OT - Crossing Border Questions (spin off from 'nervous' post)

[My 2 princesses]

Not to thread jack the OP's post, I'm starting another thread from some of the things posted on that thread.

For some reason, I always thougth that if you were just cross border shopping, you are actually not allowed to 'shop' per sa but they let you off if you spend 50 bucks per person. But from reading that thread, I'm thinking $150 will get you through without being pulled inside??

We shop sometimes and what I find funny is the time I stay out for a long period of time I don't shop for $750 but the one day I go across, I can spend too much LOL.

So, is there a magic number that you can get away with?

 

[MedicGoofy]

Nope.

There is no magic number. Basically, you get $50 a day. If the guy at the booth you are pulling up to is not having one of his/her best days, and you have spent $60, they can pull you in. Having said that, you can spend close to $200 and if they are feeling happy that day and like you, then they will let you go.

Odd story for you, went baby browsing with my sister in law while she was still pregnant. Just price comparing in the US. Didn't buy anything but pool noodles. Yup, 2 pool noodles. They are better quality and way cheaper there. He tagged us and had our car searched. Why?? Because we didn't spend anything

Some days you will get away with spending much more than the 'allowance', and some days, you absolutely won't. No reason for it.

I go over weekly, if not more. Sometimes I get pulled in. Most times not. It's not a big deal. You pay taxes on the duty items you've purchased. And always get gas Have only ever been searched once, for pool noodles

 

[jtdl]

I live in a border city and do my grocery shopping in Michigan on a close to weekly basis. I usually come back with around $100 and I have never got pulled in to pay. Twice in the past couple of years I have came back from a one-day trip with $400+ worth of stuff (not just groceries) and did not get pulled in. Sometimes it has to do with the customers officer, sometimes it has to do with what you are bringing back and how much duty/tax they would make on it. Groceries, other than snack type foods, are not applicable to duty or HST so very seldom would they ever pull you in for any amount of groceries. They usually allow you a 12 or 18 box of beer without pulling you in but anything over that and they usually do because they get a lot of duty/tax on alcohol, same with cigarettes. I actually do a lot of shopping over there and I don't remember every having to go in to pay duty/HST other than when I go to duty free and buy 6 cases of beer (lol - they have a deal where buy 5 cases get 1 free and it works out, even paying duty + taxes, to be about $30/case for Coors Light as opposed to what, $45 here?, so many people do what we call "border runs").

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Just to clarify a point here...the daily allowance is actually $0.00. That's correct, if you are over for less than 24 hours you officially have no allowance. But, that doesn't mean that they are going to pull you in for anything $1.00 and up. It's not worth the paperwork costs to bring you in under $50. And even when it over the $50 mark it's still only worth it if you have alcohol or tobacco products.
So, just keep that in mind if you have some newb pull you in with only $20 worth of stuff.
I get pulled over all the time for random stops, so I always declare everything I have. Not worth losing my Nexus card to smuggle in some groceries or clothes, kwim?

 

[Sue M]

We've gone over for the afternoon, usually Costco- and have spent over $50 for groceries and have never been pulled over.

In Oct. I went on a Girls shopping trip to Seattle for 2 nights. We were all over our limit, but declared everything. The border guard just waved us thru we were shocked. We totally were thinking we'd be going in to pay.
After we pulled out, my friend driving asked us- "he did say we could go, right?"
Couldn't believe it. Start the car!!!!

 

[My 2 princesses]

Well, I'm guessing they either heard me or said if we are letting them get away with 200 to 400 bucks anyway, let's just raise it to 200 bucks starting June My guess is we will still go over 200 buck hey, nice to have that little extra room, for sure.

 

[bankr63]

For some reason, I always thougth that if you were just cross border shopping, you are actually not allowed to 'shop' per sa but they let you off if you spend 50 bucks per person.

Well, I'm guessing they either heard me or said if we are letting them get away with 200 to 400 bucks anyway, let's just raise it to 200 bucks starting June My guess is we will still go over 200 buck hey, nice to have that little extra room, for sure.

