Anyone ordered from online store in Canada and Shipped Camera Gear to USA?

[vstolyarov]

I am looking at Canadian prices for Nikon d700 and they seem to be significantly cheaper in Canada than in USA right now. and currency conversion is in favor of us dollar.
[h=3]1 Canadian dollar = 0.9765 US dollars[/h]
I have no clue if I will pay any extra then price conversion to US dollars.
Example $2,288.00 for d700 online store.

33702 NIKON D700 DSLR BODY - Cendirect Canada

There should be no extra fees to pay other than shipping that they provide, right?

 

[ann]

I have, usually from Henry"s. No issues but, at that price there may be duties, you would best check at both ends.

 

[StringThing]

I've experienced hefty over-the-border duties going the other way. Find out how they ship and stay away from UPS if possible. Call or email them, they may have a set procedure in place that will be to your benefit.

 

[Big Mike]

Central Direct Reviews - cendirect.com Ratings at ResellerRatings


As far as I know, there are no duties on photographic equipment. There certainly aren't any when I order from the US to Canada.

But even without duty, you will likely have to pay brokerage fees. This is where they charge you to bring the items across the border, though customs etc. This is hard to predict, sometimes there isn't any additional brokerage fee, sometimes it's a lot. The ones that seem to charge the most, are ground service couriers. So FedEX or UPS ground. I've found that if I choose an airmail option, like USP Expedited or Worldwide Expedited, the initial cost is more than ground shipping, but the brokerage is already built into the price, so there aren't any extra fees to pay. Well, there is still the sales tax to be paid, which often comes as a bill from the courier company.

Sometimes, if the item is shipped via the post office (Canada Post or USPS) it might fly under the radar and you wouldn't get charged any extra fees or taxes...but high dollar items usually get flagged.

I know that some camera stores here in Canada offer free shipping on purchases over $1000....I'm not sure if that applies to US shipments though. Also, the Cameras stores in my area, have a price match policy. So if I can find a lower price (at a competing Canadian store), they will match.

For the most part, I've found that things are seldom cheaper at Canadian stores. B&H or Adorama are the big stores that I check for comparison. If it's a similar price, I buy locally, but if the savings are big enough, I order from B&H.