Help! Getting Robbed by Canada Border Services

[zooyork1116]

they assessed your item for $500 when its actually worth $185 right? you can get a refund from them for the difference in taxes, read the back of the customsform and fill it out, you won't be getting alot back but its better than nothing. Assuming you got taxed for $500 when your item is only $185, you would begetting about $40 back. All you need is a proof of purchase indicating the amount you actually paid. Since they taxed you $175, I assume a large portion of itwas duties and that is just a random amount

 

[govoltronic]

Does anyone know if the seller is redflagged by customs then is the buyer redflagged as well or vice versa?

 

[juschiang]

^^ I know for sure the seller isn't redflagged, so maybe I am the one being redflagged. Still, if they're doing this then does it mean it is perfectlylegal to put whatever price tag they can on the shoes? Why stop at $500, how about going for a cool $1 mil? How is that any different than just pulling arandom person off the street and start taxing them for breathing air just because they can? Like anticop23 elluded to, the CBSA seems to have all thepriorities messed up because like the most of us, I do still have the option to have my future shipments sent to my friend's place, will the CBSA behappier I actually make more effort to avoid high customs charges just because I'm trying to save a few bucks and given the same circumstances, theythemselves will be (or are currently) doing the SAME EXACT THING?

 

[govoltronic]

^What I'm asking is since you're redflagged does that automatically make the seller redflagged as well since you're dealing with them?

What they're doing isn't right but it's like a tax grab IMO. If you've declared gift value < $60 then can you really contest that? Maybeyou can like a speeding ticket and get 50% off the fee and no points. At the end of the day they're just doing their job and have quotas to meet.

 

[juschiang]

The seller used his name and a residential address so I'm speculating even if CBSA redflags him, it'll be him, not the website. Again, this is justpure speculation. I would imagine, though, if they had sent an order confirmation or receipt or anything to that extent, they would be redflagged or at leaston some watch list.

I can definitely understand if CBSA is "just trying to fill their quota", but 1) how do you go from 2 pairs of shoes, clearly labeled $185 each ($370 total and with an exchange rate they also filled out of 1:1) and declared much lower to $500 total? They even went as far as ripping off the MSRP portionof the shoe label (on the side of the shoe boxes along with the style no., color code, shoe size...etc. we've all seen these) so I would have no proof ofthe true price. It IS legalized robbery if there ever will be such a thing. Let's like saying if you pay $1.05 for a liter of gas and they want to"pretend" you are paying $2 a liter and charge you sales tax accordingly. Does that even make sense (but yet apparently it's legal)?

2)If they have a quota to fill on this, what about a quota for catching real criminals or terrorists, you know, the security stuff they are getting tax $$$ todo but apparently takes a backseat to this? Every single minute CBSA spends on ripping open my package, checking the contents, pulling an outrageous totalprice out of God knows where, ripping off the MSRP tag to make sure I can't dispute it, resealing the package and sending me a fat bill is a minute theycould've made sure the real suspicious packages which may contain explosives or drugs are thoroughly checked or tracking that suspicious individual who mayhave priors in the U.S. and may be up to no good in Canada but I guess what's the glory in that, where's the dollar in that hence what's the pointin that, huh?

 

[mellowg]

now u just sound overcritical it happens, unlucky but it happens u can rant all you want to people on niketalk but if u want to do something about it fill outthe custom forms are vote for the right political party in the future, mayb even write a letter or something imo duty is normal mayb not as far as yourcircumstance but @*$# happens u can deal with it without ranting about how much u hate them because it doesnt change anything lol i hope u do make changeshappen but personally u just sound whiny now no offence

 

[homi29]

yo all i got to say is %#!$ CBSA

but imma keep getting stuff shipped just because theres so much that isnt available in this country, or at least not at a reasonable price

 

[juschiang]

Originally Posted by mellowg

now u just sound overcritical it happens, unlucky but it happens u can rant all you want to people on niketalk but if u want to do something about it fill out the custom forms are vote for the right political party in the future, mayb even write a letter or something imo duty is normal mayb not as far as your circumstance but @*$# happens u can deal with it without ranting about how much u hate them because it doesnt change anything lol i hope u do make changes happen but personally u just sound whiny now no offence

Didn't mean to come off sounding like that but I guess if you're used to it or resigned to the fact this is how it is then I'd say you areprobably a lot more forgiving with regards to your disposable income than I. One thing I did learn during my time here is that a politician will never turndown a source of income or a source he/she can use as the basis for a fat annual raise no matter what party he/she belongs to. I did file a dispute andI'll take this one on the chin but the intent and the pattern of behavior of the CBSA with regards to this type of matter is just mind boggling.

 

[govoltronic]

Originally Posted by juschiang

The seller used his name and a residential address so I'm speculating even if CBSA redflags him, it'll be him, not the website. Again, this is just pure speculation. I would imagine, though, if they had sent an order confirmation or receipt or anything to that extent, they would be redflagged or at least on some watch list.

I can definitely understand if CBSA is "just trying to fill their quota", but 1) how do you go from 2 pairs of shoes, clearly labeled $185 each ( $370 total and with an exchange rate they also filled out of 1:1) and declared much lower to $500 total? They even went as far as ripping off the MSRP portion of the shoe label (on the side of the shoe boxes along with the style no., color code, shoe size...etc. we've all seen these) so I would have no proof of the true price. It IS legalized robbery if there ever will be such a thing. Let's like saying if you pay $1.05 for a liter of gas and they want to "pretend" you are paying $2 a liter and charge you sales tax accordingly. Does that even make sense (but yet apparently it's legal)?

2)If they have a quota to fill on this, what about a quota for catching real criminals or terrorists, you know, the security stuff they are getting tax $$$ to do but apparently takes a backseat to this? Every single minute CBSA spends on ripping open my package, checking the contents, pulling an outrageous total price out of God knows where, ripping off the MSRP tag to make sure I can't dispute it, resealing the package and sending me a fat bill is a minute they could've made sure the real suspicious packages which may contain explosives or drugs are thoroughly checked or tracking that suspicious individual who may have priors in the U.S. and may be up to no good in Canada but I guess what's the glory in that, where's the dollar in that hence what's the point in that, huh?

I don't disagree with you at all and you have every right to feel the way you do. Like some others have already said which you have already done is tofill out that dispute form. Atleast you'll send a message to them that you're not going to take that BS and give them some paper work to do.

Did you confirm with the seller that he didn't tear off the msrp?

 

[juschiang]

^^ I didn't confirm with the seller. However, the way the MSRP portion was torn off, you would've thought a dog bit through it as it was very sloppywork. I would imagine the seller had no motive to do such a thing because I did not request him to do so. At the same time, maybe I'm being picky here,but say if he accidentally tore the shoe label along with the MSRP tag, I probably would've complained to him and not buy from him in the future so whyrisk that?

In addition, shoes are regularly sold at only a fraction of their original MSRP so from the seller's perspective (as well as mine), there is no need to usethose MSRP labels as the literal transaction price. Lastly, I find the fact that the general consensus on total customs charges seems to be 35% on top ofpurchase price (as published by Eastbay/Footlocker) is almost the exact margin they tagged onto the $370 MSRP total ($370 x 1.35 = $499.50) to be uncanny. Bycharging me almost 35% on $500 (34.94% to be exact), they are in fact, charging me double customs chrages, one on top of the other. So, I can almost saysomeone messed up on the Math (even with a calculator I might add) so while I have no solid proof, I think the most logical conclusion is still that the CBSAhad torn the MSRP labels off just so I couldn't make any claims.

Not to whine some more, I just thought those are interesting facts to highlight.