[thislittlepiggy]

Hey everyone,

Here's the story:
So I've just put up my headphones for trade, and a Canadian guy PMs me saying he's interested. I thought to myself "alright. but do I have to pay some sort of duty for dealing with a Canadian?" He said no, and that he'll send me an address to a mail box etc. box or something like that in the US to avoid the tax. I'm a little concerned about this cuz something tells me this is kinda illegal. Any law experts out there? I'm only in college, and I REALLY don't feel like getting a criminal record.... yet

.

-Jeff

 

[Naris]

Eh... what I usually do is mark it as a gift on the customs form and just ship it to them directly. If it is something really expensive, I'll send them a birthday card or something with it

.

 

[thislittlepiggy]

hah, is that all there is to it? i like the birthday card... adds a nice a nice touch.

btw, any Americans have any other tips/experiences with trading/selling to Canadians?

 

[Sladeophile]

Yeah man, no duty on gifts...

 

[thislittlepiggy]

hah, thanks sladeophile.

btw, chuck norris is GOD. i joined his facebook fanbase at berkeley. here are some of the things they put on the wall (made me laugh during work!):


The TOP FACTS about Chuck Norris:

Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits

Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.

Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there.

Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck met all three bullets with his beard, deflecting them. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes ever.

The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

To prove it isn't that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked 15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and aquired 7 different kinds of cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes. Beat that, Lance Armstrong.

Chuck Norris ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.

Chuck Norris sleeps with a night light. Not because Chuck Norris is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris can touch MC Hammer.

Chuck Norris has a word for a person he puts into a coma; that word is "lucky".

A blind man once stepped on Chuck Norris' shoe. Chuck replied, "Don't you know who I am? I'm Chuck Norris!" The mere mention of his name cured this man blindness. Sadly the first, last, and only thing this man ever saw, was a fatal roundhouse delivered by Chuck Norris.

As a teen Chuck Norris impregnated every nun in a convent tucked away in the hills of Tuscany. Nine months later the nuns gave birth to the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated and untied team in professional football history.

Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour. He spent the first 45 minutes having sex with his waitress.

Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse... horses are hung like Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris appeared in the "Street Fighter II" video game, but was removed by Beta Testers because every button caused him to do a roundhouse kick. When asked bout this "glitch," Norris replied, "That's no glitch."

Achilles was supposedly the greatest warrior of all time, but he died because of his weak spot, the Achilles tendon. There is no Chuck Norris tendon.

Oxygen requires Chuck Norris to live.

If Chuck Norris is late, time better slow the **** down.

Chuck Norris was going to spend a relaxing day watching television when one of those commercials for Trix cereal came on. Angered by what he saw, Chuck Norris spent the rest of his, what was supposed to be a relaxing day, punching every child he came across. He would then shout at them, “Trix are for Chuck Norris.”

Chuck Norris died ten years ago, but the Grim Reaper can't get up the courage to tell him.

A Handicap parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Chuck Norris and that you will be handicapped if you park there.

At birth, Chuck Norris came out feet first so he could roundhouse kick the doctor in the face. Nobody delivers Chuck Norris but Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris frequently donates blood to the Red Cross. Just never his own.

Chuck Norris doesn't get wet, water gets Chuck Norris.

In fine print on the last page of the Guinness Book of World Records it notes that all world records are held by Chuck Norris, and those listed in the book are simply the closest anyone else has ever gotten.

There is no chin behind Chuck Norris' beard. There is only another fist.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds 'til." After you ask, "Two seconds 'til what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to live.

Nagasaki never had a bomb dropped on it. Chuck Norris jumped out of a plane and punched the ground.

Chuck Norris once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

Someone once tried to tell Chuck Norris that roundhouse kicks aren't the best way to kick someone. This has been recorded by historians as the worst mistake anyone has ever made.

 

[Sladeophile]

Yeah, I read all those... then I roundhouse kicked everyone that wrote them...

 

[Canuck57]

YOU don't have to pay any "duties," the purchaser may though. Whenever I purchase anything from a head-fier in the USA I always ask thay they ship using USPS rather than UPS or FedEX since the latter two charge enormous brokerage fees.

In theory us Canadians should pay the Federal Sales Tax (Good & Services Tax, currently 7% dropping to 6% July 1, 2006) and Provincial Sales Tax (8% in Ontario) however, sometimes packages slip through Canada Post without attracting any taxes (Supermacro I bought, maybe because it was a small package). Canada Post only charges $5 brokerage. There are no duties on headphone equipment purchased from the USA.

The taxes are based on the declared value you indicate on the customs from when you ship the item.

 

[dvallere]

Doesn't anybody think it's a bit, well, weak to write "gift" on a pair of used headphones?

Since I run a business, I don't want to take risks with customs by writing "gift" on anything (except when it really IS a gift, going to my family in the UK!). I sent a $24.95 item to a girl in Montreal once and she was asked to pay $97 in customs fees. (Whatever they're called in Canada.)

 

[tilt]

mark it as "return to sender"

 

[mb3k]

Wow $97!
The most I've been charged was $25 on my $50 soldering iron

When you mark it as a "gift" I believe that means it has to be $60 or less in value. So if a $300 set of headphones gets busted during shipping and it's marked as a "gift", you can't really claim anything more than $60.

 

[Sladeophile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvallere Doesn't anybody think it's a bit, well, weak to write "gift" on a pair of used headphones?

NOPE

 

[pne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvallere Doesn't anybody think it's a bit, well, weak to write "gift" on a pair of used headphones?

what the heck are you talking about?!

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Use USPS for across the border stuff, they don't charge exhorbant customs fees like some other companies

 

[Naris]

*shrugs* I have no problem marking it as gift if it actually is, or if I'm sending something purchased through head-fi (since we're all friends here I figure we give gifts to one another all the time

). Otherwise... no, I probably would prefer to be honest about it.

Customs taxes... so pricey sometimes...

EDIT: The thing about the birthday card is kind of said in a half joking way. If I had to ship something expensive overseas to someone who I did like however, I might do it.

 

[socrates63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb3k When you mark it as a "gift" I believe that means it has to be $60 or less in value. So if a $300 set of headphones gets busted during shipping and it's marked as a "gift", you can't really claim anything more than $60.

That's why I give the option to the other person -- do you want me to declare the item as a $20 gift or do you want the item insured for the proper value and pay taxes?

I don't mind doing this as long as the buyer agrees to the risks.