US duty/taxes when shipping from (not to) TSB or TLC in Point Roberts?

[afuiw]

When I sell something (say car tires) to a person in the US, I can save on shipping by driving down to the US and shipping from TSB Shipping or The Letter Carrier in Point Roberts. I know those companies will help ship.

But when I cross US customs with the goods, will US customs charge me an import duty or tax? Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks for any reponses.

[Hairball]

You'll have to declare the goods when you cross the border. As those goods are meant to be left in the United States, you will have to pay duties on them.

However for visitors to the US there is a $100 exemption.

[macnut]

It's a standard question asked by U.S. border guards, "will you be leaving anything in the U.S. during your visit?"

Not so much at Pt. Roberts, as they know that most people are just going over to pick things up,
but there are a lot of Canadian business people who regularly ship things out from there.

If the question is asked, state the facts, and it should not be any problem.
Have any confirming paperwork ready if needed.

[afuiw]

Good point about the $100 exemption.

The duty rate for the goods I am importing to the US is listed in the US ITS Harmonized Trade Schedule with a 4% duty.

Any idea if I have to pay Washington sales tax?

[peroxide8888]

Unless things have changed in the past several years (it's been awhile for me), US Customs will require you to show your commercial permit for transporting goods across the border that have been sold to a US buyer.

Even if it's a private sale (e.g. eBay or craigslist), US Customs considers it a commercial transaction and relevant permits must held by the seller/transporter. If you don't already have the permit, I assure you it's not worth it for a single sale (the cost of the permit is in the hundreds of dollars).

What you describe was my exact scenario, I innocently wanted to ship a large eBay item from Point Roberts to an American buyer, because it would have been much cheaper than sending through Canada Post. In my case, I was not permitted to bring the item into the US without the commercial permit, and consequently I was red-flagged by US Customs for several years. I'm sure they would deny that I was red-flagged, but for at least 5 years thereafter, I was "randomly selected for inspection" every time I crossed the border (driving or flying).