Buying a used head in the USA and bringing it back to Canada

[MichaelG]

Best advice is to play by the rules. Declare it on the way back up and pay the GST.

You pay HST on the value of imported goods in every province outside of Alberta (you lucky b@stard! )

HST? What is that?

 

[FourT6and2]

Tell him to get some different stickers, age & scruff them up a little and stick them on the head. He can unscrew one side of a handle,remove a knob, to also help make it look somewhat damaged/used. Obviously he keeps anything he removes from the head.

Afterwards it's easy to undo all this and make it new again. I've lived in Canada & the Caribbean & almost never paid custom duties. Even when I had to it was never even close to the amount it should be. You just have to be creative!

I simply refused to pay 50-100% more for something I already paid for!

This, he took it down to jam as his buddies hadn't heard one before. They can assume and insinuate but they can't prove shit. As long as you friend is confident he can stay nonchalant not get flustered go for it. I definitely would.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I believe Customs has the legal right to confiscate and hold any items like this until you can provide them with proof of ownership. It is highly unlikely they would do it, but it is possible.

Yeah, it would seem that since it isn't a Canadian product, and if you are saying you already owned it before this trip, you would be able to prove you had paid taxes on it before. If not, not sure why they would believe you?

Do they really go through your car though? Down here on our southern border you pretty much drive right through with a wave of the hand.

How do you prove you paid taxes on something you've owned for years? Do you keep receipts for shit that long? I can't imagine Customs going through your car, finding an old guitar amp, and then demanding proof that you paid taxes on it at some hypothetical point in your past. I've had my amp for 10 years. How am I supposed to prove to anybody when and if I paid taxes on it. lol That's a rhetorical question. The answer is, you can't. Unless you save receipts and shit and carry them with you wherever you go.

 

[Shark Diver]

Tell him to get some different stickers, age & scruff them up a little and stick them on the head. He can unscrew one side of a handle,remove a knob, to also help make it look somewhat damaged/used. Obviously he keeps anything he removes from the head.

Afterwards it's easy to undo all this and make it new again. I've lived in Canada & the Caribbean & almost never paid custom duties. Even when I had to it was never even close to the amount it should be. You just have to be creative!

I simply refused to pay 50-100% more for something I already paid for!

This, he took it down to jam as his buddies hadn't heard one before. They can assume and insinuate but they can't prove shit. As long as you friend is confident he can stay nonchalant not get flustered go for it. I definitely would.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I believe Customs has the legal right to confiscate and hold any items like this until you can provide them with proof of ownership. It is highly unlikely they would do it, but it is possible.

Yeah, it would seem that since it isn't a Canadian product, and if you are saying you already owned it before this trip, you would be able to prove you had paid taxes on it before. If not, not sure why they would believe you?

Do they really go through your car though? Down here on our southern border you pretty much drive right through with a wave of the hand.

How do you prove you paid taxes on something you've owned for years? Do you keep receipts for shit that long? I can't imagine Customs going through your car, finding an old guitar amp, and then demanding proof that you paid taxes on it at some hypothetical point in your past. I've had my amp for 10 years. How am I supposed to prove to anybody when and if I paid taxes on it. lol That's a rhetorical question. The answer is, you can't. Unless you save receipts and shit and carry them with you wherever you go.

If it's taxes they are billing you for they would have record. Or if it's a known issue I would keep the receipts. I've receipts that are 25 years old+ for insurance reasons. Now a days scan it and keep it on a little USB. Pretty easy. But I am more curious if they go through the cars? That seems pretty invasive.

 

[rlord1974]

Tell him to get some different stickers, age & scruff them up a little and stick them on the head. He can unscrew one side of a handle,remove a knob, to also help make it look somewhat damaged/used. Obviously he keeps anything he removes from the head.

Afterwards it's easy to undo all this and make it new again. I've lived in Canada & the Caribbean & almost never paid custom duties. Even when I had to it was never even close to the amount it should be. You just have to be creative!

I simply refused to pay 50-100% more for something I already paid for!

