Does Canada Custom always tax every anime ordering from US?

[neoEIN]

Hi,

I've just bought plenty of DVDs (AV, MI, FX) from Animeniacs. It's USD $319 and I just realized about the possibility of custom tax (duh, me stupid first time buyin anime online).

Animeniacs says it does not know about Canada Custom rate but it is very likely I will be taxed.

Can someone share/tell me or point me to a site/theard regarding such matter? Any info is much appreciated.

Thanks.

Ps. If I'm not supposed to ask here, please tell me where to direct my inquiry. Thanks alot.

[JunkieJoe]

its all depends on how much they declair its as and if they put their URL on the package (so the customs have a nice and easy access to double check prices)

[neoEIN]

Animeniacs has announced to show exact order price on the package (from on Animeniacs website). Does it matter if Animeniacs URL is on the package? Are you implying that Canada Custom decriminately tax on parcel from US?

On another question if I may ask, is there a Canada online store that I can get AC/MI, AV, FX titles? Is there other ways to buy HK DVDs affordably and reliably from Canada?

Thanks.

[JunkieJoe]

Dont know any canadian stores that sell AC MI FX titles sorry...

what I am saying regarding packages is Canada Customs likes to tax commercial packages... if it was coming via a courier (like fed ex or UPS) u would have been tax 100%, otherwise theres good chance it will go through, if not, they will charge u around 80CAD in tax on 319USD value.

[neoEIN]

thank you

[matthewmalay]

http://www.funfunshopping.com/

http://www.jpophelp.com/videos.html

These websites sell MI DVDs and are in B.C.

There was a guy selling MI DVDs on the ArcticNightfall boards from Ontario, username was piku. He was selling them at 15$ each

I don't know much about ordering from outside Canada but here is a quote from an ArcticNightfall thread

Originally posted by rotpank
Shipping from USA to CANADA can be a realy pain in the a55 sometimes... Because of the Custom Clearance. I find it much faster to get stuff from HK then USA. Also very rare to get nail by the custom. I'm still waiting for my shipment from USA which was shipped on 24 February 2003. I can guess that the item already in Canada but waiting for Custom. So overall, getting stuff from HK is 5 Star 'cos of the easy and fast flow compare to USA. The last time I got my shipment from USA took 5 Weeks to reach me. Somehow Canada Custom tends to delay stuff from USA compare from HK....

Comparison (Using Airmail shipping)

HK ->Canada 6-10 Days(Confim arrival, 10 Days top)
USA->Canada 6-10 Days(not to forget to add 2-3 weeks custom delay)

[neoEIN]

thanks MattewM

yeah, I've read that quote already (stayin up last night crampin as much info about HK DVD as possible so not to ask stupid questions ;-D). Thanks.

I come to realize that whether I buy from Canada or the States, prices will be USD. In addition, I cannot escape from paying GST and PST. So, may be I may save on shipping by buyin from Canada but the title is not cheaper nor wider selection than the US counterparts (except Import Anime because I've only compared the AV, MI, and FX titles). I just have to regorously do my homework when purchasing :wink:

With the exchange rate and tax, buyin online anime may become more expensive that before. I have bought my AS, MAC and AV titles from various Chinese-run entertainment stores. I don't pay tax but I don't have the variety to choose and often their next shipment arrival is unreliable.

Hard to resist buyin anime and god knows if I can ever quit watchin anime (BT, MIRC dl and HK DVD purhcase) :roll:

Thanks for all the help and info.

[matthewmalay]

Well in the first site I gave you, if you paid by paypal or money order they said you didnt have to pay taxes. I bought from them a few times and never paid taxes. In fact the only time I pay taxes is when I buy legit DVDs

[Zagatto]

I've had anime shipped to me here in Ontario from a few places.
Orders of less than $50 from out of country don't get taxed.
With the exception of one or two orders (out of 20 or so) from the USA, everything has been opened by customs and I've been charged GST based on the declared value. There was one incident where the duty officers didn't believe the prices of the DVDs and raised the value to Cn$25 per disc then tax me on that. To top that off, if you have shipping done through UPS from the US, they charge a $20 "brokering fee" so I NEVER use UPS any more... if shipping from the US, stick with the postal service for shipping... they only charge a $5 "brokering fee" which is the cheapest I've found yet.
On the other hand, of the 10 or 11 shipments from HK that I've had, only one has been opened by customs so far and they taxed the declared amount on the package. To top things off, shipping is usually faster from HK than from the US. Doesn't make sense to me but that's the way it is.
The best deal is to get JJ to order titles in for you and buy directly from him. No taxes, no customs to go through (for you...) and most titles are now covered by the companies that JJ orders from. (btw, if you hadn't caught on, JJ is the nickname for the guy who runs this board).

I hope this helps you out.
Feel free to ask any specifics about my trials and tribulations with shipping.
I did dispute the time they raised the value of my shipment and they refunded me $50 almost 6 months later but I had to pay the full duty up front and it was very irritating.

[kakoi_sugoi_yama]

That is complete and utter Bullshit. I can't believe they would do that to you! That is horrible. I'm glad I live in the USA now. Kind of. :|