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Eric Sherwin
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 Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 10:16 am Post subject: Importing A Sword From Canada |
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Hello fellow forumites. I'll be having a commissioned sword sent to me here in the US from Canada, and I'm unsure what the tariff will be. I've gone on to the Customs and Border Patrol website and checked out the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which says swords are charged 2.7% , but in the Special Consideration column it says Canada is NAFTA - Duty free treatment. Reading through the site, I get the impression that I would pay the Duty, so I'm officially confused. To those who have had a sword sent to the US from Canada, was it Duty free, or did you pay the 2.7%? Thanks for your help.
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 10:41 am Post subject: |
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Cannot answer with certainty but I have not been asked to pay any extra tariff on any sword or armor coming in from Canada or the European Union. Not sure if that is right or wrong but it has been my experience over the years. Admittedly it has been several years since I've had anything come in but...
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Jean Thibodeau
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| Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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In the opposite direction from the U.S.A. to Canada there is no duty because of NAFTA, but one does pay Federal and Provincial sales taxes most of the time: This can be hit or miss as some shipments just go strait through the border and others are stopped and assessed for value and taxes have to be payed on delivery or when picking it up.
In the other direction the rules might differ, but depending on the State there might be sales tax ?
In Canada the Border Agency takes care of doing the tax collecting for the federal and Provincial Governments, I don't know if the U.s" customs people do this also ?
You can easily give up your freedom. You have to fight hard to get it back!
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Joe Fults
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| Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure about how universal this is, and there are discussions about changing it at state and federal levels, but in most states I believe you are supposed to declare the value of the owed tax when you file your annual state income tax. In practice (effectively) its an honor system right now at least where I'm at.
"The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good." - Danah Boyd
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Eric Sherwin
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| Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you, Joe and Jean, for your insight and experience. Customs and taxes are muddy waters to navigate, and I suspect that the powers that be have made them intentionally so. My best bet is to remain optimistic, but also to be prepared. At least Texas has no state tax ( but maybe I haven't read the fine print). 
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Kel Rekuta
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| Posted: Thu 27 Jun, 2013 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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I'm an importer professionally. Under NAFTA, there are no duties on goods produced in Canada, Mexico or USA shipped to another NAFTA country. If the sword was made in Canada and declared so on the invoice or Certificate of Origin (very important) there will be no duty upon import to the US. Taxes, maybe; brokerage fee, definitely.
Be certain the shipper notes the origin of the sword on the paperwork that accompanies the shipment. When I ship something I make, I put a maple leaf sticker on it. I also take thirty seconds and fill out the NAFTA Certificate of Origin freely available on both the Canadian and American Border Services websites. No hassles.
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Eric Sherwin
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| Posted: Fri 28 Jun, 2013 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Thank you, Kel, that makes me feel a lot better. I used to live in Germany, and getting things shipped to me were sometimes a hassle, and costly.
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This is a standard topic