This, he took it down to jam as his buddies hadn't heard one before. They can assume and insinuate but they can't prove shit. As long as you friend is confident he can stay nonchalant not get flustered go for it. I definitely would.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I believe Customs has the legal right to confiscate and hold any items like this until you can provide them with proof of ownership. It is highly unlikely they would do it, but it is possible.

Yeah, it would seem that since it isn't a Canadian product, and if you are saying you already owned it before this trip, you would be able to prove you had paid taxes on it before. If not, not sure why they would believe you?

Do they really go through your car though? Down here on our southern border you pretty much drive right through with a wave of the hand.

How do you prove you paid taxes on something you've owned for years? Do you keep receipts for shit that long? I can't imagine Customs going through your car, finding an old guitar amp, and then demanding proof that you paid taxes on it at some hypothetical point in your past. I've had my amp for 10 years. How am I supposed to prove to anybody when and if I paid taxes on it. lol That's a rhetorical question. The answer is, you can't. Unless you save receipts and shit and carry them with you wherever you go.

If it's taxes they are billing you for they would have record. Or if it's a known issue I would keep the receipts. I've receipts that are 25 years old+ for insurance reasons. Now a days scan it and keep it on a little USB. Pretty easy. But I am more curious if they go through the cars? That seems pretty invasive.

Canada Customs bends you OVER the cars, tears your pants down to your ankles and.... but I digress.

No, they don't typically tear your car apart. They might ask you to pull over, pop the trunk, open the doors and let them look through it though. Typically, if you are totally upfront with the Customs agent sitting in the booth that you made purchases and have $X amount to declare, they will not search your car. They typically tend to believe whatever you say if you are offering up the info and voluntarily agreeing to pay the tax. They just send you inside to present your receipts to the cashier for processing. As a result, the very best option, quite frankly, is to have the purchaser prepare a receipt for you for LESS than you paid for the amp, and present that to Customs. But you didn't hear that from me.....

 

[Flavatrocious]

Who gets receipts on used gear? Do they make you do anything In Canada if you take gear down to USA then swing back up again?

 

[Flavatrocious]

As a result, the very best option, quite frankly, is to have the purchaser prepare a receipt for you for LESS than you paid for the amp, and present that to Customs. But you didn't hear that from me..... [/quote]

Yeah, agreed. If insurance companies can get away with full on anal penetration after you've lost your soul/prized possession and what-not then why not give this a stab? (pun intended).

 

[belmontbluekings]

Yeah it's used list pice is 4400 I'm payin 2900, my 2 buddies are staying more than 48 hours so they each get a tax exemption of 800 for a total of 1600. So I would have to pay tax on te remaining 1100. Gonna get buddy selling the amp to write a receipt for like 2300 to save some money. Get buddy to declare on way back. All on the up and up. That sound like a goo plan? Would hate for buddy tiger hassled charged more for not declaring it. And yeah he's picking it up down there so he can't claim it's his own the way down soldanos are all made in Seattle. So should be no problem proving its made in USA so no duty. Thanks for the help guys!!!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Get him to write a receipt for 1200$ and say it needs repairs.. volume cuts in and out, possible dead transformer. Have him write that on the receipt. Honestly you prob won't even need to pop the trunk. Also if nobody checks them on the way in, who is to say he didn't bring it into the states in the first place and had come directly from a jam in downtown vancouver or something.

 

[SteveK]

What we have here is a difference between cultures. Canadians are like "roit kind gentleman sir....I shall declare this item and pay whatever amount you deem appropriate. No reason for a scruff".

Americans are like "F you and your taxes and your stupid duties, whatever the hell that is....this is my sh!t now let me through".

Canadian Bacon.

 

[rlord1974]

Who gets receipts on used gear? Do they make you do anything In Canada if you take gear down to USA then swing back up again?

You are supposed to stop at the Canada Customs house on the way out of Canada and submit a manifest of all gear being taken across the border, including their serial numbers. They will often do spot checks of the gear in your vehicle versus what's listed on the manifest. That way, when you come back into Canada, they have the record of you taking specific items OUT of the country previously. This is more applicable for when you do cross-border gigs and are moving a ton of gear; however, the principal and laws apply the same to 1 piece of gear or 100 pieces.

