[ZTWsquared]

crazikev,Apr 22 2008, 03:57 PM Wrote:I've heard some horror stories on here from time to time from people importing parts in from the states, what i would like to know is this just from sites like Ebay where people get murdered on fees they are not told about.  So my question is, What is everybody's experience with importing things from across the boarder?  I was quoted at $90 shipping for 4 tires, will that still be $90 when it gets to me? :lol:

Also has anyone ever bought tires from "Tire Rack", and how did it go?
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I do this all the time - if I say so myself I'm a bit of an expert at it now.

Here's what you'll pay.

FREIGHT: whatever the shipper quotes you to Canada - BTW, this is usally 2 to 2 1/2 times more expensive than shipping within the U.S. Check it out: check the Tirerack freight to Niagara Falls NY (zip: 14304) and then check to Niagara Falls Canada.

TAXES: you will pay both PST and GST on the Canadian value.

UPS BROKER FEE: this is based on the value of goods converted into Canadian dollars. For example, a purchase worth $1000 will cost you $68

BOND FEE: if UPS has to front the taxes, they will charge you 2.7% or a minimum of $6. You can avoid this by paying them the taxes and duty up front.

DUTY: With UPS the shipper is required to indicate the country of origin. Parts made in US or Mexico are duty free - but parts from other countries may have duty applied. You will need to know the country of origin to determine if you will have to pay duty, for example wheels from China and tires from Korea. IIRC duty can range from 6 to 10% depending the part and the country.

NOTE: the part about duty, although technically applicable to all imports, is never applied to personal importations - at least it's never happened to me in two years of bringing stuff back. I just show them my US receipt and it's taxes only.

Okay here's my spiel ... I've been bringing back stuff from the US for myself and a number of people on the board here for some time ... if I made it a more formal business venture and could save you money on freight, duty, broker fees and bond fees - is this a service that would be in demand.