Canada customs tariff + HST? « Nikon Rumors Forum

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Canada customs tariff + HST?

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soshigee

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Hi, I'm buying a D7000 + 70-200mm VRII kit. It costs around 3k from Adorama, give or take a few hundreds on memcard/battery/etc.

I'm really worried about the Canadian tariff and tax on it. I really do not want to pay hundreds @_@

I would buy the camera in a Canadian retailer but Adorama has it for so cheap because it's bundled.

For any Canadians, will customs charge a tariff fee? And would the tax applied be 12%? That'd be a super killer. 360 dollars tax ..... Is there a way to avoid this? Or do you guys know a site that sells kits cheap like Adorama?

Thank you.

Posted 2 years ago #
adamz

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there's two things You can't avoid death and taxes, and 12% is not a super killer, imagine that we in Europe pay 23%-25% tax and the base price is higher than Yours.
as for custom there should be none.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Well I found a store located in Alberta which has only GST, now I don't know if I'll get charged the remaining but in the checkout it only lists GST.

Subtotal: $3,373.47
Free Regular Delivery: $0.00
Subtotal excluding taxes: $3,373.47
GST: $168.67
Order total: $3,542.14

for d7000 + 70-200mmVRII. Not bad....

Adorama: D7000 + 70-200mm VRII

Subtotal:
$2,958.95
Taxes:
$0.00
Shipping charges:
$126.50 (Fedex International Priority)
Total: $3,085.45

... So I have 460 dollars window frame where if tariff+HST will not break 3542, I'll buy from Adorama, but if it does, I might as well go for theCameraStore.com.... T_T GAH I admit USA is so much better with the free trade act.... ugh... if only I hadn't moved to Canada...

Edit: Well, if there's absolutely no customs tariff for the lens also, and I just gotta pay 12% of 2958 then I might as well go for Adorama. Problem is, it's not in stock -_-;

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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Customs will charge you the tax that you would have paid if you had bought it retail in your province, and nothing else. If you buy it from another province, then it won't go through customs so you won't be charged tax on it again.

The only way to avoid paying tax is to take a week long trip to New York with some friends and have your purchase be part of your duty free exemption. This will probably cost more than the $500 you might save.

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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The other issue is that you'll have no warranty, as Nikon Canada will not service lenses and cameras with US serial numbers.

You will be charged duty and taxes on any items over $20, so you will get nailed, big time.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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T_T wow... darn it. Well, my home is in canada but I start School this september, in California... Then I'd probably have to ship it back to Canada if I ever need service, and when I do, I'm probably going to get taxed for it AGAIN. And I'm not sure if CAnada is going to be my permanent country of residence.............. @_@

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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Tough spot to be in, but there isn't much you can do.

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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This is why Nikon's warranty service is awful, possibly the industry's worst. In theory it sounds like it will encourage people do buy Nikon equipment from your country's distributor, but I suspect it encourages people to delay or avoid purchases, or switch to another brand entirely.

If you know you're moving to the States for the long term, I'd suggest waiting until you arrive there and then order your stuff. You'll avoid taxes, get full warranty service and you won't have to pay for shipping either. For now I'd say to stick with whatever you have, and rent if you really need something.

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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jerl, all big electronics companies have similar warranties, not just camera makers. If I buy an Samsung HDTV in Canada, I have to deal with the Canadian Samsung distributer.

BTW, Canon US and Canon Canada work the same way as Nikon Canada and Nikon USA, so saying Nikon is the worst is nothing short of a lie.

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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Well, I'll have to check to be sure, but I'm pretty sure Canon allows repairs for grey and imported products (although they'll make you pay for it, as we would expect) as a quick google search seems to substantiate. In my experience other companies that I've dealt with do the same. I'm not condemning the idea of having local distributors and warranty service coming only from authorized products, only the idea of refusing the service (even for a fee) any item that doesn't come from the sole authorized dealer- I think that's a little too harsh without increasing business.

For legitimate cases like the OP's, it makes it unclear what to do (although if I recall correctly, if you can prove that you bought the items in question in person at a physical retailer, you should be able to get warrant coverage from someone if you move)

Anyway, I think I've started a bit of an off-topic discussion, so I don't really want to continue it anymore in this thread.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Well, my permanent "home" will be in Canada, but I'm definitely going to be studying abroad either in USA or Korea. Therefore, I need to figure out one thing:

Is there a way to prove that I've already purchased, and used, the Camera so I don't need to pay tax when I ship it to Canada for warranty service/repair? Or must I pay the HST each and every time I ship it over?

Also, when I bring my camera over the border with them in my hand, will I be forced to pay some sort of tax, or will it count towards my luggage?

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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If you send an item for repair, it is exempt from all duties, so you don't have to pay tax. Sometimes the company might mislabel the package so that customs charges you, but you can get that back easily through some paperwork.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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So, I don't have to pay the provincial HST tax?
Camera/lenses are tariff-free btw.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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still unsure about HST for sending item in for repair.
no customs tariff but afraid the provincial tax is going to rape me.

