Duties to Canada

[richuwo11]

Hello, new member here. Can anyone provide the amount of duties that you were required to pay within the last year on an amp?

I am looking at a XPA Gen3 3/5/7 channel amp and would like to get a better idea of how much duty has been paid at the border. I understand it would be shipped via UPS, which they have dinged me in the past, but it has been several years. Lately I've typically used Fedex which usually includes all duty/taxes in the shipping cost. The unknown $xx worries me.

I also can't remember the last time I've dropped $1.5k+ on a product from the US.

Any info would be much appreciated.

[creimes]

I'm in Manitoba, these days anything from the US is very very costly with exchange and all the extra fees, best to talk with emotiva and see how they send it, I think if it ships not regular ground but expedited service for some reason the fees are less, maybe even a cal to UPS they could inform you. Also take a look at the Outlaw Model 7000X as it is 7 channels with a bit less power but not much and has a price tag of $979 US which would save you lots of money in exchange, taxes and fees.

Cheers,
Chad

[richuwo11]

Feb 3, 2021 13:58:26 GMT -5 creimes said:

I'm in Manitoba, these days anything from the US is very very costly with exchange and all the extra fees, best to talk with emotiva and see how they send it, I think if it ships not regular ground but expedited service for some reason the fees are less, maybe even a cal to UPS they could inform you. Also take a look at the Outlaw Model 7000X as it is 7 channels with a bit less power but not much and has a price tag of $979 US which would save you lots of money in exchange, taxes and fees.

Cheers,
Chad

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into that unit as well.

I should have also pointed out that I'm located in the GTA in Ontario. So I understand I will pay 13% tax.

[JKCashin]

You can actually do your own brokerage and pay no fees at all... just the duties and taxes, but no brokerage fees. I will look it up tomorrow how I did that recently with my XPA-10

[richuwo11]

Feb 3, 2021 23:28:45 GMT -5 JKCashin said:

You can actually do your own brokerage and pay no fees at all... just the duties and taxes, but no brokerage fees. I will look it up tomorrow how I did that recently with my XPA-10

That would be very much appreciated. Also, how much duty were you charged for the XPA-10?

[JKCashin]

Once the unit ships and you have the tracking number, call the shipper, e.g., UPS, give them the tracking number and ask for a copy of the Invoice, or shipping manifest and invoice. Don't delay on this! They should be able to email it. In my case, with UPS I just visited the UPS depot at the airport.

You then take the Emotiva Invoice and shipper paperwork to CBSA Customs Cargo (usually near the airport) and you can clear it yourself. Once it's been cleared, bring the receipt from CBSA back to UPS (or whomever the shipper is) and show it to them. They will then remove the brokerage charge. You have to so all this BEFORE the shipper does the brokerage so that's why you need to act as soon as the item is shipped.

[willsterstyle]

Just adding my quick experiences here. Ordered a Refurb Emotiva C1+ to the GTA. Shipping was via DHL so it's a bit biased but should apply to all couriers including UPS, Fedex, and Purolator, and really any purchases where you're ordering something from the US.

Tips on self-clearing items:
- Call DHL once the package has arrived in Canada. They don't respond via e-mail. If it's in the US, they can't generate the documentation because it hasn't passed through customs (Hamilton for those in the GTA). They will e-mail you what you need.
- Print the documents and drive to your nearest CBSA office.
- How to find your closest CBSA office? What you're looking for is an "Inland Office" which you can find all locations here: www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/services/inland-interieur-eng.html. Most are 24/7. In Toronto's case, this is at 2720 Britannia Road East right next to the airport.
- Go to the CBSA office and hand over the documentation. What they are looking for is "released under the LVS courier program" on the docs you printed (in my case from DHL).
- In the same office, pay the cashier. Yes, they take AMEX.
- The courier should have provided you instructions for what to do next in that initial e-mail. Take a photo/scan of the stamped receipt (they call it a manifest) and attach it to the e-mail and mention your waybill (same thing as tracking number)
- DHL will then update the system that you've paid and they'll release the package for delivery.
- Enjoy!

FAQ:
- Do you have to rush doing this? No, DHL will send you multiple emails to pay the duty fees. Ignore them. Don't schedule a pick up. As long as you don't pay, they will hold the package and once you provide the info to them that you've self-cleared, they'll schedule a delivery. Obviously don't wait too long but it's not as tight of a window as I thought it would be.
- Won't DHL just drop off the package at the door because of COVID? They shouldn't because there's duty/tax owed. You'll get 3 emails that remind you to pay. Ignore them all.
- Pre-clear or self-clear? Technically it's called self-clearing. CBSA was confused when I called it pre-clearing. I've caught myself using both terms interchangeably.
- How much are you saving by doing this? Each courier is different but in DHL's case, it's a $17 + HST service charge. So the truth is that's all you're really saving. I believe it's a minimum of $17 but it's actually a % of the taxes owed (this needs to be fact checked). If your shipment is massive $ wise, it might be higher. So the truth is you're not saving a TON by doing this but hey, $17 is $17!
- If I didn't self pre-clear the C1+, how much would the fees cost? DHL sent me a bill for $56.39 which isn't too terrible. That's 13% HST on $286 CAD which Emotiva declared ($37.18) and $19.21 for their service fee. Keep in mind this is the refurb C1+
- Can you ask Emotiva to mark the item as a gift and reduce the amount declared? I asked and the answer is no.
- Is it duty or taxes that you're paying? For Emotiva products, since it's coming from the US (did not see in DHL's doc to me whether it says made in the US or not), there are no duties applied. You're simply paying taxes.
- Do you have to self-clear if something is coming from USPS/CanPost? - Actually no because they don't charge any service fees so if anything you could file for an adjustment but this isn't really an issue when you get shipments from Canada Post.

