Shopping Discussion

Buying Laptop in the US and bring it back to Canada

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Oct 27, 2004
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It's just not worth it, in the end, IMO.

The last time I bought electronics in the US: I bought the Microsoft Band while at a US basketball tournament for my son. The product was not sold in Canada. It turned out to be a very poorly designed product (which is why Microsoft discontinued it, I imagine), and the strap tore. The Microsoft Store wouldn't touch it, since the SKU wasn't in their system. US Microsoft wouldn't deal with me in the US for the repair, so I had to send it to a business partner in the US, who then sent it to Microsoft. They sent it back to him, and he sent it to me.

Wayyy too much hassle. While I love browsing Best Buy stores while in the US, I'll never buy anything there again, outside perhaps of some earbuds or something otherwise disposable.
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Sep 20, 2011
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Bumping this thread with a quick question.

My wife is going back to school this fall and needs a laptop. The MacBook Air at Best Buy in Canada currently comes to $1357 with tax.

In the US, at Best Buy it’s on sale for $100 off and students get another $150 off. So with tax and converting it to CAD it comes to $1050. So saves $300 over getting it here.

If we declare it, worst case scenario we pay the 13% HST?
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Jan 3, 2014
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drevil0208 wrote: Bumping this thread with a quick question.
For future reference, you're better off starting your own thread, rather than bumping an older thread with your question.
If we declare it, worst case scenario we pay the 13% HST?
Already been answered in this thread.

Watch for the back to school deal here (will be coming if it's not already) and check out the pricing in the Apple Refurb store as well.
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Jun 11, 2005
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drevil0208 wrote: Bumping this thread with a quick question.

My wife is going back to school this fall and needs a laptop. The MacBook Air at Best Buy in Canada currently comes to $1357 with tax.

In the US, at Best Buy it’s on sale for $100 off and students get another $150 off. So with tax and converting it to CAD it comes to $1050. So saves $300 over getting it here.

If we declare it, worst case scenario we pay the 13% HST?
If you stay over 48 hours you have a $800.00 limit. It is up to the agent if he waves you in.
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Mar 23, 2004
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Dreamrider wrote: Pretty sure OP is fully aware of $800 limit, that's not what he wants to hear.
OP wants to hear:
Throw away the box, etc., don't keep the receipt with you and just pretend you always had it. Load some personal files (USB, cloud, whatever) on there and customise it a bit (background image, etc.), keep it in a laptop bag/sleeve that has some wear/use on it and they can't really do much to you. It's true you can do this and they can't really do anything, just don't have evidence on you or your phone, etc. that you just bought it. They probably won't even ask you.

I've brought my laptop countless times over and back and though I didn't "buy it in the US" on any of those occasions, they've never even asked me about it even when I have been inspected. They don't know that I didn't just buy it in the US and bring it over. Granted it's not exactly in 100% perfect new condition either but they don't know I didn't buy it used or whatever, right? I suspect they just don't care because even if they did think I bought it there's not much they could do about it anyway. Same goes with a cellphone, how are they going to tell you didn't just buy your phone or that you bought it in Canada? It's a personal device I doubt they're going to bother even if they think you did just buy it new.

As for the proper answer...Yes yes, make sure you declare it, it's the law, yada yada.

The biggest disservice you'd actually be doing yourself by declaring it or not declaring it, is that you bought garbage from Crapple to begin with. I wouldn't give them 3 cents for their absolute garbagy trash "products" but that's just my 2 cents.
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Mar 23, 2004
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bylo wrote: It's more complicated than that.

1. If I do a verbal declaration to bring in the item after purchase, all I have is the US receipt/invoice.
2. I send the item back to the US. I have nothing that confirms I declared the item and got it into Canada legally, i.e. that duty/HST was "paid" under my personal exemption.
3. When the repairer returns the item to me in Canada they normally need to include copies of the paperwork I sent them in 2. But again that doesn't prove that duty/HST has already been "paid."

There's a risk that I could be charged duty/HST/brokerage in 3. due to lack of paperwork. My only "proof" would be something in CBSA's database that shows I entered Canada shortly after the original receipt/invoice date. But that's usually a verbal declaration so there's no way to definitively prove I actually declared that item.

blah blah blah....
Actually you're making this more complicated than it is in reality.

