International
Customers
International Orders are shipped by USPS
Priority mail only unless other arrangements have been
agreed to prior to ordering. Additional shipping charges
my apply for all international orders, checkout does not
finalize your payment. If your country charges any
customs or duty tariffs, you are responsible for paying
those charges as well.
Free Shipping are not available for International
orders.
Canada Order
The minimum cost to ship to the
Canada is $12.95 Please note that any additional
brokerage charges, customs duty and/or VAT imposed on
the shipment will be billed to the purchaser. If the
package is unclaimed by the purchaser, shipping charges
will not be refunded. All shipments to the Canada are
processed either via UPPS. Shipping costs subject to
change without notice.
What mail/shipment items are duty- and/or
tax-free to canada?
You don't have to pay duties and taxes if your mail
item is:
* a gift worth $60 or less; or
* worth $20 or less.
Mail items that are gifts worth $60 or less
A gift sent by a friend or family member abroad to a
person in Canada is exempt from duties and taxes as long
as the gift is worth $60 or less. Alcoholic beverages,
tobacco products, and advertising material do not
qualify for the gift exemption.
The declaration should clearly identify the goods as
a gift, and should include a gift card or tag to avoid
any misunderstanding. For gifts worth more than $60, you
have to pay duties and taxes on the amount over the $60
exemption.
For example, if you receive a gift from overseas
worth $100, only $60 of the gift's value qualifies for
the gift exemption. You will have to pay duties and
taxes on the remaining portion of the value, in this
case $40.
Mail items worth $20 or less
If the goods you import by mail are worth $20 or
less, they are duty- and/or tax-free.
The following goods do not qualify for this
exemption:
* alcoholic beverages, cigars, cigarettes, and
manufactured tobacco;
* books, periodicals, or magazines, if the publisher
should be registered for goods and services tax but is
not; and
* goods you ordered or bought from a Canadian
retailer or intermediary, but which were mailed directly
to you from outside Canada.
When you import goods worth more than $20 that do not
qualify for the gift exemption, you have to pay duties
and taxes on the entire value. You cannot combine the
$60 gift exemption and the $20 exemption for the same
goods.
What duties and taxes do you have to pay?
Duties
We calculate any duties owing based on the value of
the goods in Canadian funds. The duty rates vary
according to the type of goods you are importing and the
country they came from or were made in. Depending on the
goods or their value, some other taxes may apply, such
as excise duty or excise tax on luxury items like
jewellery.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), duties on various goods imported from the
United States and Mexico have been either reduced or
eliminated. The NAFTA rates apply when the goods you are
importing are made in the U.S. or Mexico.
Goods and services tax (GST)
You have to pay GST on most goods you import into
Canada. This is to make sure the imported goods are
taxed in the same way as those sold or provided in
Canada. We calculate GST on the mail item's duty-paid
value. This is the total value converted to Canadian
funds, plus any duties that apply.
Harmonized sales tax (HST)
The federal government has entered into agreements
with certain provinces to collect HST at a rate of 15%.
If you live in a participating province, you will have
to pay HST instead of GST. We calculate HST the same way
as GST. The tax you pay is based on the mail item's
duty-paid value.
You do not have to pay the provincial part of the HST
(i.e., 8%) on books at the time you import them.
However, you will have to pay the remaining tax (i.e.,
7%) if the publisher has not already collected it from
you.
Provincial sales tax (PST) and tobacco tax
We collect PST and provincial tobacco tax on behalf
of the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba,
and Quebec. For British Columbia, we collect PST on all
goods that are taxable under the province's tax base.
Examples of goods exempt from PST are books, children's
footwear, and children's clothing.
For Ontario, we collect PST on all goods that are
taxable under the province's tax base. Examples of goods
exempt from PST are books, footwear under $30 and
children's clothing.
For Manitoba, we collect PST on all items except
books, footwear, and clothing. For Quebec, we collect
PST on all items except books. PST and tobacco tax vary
according to the provincial tax rate.
The $5 handling fee
Canada Post provides us with the necessary
information and prints the forms so that we can release
goods to them. In addition, they collect the duties and
taxes owing and send them to us. To cover Canada Post's
cost for performing these services on your behalf, you
have to pay a $5 handling fee. If your mail item is
duty- and/or tax-free, you do not have to pay the fee.
How do you pay the duties and taxes you owe?
Canada Post officials will collect the total amount
owing - duties, taxes, and handling fee -: before they
release your mail to you.
The declaration that the exporter completes must
accurately describe the contents of the mail item. To
verify the declaration, an officer may open a mail item
to ensure the contents match the description given. If
there is no declaration attached, or if the declaration
is incomplete, customs officers will open the item to
determine the nature of the goods. All mail items that
customs officers open are clearly marked as "opened by
customs."
Duty and tax owing on mail
We enter the description and the value of the goods
that we get from the declaration into our automated
system. The system will automatically calculate any
duties and taxes owing and print this information on
Form E14, Customs Postal Import Form. This form contains
the following information:
* your name and address;
* the tariff classification and description of the
goods;
* the value in Canadian funds;
* any duties and excise tax owing;
* any goods and services tax or harmonized sales tax
owing;
* any provincial sales tax or tobacco tax owing if we
collect the tax on behalf of the province; and
* the $5 handling fee.
If there is no declaration, we will open the parcel
to determine its contents and their value, and enter
this information into our automated system.