[zedhed]

Hey, a question from a newbie: What is the process for bringing used screen printing equipment from the US into Canada? Are there any special forms to fill out? Am I actually an importer, or just a consumer? I've had stuff come through Ebay before, but I would be going down to the US to pick up the items personally. Any specific protocol to follow that anyone has discovered? I'd sure appreciate some wisdom from someone who has done something similar.
Thanks.

 

[lowratevinyl]

Hey Zedhed

Well i also work in a crating company who exports item all over the world export/import to canada can be a pain you will need a broker to get your item over the border and have to pay Canada a 5% GST tax What are the sizes of the package you need to send? also were in the states is it located? i may be able to help you with this. Josh

 

[zedhed]

I am looking at buying a used screen press from the Seattle area to bring back into BC. I was hoping there was a way to do it without a broker. Is that possible? I was (perhaps naively) hoping I could show up at the border with a bill of sale, pay the duty and be on my way... Any idea how I go about finding a broker?

 

[lowratevinyl]

Well if you want to cross the border yourself with the items you can SELFCLEAR the items at the border and pay your GST there as long as you have all your paper work you should be fine. a Broker is needed when your shipping you item frieght. If your item is not cleared it could hold up the entire truck from going on a broker just gets all the paperwork together for this for an idea i just shipped 2 motorcycles to Regina and the broker charged me $125 to clear them plus 5% GST

 

[frankiko]

just show up to the border with your item and receipt.... pay your gst... and you're done. i bought all my screen printing equipment in the US, some of them i picked myself (Seattle) and some of them through shipping. so far i didn't get any roadblock. just pay your taxes and canada will be happy to let your stuff in.

i'll add: if you going there to pick up yourself, better stay there for more than 24 hours so your untaxable amount limit will go up.

 

[zedhed]

Hey thanks for your help. I actually picked up the equipment yesterday. Here is what I figured out along the way... When you are picking up commercial goods in the US, you may need to pay a user fee (perhaps for using their roads to carry commercial goods...?) I took along a utility trailer which may have been part of the reason I had to pay. Not a huge expense, $11.00USD. It is also worth stopping by Canada customs to pick up a NAFTA form if the item you are picking up is made in the US. You will need to get the seller to fill it out detailing what you bought from them (new or used) and its country of origin. ALSO, you need to get an importer's number for use when you return to Canada. Coming back through the border, you need to go to the commercial lane of customs as you are bringing in commercial goods. Once inside customs, you will have to use a computer to fill out a form that details what you bought etc. etc. It seems more daunting than it actually is, which is why brokers actually make money at this game. Just give yourself enough time to get through it all, and ask questions to make sure you are getting this part right. The first time through, I ended up with a bill of $160. The nice customs officer pointed out that I made a mistake and the next bill was for nothing more than the GST! Yahoo for free trade is what I say. All in all it was rather painless. a few bucks to the exchange rate, the GST and all is said and done. Whew.

 

[frankiko]

prol'y because of the trailer..... you must have brought in quite a bit of equipment, eh?
most of my transactions with the customs were just short of $1,500 every time and i never did like what you just had.. filing up forms and all that. it's much simplier. it's more of like "what's in there?", "what for?", "how much?", "ok, bring this form to cashier."....."you need to pay $$"....."sign here"...... done!

the last transaction i had with the border custom was when i brought in my first vinyl cutter/printer. some of the officers inside where so curious as to how the machine really works and i explained and told them those stickers and decals sticking on their trucks and mobile are done in this machine.... and couple of them ended up as my customers. ordered twice to me.

 

[zedhed]

Yeah, I was wondering if I was going to be able to get by without having to declare the goods as commercial, but I wanted to be on the up and up, so I knew that it might be a bit of a longer process. I don't actually have a business yet, but the guiding principle seemed to be "are you hoping to make money off of this?" If so, it is declared commercial goods. In the end, apart from the $10 user fee to the US gov't, and the slightly longer process (perhaps) at Canada customs, the duty was the same as I would have paid either way.

 

[frankiko]

i remember when i got one of my screen press, they asked me if it's for "a business".....and i told them "for now, it's going to be PERSONAL USE because I don't have a business registered at the moment.".... and they sent me in and paid the tax. that's all i did.

i did not declare as commercial good. that equipment was about $1,300 and i paid $75 at the customs cashier.

 

[zedhed]

That is almost exactly what I paid. The GST on the $1200USD (came to $1460CDN) was about the same. I couldn't quite do "personal use" thing. I don't have a registered business right now either, but it is intended to make me money. All in all it worked out dandy! Thanks for your input.

 

[Susie]

I clear customs myself into BC all the time. You should pay the $11 fee going into the US if you are importing commercial goods. A friend of mine didn't, went down, picked up some goods and was stopped by the border patrol guys who wanted to see his road fee receipt. They have the right to confiscate the vehicle and everything in it. No kidding. It's worth the $11.

Then you should go in the commercial lane re-entering BC and go inside and fill out the B3 form on the computer there. It is not difficult but it helps if you know your codes for the goods you are importing ahead of time(but they are all available there). You do need an importer # for this. Not declaring commercial goods properly is a risk. I do get questioned extensively sometimes - depends on who you talk to. It's not a big deal to do things properly.

 

[T3Design]

Man, how cool is this place. In my short time here this is the second time I've had a question and didn't even have to ask because there was a thread already here. So cool. Thanks guys