How to avoid paying customs fees?

[Bosox Blair]

Hello Jeff,

There is no such thing as "customs fees". In most cases, on the retail purchase of an item entering Canada from any other country, you could possibly be subject to 3 different amounts you would have to pay.

First, there is sales tax. Depending on your province, you have to pay your provincial rate of tax plus GST. In my experience, if the item is shipped via USPS (if from the USA) they don't bother with small value items - I can't recall ever paying taxes on anything worth less than $50.00. Also, if the item is a gift, there should be no tax. The sender has to declare the item as a gift. The customs people don't have to accept that at face value, and the sender could be in some trouble if the item is falsely declared as a gift.

Second there is import duty. This does not apply on sports cards printed in the US or Canada. This should not be charged, and in my experience it isn't.

Third, there are fees charged by the carriers for their "service" in importing your item(s). This is one reason to always prefer USPS. If there is no tax payable, USPS charges no fee at all - Canada Post just delivers it. If there is tax payable, they hit you for a $5.00 fee (supposedly for documentation, etc.). FedEx charges more for the same thing - in the range of $10-$15.00. And UPS are the ultimate bandits, charging up to $40.00 for the same thing - I never, ever use them.

Cheers,
Blair