What are the risks of smuggling goods back into Canada?

[doug]

they had better be used then, a 5km scrub in probably isn't enough to convince the customs guy it's used

if you are trying to convince the customs agent you have bought used tires in the states, he'll slap a 6.5% duty on them. i already showed that several posts ago.

section 87 of that very same tariff guide covers motorcycles. almost everything is duty free. except used tires.

while we are at it, give us some proof that everything from the states is duty free under nafta. government document please. no friend of a friend who knows someone that saw someone working in a customs office once.

your jacket will probably have a 16% duty on it. it either falls under protective sporting goods (or those are duty free and the jacket does not fall under that heading), or textile apparel or something like that. none of it was duty free when i last checked.

[ssblade]

you guys know he's a customs officer right?

[doug]

you guys know he's a customs officer right?

and until he quotes something, it's his opinion. same as a cop just chatting with you. if he is not quoting regs, it's an opinion.

and its an interpretation of regs on top of that. i can quote you electrical regs all day long. what i see in them is different than what you would see in them.

already he is saying the fines for being caught are 40% of the price, where someone else, asking a customs agent, has said 100%. in that vein, show us the government docs on it.

[Lyzic]

i don't care enough to go find the regs.

true, there are certain things under nafta that are still duty payable, most are in response to softwood lumber. but i don't think you'll be importing the commercial type of stuff, like raw castor beans, to have it apply to you.

the fine structure can be both 40% or 100%. as i said, if its significant enough and you are taken to court, it is the judge's discretion what the fine is. this is usually where 100% comes in.

if you are caught by customs and they deal with you solely there, a level 1 seizure, the most common, adds a 40% penalty to the value of the items. additional hidey shit or prior enforcement bumps you up to a level 2, which is something like 55%. level 3 is 65%, but then u are usually taken to court with a level 3 regardless.

modify your car to smuggle something, car is taken.

i know theres a pamphlet that explains this, but i don't know where it is on the net.

i don't work for customs anymore, i upgraded

[burk]

I'm not understanding this discussion. If I see something in Canada that costs $200 - I pay $228 with taxes. If I can get it for CDN $100 in the states ... if I do legal it's $114. If I don't get caught smuggling I save an additional $14. If I get caught it costs me at least $14 and an X for the REST OF MY LIFE.

The big question is how many times you can do it before you get caught the first time ... 10 -20 times? ... who knows. From that point forward you are screwed ... smuggling or not it going to cost you at least a lot of time.

BTW: If the thing you want in the US saves you the tax and maybe a little bit more ... why not just buy here .... 20% off does not mean savings on most stuff.

[Spike]

That's very true, burk. But there are things you can't buy in Canada (not thinking just bike parts here), and many things that are loads cheaper in the US, more than enough to make buying them stateside and bringing them back is cheaper, even if you factor in the cost of shipping to blaine, and duty (I don't count PST/GST when I compare, because you would pay that anyway if you bought it in Canada, and I usually don't go down to the US long enough to get an exemption).

If you see something for $200CDN in canada, and the same item for $100CDN n the US, buy it in the US. The duty likely won't be anywhere near 100%, so you'll still be ahead.

[Redhawk]

"If you intend to have repairs or modifications made to your vehicle outside Canada, check with the CBSA before you leave. Under customs legislation, the CBSA can no longer consider your vehicle, vessel, or aircraft to be Canadian-made if you increase its value, improve its condition, or have it modified outside of Canada. As a result, you may have to pay duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) or Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on its entire value when you bring it back."

I'd be pretty damn quiet about mentioning I picked up new tires in the US. You get the wrong Customs guy on the wrong day, and it'll get real expensive for you.

Best advice I can give you is take the cash you save down there, grab yourself a good hotel room, and go party in Seattle for a night or two. Then you qualify for $200 a person exemption after 48 hours, which means you might be able to bump it to $400 in actual goods, if they don't check too closely, and you ....lose... some receipts.

