Help! Getting Robbed by Canada Border Services

[juschiang]

A couple of weeks ago I preordered my XX3s from a merchant in the U.S. and I was half expecting them to arrive this week so I was mildy surprised when I gota note from Canada Post. What I didn't expect was a customs charge of $175!!! This merchant had done everything possible, mailed the shoes out not from abusiness but a real name as the sender, declared the shoes as gift with a total value of less than $100 but to my horror and shame on Canada Border Services,they deemed the XX3s worth $500 and charged me customs based on a price they pulled out of a hat.

The only thing I noticed is that they ripped the suggested MSRP (which undoubtedly say $185) tag from the boxes but how they went from $185 x 2 = $370 to anoutrageous $500 is really beyond me other than the fact they want even more $$$. My question is, has this happen to anyone and if so, what are the chances Ican dispute the charges with these $#@!$s (I'm not going to use any inappropriate word here but no word really is inappropriatehere IMO) ? Thanks in advance!!!

 

[carlos tevez]

Did you pay the custom charge already?

When the package gets delivered to your door or you go and pick it up from the post office, you can dispute the charge. Unfortunately, what happens is thatafter filing the dispute, the package gets sent back to the border services and they make a second assessment. This obviously takes time and it wont be untilanother couple of weeks before you get your package delivered again.

Once you pay the customs charge, there isn't much you can do.

Take the L, and next time just try and buy the shoes in person. I've only been burned once by Canada customs, but it will happen occasionally.

 

[juschiang]

^^^ I paid already...those dudes at the Canada Post location were mad shady, they were saying they couldn't send the package back for dispute; they couldonly hold the package for 2 weeks and I'll have to call Canada Border Services myself and get this thing resolved. They only gave me this feeble disputeform that I can file with the border services. I'll probably take this one on the chin like you suggested because sometimes you get the bear sometimes thebear gets you. Although I'm thinking about calling Canada Border Services tomorrow but that'll probably aggravate them more. Thanks a lot!!

 

[carlos tevez]

I think they were trying to help you out by giving you the dispute form but who knows if it would've got resolved within 2 weeks.

It happens once in a while, that sucks that you had to pay so much. I've ordered 10+ shoes online and I've only had to pay customs once.

 

[ac4three]

DAMN that's a lot!

 

[automorph]

are you the same dude that had a CD seized from customs????? i am starting to believe your skitzo or a real clown

I have NEVER had a problem besides tax+duty on the odd package and sent/recieve 500+ packages

 

[juschiang]

^^^ I had my CD seized by them, had my mom's jade pendant smashed to bits by them, and had my moon cakes shaken to flakes by them and now this mess; if youare naive enough to think it can't happen to you then good luck with that attitude. Thanks for adding zero value to this post.

 

[jaylove06]

dog, why would you pay for them?

Lets say they get sent back to the seller and you lose your $175, you can scoop a pair in Canada or anywhere else for that matter and still end up paying farLESS than $500. Don't listen to them mafuggaz at the front desk, you talk to a manager or someone higher up.

I guess it's a lesson learned. If you don't feel you should have to pay for something, dispute it first!

 

[automorph]

CANADA POST would NEVER seize a CD unless you have been caught doing something illegal using the mail system. EVEN THEN I doubt they have the time nor theresources to do that...........i call DUCKTALES until you post the customs form showing $175 in duty and taxes............

 

[egorfour]

woah woah lets relax here.
doesnt mean that you never got struck with customs means that no one else will.. random !%+ happens all the time.
good luck with the filing juschiang.

 

[siye]

Don't be so harsh on this guy.
We all know customs can be a pain. Sure I've never had taxation problems that extreme, but I've had some pretty big sums.
It's possible. I don't think calling him a liar is doing much.

 

[siye]

Don't be so harsh on this guy.
We all know customs can be a pain. Sure I've never had taxation problems that extreme, but I've had some pretty big sums.
It's possible. I don't think calling him a liar is doing much.

P.S. Just to prove how shady Canada Post can be...
I had a packaged declared 20 bucks to pass through unscathed.
It was even officially accepted as 20 bucks by them. But I was taxed and with surcharges came up to an extra ten bucks and change.

What went wrong? I checked again and they CONVERTED the price from 20 USD to 20.19 CDN and taxed me. Tax was only 3 bucks or so but the rest was"handling" charges.
Now that's just wrong.

 

[anticop23]

They are the border service agents. Instead of putting resources into securing our borders and keeping illegal people/ activities out of Canada, they putquite a bit of resources into catching people trying to avoid small tariffs on this package and that package...

Is it more important to catch people who are trying to avoid the border tariff than check/catch possible threats at the airports/borders etc?

