Members 12Gauge Posted September 4, 2007 Members Posted September 4, 2007 Just out of curiosity and for future reference. Have any of you Canadians here bought guitars on-line out of the USA? Is there a substantial saving when you take into consideration shipping and duty and other costs like brokerage fees etc? I know the dollar is close to being on par and have been tempted to order but I'm hesitant because of what the end cost may be.
Members moctzal Posted September 4, 2007 Members Posted September 4, 2007 I find that when I do this, (I live in Calgary) the best way to do it is to have a straw buyer in the states. My uncle lives down there, and since he buys it and gives it to me (and i just happen to give him some money afterwards for it) he can send it as a gift so there's no duty. Also having things sent regular post instead of couriered saves money too, there's a much lower customs fee. I've never had anything sent directly to me from online stores, only from ebay, and even after shipping and customs fees it still ends up being cheaper.
Members DrBallard Posted September 4, 2007 Members Posted September 4, 2007 What he said... with USPS the custom broker fees are much lower, and you can ask the seller to put a lesser value on the package to save fees. Lets say you buy a guitar for 600$, if the declared value IS 600, expect to pay 30% more at your door. Anyway, just ordered a Larrivee D-03 and its coming in tomorrow
Members Ostracized Posted September 4, 2007 Members Posted September 4, 2007 Customs/Duty fees can be a huge bitch buying from the US. I'd say they can run as high as 15% of the retail value of the item and that is after they charge you GST/PST. My advice is that unless you are getting a supremely good deal (ie through eBay) don't bother buying from the US to save a few bucks because it'll cost you much more than you think.
Members bradhannah Posted September 4, 2007 Members Posted September 4, 2007 I live just north of New York in Kingston, Ontario. I bought a guitar on Ebay and it cost me a ton in fees and shipping. Well over $200... There may have been mistakes made by me in the process, but it was not worth it. I even got a bill one month a after I recieved it for $70 for some brokerage, that I had no control over.
Members 12Gauge Posted September 5, 2007 Author Members Posted September 5, 2007 Customs/Duty fees can be a huge bitch buying from the US. I'd say they can run as high as 15% of the retail value of the item and that is after they charge you GST/PST. My advice is that unless you are getting a supremely good deal (ie through eBay) don't bother buying from the US to save a few bucks because it'll cost you much more than you think. That's what I was afraid of. I guess I'll stay on this side of the border when the occasion arises. Thanks for the advise.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.