Posted 2 years ago #
adamz

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noone is gonna tax You twice for the same product, jsut keep Your documents and once You gonna send stuff abroad fill the export documents

Posted 2 years ago #
nfiorito

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adamz said:
noone is gonna tax You twice for the same product, jsut keep Your documents and once You gonna send stuff abroad fill the export documents

Well unfortunately you have to pay GST when you sell a used vehicle...but that's another story. You also have to pay taxes on some financial and retirement investments when you take them out as a senior, even though you've paid taxes on them previously.

Anyways, I live close to the US border, so we often order things to a border store and pick them up there. We have to pay tax (13%) and duty (depending on where the item originated and what it is). We even have to pay tax on the shipping, it's the sum total of the order you pay the tax on. We often just purchase a pile of things before we go for a weekend trip to the States, and have them waiting for us at the border store, so that when we come back to Canada we're exempt from paying taxes on them. Also, when things are sent directly to our home in Ontario, they can be held up at the border for lengthy periods.

You would likely have to pay HST EVERYTIME you sent the camera up for warranty, but of course you would only pay HST on the cost of the warranty work and shipping, not the camera itself. If warranty work is duty-free as jerl states, then you wouldn't pay duty, but taxes and duty are two different animals.

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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Yes, that is correct, you still owe tax on the value of the work done, so you will have to pay tax on that, but you shouldn't have to pay tax on the value of your item. If the work is done under warranty, they might not charge you anything, in which case you shouldn't have to pay tax.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Wow, so it's not 12% of say... 1200 for d7k body. it's 12% of d7k + 125 for shipping which is 1325? =_=;;; wtfff
I guess I'll just have to take ultragood care of my babies...... And hope that they don't unfairly pwn me when I'm trying to take my camera to school in the US, or when I come back home to Canada from the US....

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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Just take your sales receipts, and forms that show you paid the taxes already, they wont charge you again.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Alright so I'm using a D7000 and I'm looking for the best price/performance ratio lens between the 16-85mm VR vs. an 18-55mm VR + 35mm f/1.8. I like to shoot generally everything. Just any random thing that catches my eye. People, buildings, scenery, random flowers (no homo), FOOD that I eat.. etc.

does the 2mm make a noticeable difference? I know I have to look for myself, and I will do that when I get some people's input on if the 16-85 is good bang for the buck.

Now the thing is, I'm getting a 70-200mm VRII lens before the end of summer 2011, so I can't really spend all that much on lenses that'll overlap, which means no 18-105mm nor 18-200. I was also thinking of getting one of the two (18-55 or 35 1.8) and living with it till I get the 70-200. With the prime, I'll learn to place myself further/closer rather than using zoom to get the shot.

Posted 2 years ago #
jerl

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The biggest difference between the 18-55 and the 16-85 is ergonomics and build quality. Those things are still important, because they change how you interact with your equipment, but the difference in image quality is subtle at best (in real situations), and the difference between 16-18 is also quite subtle. A 2mm difference is more significant at the wider end but the difference between 16 and 18 on DX is not very big (different story on FX though), so if 18mm is not wide enough, it's unlike that 16mm will be either.

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Well, I'm leaning towards the 18-55 and 35 1.8 on my d7000. However, I've read that if I can afford it, the 24-70 f/2.8 will take me long ways, and it's also an excellent walk-around camera. But the problem is the wideangle shots... But I don't necessarily NEED to shoot wide angle.

So, I guess it comes down to either:
- 14-24 f/2.8 + 35mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.4
- 24-70 f/2.8 + 35mm 1.8
- 18-55 + 35mm 1.8

I've already stated what I like to shoot, and basically as of right now, I need a walk-around lens so I don't need to change lenses so often.

Also, does anyone know of GalaxyCamera on ebay? Are they legit? They sell their stuff for ~$200 cheaper ~_~ bait&switch? I might buy my lens from there.

Posted 2 years ago #
PB PM

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Galaxy Camera is a legit camera store in Ottawa. I've ordered from them on ebay before and had no issues.

Posted 2 years ago #
gelu88

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If you know that you will continue to invest in lenses in the future, don't worry about wide.

Get a 11-16, or any of a number of wide-angle zooms later and enjoy the significantly better image quality.

they are $500-ish dollars and are one of the best types of lenses you can buy.

search the forums, we have a number of great threads about these lenses

Posted 2 years ago #
soshigee

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Hmm, I've done some more reading and I'm leaning towards 14-24 with a 35 or 50 prime. (Since I'll be getting 70-200 in a few months).

I've heard the 24-70 gets barrel distortion at 24, and also a 50 1.4 will cover what 24-70 will cover as well, just have to move my feet. However, the 14-24 has the expansion effect where things in the back look smaller than usual... so for shooting stuff like what I said, I get a feeling where spending so much on wide isn't very cost-productive (and it's kind of a waste on a DX), because I'm probably going to be shooting more with the 24-70 range for walk around. However, I've heard some bad things about the 24-70 like light leaking, barrel distortion and whatnot.

Bah, I guess the 24-70 will do >_< + 35 1.8

I shouldn't have read that persuasive post saying 14-24 + 50mm 1.4/8 + 70-200mm, with the 50mm + feet = 24-70......... Keep having doubts on getting the 24-70

Posted 2 years ago #