Ordering Kilts and Canada Customs

[wildrover]

Not quite. Ever hear of softwood lumber?

Tariffs and taxes get applied if it's over a certain amount. Then there's the brokerage fees on top of that. But, it seems that using USPS/Canada Post is definitely the cheaper (albeit slightly slower) option.

Got it...I'll make a mental note not to order any kilts made from softwood.

[xman]

... signed, I believe by Bill Clinton, ....

While free trade with Mexico came into effect with NAFTA and Clinton in '94, the original FTA between Canada and the US arrived in '88 under Reagan.

[ForresterModern]

Thanks all for the corrections that there are a "few" remaining limitations to the NAFTA but they are generally not an issue when it comes to kilt type stuff, unless it is specifically prohibited materials like seal skin or eagle feathers, etc... , and for the Canada---Reagan 1988 factule I was not aware of---consider me smarter now than five minutes ago. But you get the general idea.

I have ordered hundreds of stuff from Canada, of various values, and not one time ever had any duty due upon arrival. Our friends at Freedom Kilts, Keltoi, and B&S should be able to verify this since I am sure they send a lot of stuff across the border from their home bases in Canada. Any of you Canadian businessmen ever hear about an order of yours sent to the US getting hit with duties? Customs may hold stuff up for various reasons, but it should not be duties.

j

[Presidential33]

Thanks for your replies everyone...

From what I understand there is no sales tax in the US but in Canada there is, so my government collects it without missing a heart beat!

Apparently customs also looks for prohibited items but obviously Kilts do not fit into that catagory, or at least not yet! LOL!

Customs then adds duties on certain items, and clothing is one of them. So I get to pay 18% in duties and then I get taxed 13% on that amount. So in other words I am paying a tax on the duties!!! A tax on a tax!! LOL! You have to love the Canadian Government!

The post office adds a postal handling fee of $5 to $8 depending on the weight of the product, while private carriers like UPS and FedEX add brokerage fees that are obviously much more than the postal handling fee.

So on my $130 Stillwater Kilt, I will pay 43.34 in duties and taxes plus five to eight dollars for the postal handling fee.

Customs says that there is a 72 hour delay for them to inspect/apply duties and sales taxes to a parcel. I called twice and spoke to two different agents and got the same answer.

As usual it is a different story at Canada Post. I called twice and also spoke to two different agents. The first agent said that because it is Christmas time it could take Customs anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks! The second agent said that because it is Christmas time it could take customs from 5 to 10 days.

So the Canada Post agents are contradicting each other, and they are both contradicting the Customs agents. Oh Canada Post...what can I say...

All I know is that I better have this thing at my door soon since I paid for Priority Shipping! Lets just say that it will all be worth it once I am kilted!

[BroosterB1]

But you bought a kilt from Jerry at SWK, you should have had it yesterday; go check your closet.

I hear they have been working on the flux capacitor to sub synch with the Canadian Post so the longer they take the sooner you get/got/ have gotten the package!

[Presidential33]

LOL! My closet is a mess, so I may have missed it...I'll give it a second look though!!

Jerry is awesome and so is Stillwater...

The problem is Customs...and lets just say I was warned that they are not the fastest...so we shall see...

[Big Mikey]

Three orders from SWK, one I paid duty of about $12.00. The other two , nada.

[jhockin]

Got it...I'll make a mental note not to order any kilts made from softwood.

guess that means you won't be adding an "authentic" NW "native" cedar bark kilt to your collection??

[Sylvain]

I already ordered a nightshirt from US, and the sender wrote on the slip it was a gift... I had to pay nothing.

[MacCathmhaoil]

Always ask if the vendor can ship via postal service as opposed to a courier, no brokerage fees! After that it's anybody's guess if there will be duties to pay. I ordered a pair of kilt hose and had to pay $12 duty to the postal delivery yet when my Sherrifmuir and vest arrived there was no duties collected. The kilt hose were from Wendy Keith and cost about ₤95 while the coatee was twice that cost. It's a bit of a crap shoot, I've had the collect $2. on a ten dollar ebay purchase and nothing on a $400 item.