Dutys shipping Rolex From US to Canada

[therealjalico]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to get your experience with duty fees from US to Canada. I live in Vancouver, BC, and I am about to purchase a Sub for $5000 from a user located in NYC. Will I be charged duty (assuming I most likely will) and around how much?

Thanks!

[popenski]

[quote=therealjalico;5583979

i just wanted to get your experience with duty fees from us to canada. I live in vancouver, bc, and i am about to purchase a sub for $5000 from a user located in nyc. Will i be charged duty (assuming i most likely will) and around how much?

Thanks![/quote]

+1

[c.capt]

Originally Posted by therealjalico

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to get your experience with duty fees from US to Canada. I live in Vancouver, BC, and I am about to purchase a Sub for $5000 from a user located in NYC. Will I be charged duty (assuming I most likely will) and around how much?

Thanks!

GST which I believe is still 5%, plus whatever your PST is. I think some provinces use HST as well so you'd have to check on that. Easiest way is to phone your local customs office.

[Rolex57]

I wouldn't be too worried about the duties.

I'd be more concerned about the brokerage fees!

They're ridiculous and you don't know how much they are until the thing lands at your doorstep.

[CDNWatchNut]

In my experience it's 5% duty , 5% GST (+ PST for your province if applicable).
Brokerage fees may apply on top of that

[Wesley Crusher]

Do you have any friends/family in Seattle? I'd have the watch shipped there and drive down to pick it up.

[c.capt]

Just checked CBSA and for BC, your duty and taxes will be approximately CAD $1108.11... yikes.

[Mis3]

Originally Posted by Wesley Crusher

Do you have any friends/family in Seattle? I'd have the watch shipped there and drive down to pick it up.

Not sure if this is a good idea. The usual question when crossing the border is "Did you buy anything?". It is not a good idea to lie to the custom officer.

Also, even if you somehow manage to bring the Rolex into Canada, you will be concerned to wear the watch to go abaord.

[Finewatch]

Don't they have mail boxes on the US side like they do in Niagara Falls and Buffalo?

[slashd0t]

Really all depends on your customs officer.... Sometimes they'll ding you GST, sometimes they'll ding you the full 10% pop ($500 on $5000) ... I recently just bought a watch for roughly 5k CAD from the US and my duty was round $500 ... The customs agent was a complete cow in this scenario ..

[1st amg]

My experience is usually the HST which is 13% here. Not a big deal, the bigger deal is the way we are getting raped with the US dollar and our tumbling Canadian dollars. You have to calculate if it is really worth it, 5000usd is about $6300 Canadian, plus your 13% is $7100 plus if there is a customs/brokerage fee. Is it a good deal? Good luck!

[ssultan]

Originally Posted by 1st amg

My experience is usually the HST which is 13% here. Not a big deal, the bigger deal is the way we are getting raped with the US dollar and our tumbling Canadian dollars. You have to calculate if it is really worth it, 5000usd is about $6300 Canadian, plus your 13% is $7100 plus if there is a customs/brokerage fee. Is it a good deal? Good luck!

What he said :)

[Dyim]

Originally Posted by 1st amg

My experience is usually the HST which is 13% here. Not a big deal, the bigger deal is the way we are getting raped with the US dollar and our tumbling Canadian dollars. You have to calculate if it is really worth it, 5000usd is about $6300 Canadian, plus your 13% is $7100 plus if there is a customs/brokerage fee. Is it a good deal? Good luck!

Yup. Unless OP has US funds already.

[Castor]

Originally Posted by Mis3

Not sure if this is a good idea. The usual question when crossing the border is "Did you buy anything?". It is not a good idea to lie to the custom officer.

Also, even if you somehow manage to bring the Rolex into Canada, you will be concerned to wear the watch to go abaord.

I would be concerned about this as well. When my brother-in-law brought my Rolex into Canada he tried to wear it across the border & got caught. Long story short he got dinged for taxes, duties, & penalties amounting to at least $2,000 extra dollars. Plus my brother-in-law gets pulled aside EVERY time that he returns to Canada. Reconsider if all that's really worth it.

[GB-man]

Ouch I bought a rolex in Canada and brought it back to US. The fee is only 3% our direction, which they didn't charge me after I declared it and told him the value.

I would either buy in Canada or drive to Seattle, ship the box and wear it. At 5k it's preowned right?

[heatscore]

With the dollar being what it is now, its a bad time to buy from the US. Consider contacting one of the forums Canadian trusted sellers. They may be able to get what you want.

Good luck.

[johneh]

Duty will be 17% of the declared CAD value. Add on 5% on top of GST and PST. If the watch is declared at $5k USD, you'll pay over a grand for the taxes and duty, plus any brokerage fees.

[Mis3]

Originally Posted by Castor

I would be concerned about this as well. When my brother-in-law brought my Rolex into Canada he tried to wear it across the border & got caught. Long story short he got dinged for taxes, duties, & penalties amounting to at least $2,000 extra dollars. Plus my brother-in-law gets pulled aside EVERY time that he returns to Canada. Reconsider if all that's really worth it.

This is exactly my concern. It's not worh it at all to have a permanent record in the custom office.

To the OP, which Sub are you interested in?

[mtl514]

I usually ask the seller to send it as "out for service". He can then place the value for insurance purposes but the customs ppl assume that you will be repairing it and sending it back. No charge.