Hope this helps other Canadians looking to order from Emotiva. Self-clearing not as painful as I thought it would be but there just isn't a whole lot of detailed information out there. This thread helped but this extra detail should give you the confidence to do it yourself.

I can understand that Emotiva doesn't want to provide guidance on this for liability or whatever but at the same time wish they made this process a bit more clear.  I guess that's what the Lounge is for LOL.

Good luck!

[visiter555]

I shipped mine to a border town and picked it up. Just paid the 5%GST and 7%PST for Manitoba. No shipping costs either way and no Duties as the COO is USA. You will need the COO statement from Emotiva to be exempt of the Duty.

[dksosku]

Thanks for the detailed information. Waiting for my XMC-2 to be shipped soon from Emotiva. I will self-clear it here in GTA.

Dec 2, 2021 13:17:22 GMT -5 willsterstyle said:

Just adding my quick experiences here. Ordered a Refurb Emotiva C1+ to the GTA. Shipping was via DHL so it's a bit biased but should apply to all couriers including UPS, Fedex, and Purolator, and really any purchases where you're ordering something from the US.

Tips on self-clearing items:
- Call DHL once the package has arrived in Canada. They don't respond via e-mail. If it's in the US, they can't generate the documentation because it hasn't passed through customs (Hamilton for those in the GTA). They will e-mail you what you need.
- Print the documents and drive to your nearest CBSA office.
- How to find your closest CBSA office? What you're looking for is an "Inland Office" which you can find all locations here: www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/services/inland-interieur-eng.html. Most are 24/7. In Toronto's case, this is at 2720 Britannia Road East right next to the airport.
- Go to the CBSA office and hand over the documentation. What they are looking for is "released under the LVS courier program" on the docs you printed (in my case from DHL).
- In the same office, pay the cashier. Yes, they take AMEX.
- The courier should have provided you instructions for what to do next in that initial e-mail. Take a photo/scan of the stamped receipt (they call it a manifest) and attach it to the e-mail and mention your waybill (same thing as tracking number)
- DHL will then update the system that you've paid and they'll release the package for delivery.
- Enjoy!

FAQ:
- Do you have to rush doing this? No, DHL will send you multiple emails to pay the duty fees. Ignore them. Don't schedule a pick up. As long as you don't pay, they will hold the package and once you provide the info to them that you've self-cleared, they'll schedule a delivery. Obviously don't wait too long but it's not as tight of a window as I thought it would be.
- Won't DHL just drop off the package at the door because of COVID? They shouldn't because there's duty/tax owed. You'll get 3 emails that remind you to pay. Ignore them all.
- Pre-clear or self-clear? Technically it's called self-clearing. CBSA was confused when I called it pre-clearing. I've caught myself using both terms interchangeably.
- How much are you saving by doing this? Each courier is different but in DHL's case, it's a $17 + HST service charge. So the truth is that's all you're really saving. I believe it's a minimum of $17 but it's actually a % of the taxes owed (this needs to be fact checked). If your shipment is massive $ wise, it might be higher. So the truth is you're not saving a TON by doing this but hey, $17 is $17!
- If I didn't self pre-clear the C1+, how much would the fees cost? DHL sent me a bill for $56.39 which isn't too terrible. That's 13% HST on $286 CAD which Emotiva declared ($37.18) and $19.21 for their service fee. Keep in mind this is the refurb C1+
- Can you ask Emotiva to mark the item as a gift and reduce the amount declared? I asked and the answer is no.
- Is it duty or taxes that you're paying? For Emotiva products, since it's coming from the US (did not see in DHL's doc to me whether it says made in the US or not), there are no duties applied. You're simply paying taxes.
- Do you have to self-clear if something is coming from USPS/CanPost? - Actually no because they don't charge any service fees so if anything you could file for an adjustment but this isn't really an issue when you get shipments from Canada Post.

Hope this helps other Canadians looking to order from Emotiva. Self-clearing not as painful as I thought it would be but there just isn't a whole lot of detailed information out there. This thread helped but this extra detail should give you the confidence to do it yourself.

I can understand that Emotiva doesn't want to provide guidance on this for liability or whatever but at the same time wish they made this process a bit more clear.  I guess that's what the Lounge is for LOL.

Good luck!