Official Luthiers Forum!

**Note to any Canadian importers who have had issues with customs **

I’ve recently had a rather graceless customs issue and wanted fellow Canadians to be aware of something.

Marking the Canadian customs tariff item # 9209-92-20 (that stands for “Parts and accessories for use in the manufacture of guitars”) on the package should expedite the customs process and guarantee zero bogus taxation.

Please proceed with your regularly scheduled sawdust production.

Cheers,
Jeremy

This is interesting - Ive twice ordered a big shipment from Ed Dicks AC Woods - and both times about a week or so later I get a bill from UPS stating something about customs. Both times it was around 21.00.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance,

Just a note. UPS charges a "brokerage fee" bordering on extortion and on principle I do try to ship anyway but UPS.

The tariff code should be useful to anyone living IN CANADA receiving shipments from OUTSIDE CANADA.

Don’t ask me how many hours I spent on the phone with customs trying to figure out why I was being charged duty on “jewelry making supplies” when I imported crushed turquoise. (The most ridiculous part about it all was when I finally found the tariff code and provided it to customs, it took another three weeks to have my turquoise delivered. Turns out I wasn’t charged any duty but the tariff code read “art pigments”. Go customs go!)

Cheers,
Jeremy

I don't think I have ever been charge tariff on stuff I bought from Ed. Mayhaps I just wasn't paying attention John How38484.5771180556

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

He has the brokerage fees explained on his monthly specials page. None under $200.00 or if 3 day select is chosen, according to his site.Scott Thompson38484.6260185185

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

So...whatever became of NAFTA? Wasn't that supposed to put an end to these things (written with tongue in cheek)!

You think it is bad from Canada to the US. In Brazil I had to pay 100% tax on anything over 45 dollars. That made things expensive in a hurry!

NAFTA did go in place, and it is in place. There are NO duties on any instrument parts(and pretty much on anything, period).

Folks just don't understand...

UPS and FedEx charge a brokerage fee for handling the package and doingt he paper work in order to clear customs. That is what the $21, $39, whatever is. Anything tacked on top of that will be Provincial/State/federal taxes, if applicable. Those taxes are the reason for the paper work in the first place. Both out countries like to make a little cash in imports at times. Some States don't charge tax on imports, some do. Fact of life....

USe the post office if possible; their customs handling chages are much, much less. $5 is the flat rate for Canada post. USPS should be near the same.

All any shipper need do is mark the package "guitar parts" or "guitar making supplies', and that's it. Both are truthful reresentations of woods, tuners, even tools we use.

So, all the special codes in the world won't help you if you choose one of the couriers(DHL may be the possible exceptiom, but I have little direct experience with them), because they will tack their own $21 or whatever fee anyhow....


Jeremy's post and number is for Canucks importing, not the rest of y'all......Mario38485.4139351852