 

[rlord1974]

Yeah it's used list pice is 4400 I'm payin 2900, my 2 buddies are staying more than 48 hours so they each get a tax exemption of 800 for a total of 1600. So I would have to pay tax on te remaining 1100. Gonna get buddy selling the amp to write a receipt for like 2300 to save some money. Get buddy to declare on way back. All on the up and up. That sound like a goo plan? Would hate for buddy tiger hassled charged more for not declaring it. And yeah he's picking it up down there so he can't claim it's his own the way down soldanos are all made in Seattle. So should be no problem proving its made in USA so no duty. Thanks for the help guys!!!

I don't think your buddies can combine their exemption and apply it to a single piece of equipment.

As someone else mentioned, get the seller to prepare a receipt for around $1,000 and get them to specify on it that the item is being sold "as is" due to the fact that repairs are required to get it functioning properly. My understanding is BC no longer has HST - instead, it has returned to a separate PST and GST tax structure(?). As such, I would expect you will only pay 5% GST on the declared value of $1,000, which would be $50. Certainly not a terribly high amount, and at least Big Brother will pocket something on import. I look at it as a win-win.

 

[belmontbluekings]

good idea!

 

[FourT6and2]

Might as well get the seller to prepare a receipt for like $100. You think customs agents know the value of esoteric guitar amps? No. And they probably don't care. What's the import tax on $100 vs. $2900?

 

[Shark Diver]

Who gets receipts on used gear? Do they make you do anything In Canada if you take gear down to USA then swing back up again?

You are supposed to stop at the Canada Customs house on the way out of Canada and submit a manifest of all gear being taken across the border, including their serial numbers. They will often do spot checks of the gear in your vehicle versus what's listed on the manifest. That way, when you come back into Canada, they have the record of you taking specific items OUT of the country previously. This is more applicable for when you do cross-border gigs and are moving a ton of gear; however, the principal and laws apply the same to 1 piece of gear or 100 pieces.

Ok, if you have to be dishonest ( I always thought Canadians were good people ) why not get the serial # in advance and list it on the manifest on the way out? Then when you're coming back in it will be there?

PS - And I always have some sort of receipt for used gear - even if it's just a check or Paypal receipt. I'm guessing a lot of people aren't insuring gear here. No receipt, good luck. And if you get receipts at lower value, good luck.

 

[rlord1974]

Who gets receipts on used gear? Do they make you do anything In Canada if you take gear down to USA then swing back up again?

You are supposed to stop at the Canada Customs house on the way out of Canada and submit a manifest of all gear being taken across the border, including their serial numbers. They will often do spot checks of the gear in your vehicle versus what's listed on the manifest. That way, when you come back into Canada, they have the record of you taking specific items OUT of the country previously. This is more applicable for when you do cross-border gigs and are moving a ton of gear; however, the principal and laws apply the same to 1 piece of gear or 100 pieces.

Ok, if you have to be dishonest ( I always thought Canadians were good people ) why not get the serial # in advance and list it on the manifest on the way out? Then when you're coming back in it will be there?

But what if Canada Customs asks to inspect the guitar listed on the manifest on your way out of Canada? Then you're %$#@!

 

[Shark Diver]

Who gets receipts on used gear? Do they make you do anything In Canada if you take gear down to USA then swing back up again?

You are supposed to stop at the Canada Customs house on the way out of Canada and submit a manifest of all gear being taken across the border, including their serial numbers. They will often do spot checks of the gear in your vehicle versus what's listed on the manifest. That way, when you come back into Canada, they have the record of you taking specific items OUT of the country previously. This is more applicable for when you do cross-border gigs and are moving a ton of gear; however, the principal and laws apply the same to 1 piece of gear or 100 pieces.

Ok, if you have to be dishonest ( I always thought Canadians were good people ) why not get the serial # in advance and list it on the manifest on the way out? Then when you're coming back in it will be there?

But what if Canada Customs asks to inspect the guitar listed on the manifest on your way out of Canada? Then you're %$#@!

That's what I'm asking, they do that? Wow? Then I simply thought I packed it, left it on the curb in front of the houseand would like to report it stolen,

 

[rlord1974]

Yep, they've been known.