avoiding taxes on US purchases shipped to Canada?

What is the maximum you can buy equipment off shore before you are slapped with tax??

If you come back after 7 days, you are exempt for $500 of merchandise.

Hypothetically, you can buy that lens by credit card, have a receipt in VISA/MC about US$440, labelled as demo / open box / final sales. Then pay the remaining in a separate credit card debit and throw that credit card receipt away.

make sure the box you bought has a pink warranty card that states USA / Canada Warranty. If it only says USA warranty, don't bother buy it.

happy hopping wrote in post #8712363
If you come back after 7 days, you are exempt for $500 of merchandise.

Hypothetically, you can buy that lens by credit card, have a receipt in VISA/MC about US$440, labelled as demo / open box / final sales. Then pay the remaining in a separate credit card debit and throw that credit card receipt away.

make sure the box you bought has a pink warranty card that states USA / Canada Warranty. If it only says USA warranty, don't bother buy it.

Pretty Clever, hmmm!

It's Hypothetical

yogestee wrote in post #8712329
What is the maximum you can buy equipment off shore before you are slapped with tax??

$20.

Bob_McBob wrote in post #8712417
$20.

Mate,,,you guys in North America are being ripped off!!

In Australia we pay import tax on anything valued over 1000AUD, about 850USD..

msowsun wrote in post #8710722
tax

I've never had to pay tax on either of these things... It comes to my door by the nice CanadaPost man with a green sticker on it from customs with no need for paying taxes.

beeng wrote in post #8712566
I've never had to pay tax on either of these things... It comes to my door by the nice CanadaPost man with a green sticker on it from customs with no need for paying taxes.

A detailed explanation on your method please.

carshop wrote in post #8712577
A detailed explanation on your method please.

I just have the sender mark it as a gift? I don't know why I get stuff without taxes slapped on them. I thought it was because it was a gift but everyone here says that isn't the case... maybe I get the sleepy customs agent?

Maybe this is why: http://canadaonline.ab​out.com …toms/qt/giftsto​canada.htm
It's been a long time since I've shipped anything more than $50 USD. I can't remember whether I was taxed on the last lens I bought from the states (was 4+ years ago).

edit: "You can import gifts for relatives and friends in Canada duty-free and tax-free, as long as each gift is valued at CA$60 or less. You cannot claim alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or advertising matter as gifts. If the gift is worth more than CA$60, you will have to pay duties and taxes on the excess amount. "
http://www.canadapost.​ca …pg/manual/pgcus​toms-e.asp

beeng wrote in post #8712613
I just have the sender mark it as a gift? I don't know why I get stuff without taxes slapped on them. I thought it was because it was a gift but everyone here says that isn't the case... maybe I get the sleepy customs agent?

Wow, lucky you. My mother, in England, sent my daughter a birthday gift last year. In the box was a dress worth $40, a book worth $15, two or three trinket-type things worth about $10 in all, plus a pen worth $15. On the green customs form she'd been honest and marked "thirty five pounds". She also marked it "birthday gift for my granddaughter".

The post office withheld the parcel until I paid duty and tax on it. I've never been as angry with a public official in my entire life. I phoned, wrote to and e-mailed all kinds of people, but eventually paid up so my kid could have her gift by her birthday.

Customs did in fact reimburse me about six months later, but it was a hassle.

The customs limit for free entry is $60, gift or not. Anything over that, you pay tax (and duty in some cases, but not on photographic equipment). Welcome to Canada.

2OP: where in Ontario are you. There's plenty of people from Windsor or Sarnia who work and live in Michigan, if it's someone you know you can have your equipment shipped to them and just drive it across the border. Or may be you can find it at the price you like here & just come and pick it up. As long as it is out of the box and attached to your camera, you're OK.

Omaru wrote in post #8712087
It's not only in the UK, the whole of the EU, we all get ripped off.

That's why I asked a friend (risky task) of mine to buy a 70-200 2.8 IS from the states. It cost me a total of 1200 euros (dollar to Euro equivalent) (Los Angeles ) tax included and a B+W 77mm filter. Then she brought it here in France she didn't get caught by customs (thank god).

If I bought mine here, it would cost me 1800 euros tax not yet included.

Thats what you get for hyperinflating the value of your BS currency unit.

yogestee wrote in post #8712431
Mate,,,you guys in North America are being ripped off!!

In Australia we pay import tax on anything valued over 1000AUD, about 850USD..

He's just clueless. It depends on the time period - if away for 24 hours it might be 70 or so and then after 7 days it jumps to 500 or 800 and then a bit more....

Something like that.

Buy your stuff used from within Canada? No taxes cause it's already been paid.

The problem is it takes forever to find someone selling what you want in Canada, at a reasonable price. Most sellers in Toronto can't seem to understand used they are being undercut by sellers in the US (tax and shipping included) :P. And some don't even realize they are being undercut new by local stores. That last one's the one I really don't get. How can you sell a used 70-200 4L for 900 bucks when new it's 700 tax in if you get it from Henry's ebay store?