Shipping to Canada from the U.S

[super nes]

Ok im really confused i have bought things from forum members who were in the U.S and things from ebay from people who were in the U.S but today i got charged $22 in fees for a game. This was the first time this happened the game cost me $109 plus shipping so can anyone tell me when do they put these fees on items from the U.S?

[Cornelius]

Who charged the fee?

I'm guessing this was a customs fee that was charged by Canada. When we (US sellers) fill out customs forms we have a few categories to choose from to identify the type of item. If it is worth less than $20 (Canadian, I think) or if we mark it as "gift", then you aren't charged a customs duty. In the past, the stuff you bought was either less than that $20 or the seller was 'nice' (i.e. broke the law) and marked it a gift. That's not meant as any sort of judgment on my part, I've done it and not done it... just depends.

[super nes]

Yes it was a customs fee well i guess if its like that im going to start asking people to mark things as "gift" from now on i dont want to pay for a game PLUS shipping PLUS another $20 in fees.

[ryborg]

Yes it was a customs fee well i guess if its like that im going to start asking people to mark things as "gift" from now on i dont want to pay for a game PLUS shipping PLUS another $20 in fees.

You can ask, but larger sellers who treat ebay as their main business may not break the law for you. I personally mark everything as a gift (unless the buyer pisses me off somehow), but I know plenty of sellers who mark the customs forms honestly every time.

[pseudonym]

Chances are that you'll get hit with the customs charge sooner or later. I've been hit with customs charges 2-3 times in a row a few times. It sucks but you have to pay it to get your items.

Some people who I've dealt with a lot often write either gift or commercial sample ($0) on the customs form and about 99% of the time I receive it with no problems. Either that, or mark it lower than it's value (usually less than $20-30) and it shouldn't get charged. You're taking a chance with this (if it gets lost) so it's not a good idea to do this with expensive items IMO.