It’s around C$20 for stuff coming in abroad outside US & Mexico (but C$150 on stuff being imported from US & Mexico) if I recall when importing goods. The thing is that, I want to import a Switch 2 (日本語・国内専用), as in Zelda themed one from Japan where it only costs ¥62,980 (C$562) since the same costs C$710 (before taxes) if I were to buy it in Canada. I would rather save C$148 by importing the console, even though it’s free from local GST / HRT: do they assess the customs value once it arrives in Canada?

At least Canada has a de minimis despite it being stupidly low (why are there tariffs stuff more than C$20), unlike the US (they used to have that but its been rescinded meaning all imports are subjected to tariffs irrespective of value). There’s one country that I know of where de minimis is one of the highest: Australia, since they allow imports tax free for anything less than A$1000 (C$985), because they’re an island nation whom relies on imported goods even if they have the capability on being self sufficient.

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[–] 12 points 3 weeks ago

What do you mean it’s free from local GST? It’s absolutely not.

When you import a package they will assess:

  • GST/PST/HST based on the province you import it to
  • duties and tariffs if they apply to that item
  • a service charge for assessing and collecting the fees
  • if it’s shipped via an international courier like FedEx, a customs brokerage fee for “allowing” them to make the payments to the government on your behalf

You will not save money importing this from Japan. You will pay more than you would here. The only reason to import it is because it’s cool and not available here. You will also have no warranty coverage if something is wrong with it.

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