I've had to have two things repaired under US warranty that I brought into the US to be repaired and never had a problem.

One was a Sony CD changer back in the 90s (which is when I first discovered Sony of Canada would not touch a US-purchased product for warranty). Brought it in to the US, shipped it to Sony, they repaired it and shipped it back. This was back in the 90s, I lived in a border town at the time (where basically they never cared what or how much you brought back, they never charged you on anything if you were from that town) so there were no issues at all. On my way back I actually think I just reinstalled it in the car and never even said a word about it. Granted that was a different kind of scenario than most people would have.

Next time was in the late 00s/early 10s I think. Had to bring a 50lb AVR back into the US to repair under warranty, I drove it over to Rochester myself to be repaired and picked it up a couple weeks later. On my way back into Canada I declared I had the AVR and that it had been repaired in the US. The border agent asked me how much the repair cost me (intending to see if the repair was worth taxing). Told him it was under warranty, gave him all the paperwork which he looked over, and that was that. There was no crazy scrutiny over a $600 or so AVR or any foolish questions about where it came from originally or any other nonsense. I had actually/obviously bought it in the US to begin with (hence needing to go back to the US) but though I declared it way back then it was under exemption at the time because I stayed long enough in the US and no there was no paperwork for this or any other kind of nonsense interrogation or questioning you speak of. The kicker here is not only did it have to go back that time but I had to bring it back into the US again a week later because when they fixed it they unfortunately, inadvertently, created another problem. So I had to take it back for them to fix again. Process coming back? Same thing. Just told them what happened and I was on my way.

The hassles you speak of over this kind of stuff are way blown out of proportion. I didn't bother documenting I had brought the thing over before I did so and didn't have any proof of having declared or paid taxes or whatever from when I initially bought it. I mean sure you could get a dick border guard that gave you a hard time but at the end of the day we have to think about what makes sense. Even if I hadn't declared or paid taxes on it when I originally bought it, that's really neither here nor there. It has to be assumed at that point that I'm the legal owner of the thing and whatever means I originally brought it in under are not really relevant anymore. From there, we have to assume that if I had it repaired in the US I must have brought/shipped it there...somehow. If I have a receipt/invoice showing the warranty repair they can't think I bought it there at a cost (as a refurb or whatever), it's something that's been legitimately repaired with me as the owner on the paperwork. Now that I'm bringing it back in the only thing that is really taxable is the repair cost, which is totally fair game. Except if the repair cost is $0.00, then the tax on that is also $0.00. This is not rocket science. There is the clause that says they can charge you tax on the entire thing again but this doesn't apply to basic repairs it only applies if you had something modified or customised such that it changed the nature or total value of the item significantly.

They know enough at the border that they can only tax/duty you on what they can prove anyway. So with the paperwork on a warranty repair they can only really prove that yes you brought it there, yes you had it repaired, and yes you're bringing it back. Just as you can't prove you declared it originally and were either exempted, waved through, or even paid tax on it already, they can't prove otherwise either. If the repair cost you money they'll charge you on that if it's more than a hundred bucks or so; if the repair cost you nothing that's pretty much the end of it.

With a laptop, as said, no one is going to give a damn anyway. Whether you just bought it, had it fixed, or whatever the case is, aside from you saying something they're just going to assume it's your personal laptop and not even ask you about it. Now sometimes they will go through your laptop to find if you have illegal content on it (typically child porn) if they suspect you may have such things on there, but even then they're not going to bother asking you about if you just bought it or some other nonsense. If it's a $3000 large TV or something then yeah you're probably going to have some more questions going on, but at the end of the day for warranty repairs you're blowing it all out of proportion. It's really not the difficult situation you speak of.

