eastwest
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:41:40 AM
and at point roberts you would pay the fee..my fiends said the boarders are close is that true???
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netsw
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:42:00 AM
Toke, Zazzie.
You can bring your own goods anytime as long as they are declared. I am referring to goods that are being bought or sold.
My point about beenies is not that US Customs were influenced by transportation companies but that they WERE INFLUENCED BY A THIRD PARTY.
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Zazzie
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:46:08 AM
I would pay the fee anyways, as a business I am bringing in commercial items to be mailed. I'm picking things up at the post office. I'm even saving $5.00Cdn everytime I pick up something at the USA post office--Canada Post isn't charging me their brokerage fee
If your friend thinks he is not going to have any problems at other border crossings he is mistaken. His name, his car, his car plates will all come up as red flagged and he'll be paying that fine again.
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netsw
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:46:45 AM
Zazzie, over $2000 USD becomes a "formal" entry and you,if you do your own clearance must post a surety bond which is frozen until liquidation of tht entry, probably a year.
If you use a broker they look after that for you.
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eastwest
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:48:17 AM
I think he knows that now !!! But he is old and does not understand that it's not worth it to lie !!!
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Zazzie
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:48:56 AM
I would consider myself 'blessed' if I was bringing over $2000 on each trip 
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netsw
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:52:29 AM
Zazzie, me too!!!
Some products become a formal entry at $250. These are usually products that the goverment is protectionist in their importation and may include, footware, plastics and always textiles.
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Zazzie
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posted on May 1, 2001 09:53:52 AM
well---my shipments are all books--so it's easy.
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reddeer
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posted on May 1, 2001 10:01:49 AM
Hello Netsw
Glad to see you join this discussion.
There is one other factor here, UPS and Fedex are buying up the brokerage businesses and it appears with recent changes are lobbying hard to control cross border small package business.
I'm sure they are, but, do you honestly think they have a hope in hell of succeeding with this mission of theirs? I don't.
I hope for once I'm right.
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abacaxi
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posted on May 1, 2001 12:06:39 PM
YIPPEE!
Where are all those people who say it's OK to lie on customs forms? I have some fresh-caught crow for them to munch on.
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engelskdansk
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posted on May 1, 2001 12:52:39 PM
Interesting ... I wonder why our Canadian Customs forms offers these two choices:
* Gift
* SAMPLE OF merchandise.
The US forms say:
* Gift
* Merchandise.
So when I am mailing an eBay item to someone in the States, it is neither a gift nor a sample. Seems to me it would be much more clear-cut if "sample of" was removed entirely.
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Zazzie
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posted on May 1, 2001 12:56:21 PM
I don't mark either one---neither one fits--so I don't check them.
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cdnbooks
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:14:59 PM
I don't check them either.
Where is Port Roberts (besides west)?
Bill
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shaani
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:23:38 PM
Point Roberts is near Vancouver. It was a favorite drinking spot in my younger days. Cheap beer and cute guys.
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Zazzie
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:32:55 PM
THE BREAKERS!!!! yippee
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reddeer
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:48:27 PM
It depends what Customs forms you use.
CN22 has "Sample of Merchandise", CN 23 does not. On the CN23 it's either a "Gift", or it's not.
I think Canada just likes to be different.
What I would like to see, is the USPS & Canada Post merge, and simplify the entire damn process.
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eastwest
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:49:43 PM
I worked at the breakers
It the only body of land in the USA that that you have to enter from canada and leave threw canada to go back to the US other then Alaska
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cdnbooks
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:55:26 PM
eastwest
now I know where you mean.
Thanks
Bill
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eastwest
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posted on May 1, 2001 01:59:39 PM
What I would like to see, is the USPS & Canada Post merge, and simplify the entire damn process.
I canada post rep told me it's going to happen very soon
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cdnbooks
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posted on May 1, 2001 02:01:58 PM
Zazzie
You hanging at cheap bars AGAIN???
Bill
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Microbes
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posted on May 1, 2001 04:40:44 PM
>What I would like to see, is the USPS & Canada Post merge, and simplify the entire damn process.
