Question for the Canucks

Just got a complaint from someone I sold a guitar to.
I charged him $60 shipping, cost me $57 at the post office, so it seemed fair.
Today he sends an email saying the Canadian post office won't let his wife pick up the guitar unless she pays $15.
Is that normal?
Is it a Customs charge?
Did I fill out the Customs form wrong and he got stuck with a bogus charge?
Should I have charged $75 for shipping and paid the fee before sending? ...if that's even possible, that is.

Iceman wrote:...that evil VAT...

Up here it's known as the Federal GST (Goods and Services Tax) which is currently 5%.
Not to be outdone, several Provinces have piggybacked the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) on top of it, and renamed it the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax).

In Ontario, that means a total of 13% on just about everything.
It's a major rip off and a bloody piss off, and NCT (Not my Cup of Tea).

I just figured that it must have always happened, that's why we have to fill out customs forms...it's just that our brothers to the north have to suffer through bad beer, weird football, and weather so freezing that they just endured the fee with stoic silence.

Although to be fair, their "weird football" is a game where the foot actually makes contact with the ball......

Brainfertilizer wrote:I just figured that it must have always happened, that's why we have to fill out customs forms...it's just that our brothers to the north have to suffer through bad beer, weird football, and weather so freezing that they just endured the fee with stoic silence.

Yeah, we have all 'the good stuff'..

And on top of that we also have customs, duties, freight and let's not forget taxes...
If I understand correclty, the first thing, is the declared value of the item sold on the customs invoice. Eveything derives from that.
The freight can be added on the selling price and the shipment sent prepaid freight however, the duties (charged depending on the tariff code) are taxable.
Anything coming cross border will carry a fee at pickup or delivery regardless if freight is prepaid.

Some of the complexities of buying Internationally.. Cha ching....

Brainfertilizer wrote:...our brothers to the north have to suffer through bad beer...

Hey now! There are many craft breweries that turn out some very tasty stuff. Even the big names aren't that bad, i.e. not pee water like some brands I've tried.

Nearly nothing better than an icy cold Moosehead after a 92° July afternoon spent trimming the verge...










...unless it be two, or three for that matter.

Oh... and tell the guy to bitch to his government instead.

I like beer that you can drink before it freezes.

a beercicle might be good, but its gotta lack carbonation.

Carbonation? This is from Carbondale, it's shipped within the nation at a cost. Imagine sending your wife to pick it up...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/very-RARE-1975-76-Ibanez-SCRIPT-logo-Artwood-Twin-DOUBLE-NECK-2470-2670-/130883272333?pt=Guitar&hash=item1e79403e8d

Hey! I'm trying to talk smack here!

Quit making me look bad by being reasonable!

You know something Jim?... what that particular auction listing needs is more pictures.

15 mins loads time in firefox....and counting

Iceman wrote:You know something Jim?... what that particular auction listing needs is more pictures.

I know Steve, little did I know the best guitar-porn from Japan now come at prices like these.
I do like the 12 string saddle design however (btw, John has such a feature on his Vantage VS696).
I guess it must play and sound real nice once your eyes get used to that dazzling fretboard and all knobs and switches.

The headstock are not the least ornate I've ever seen. Not hard at all to believe it was indeed built to order. Hopefully the seller could be talked into including a nice thick strap in the price... 4" wide minimum as a start.

And some strategically placed helium balloons.