I just wanted to say that knowing the rules and your rights can be very helpful at the border. Everyone who travels abroad should spend a few minutes reading up exemptions at the Canadian Border Services Agency website.

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5056-eng.html#s2x13

For instance, you are allowed to shop all you want, even if you only cross the border for an hour. What you are not allowed to do is fail to declare on your way back across the border. CBSA is perfectly alright with you popping over the border to shop.

When you stay longer than 24/48 hrs what you qualify for is exemption; an amount upon which no tax or duty is chargeable. Of course under NAFTA and other international rules there are very few items on which there is duty anyway. You can pop over the border and buy a Chevrolet in the USA and bring it across without paying any duty. Taxes and other fees yes, special inspections yes, delays while paperwork is processed yes, but no duty.

Even with the newly announced limits, your personal exemption is still $0 unless you have had an overnight stay. Why do they let you through then?
Most day trippers are buying US made goods, so the only thing payable is GST/HST, and not even that on most groceries. It's not worth pulling you in for the $5 they collect. Now if you buy mostly clothes/shoes, then they'll probably pull you in because they are all still subject to fairly highy duty, and it's worth their time for the money collected.

If you have an exemption but you are over the limit, make sure that you separate out the bills with dutiable items and claim them under the PE. Then your overage is only subject to GST/HST. It's good to know this, because if you get it wrong, you pay more, and the CBSA guys don't have to point out your mistake.

It can well be worth heading South for major purchases. We recently bought a new induction cooktop in the US. The shop in NY didn't charge us state tax because we provided out of state ID. Then when we got to the border we paid the HST at the office, 5-10 minute process. We would have paid HST if we'd bought it at home too. The savings? $450 (minus the gas), duty was $0 (made in USA). Well worth the trip.

 

[pigletto]

I just wanted to say that knowing the rules and your rights can be very helpful at the border. Everyone who travels abroad should spend a few minutes reading up exemptions at the Canadian Border Services Agency website.

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5056-eng.html#s2x13

For instance, you are allowed to shop all you want, even if you only cross the border for an hour. What you are not allowed to do is fail to declare on your way back across the border. CBSA is perfectly alright with you popping over the border to shop.

When you stay longer than 24/48 hrs what you qualify for is exemption; an amount upon which no tax or duty is chargeable. Of course under NAFTA and other international rules there are very few items on which there is duty anyway. You can pop over the border and buy a Chevrolet in the USA and bring it across without paying any duty. Taxes and other fees yes, special inspections yes, delays while paperwork is processed yes, but no duty.

Even with the newly announced limits, your personal exemption is still $0 unless you have had an overnight stay. Why do they let you through then?
Most day trippers are buying US made goods, so the only thing payable is GST/HST, and not even that on most groceries. It's not worth pulling you in for the $5 they collect. Now if you buy mostly clothes/shoes, then they'll probably pull you in because they are all still subject to fairly highy duty, and it's worth their time for the money collected.

If you have an exemption but you are over the limit, make sure that you separate out the bills with dutiable items and claim them under the PE. Then your overage is only subject to GST/HST. It's good to know this, because if you get it wrong, you pay more, and the CBSA guys don't have to point out your mistake.

It can well be worth heading South for major purchases. We recently bought a new induction cooktop in the US. The shop in NY didn't charge us state tax because we provided out of state ID. Then when we got to the border we paid the HST at the office, 5-10 minute process. We would have paid HST if we'd bought it at home too. The savings? $450 (minus the gas), duty was $0 (made in USA). Well worth the trip.

I was just coming in here to post something similar. For a long time I thought it was luck of the draw when I didn't get charged duty. Imagine my surprise to learn that there are many items that don't qualify for duty at all, depending where they are made.

This pdf explains it a little more. It's confusing but well worth a read. There are many items that are exempt except for taxes (no duty) and can be brought back over regardless of the time you have been over.

>>> Actually just read the pdf in the above post paying special attention to the "Goods Under NAFTA" section.