Buying Camera from Buffalo, do I need to pay tax and duty?

[Tiger123]

HI,

I live in Toronto and I'm planning to get a digital camera from Buffalo since it's cheaper. However, I'm wondering if I will be charged Sales tax even though I'm not a US citizen? and if I do get taxed, can I get a refund? (similar to how US tourists get tax refunds in canada)....lastly, how much is duty that I will need to pay?

thanks...

[CSK'sMom]

Yes you will pay NY state tax and local tax as well. You will also have to pay the taxes due (GST + PST) when you bring the camera back across the border.

There is no tax refund program in NY state and for the record, there is no longer a tax rebate program in Canada either. ;)

[Gmas]

So you're going to drive over and buy it?

You will get charged tax at the time of purchase for sure. I believe you can file and apply to get re-imbursed. Taxes when you come back to Canada after you declare it will be the standard 14%. Not sure about the duty amount or even if there will be one, but since the camera is most likely manufactured outside Noth America, it's a possibility.

You could always just take it out of the box and not declare it. If they question you, just say it's your camera you previously owned and just brought it on your trip with you to take pics.

[Frankie3s]

Yes you will pay NY state tax and local tax as well. You will also have to pay the taxes due (GST + PST) when you bring the camera back across the border.

There is no tax refund program in NY state and for the record, there is no longer a tax rebate program in Canada either. ;)

I've never understood why in Canada we would ever rebate the taxes paid by foreign travelers on good purchased here? I mean they (foreigners) use the same services such as fire and police as well as public transit amongst other things while they are here. Why was all of this free to them? A lot of other countries were a lot smarter by not giving them a refund at all.

[pontiac_driver]

dont declare the camera when you come back, no duties
snap a couples pics and say it you brought it along for the trip

state tax you gotta pay though

how much cheaper is the camera across the boarder?

[BD006]

Agreed. If you're not anal like me (who likes to keep all the packaging), ditch the box, keep what's important and just keep the camera in a bag as if you had already brought it over with you and don't declare it.

No Canadian taxes or duty.

[mascot]

Keep in mind that border services officers weren't born yesterday. If you have a shiny new-looking camera, and you've still got the manuals and CDs, but all you've ditched is the box, it looks pretty suspicious. If you don't declare it and they find it, the camera might just get seized outright.

Duties and taxes are calculated differently. You'll probably end up getting charged only GST and PST (most favourable nation under NAFTA). Normally, stuff made in other countries has other duties associated with them.

Check here for more information:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4044/rc4044-e.html#P047

If you're looking for some light reading, take a look at the Customs Act:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-52.6/index.html

Chances are, if you declare the camera, they'll probably end up letting you go anyway. When I go to the US for a day trip, I usually buy about $150 worth of stuff and I haven't had to pay one cent worth of PST or GST, even when I declare it.

I say declare the camera. It makes your life and the life of the officer dealing with you that much easier. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a noob, right?

[CSK'sMom]

And just remember Tiger if you try to smuggle and get caught.... You can have your goods confiscated, your vehicle confiscated, your butt hauled off to jail, etc. Even if you walk away with only the goods confiscated your name will now appear in the infamous "list" and you will never have a smooth border crossing again. You will be searched, your vehicle searched (I'm talking seats removed, etc) every time you cross the border.

All to save GST and PST on a camera..... :rolleyes:

[jandumm]

i just wanted to add that depending on the product/company, Warranties on products for the US are not always applied to Canadians. One would have to have a US address to proceed with the warranty claim.

Just a point to consider, especially if one doesn't have any contacts in the US.

[Toronto]

You will not get caught if you take it out of the box and cross the border. Customs will not confiscate your camera just because it looks shiny and new, people here are being overly cautious. Just toss the box, put the manual in your glove with your car manual and put the batteries in the camera. Have your wife or whoever put it in their purse. If customs confiscated items on a hunch because it looked new then half the people would be going back with no shoes, shirts, purses, etc. Just don't be rediculous when declaring. I always say I'm bringing back $90 or so and they always let me through.

[Tiger123]

thx for the reply...

The camera I want to get is panasonic Tz3 which is $499.99 CAD before tax in Toronto.