They are good at checking/ catching these 'small-!*+" things, but they are useless in doing any big things. If there is a bank robber carrying a gunfleeing from the States and entering Canada through the borders, watch them Border Service guys 'walk off the job' cause they feel it's toodangerous for them - even when now the agents carry hand-guns.

!$$$+#+ useless.

 

[juschiang]

Originally Posted by automorph

CANADA POST would NEVER seize a CD unless you have been caught doing something illegal using the mail system. EVEN THEN I doubt they have the time nor the resources to do that...........i call DUCKTALES until you post the customs form showing $175 in duty and taxes............

You care to put a wager on what you've said??? I'll take a pic of the CBSA Postal Import Form and post it on NT as soon as I see what elseyou're gonna do besides eating your own words. I anxiously await your reply.

^^^ anticop, this is EXACTLY my point; they've got all sorts of time smashing my mom's jade pendant, shaking my moon cakes into fine powder, opening upmy XX3s and pull a hella random price out of the hat than catching people who are serious threats to the country, why just a couple of months ago they caughtsome convicted drug trafficker from Illinois or Michigan up in Ontario who was still distributing drugs. This is messed up.

 

[604kicks]

It may surprise you to learn that the "feeble dispute form" they handed you actually works. Just photocopy proof of retail price that you paid, fillthe form out and send all the docs in. They'll cut you a cheque in due time.

 

[23collector1985]

It sounds like you've got some seriously shady people working at your local customs office!

I've been hit with customs fees before, but what reason would they have to value a pair of shoes at $500??? I would file a complaint, not just a disputeform. They might be pocketing the extra cash they are charging you.

By the way... a package must be valued less than $60 for it to be exempt from duty fees.

 

[anticop23]

Originally Posted by 23collector1985

By the way... a package must be valued less than $60 for it to be exempt from duty fees.

^ yea,

If marked as Gift, maximum value exempt from duty = $ 60
If NOT marked as Gift, maximum value exempt from duty = $ 20

USA have the value at like $ 100-200! Canada is pretty stupid in this regard.

 

[i love af1]

that sucks

I wish you best of luck in getting your $ back...

 

[juschiang]

23collector1985. anticop23, thanks a lot!! I'll be sure to be extra mindful all my gifts are declared under $60.

I Love AF1, thanks for the well wishes.

Thanks also to those who chimed in to offer help.

 

[anticop23]

There is almost never a pattern we can guess for the border service...

I am still waiting for my package from a seller from the states, it was sent almost two weeks ago. Asked the seller to declare low value and mark as gift, butthe package still has not arrived...

 

[juschiang]

^^ I've had that happen to me quite a few times as well, I would suspect it almost certainly means Border Services is taking their time trying to see ifthey can charge you any sort of customs charges like they did mine. This again reinforces your point; why are they dedicating their time scheming on how toget more $$$ out of Canadians rather than focusing on apprehending criminals and terrorists. If they want to play this cat and mouse game with oridnaryCanadians, why are we even paying them? Anyways, hopefully you'll get your package without any incident.

 

[goosebear10]

not all canadians juschiang..probably you because youve probably been redflagged by customs.the mooncakes and jade pendant are 2 things they really get on incustoms.Food from somewhere else and jewelry.If neither one was declared properly then you get a nice big red check next to your name meaning watch thisperson's incoming packages and make sure everything is being declared properly.

A couple buddies of mine got flagged at the border for not properly declaring everything they bought now whenever they cross back into canada they search theircars.I guess its something like 2 years before they take you off the list.

 

[juschiang]

^^^ I don't know if that makes any difference but the jade pendant was outbound; it was a gift from my mom to one of her friends in the U.S. and she haddone it plenty of times before from overseas to U.S. directly and NOTHING ever happened before so it had to be Canadian customs. Considering (I'vementioned this before in my previous post) the jade pendant was triple bubble-wrapped and sent in a padded envelope I highly doubt it was a simple"accident" during handling of the item.

I hope I'm not redflagged but it's not like I can't use my friend and his address to do the same thing if I am redflagged so in the end it reallyis a waste of resource, resource that could've (and should've) been used to really protect the Canadian borders.

 

[mellowg]

well im willing to bet amongst all the mail they shouldnt be stopping they apprehend more then enough illegal items being sent through regular post, they arejust doing their jobs tho i dont know bout the pendant thing

not to mention every single time they find a package mis marked that they deem on purpose then ur gonna get a check mark of some sort

mooncake would forsure get flagged theres eggs in most of them and like goosebear said its food

 

[pinkjordansrule]

wow thats the largest customs charge i ever seen