[warpdriver]

Buying headphones in Canada is an expensive proposition, so many people are interested in importing headphones from the US and abroad. This thread should be informative for people interested in importing headphones.

Please post anything you know about importing headphones in Canada. This should be factual knowledge, based on real experiences

Here's what I know.

Any headphone you import is subject to additional fees/taxes collected upon delivery. As a minimum, you have to pay GST and applicable PST based on the declared value of the goods (after conversion to a $CAD value). If the amount is not clearly marked on the outside, they will try to "assess/guess" the value of the item, even opening the package if necessary. There *MAY* be additional duties, but 99% of the time, regardless of the country of origin of the headphones, they will not assess any additional duties.

NOTE: in case it isn't obvious, when you buy an item, the store/seller will charge you a shipping charge. This does not include any of the additional fees I am talking about. I am talking about additional fees that are charged to you.

If the item is marked a gift with a value under $60CAD, it will not be assessed any taxes or duties. Otherwise, goods under $20CAD are tax/duty free. Note, if they inspect the package and it's clear that the marked value is too low, they may hold the package, so I would suggest you not try to cheat the system.

Depending on the carrier, you may also have to pay "brokerage", "Processing fees".

UPS Ground is the WORST. They will charge you outrageous brokerage/disbursement fees could easily add up to $35 on a $100 item on top of the usual PST/GST. Avoid UPS Ground at all costs. If the shipper only ships using UPS, ask to upgrade to UPS Expedited as these fees are included when using Expedited (but the shipping cost to you will be much higher). Expedited is also faster.

USPS (United States Postal Service) Airmail or International Airmail is usually the cheapest way to import your item. Canada Post handles delivery on this side of the border, and they will charge you a flat $5 CAD processing charge + GST/PST paid to the postman when you receive your item.
However, this method is slow, as often, the item is stuck at the border for days/even weeks. I find the average delivery time is about 2 weeks, but I've had items take as long as an entire month. As there is little tracking information, sometimes you just have to sit and wait while wondering where your package is. For example, TTVJ and Earphonesolutions.com will ship using USPS. TTVJ charges about $20 shipping charge for headphones the last time I asked.

Lastly, my most positive experiences buying headphones has been through Headroom. They ship using Fedex to Canada and their minimum charge seems to be $26 for any order. I ordered a Micro DAC and K701 headphones and it was $28. But it was WELL worth it, because:

1) Fedex is FAST. I live in a major city but I had the packages in my hands in less than 24 hours after it left Headroom's hands (every single time I've ordered from them)
2) Tracking information is super detailed and updated often.
With Fedex from Headroom, Fedex charged me $7 + PST/GST for my orders. So you pay a bit more, but the speed and quality of the service was impressive. They might even call you on the day of delivery and you can prepay the taxes/fees by credit card to save time when the delivery man shows up. If not, you pay the PST/GST + $7 directly to the Fedex guy when he shows up with your box. You can pay by credit card.
I don't know if the flat fee of $7 is specific to the Fedex arrangement Headroom uses, but every time that is the only additional fee they charged me on top of GST/PST.
So please do not assume this is what happens with all Fedex shipments.

 

[sonic_rage]

brokerage fees are an injustice.

i remember paying about 30 CAD as a brokerage fee from UPS for a set of PX200s i bought two years ago.

 

[nightfire]

I second the UPS ground brokerage nonsense. I got absolutely raped on quite a few items.

On the other hand, if there is a very high end audio store in your area, sometimes it's worth asking them to special order an item. They do this a lot and will get a good deal with Fedex/UPS/etc. Often it'll be cheaper to let them handle the importation even if it's an item they don't normally stock (particularly heavy items).

Of course you still have to pay GST/PST.

 

[Purgatos]

Earphonesolutions.com sent my 'phones to me as a gift, so I was spared all the horrible duties and stuff. I thought that was very nice of them.

 

[elnero]

To my knowledge in some provinces you don't have to pay PST.