In Buffalo, The same camera is $329 US.

Is it worth going across the border to get it? (well, i'm not just going for a camera...i'm also going for clothes and other stuff...)

[CSIFan29]

Just mail yourself the manuals from the US to your Canadian address, if you really don't want them when you cross the border.

Judging by the price difference, it is worth it. I remember shopping at some department store and Canadians got an 11% discount. I was with my friends and they were in the coach section of the store, but it was in some mall (enclosed mall; not outlets).

[Tiger123]

oh yeah..does anyone know of good electronic stores in the buffalo area where I could get digital cameras? the prices I quoted above were from Best Buy.

[Menthol]

In addition to that if the camera uses SD cards, and you know someone has a camera that uses SD cards, have that person take a photo of you near a landmark in T.O, then take the SD card with you and instal it in the camera when you buy it. Foolproof !



Just mail yourself the manuals from the US to your Canadian address, if you really don't want them when you cross the border.

Judging by the price difference, it is worth it. I remember shopping at some department store and Canadians got an 11% discount. I was with my friends and they were in the coach section of the store, but it was in some mall (enclosed mall; not outlets).

[AMD]

Don't go crazy!

The customs usually don't ask much. Just say you didn't buy anything, that's it.

Or just buy some groceries and stuff. (non-taxable)



In addition to that if the camera uses SD cards, and you know someone has a camera that uses SD cards, have that person take a photo of you near a landmark in T.O, then take the SD card with you and instal it in the camera when you buy it. Foolproof !

[jandumm]

In addition to that if the camera uses SD cards, and you know someone has a camera that uses SD cards, have that person take a photo of you near a landmark in T.O, then take the SD card with you and instal it in the camera when you buy it. Foolproof !


hahahaha thats hilarious.

[BD006]

The last few times I've crossed the border back into Canada (a few times at Niagara, one time by Vancouver) the officer didn't even bother taking and looking at our passports. :|

I realize this doesn't speak highly of our security, but yes, sometimes it does seem like they were born yesterday. I mean, if they don't even care enough to check that we're Canadian, then it's even less likely they'll care about what we're bringing in. YMMV.

[Pete Jones]

A lot of it will depend on the mood of the customs person at that particular moment.

Technically, what you're supposed to do, is visit Canada Customs with your equipment _before_ you cross. They'll issue you a green card where they list all your equipment and serial numbers. This is essentially, a personal version of a "carnet" that commercial shippers use for large pieces of equipment.

Having said that, I've never been asked by a customs person to see mar cards. In fact, on my last few trips, I haven't even bothered to register equipment.

But you know what? Customs isn't exactly stupid either. While it's entirely possible you'll get away with bringing across your shiny new camera that you still don't quite get the hang of, just be prepared for a lot of grief.

--Pete

[pintobean]

Thanks OP for posting this question as I am doing the exact same thing and had the same question about taxes and duty.

I also want to thank the people who have posted suggestions such as mailing the manuals to my home and taking some local pictures on an SD card and then putting that in the camera. There sure are some sneaky little buggers here on RFD :cheesygri I still haven't decided if I'm going to try and avoid the border taxes or not, but the above info is still nice to know.

To the guy who asked why the OP was going to Buffalo to buy his camera, I can "+1" the OP's explanation that the items are much cheaper over there. I am buying a hard-drive camcorder. It costs CDN$999 here in Toronto and is on sale at a store in Buffalo right now for US$590. Once you calculate the exchange rate, that's a savings of over $350 (and I used a crappy exchange rate for this example). I'm going to use the extra money to buy a carrying case and back-up battery.

[Chr1s]

I bought $250 worth of stuff in Buffalo (sink, faucet, other plumbing stuff). I put everything in the back seat and declared it all at the border. The Customs officer took a look at my back seat (instead of the trunk), and knew I wasn't trying to put one over on them, and let me through without paying anything extra. IMO, it's not worth trying to save a few bucks to get yourself black listed, and go through the headache afterwards.

[Pete Jones]

One thing that I would suggest is never volunteer any information.

A few years ago, I drove out to Rochester to do some record shopping at the house of guitars. Came back with a whack of LPs I had in the back seat in plain view. Had the receipt in my shirt pocket ready to show to customs.

