of scoundrels.

dng wrote:
I was also thinking of making a purchase from b&h and they have this posting

"If you are a first time "mail order or on-line" customer, or if you are using a new or different credit card for the first time at B&H, upon completing your on-line order, you must fax or e-mail a copy of both sides of your credit card to 212-239-7549 Our e-mail address is span style="text-decoration: underline;"verification@bhphotovi​deo.com, (Does NOT apply to customers from Canada)."

so is this correct, if you are from canada you dont have to do this? are we that trustworthy?

Where did you see that craziness? They don't make you do that

It's in the International Orders section:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ter/Internation​alCust.jsp

It makes sense They have no securities against lost if the fraud is committed outside of North America. Well they do.. but it's a lot more complicated.

Another satisfied Canadian B&H customer checking in. All of my DSLR equipment was purchased from B&H, with the exception of two filters. The prices even after exchange and shipping were lower than any Canadian retailer to make the decsion to order from them a no-brainer.
Once I had the UPS tracking number, I called UPS and gave them my credit card information so I did not have to worry about tax, or brokerage fees when I received it.
My order was shipped UPS Expedited (I believe that it is Air Service).

My next purchase might be a pricey lens, and I may ask CameraCanada.com to quote me a price to compete with what I would pay from B&H. Canon has to realize that so long as the exchange rate is favorable for Canadians we will continue to purchase big dollar items from the USA because the savings can be in the hundreds of dollars.