Shipping to Canada - customs, taxes, etc.

[Peter Dk]

In another thread, I've been pondering whether to pick up a tonneau cover (tough choice on model... ). I live in Ontario and of course need to get them shipped up from the US. Locally I checked with Active Van & Truck and they wanted around $1600 + taxes + install for the Pace Edward FMJ tonneau. Realtruck is selling it for $1280 US. With the Canadian dollar near par, I'm leaning toward Realtruck but am cautious because of taxes, broker fees, duties, etc.

One of our members here at ROC shipped a similar item up from Realtruck, and not only got it quick (much quicker than I was quoted from Active Van & truck), but still managed to save a few hundred dollars. He wasn't even charged taxes or broker fees!

Anyone else have good/bad experiences on shipping large items up from the US? I'm not at all sure how they calculate what gets charged and don't want any nasty surprises afterwards.

thanks,
Peter Dk

[Nitehawk]

Hey Peter I am from Barrie too. I ordered my grill from Burtman Industries in the States and I believe I was charged $50 for shipping and then UPS charged an additional $60 for brokerage and taxes. I have always wondered the same thing with all the additional costs. I wish there was an easy calculation for it so that you know exactly how much you will be paying. Good luck with the purchase.

[Wpgman]

My 5SDude door sills arrived at my door via UPS. $64 COD! I asked him how much if I cleared them at customs myself. $14, so it was a $50 Customs brokerage fee. I sent him away and went the next day and cleared them myself. Took about 30 minutes including travel time.

[Peter Dk]

Thanks for the comments. I'm still trying to figure some of this out, but for the time being the best way to deal with it is to deal with a reputable manufacturer / dealer. I got some quotes back from Realtruck (re: the tonneau) and they would ship at quoted price with only the GST being extra. At least that's something I can figure out. For any other purchase the brokers fees & duties are still going to be a mystery to me.

I did manage to track down this site:
Importing Goods Into Canada
But have not had time to dig into it. If I ever get more information I'll post it here.....

thanks,