When I was crossing back, I got to customs and my transaction went like this.

Me: "Good evening"
Customs: "How long have you been away?"
Me: "One day"
Customs: "What is the value of tobacco and alcohol you are bringing back?"
Me: "Zero" (which was true)
Customs: "Ok. Thank you. Go ahead"
Me: "Thank you."

That was it. He didn't ask about anything else, so I didn't tell.

--Pete

[CSK'sMom]

To those going over to buy electronics be aware that you quite possibly will have no warranty coverage here in Canada. Many companies won't honor warranties cross border. It's been discussed here several times in the past...

[pintobean]

To those going over to buy electronics be aware that you quite possibly will have no warranty coverage here in Canada. Many companies won't honor warranties cross border. It's been discussed here several times in the past...
The above is correct for most of the large electronics companies. I checked with the manufacturer of the camcorder that I'm buying and they confirmed that the warranty does not carry over across the border. The customer service rep told me that if there was a problem with the camcorder during the one year warranty period, I could have the camcorder repaired in Canada but I would have to pay for the repairs myself. She said my other options would be to courier it to the US for free warranty service or to have someone living in the US make the free warranty claim for me. Luckily for me, my sister lives in the US so that wouldn't be a problem for me.

To be honest though, I'm just buying the thing in Buffalo to save some money up front. If it breaks within the one-year warranty period and I then have to go through the hassle of sending it to the US, at least I'll know that I already saved $350 on the purchase. I'm also betting that there will not be any problems with the camcorder during the first year of use. Most of the time, things only break down once the warranty has expired anyways...right!

Having said all that, I am using my Visa to buy my camcorder because it has free Purchase Security and Extended Protection Insurance built in with all purchases. The insurance certificate clearly states that it adds up to one year to the manufacturer's warranty for products charged to the card anywhere in the world as long the warranty is honoured in Canada or the US. So I think I'll be fine when it comes to warranty issues.

[dariusz8]

You could always just take it out of the box and not declare it. If they question you, just say it's your camera you previously owned and just brought it on your trip with you to take pics.



Just what i was thinking you could do :P

[LNahid2000]

I bought $250 worth of stuff in Buffalo (sink, faucet, other plumbing stuff). I put everything in the back seat and declared it all at the border. The Customs officer took a look at my back seat (instead of the trunk), and knew I wasn't trying to put one over on them, and let me through without paying anything extra. IMO, it's not worth trying to save a few bucks to get yourself black listed, and go through the headache afterwards.
Yeah, I've had the same experience. We go to Buffalo every month these days because of the exchange rate and usually buy $200+ worth of stuff. We always declare everything and have yet to be stopped at the border.

[pintobean]

Thanks OP for posting this question as I am doing the exact same thing and had the same question about taxes and duty.

I also want to thank the people who have posted suggestions such as mailing the manuals to my home and taking some local pictures on an SD card and then putting that in the camera. There sure are some sneaky little buggers here on RFD :cheesygri I still haven't decided if I'm going to try and avoid the border taxes or not, but the above info is still nice to know.

To the guy who asked why the OP was going to Buffalo to buy his camera, I can "+1" the OP's explanation that the items are much cheaper over there. I am buying a hard-drive camcorder. It costs CDN$999 here in Toronto and is on sale at a store in Buffalo right now for US$590. Once you calculate the exchange rate, that's a savings of over $350 (and I used a crappy exchange rate for this example). I'm going to use the extra money to buy a carrying case and back-up battery.

I just thought I'd update my own post...

I went to Buffalo yesterday and bought my camcorder and a backup battery. Total price was $710. There were 3 other people in my group, and all together we bought an additional $330 worth of clothes and groceries. Just to be safe, I brought along an old camcorder bag and put my new camcorder and accessories in that bag. I also broke down the new camcorder box and put it in my trunk under some other crap.When we got to the border, the customs guy asked us what the purpose of our trip was; I said that we had done some shopping at the Outlet Mall. He asked what the value was of the goods that we were bringing back and I said $330 ;) :| He said OK...and let us go. It was smooth and painless.