Sending from Canada to US for repair - customs/shipping

[hoover]

Hi,

I would love to hear some experiences from anyone who has done this - it makes me so nervous!

Can anyone advise whether they needed an export declaration form attached? I'm kind of worried about what to do because the vendor asked me to declare the value on the waybill as $1, but that is totally not what my ring is worth in case it gets lost/stolen during shipping.
I'm aware that the jeweler doesn't want to bring unnecessary attention to the package, but I'm uncomfortable with what could happen at customs - what if they seize my ring because of the undeclared value? What if I have to pay taxes on the whole ring again because I failed to declare the full value on export?

 

[two_little_birds]

It's a complete hassle IMO. My biggest concern always being insurance.

I honestly just make the trip to Buffalo and ship from there. Typically we make it a one day adventure and stay over in Niagara Falls. Is that an option for you?

 

[WinkHPD]

Hi,

I would love to hear some experiences from anyone who has done this - it makes me so nervous!

Can anyone advise whether they needed an export declaration form attached? I'm kind of worried about what to do because the vendor asked me to declare the value on the waybill as $1, but that is totally not what my ring is worth in case it gets lost/stolen during shipping.
I'm aware that the jeweler doesn't want to bring unnecessary attention to the package, but I'm uncomfortable with what could happen at customs - what if they seize my ring because of the undeclared value? What if I have to pay taxes on the whole ring again because I failed to declare the full value on export?

In my opinion only, I am not an attorney, DO NOT UNDER DECLARE your ring when shipping, ESPECIALLY across borders. If customs decides you are trying to avoid paying duties they may just decide that they now own the piece and you will pay a fortune trying, probably without success, to get it back.

Call your customs and ask what documentation you need to send the item to the United States without incurring duty when it is returned. If you send it with a way bill of $1.00 your vendor is asking you to break the law, and then he will need to break it again when it is returned to you in Canada. Thus two chances, count them TWO for one government or the other to catch you and cause you nightmares.

I have had items sent to me from Australia and back without incurring customs. It required a minor amount of paper work and then a little more to verify with the Australian customs that this was indeed the right item that we were returning. (We were doing a trade up but using the same ring. Customs was paid only on the increased value since proper paperwork was done ahead of time.)

My personal experience with dealing with governments and governmental agencies is PLAY BY THEIR RULES. THEY ARE BIGGER, STRONGER AND MEANER than you are and if they catch you cheating they WILL NOT PLAY NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw one friend in the trade nearly lose his business because he tried to save $300 for a customs broker on the gems he bought in the opal fields of Australia. His goods were confiscated at the border and it took him two years to get them back, even though he declared them at the proper value. On the rare occasions that I buy overseas I always use FedEx to import my goods with. For a small fee they handle it all. The incident with my friend was before FedEx, as hard as that might be for some of you younger folks to believe.

Just my thoughts.

Wink

 

[ccuheartnurse]

It's a complete hassle IMO. My biggest concern always being insurance.

I honestly just make the trip to Buffalo and ship from there. Typically we make it a one day adventure and stay over in Niagara Falls. Is that an option for you?

X 1. Totally agree. Insurance is terrible for us. Both Canada Post & Fed Ex don't have that high a value to start with & then you end up paying high prices for the amount they do have. Ugh!

I'm getting tired of crossing the border quite frankly & have just dropped off a ring for repair at Bill Leboeuf up in Barrie. I've bought from Adam before & he's been fair with pricing. He appreciates that I keep going up to see him & giving him my business. I've never had anything repaired by them so we'll see in a few weeks what my ring looks like...lol. Is this a repair you have to send to the US vendor because of Warranty work?

Judy

 

[hoover]

Two little birds and ccuheartnurse - Unfortunately, driving across the border to send it state side is not an option because that's like 7-8 hour drive each way. I've tried a lot of local jewelers and I know the type of work that they do well, and what they don't do well. It's something that I prefer to have someone else take a crack at.

Wink - thank you so much for your reply, your words of wisdom are always appreciated. I phoned the customs office and asked if I need an export form (B13A) and they said that I don't need to because it's for a repair and will be coming back to Canada, but it will need a form from the vendor when it comes across the border again. the government call centers are notorious for giving bad info and then penalizing the citizen if something is wrong, so I'm going to see if I get the same answer by email.
My biggest concern is the dollar values not matching and the situation that you mentioned where the ring gets seized. Aside from the theft concern, or possibly an issue with insurance, I don't really understand the reason for writing such a low value on the waybill.