>I canada post rep told me it's going to happen very soon
This is a very spooky thought. Only thing worse than a bloated government service is TWO bloated govenment services.
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reddeer
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posted on May 1, 2001 04:50:09 PM
UPS & FedEx could keep them in check.
Works for me.
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pptrade
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posted on May 1, 2001 05:45:36 PM
Has anyone given any thought to the situation of any seller marking any parcel at $10.00 that held items that sold for over $500.00 each. I find this unbelievable, Nothing wrong with assisting a little but this must be some mixed up seller to take a chance on shipping under this situation. But an intesting thread. I too do not check either choices on the green customs form, but merchandise on the white ones.
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upriver
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posted on May 1, 2001 06:16:41 PM
Snakebait:
That is BAD advice & I sure hope no one takes it.
If you are ever caught lying about your business or goods to U.S. customs (or Canadian customs for that matter), watch out, you will be hit with penalties, including fines, likely seizure of goods, etc. I know, this happened to a local fellow who used to cross into the U.S. every couple of weeks with odds & ends he would sell to antique stores. He used some line like you suggest, but finally one time he got taken out of line & examined more closely & the truth came out, he was simply trying to avoid paying the $5.00 daily business user fee was all -- they confiscated his entire load of goods, fined him, and banned him from entry into the U.S. for any reason for a full year.
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upriver
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posted on May 1, 2001 06:23:24 PM
Zazzie & others:
You are likely right, it is probably not necessary to volunteer that these were goods sold on eBay -- however, the point was, the customs guys radar was up, and they asked where the goods were sold -- at that point, if you start fumbling or fibbing, you can well get into big time problems. After all, all they wanted to do was to verify that everything was kosher, once that was done it was all smiles & friendliness & A-OK, and since I sell on eBay full-time, there would just be no point at all to being even remotely secretive or evasive -- and I've never had to pay any duty in bringing my collectibles across the border as 99% of things made in U.S. & Canada seem to be duty free. So I just tell them what I'm bringing over at the beginning, and really, it speeds up my entry a lot every time (expect this last one, of course.)
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upriver
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posted on May 1, 2001 06:30:17 PM
eastwest:
I agree, not everybody has the time or inclination to cross the border. Some are too far away, some don't have any quantity of oversized packages.
For me it works great, it's a little over 30 minute drive to the border. I also accept for payment those green U.S. postal money orders which others often find so irritating, so I just save them & cash them in at the post office, then go shopping at the local antique, book & thrift stores. Have had a lot of real nice finds, too. Gives me a nice break every once in awhile from home stuff, and (gasp, I can't believe I'm saying this), I get to go the Jack In The Box, which we don't have in Canada. (Shame, shame!)
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shaani
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posted on May 1, 2001 06:39:38 PM
I agree that snakebait's advice is not the best and hopefully no one will attempt it.
Many times we may have the same Customs guys briefly question us and wave us through but on occasion there are Customs guys brought in from other areas and they fire questions at us really fast. They are trained to see how you answer and as Upriver says, if you start fumbling or fibbing you would be in big trouble.
We send some items by UPS and we get insurance and tracking so it is worth the $5.00 fee just for peace of mind on bigger ticket sales. We can deposit the mean green money orders and visit some of the little shops.
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Microbes
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posted on May 1, 2001 07:34:32 PM
>Where are all those people who say it's OK to lie on customs forms? I have some fresh-caught crow for them to munch on.
Gee... If your gonna' tell a lie, don't lie to the man at the gate, PUT IT IN WRITEING and SIGN YOUR NAME TO IT.
One of these days, I'll learn to spell.
[ edited by Microbes on May 1, 2001 07:37 PM ]
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eastwest
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posted on May 1, 2001 07:41:35 PM
For those of you who do not check the parcel ..have you ever gotten a parcel back??
Or have you ever had your customer tell you that it had been opend by customs
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cdnbooks
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posted on May 2, 2001 02:17:04 AM
eastwest
No, and surprisingly no.
I believe that I am sending 'merchandise'. Not a 'gift' and not a 'SAMPLE of merchandise', so how can I check one of the boxes?
Bill
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