All that said, I really do NOT recommend buying large items (like TVs, etc.) which are cumbersome/difficult to transport in the US, which are only going to have warranty in the US. I also do not recommend buying things like this laptop where the price difference is so small it's not worth it in any dimension TBH. But I have bought tons of stuff from the US and some of it was certainly only warrantied in the US; but, I only had to actually have service done on two items in decades of cross-border shopping.
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Jan 7, 2002
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ES_Revenge wrote: Actually you're making this more complicated than it is in reality...
No, I didn't say that it would happen. I simply explained what could happen and pointed that there's a risk that it might happen. I agree that it's unlikely to happen in practice.

Also all of this is at the discretion of the border agent. If you say or do something that pisses them off, good luck as they follow every rule by the book.

The same applies with verbal declarations in general. Normally they take you at your word without asking for any paperwork. But that hardly means that it can't happen if you give them reason to make it happen.
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Feb 7, 2017
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@ES_Revenge
I know I am not going to change your mind on your position in your posts # 25 and # 26
After all it is your opinion, no doubt based on your experiences crossing the border
But as someone who used to work at Canada Customs, I got to say that the info you’ve provided to the OP has some major flaws
And incorrect info

CBSA, can inspect everything you are bringing back into Canada
Including personal electronics
If they suspect that the device is NEW, or not as to what you claim in a verbal declaration
Then just like any other item you have in your possession it can be held for further investigation

At which point it’s ENTIRELY UP TO YOU to prove the origin of the item in regards to where you got it / bought it

So folks who try to make something new look older... are just fooling themselves... not the Customs Agents

Cause once caught in a lie, things at the Border just get worse for the Traveller
Be it right there and then... or in the long term being red flagged on every crossing
So not worth it

Same goes for repairs / modifications conducted out of Canada.
Technically... there is a process / paperwork from CBSA to handle the export of a good for the work, and then to reimport the item.
Not following that protocol... and the item is at risk of being declared ENTIRELY NEW
Not just the modification / repair (warranty or otherwise)

So you are very wrong when you say it is up to Customs to prove anything:
They know enough at the border that they can only tax/duty you on what they can prove anyway.
It truly is up to the Traveller to prove the goods were theirs before they went out of the country... and what has happened to them while abroad

The appropriate paperwork from CBSA filled out beforehand, and presented afterwards makes this uncomplicated for the Traveller
And closes the gap of risk on having an item questioned, taxed, or confiscated

Have seen this many times when it comes to things of value like vehicles, electronics and jewellery

Don’t play roulette with the rules
Just do your homework, and fill out the appropriate forms
And most importantly... make a truthful proper declaration
Sure you might end up paying some tax (or not)
But it’s a lot easier road than the alternative
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Jan 7, 2002
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TomLafinsky wrote: You take a chance. If you are unwilling to take a chance then don't buy any electronics south of the border)
What "chance" are you taking?

If you buy something that comes with a NA-wide or global warranty then you have the same protection as if you bought in Canada.

If you declare what you buy at the border you won't have problems with CBSA.

And of course make sure that the bottom line cost, taking into account things like FX, transportation, accommodation, food, etc. of a 48+ hour stay in the USA is less than the cost of the same item in Canada. (Not an issue if you're going to be stateside for other reasons.)

So it's not about taking chances. It's about doing your homework before you buy and before you try to bring it back to Canada.
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Jan 7, 2002
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TomLafinsky wrote: The chance I was talking about was buying something that is not CSA certified and can only be serviced in America. If what you buy works fine then you win. You saved money when you bought it and everything is fine, so you win! Just like buying stocks and its value goes up, so you win! :)

In both cases you take a chance. Now if there is something wrong and you need to spend money to send it back to America to have it serviced then you lose some, or all of the money you saved (your winning). That's the chance I was talking about.
And my point remains that if you do your homework before you buy, as I described in my post, then you're not "taking a chance."

Incidentally the comparison with buying stocks isn't accurate. By doing your homework you can eliminate the risks you mention with cross-border shopping. There's essentially no way in general to eliminate risk with buying stocks.
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Aug 27, 2017
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PointsHubby wrote: Used to work for Customs...

