A few years back, we registered as a non-resident importer (NRI) in Canada. What that meant is that we designated ourselves as the importer of record and were liable for collecting and paying sales tax (GST & PST) whenever we shipped to Canada. Ultimately, we found that this was confusing to many of our Canadian customers, who were not used to paying sales tax to US-based businesses. In light of this, we have canceled our NRI brokerage and will no longer be designating ourselves as the importer of record for Canadian shipments.
What does this mean for our Canadian customers?
There are two main implications:
- We will no longer be charging sales tax for orders being shipped to Canada.
- You, the customer, will be responsible for paying all import duties and taxes.
In many cases, the shipper (UPS, FedEx, etc.) will require payment of import duties and / or taxes prior to delivery. It is your responsibility to ensure that prompt payment is made such that delivery can occur. If it is not, and the order is returned, you will be liable for all shipping fees to you and back to us. If the item carries a restocking fee for returns, you will be charged that fee. If the item is not a returnable item, you will not be eligible for any refund. In other words, be sure to pay all required import duties and taxes!
As always, if you ever have any questions about shipments to Canada or anything else, just give us a ring or drop us an email and we'll be happy to help.
