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Customs Duties importing a watch into Canada

D
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Hi OF Fam,

I’m new to the forum so here’s a little about myself, I’ve always been drawn to Vintage pieces, always appreciate the rich history behind every vintage piece and the different journey each piece has gone on to take. Been quietly just admiring them from afar but since I’m starting to have the means, I’ve decided to start slowly building out my collection. Currently looking out to get my first Vintage piece and was just wondering about import duties for a watch into Canada.

It’d be the most helpful if fellow Canadians here can give me a shout as well if you’ve experience with this area.

Cheers!
 
Archer
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5% duty, but in my experience that is rarely charged.

Then whatever the appropriate sales tax is in your province or territory, so 5% and up...
 
R3D9
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Depending upon which province you live in, you can ballpark that it will cost you 20% of the purchase price to import a watch into Canada.

Here is a government website to help you calculate your costs:

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/dte-acl/est-cal-eng.html

Playing games with Canada customs is something people sometimes engage in, but it is a risk I don’t recommend taking.

Add in the current low value of the Canadian dollar, and it is a lot less attractive to buy and sell cross-border than it used to be.

There is a private Canadian watch collector’s forum with an active sales forum that I’d be happy to direct you to via PM.
 
bananapeanut
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R3D9 R3D9
Add in the current low value of the Canadian dollar, and it is a lot less attractive to buy and sell cross-border than it used to be.

There is a private Canadian watch collector’s forum with an active sales forum that I’d be happy to direct you to via PM.

There are also plenty of Canadian sellers on OF.
 
R3D9
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Archer Archer
5% duty, but in my experience that is rarely charged.

Then whatever the appropriate sales tax is in your province or territory, so 5% and up...

I wish I shared that same experience, Al 😜 if there is a method I’m missing out on, I’d love to know about it 😉

In my experience I am always charged full duties (5%) plus Ontario taxes (13%) plus brokerage fees ($20-50).

That’s on purchases, of course… not watches being imported for servicing.
 
DaveK
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I’ve heard that postal service USPS etc has a better chance of not charging duty. UPS etc are a bit famous for charging stupid customs processing fees, as well as the legitimate duty charges.
 
Braindrain
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DaveK DaveK
I’ve heard that postal service USPS etc has a better chance of not charging duty. UPS etc are a bit famous for charging stupid customs processing fees, as well as the legitimate duty charges.

Bang on. Watches sent via courier are *almost always* (98+%) charged duties vs USPS.
 
D
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Thanks for all the tips guys, super helpful. Really appreciate this supportive community! Will source out Canadian OF sellers to start as well, does anyone know of any Canadian sellers looking to actively sell here?

cheers!
 
mydeafcat
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D Dylsaucer
Will source out Canadian OF sellers to start as well, does anyone know of any Canadian sellers looking to actively sell here?

cheers!
Yes. But you must first learn the secret handshake. 😁
 
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