Customs duties for imported kilts ?

[parpin]

Hi all,

Does Canadians and Americans have to pay custom duties for imported kilts from Scotland or USA for us canadians?

That's the reason I ordered my first 2 kilts (one pending) from Hector Russell in Toronto to avoid these dam fees.

[pdcorlis]

I've ordered three kilts from tartankilts.com. Now, you'd think that since each kilt cost exactly the same the customs fees would be the same - huh? Well you'd be wrong. Each customs fee has been different with the highest at $35.00 and the lowest at $20.00. Go figure!

[RockyR]

Ahhh yes.... the inevitible Customs Fees....

They're even MORE fun when you have a HUGE shipment and you're a business. That's when they REALLy stick it to ya'.

If you ask the kiltmaker to "fib a bit" and put down that the items are gifts and/or that they're "items altered and returned to owner" and declare their value as $0, they usually go through with no fees. WARNING: Some people / companies may feel funny doing this.

[Robin]

Argh!!! customs

Sometimes it seems I'm on their most wanted list

Ah well...it's fun to be a smuggler...learned some tricks by trial and error.

Kilts become skirts, sporrans are bags, kiltpins are just pins, books are manuals...anything but "interesting" names...funny names tend to wake them up.

Most hilarious encounter:

I build Radio Controled big scale tanks...so I sometimes order after market products, like metal tracks, recoil units, smoke generators, photo etched details...and aluminium gun barrels.

Picture what happens when a customs officer sees a package with "gun barrel" on it...

When I finally got it...the carboard tube package was plastered with stickers and forms from over a dozen security agencies

[Sylvain]

C'est 18 %. Lis: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=16108

Plus les taxes applicables, bien sûr.
De toute manière, Hector Russell, en tant qu'importateur, paie les mêmes droits que toi ou moi.

Dans mon cas, j'avais fait venir mon kilt par la poste. C'est moins cher qu'un service de messagerie privé.

[scoutniagara]

And don't forget on top of all that, the brokerage fees. They can be 33% - 50% of the price.

It's a good thing we have NAFTA (Mexico, USA, Canada) that provides duty-free trade between the three countries.

[Tattoo Bradley]

I've only purchased one kilt from Scotland. It arrived within five weeks from the day of order, via Fedex, without any "additional charges." I actually didn't even think about customs until I got on here and saw everyone's tales of woe about them. I guess I just got lucky?

[McClef]

It seems very pot luck.

I ordered the DVD set of The Winds of War from one US supplier and was charged over £10 in customs and checking fees. I ordered the sequel series War and Remembrance from another US supplier and was charged nothing.

It appears to depend upon how the sender declares what the item is and its value...

[Sylvain]

And don't forget on top of all that, the brokerage fees. They can be 33% - 50% of the price.

When I got my kilt from Scotland, I used the postal service, and there were no brokerage fees... Only customs and taxes.

[Joe Gondek]

I've ordered two kilts from Scotland
I had them both shipped Royal Air mail
shipping time was about 3-4 days and NO CUSTOMS Charges of any kind.
I guess that Fed-X is a customs agent and the U.S. Post Office Isn't.
Go figure?