No Duty on Antiques Imported into Canada

[Becks]

Hi RFDers, I just wanted to remind everyone that if you are importing antiques into Canada, there is no duty. I believe the reasoning behind this is that there is no competition with domestic trades/industries. I bought a sterling cloak clasp from the UK online, and the sender did not write "antique" in the description. When Canada Post came knocking, Border Services categorized the item under jewelry and charged 6-7% duty on it. I paid the $$, and then used the the back of the bill slip to dispute the assessment and sent it to Border Services. It is very important to include proof or evidence that the item is an antique. Lucky for me, UK sterling has date stamps, proving it was over 100yrs old. If there are no date stamps, then an antique certificate is probably required for proving that an item is an antique. If the item was bought online, the ad description might help, also. I just received a refund cheque in the mail today from Border Services, so I am relieved. Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know about this.

[brunes]

I've never paid duty on anything I have ever imported into the US (tens of thousands of dollars worth over the past 5 years)... only tax.

I have always been under the impression most all goods nowadays are covered under either NATFA or a MFN treaty.

The only time we almost had to pay duty was bringing back my wife's bridemaid's dresses back in '07, they inspected them but saw they were MFN. I am pretty sure the UK is MFN ?