Important thing to remember to avoid surprise fees when shopping online
The holiday shopping season kicks into full gear with Black Friday later this week and Cyber Monday a week from today.
If you're shopping online you have to be careful you don't get a surprise and end up paying more for items than you thought you would have to.
"There is a definite sticker shock with a lot of people when something comes across the border," said Sean Morrison, Superintendent, Canada Border Service Agency’s (CBSA) Postal Operations.
When you shop online, some items you buy could be coming from another country and along with taxes and shipping you could also have to pay duties and brokerage fees.
Try to do you homework and ask questions before you click so you don't end up with unexpected charges.
CBSA said online shopping has surged during the pandemic and it’s seen a 117 per cent increase over the past three years in the shipments it deals with.
A duty is a tariff paid on an item imported to Canada and CBSA is reminding Canadians when items cross international borders into Canada there may be duties added to the final price tag.
Morrison said don’t assume purchases from web addresses ending in dot ca means the goods are shipped within Canada.
The agency is also reminding Canadians that receiving or sending cannabis into or out of Canada by mail or courier is illegal and you could be arrested and prosecuted.
"While it may be legal to purchase cannabis in Canada within our own borders you can't send it anywhere and you can't import it" said Morrison.
When it comes to lower value items $20 and under are duty and tax free. Above $20 duties and taxes may apply and gifts worth $60 or less must be sent by friend or relative.
Duties will vary depending on the item and where it's from, but there are ways to determine if you'll have to pay extra.
"If it wasn't made in Canada or in the U.S. or Mexico duty applies to it, so be prepared that you may have to pay that plus taxes on top of the price” said Morrison.
If you're not sure if you have to pay duties the agency's website has a duty and taxes calculator.
You enter where you live, the item you're buying, it’s cost and where it's being shipped from and you'll get an estimate of the duties and taxes.
Canadians can also benefit from recent changes under the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA), which raises Canada’s duty-free level from $20 to $150. Anyone ordering eligible items online shipped by courier from the U.S. or Mexico with a total combined cost above $40 and up to $150 will be duty free, but taxes will still apply.
Eligible items total value under $40 shipped by courier will be duty and tax free. Shipments above $150 both duties and taxes will apply. However, this exception is only for private courier companies and not for those who use Canada Post.
The agency also wants people to know threatening scam calls are being made from criminals claiming to be with border services that are not legitimate.
"We will never call someone to let them know there has been a seizure and we will never call someone to let them know there is an arrest warrant, those are scam calls and unfortunately they are prevalent right now" said Morrison.
Supply chain issues are also causing backlogs and some goods remain stuck on container ships so the border agency is advising shoppers to do their holiday gift buying early to avoid delays.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.