BAD Advice not declaring it (Gee @EastGTARedFlagger you surprised me with this post)

Op...
Last thing you want is a RED FLAG against you that will follow you for decades anytime you cross the border (either direction) ... being noted as someone not to be trusted / truthful is a royal PITA with long delays spent in Secondary

@Kasakato has linked the appropriate CBSA Declaration info

After 48 Hours your allowance is $ 800 Cdn Duty Free... and a reduced rate if you go beyond that amount

Whether you pay anything hinges on how much you spend while away...
Even telling the truth and being over your limit, and the Customs Agent has the authority to wave you thru

Anything else, not worth the hassle
I can tell you worked for customs since you're wrong about the "decades" flag. It's 2-7 years afaik
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Aug 18, 2005
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EastGTARedFlagger wrote: Although if you're gone for 2 weeks, geez, just have it in your computer bag as if you had it the whole time and I bet you get away with it. Problem is if they search your vehicle and find the box, manuals, etc...
Probably true, but the hassle of being caught is too much. I would just declare everything if I was in that position.
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Sep 14, 2005
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Say the limit is $800, but I have purchased $1000 and have declared it
Is CBSA charging tax on the full $1000? or $200?
I was once told by the agent I will be charged at the full amount if I exceed the limit
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edvc520 wrote: Say the limit is $800, but I have purchased $1000 and have declared it
Is CBSA charging tax on the full $1000? or $200?
I was once told by the agent I will be charged at the full amount if I exceed the limit
It depends, but if you're away long enough it's just the extra.

Look at the CBSA web site for details.
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edvc520 wrote: Say the limit is $800, but I have purchased $1000 and have declared it
Is CBSA charging tax on the full $1000? or $200?
I was once told by the agent I will be charged at the full amount if I exceed the limit
The must pay Duty & Tax on the whole amount problem is something that many run into when they are out of the country under 48 Hours

Under 24 Hours and your Personal Exemption amount is Zip, Zero, Zilch = $ 0

24 to 48 Hours it’s $ 200 ... but with Restrictions
And one of those Restrictions, is if you go over the $ 200 Limit
The Personal Exemption goes back to $ 0
And you are taxed on the whole shebang

So overspend, and see yourself DECLARING $ 300 Cdn
And it’s taxed full on (not just on the $ 100 Cdn overage)

For more info, see the CBSA “I Declare” Guide, and the Section “Absence of more than 24 Hours”
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voya ... e-eng.html
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May 29, 2017
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Guys, sorry to revive such an old thread, but anyone have any experience with buying a used item from USA and having it shipped to Canada?

Looking to buy a used MacBook and wanted to know what kind of customs charges can i expect?

I can save almost 50% vs Apple refurbished even on the laptop buying it used from someone I know from USA but would need it shipped here.
USA eSIM Free Trials Telus: $30/75GB CA/US x4 • $0 X00GB Bonus • $0 AW x2 • $0 CA/US Tablet SIM(x4) | Freedom: $27.50 30GB CA/1GB USA • $25/Year Unlimited T/T/7GB/Mo Data
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Samshares wrote: Guys, sorry to revive such an old thread, but anyone have any experience with buying a used item from USA and having it shipped to Canada?

Looking to buy a used MacBook and wanted to know what kind of customs charges can i expect?

I can save almost 50% vs Apple refurbished even on the laptop buying it used from someone I know from USA but would need it shipped here.
You have to declare fair market value, i.e. what someone in the US would pay for a comparable used/refurbished system. The receipt from a reputable vendor will do. In any case it's doubtful CBSA is going to make a big issue of the valuation if it seems reasonable.

You'll have to pay HST on that value plus shipping costs plus brokerage, if any, in CA$. There shouldn't be any duty since this is under NAFTA-II/CAUSME (or whatever they're calling it.)

It's a used system. Think carefully about warranty. If warranty work can't happen in Canada then consider the added costs and hassles of sending it back and forth across the border.
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bylo wrote: It's a used system. Think carefully about warranty. If warranty work can't happen in Canada then consider the added costs and hassles of sending it back and forth across the border.
For me, this is the big issue. This is a lot of money to spend with no recourse on an "as-is" sale. While warranty work may be available through Apple Canada (assuming it's still within warranty period), if there's something wrong that's not covered under warranty you're hooped.
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Ship it via fedex if you want it quickly

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