Actual discussion with Canada Customs Border Agent yesterday.

“Anything to declare, or any work or modifications to your bike while in the US?

I say, “no.”

He asks, “Then why does your bike have new tires?

I say, “My new bike arrived with new tires.”

We both laughed.

[bacchus40]

Actual discussion with Canada Customs Border Agent yesterday.

“Anything to declare, or any work or modifications to your bike while in the US?

I say, “no.”

He asks, “Then why does your bike have new tires?

I say, “My new bike arrived with new tires.”

We both laughed.

so, nothing to declare.. but a brand new bike

unless of course you were just out for a ride on your new purchase, and not a US export

[Sikorsky]

A good, quick read from all those years ago.

The below guy is someone I used to know. I just re-read this and realized how incorrect he was.

Actually, RCMP officers have all the same powers that customs agents have. It's just that RCMP officers normally will not use these powers during their normal course of duties. For example, if an RCMP officer wants to search without a warrant (like customs officers) he can do so under the Customs Act, as long as he is looking for contraban suspected to have come across the border illegally.
A word of warning:
There is no time limit or safe zone. The RCMP can bust you months down the road in the middle of the province, far from any border.
RCMP also have all the powers afforded to DFO officers, and Conservation officers. Basically, the RCMP enforce every Canadian law including all Criminal Code offences, Provincial statutes, and Municipal bylaws.

No, no they don't. The RCMP have no where near the powers that the CBSA have. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[Smoke]

Actual discussion with Canada Customs Border Agent yesterday.

“Anything to declare, or any work or modifications to your bike while in the US?

I say, “no.”

He asks, “Then why does your bike have new tires?

I say, “My new bike arrived with new tires.”

We both laughed.

I always felt tires should be consumable products for your vehicle like gas, oil, etc.

[Sikorsky]

I always felt tires should be consumable products for your vehicle like gas, oil, etc.

Tires are not considered "consumable" or an emergency repair. That's one thing that CBSA officers look for every time because they know as well as we do that rubber is much cheaper in 'Murica. Car and trucks tires give off a wonderful "new tire smell" as well ....... it's easier and cheaper just to pay the tax.

[Squisher]

Curious how a tire could not be considered an emergency repair? *Just seems odd, they are pretty integral to the act of rolling down the road.*

I don't cross border shop myself. To far away for me. Hell I don't even cross border online shop because it seems like a pita for what you may actually save.*

[Danke]

Technically everything is consumable.

[Squisher]

Sure. But taking a nail or such which may require an emergency replacement is different than just wearing out a tire and replacing it.*

I'm curious if say you had to have a emergency repair to your bike in some other department like the engine. If they would have anyway of determining that. Witness marks on the bolts? *Do they check stuff like that?

[Sikorsky]

Maybe if you come back with 1 new tire, it would be believed. Bike repairs aren't really a day or 2 kind of situation. As for fact checking, they can go thru bank accounts, credit card bills, emails or whatever else they feel the need to investigate. Border officers are not people to under estimate. I know an idiot that purchased a used car down there. Lied about the price on his return, in order to save a few hundred dollars. A quick check thru emails, a few phone calls to the seller and he ends up getting his Nexus card taken, mandatory secondary inspections for the next 7 years and some hefty fines.

I took my 990 to Skagit for maintenance. Cheaper, quicker and better quality than Holeshot. Just told them coming back, paid the tax and was still miles ahead. North Shore Offroad quoted me $9000 for an Old Man Emu lift, rims, tires, tonneau and installation. A shop in Marysville had it all done for under $5000 when the dollar was at par. Claimed it at the border and still miles ahead.

I've purchased new tires from Discount in Bellingham 8 or 9 times for various cars. Always at most 2/3 the price of local places even after taxes and exchange.

I just cannot comprehend the mindset that lies for money. If you have to do that then maybe you shouldn't be buying things.