Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Hi everyone I need a little explantaion about how customs goes in Canada.

there are 2 lenses that I want to buy and I thought to wait until I immigrate to toronto. I thought about ordering from BH or Adorama when I'll get to toronto.

Can you tell how customs goes in Canada. how much do I need to pay for packages (personal use of course) sending to me from US of my family and other countries for that matter.

Thanx in advance
Shany

Here's some good information on the subject.

http://www.photoprice.ca/article/tax-du ... emystified

So tell me if I got it right:

I don't need to pay taxes on photography gear sent from US and manufactured in the US . I just need to be carful with the Courier Companies?

I think you need to re-read the part that says "Tax: Everyone Needs to Pay Tax! Tax is inevitable. Everyone must pay Canadian tax, even when buying online from the States!" You're probably getting duties mixed up with taxes.

Replace the word "tax" with "sales tax"...that's what everyone needs to pay...other countries call it "VAT" or "Value Added Tax".

If you're moving to Ontario you'll have to pay both the 8% PST (Provincial Sales Tax) and 5% GST (Goods & Services Tax). Other provinces have a single combined HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) which is 13% (the Ontario government is trying to get an HST here too).

here's a practial observation: i'm usually billed sales tax if the items are shipped by courier or express mail; i'm rarely billed sales tax if it's regular USPS

having said that, you shouldn't pay any fees on immigration goods--you just have to declare them as such when you arrive (assuming, of course, that what you mean by "immigration" is what the feds mean by it )

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications ... 1-eng.html

having said that, you shouldn't pay any fees on immigration goods--you just have to declare them as such when you arrive (assuming, of course, that what you mean by "immigration" is what the feds mean by it )

[/quote]

Yes I do 100% legal.

yeah, you can declare some goods when you land in Canada as a permanent resident.

border officers usually dont check individual items you list on the landing form (as long as not vehicle, gold, or diamond), and you should tell border officers that you have some furnitures that doesnt come with you this time, but you would like to have them shipped in the future.

so border officers might allow you to write down something that you want to carry into canadian border without paying tax next time.

OK guys, so with all that said above.

where is the best place to buy photograpy gear.
Here at toronto at Henry's or the US B&H and Adorama?

where do you buy your gear?

Forget Henry's, get all your gear in US if you can, save some $
Local stores will get you there, but prices are higher than US (converted to CAD), although if you have stuff shipped to Canada from the states, you will pay tax, so might be approx same price as in here. If you go personally, buy the gear in the US

Thanx everyone

I have to disagree with PotatoEYE that you should buy everything in the USA. Sometimes it is cheaper, but not always if you factor in all the "extras". You can get some better prices in the US, but don't assume you always win with US purchases.

Some things to consider when comparing the US price to Canadian:

Exchange rate - it is pretty good right now, but US dollar is still more.
Credit card fees - your credit card will charge you a fee for doing the currency exchange (you may want to check with them to see what the fee is)
Shipping - can be a big charge. Sometimes more than the item you are buying!
Broker fees - some couriers charge brokerage fees (UPS is the worst for this)
Sales tax - in general you won't avoid the sales tax as UPS and others collect it for the government. You may get lucky if you ship by USPS and it comes through Canada Post. Sometimes they collect tax and sometimes they don't. Its weird, but that is my experience.
Warranty - Nikon for one does not honour warranty repairs on product bought in the USA. Any savings can get eaten up in one warranty issue and the shipping costs to get it back to the USA.

The other thing that buying in Canada at a local store can offer is the relationship you can build that can support you with information and answering your questions. Plus you can go and handle the equipment. And keep in mind the prices listed on the Henry's and Vistek web site are often MSRP and you can get a better price if you go to the store or call.

Let me give you a recent example (prices rounded). I wanted to get a Lens Coat for my 300 mm. From B&H it is $90. Vistek had one in their store on Saturday and it was $115.00. Wow, USA wins right? But wait, shipping from B&H is $25 (UPS least expensive). Now it is $115 US. Now add exchange, credit card fees and brokerage (UPS) and you are not winning. Not to mention I have it on my lens now instead of waiting a week.

On the other hand I once bought a handful of Extreme IV cards with a reader from B&H and saved nearly 25% over prices in Toronto even with all the extra costs. And I bought my Raynox at B&H because it was $57 and it was $130 at Vistek/Henry's. Even with the over priced shipping it was still a better price from the USA.

So shop carefully and buy Canadian when you can, and USA when the savings are real and worthy.

Daryl

Thanx Dary

The general rule that I have observed is that lenses and flash units are significantly cheaper from US online vendors. Henry's is only competitive with camera body kits.

There will be exceptions to this rule. All these stores have their prices on web sites, so the OP can easily compare what he wants online.

Pretend they're used, then you don't have to pay for customs.