Changes to Import Tax/Customs Fees in Canada?

[maydaylabels]

Hi,
I joined this team to ask this question, as I'm banned from the main forums and they can be confusing anyway. I've had a number of Canadian customers recently, some of them long-term ones, newly upset at having to pay a customs fee on relatively low-value items - generally less than $75 or so, but probably more than $25. I couldn't find any info about a new law in Canada regarding import taxes or customs fees but I might be using the wrong terms. Is this something anyone has any concrete info on? It's always been a huge pain with UK buyers but I don't get nearly as many of them as I do Canadian buyers - I can afford to lose the UK buyers after the unexpected customs fees there (and generally I do, or lose them beforehand if I remember to convo them before I ship), but I can't really afford to lose Canadians :)

I'm from the US.

[cindylouwho2]

It's not a new law - they are just enforcing it more. The official cut off is $20 CAD, for charging taxes & a brokerage fee (not customs/duty) which is $9.95. Each province has different tax rates so in some they will pay much more, & in others (such as Alberta) the taxes are just 5%. Note these are just the same taxes we would pay if we bought the item at a local store, but the brokerage fee to process it is what really bites.

In Alberta, I used to get every package under $100 through with no issues, and rarely paid taxes on anything under $200. I have recently been hit for items around $50 USD, which is a big change. I am not being hit for items below $40 USD at the moment, but this will probably vary by region.

[maydaylabels]

Well that is fairly sucky. I guess for the first time since 2013 I am considering adding a first class international flat envelope option to shipping (although it would have to be manual as Etsy Shipping Labels doesn't do it, and hopefully I won't have to get rid of Calculated Shipping to add it).

Edit: I have to get rid of Calculated Shipping to add it, and it won't work right for some things anyway, as it has to be a uniform thickness. So I am considering replacing Calculated Shipping with manual values, including the flat envelope option (which is something like $2.50 instead of $9 and requires no customs form), on the one listing it will work well for - the uncut listing, which is uniform thickness as it's just flat sheets of labels.

But I'll have to start convoing Canadians and telling them this when they order, or something, which is a bit of a PITA.

On the other hand I prefer selling uncut labels anyway, so maybe I'll sell more of those to Canadians now :)

Oh well, at least things always *get* to Canada. Been having a bear of a time with non-deliveries in Europe recently.