[CDNWatchNut]

Originally Posted by Mis3

Not sure if this is a good idea. The usual question when crossing the border is "Did you buy anything?". It is not a good idea to lie to the custom officer.

Also, even if you somehow manage to bring the Rolex into Canada, you will be concerned to wear the watch to go abaord.

+1...just watch a few episodes of "Border Security"...that ought to deter any thoughts of sneaking something of high value into Canada.

[nick c]

Best think buy inside Canada

[Rolex57]

Originally Posted by c.capt

Just checked CBSA and for BC, your duty and taxes will be approximately CAD $1108.11... yikes.

If the $ 1,108 you mention is true, he may as well just buy a plane ticket and fly there for a weekend and pick the watch up in person and go back to Canada with it.

Look, I'm a Canadian living in Toronto. I travel to the USA and abroad quite a bit both via air and via ground.

I've travelled back and forth wearing my Deepsea and my BLNR and I only wear t-shirts and golf-t's so there's no sleeves to hide the watch.

I have NEVER been asked about my Rolex's. Ever.

As long as you don't give them reason to believe you bought it outside of Canada like getting caught sneaking the box and paperwork back with you, then you'll be fine.

I suggest that you cross the border and set up a temporary mailbox at a UPS or FedEx outlet. Get the watch and boxes delivered there. When you go to pick the watch up, take along an extra shipping box with you and ship the box and goodies separately. If it's a recent Rolex, I'd just hide the Rolex watch card amongst my credit cards or in one of the zippered pockets in you wallet.

Declare a value of $20 on the box and goodies you mail home to Canada. No one's going to hassle you about an empty Rolex box sent through the mail. To think they'd stop your Rolex box and demand you to bring the watch in is utterly ridiculous. Customs has enough problems shaking down drug smuggling and stuff like that.

If worse comes to worse and they try to confiscate your watch at the border, just declare Section #337 from the Canada Customs Act and they'll have to hand it over.

[GB-man]

Your are going to need this kit and a bottle of tequila

[threeputt]

Originally Posted by Rolex57

If the $ 1,108 you mention is true, he may as well just buy a plane ticket and fly there for a weekend and pick the watch up in person and go back to Canada with it.

Look, I'm a Canadian living in Toronto. I travel to the USA and abroad quite a bit both via air and via ground.

I've travelled back and forth wearing my Deepsea and my BLNR and I only wear t-shirts and golf-t's so there's no sleeves to hide the watch.

I have NEVER been asked about my Rolex's. Ever.

As long as you don't give them reason to believe you bought it outside of Canada like getting caught sneaking the box and paperwork back with you, then you'll be fine.

I suggest that you cross the border and set up a temporary mailbox at a UPS or FedEx outlet. Get the watch and boxes delivered there. When you go to pick the watch up, take along an extra shipping box with you and ship the box and goodies separately. If it's a recent Rolex, I'd just hide the Rolex watch card amongst my credit cards or in one of the zippered pockets in you wallet.

Declare a value of $20 on the box and goodies you mail home to Canada. No one's going to hassle you about an empty Rolex box sent through the mail. To think they'd stop your Rolex box and demand you to bring the watch in is utterly ridiculous. Customs has enough problems shaking down drug smuggling and stuff like that.

If worse comes to worse and they try to confiscate your watch at the border, just declare Section #337 from the Canada Customs Act and they'll have to hand it over.

So you are recommending that someone smuggle a watch into Canada?? It only takes once to be asked the question, it has happened and folks have been caught with unpleasant circumstances.

[redsubby]

Originally Posted by Castor

I would be concerned about this as well. When my brother-in-law brought my Rolex into Canada he tried to wear it across the border & got caught. Long story short he got dinged for taxes, duties, & penalties amounting to at least $2,000 extra dollars. Plus my brother-in-law gets pulled aside EVERY time that he returns to Canada. Reconsider if all that's really worth it.

How does one get caught wearing a watch back to Canada?

[Rolex57]

Originally Posted by threeputt

So you are recommending that someone smuggle a watch into Canada?? It only takes once to be asked the question, it has happened and folks have been caught with unpleasant circumstances.

You make it sound like he's smuggling in a brick of cocaine.

A Rolex is not cocaine. It's an f-ing watch.

I guess the CBSC stops and interrogates all those women wearing engagement rings, and earrings, and gold necklaces, etc etc....

and if the CBSC isn't interrogating these women..........I want to know why and what makes them so special?

[Andad]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Your are going to need this kit and a bottle of tequila

According to my micrometer they would be 48mm od to take a Rolex Submariner.

[TheButcher]

I bought my sub a couple years back when the dollar was around par. I paid around 4k - I do remember getting nailed by customs/brokerage for around $450 .

when I bought my speedy the seller put the goods as " watch parts " and I did not pay a thing . but you don't want to mess around with customs.

[jot_]

Originally Posted by Rolex57

You make it sound like he's smuggling in a brick of cocaine.

A Rolex is not cocaine. It's an f-ing watch.

I guess the CBSC stops and interrogates all those women wearing engagement rings, and earrings, and gold necklaces, etc etc....

and if the CBSC isn't interrogating these women..........I want to know why and what makes them so special?

No one's saying it happens every time - but it does happen.

Here's an example: http://o.canada.com/news/117290

[Castor]

Originally Posted by redsubby

How does one get caught wearing a watch back to Canada?

I'm not sure how he got caught. He's a very honest guy & so this was VERY unusual for him... he probably just looked really nervous & they flagged him that way.