[ojungoon]

How's everyone doing in this s$$$ ass weather in T.O?

How much shipping fee would it cost if I were to buy a wheel privately from states and ship it up here to T.O?

I found a couple of deals here in this forum (For Sale / Marketplace) but unfortunately they were all in L.A area.
They said that they wouldn't mind shipping it up here but I had to pay for all the shipping fees (Which is fair since they only wanted local pick-up)...

Would it be over $200? Any other hidden fees / taxes etc... that I should know about?
Thanks in advance for any advice or help!

Cheers!!!

[SGxi]

Depends on where it is from, who is shipping it and how they pack it...

Def. over $200... depending on how much it is declared, there's still the GST/PST, possible duties and brokerage charges...

[ojungoon]

Originally Posted by SGxi

Depends on where it is from, who is shipping it and how they pack it...

Def. over $200... depending on how much it is declared, there's still the GST/PST, possible duties and brokerage charges...

Wow...!
Seems like there's lot of other charges that I should consider...
Thanks

[Nikos335i]

Shipping from CA should not cost more than 100$-125$, then you have to consider 40$ brokerage fee (not always charged for some reason on some of my past purchases though ).

Ask the seller to declare the items for less to save a few more $$$. The problem with this is in the event of damage (during shipping) you will receive the value of the declared goods, then again you are paying less compared to the actual value anyhow!

Later,

[Magimac]

Originally Posted by Nikos335i

Shipping from CA should not cost more than 100$-125$, then you have to consider 40$ brokerage fee (not always charged for some reason on some of my past purchases though ).

Ask the seller to declare the items for less to save a few more $$$. The problem with this is in the event of damage (during shipping) you will receive the value of the declared goods, then again you are paying less compared to the actual value anyhow!

Later,

If you are caught undervaluing your wheels, the fines typically equal the price of the wheel on top of duties and taxes. Not worth the risk imo...

[Nikos335i]

Originally Posted by Magimac

If you are caught undervaluing your wheels, the fines typically equal the price of the wheel on top of duties and taxes. Not worth the risk imo...

I agree in part with your statement if your purchase is from a store, eBay, etc (where there is a trace if you will). If it's from a classified ad there is no real way to trace the transaction, you could even send 2 payments to cover your tracks.

I bought a set of 18's original Volvo wheels from a dealer in the states paid 550$ (actual purchase price) for brand new wheels the retail for the wheels was well over 2000$ new. They did not question it because of my eBay receipt. It's all in the way it's presented (a personal sale should be accompanied with e-mails, shipping, etc as proof). They cannot really question how much you paid as long as the other party involved is willing to help you out.

Cheers,

[Magimac]

Originally Posted by Nikos335i

They cannot really question how much you paid as long as the other party involved is willing to help you out.

Cheers,

Actually yes they can -- the Customs officer can establish a price if he or she chooses (this job used to be done by a Customs Appraiser, but that function ended years ago)...

[who's ur daddy?]

I bought a set of wheels from a guy out West (USA).

$160 shipping.

My Fedex bill came later - GST/PST/duty/customs brokerage was $188.

[ojungoon]

Thanks guys...!
Seems like shipping wheels from CA is more complicated then I thought...
Just hoping other charges won't exceed $300...
If more than it might not be worth it...

Also, what is the best way to transfer the money?
I mean if the guy is a bastard then he can EASILY scam me for couple of thousand dollars...
What's the safest way?
Sorry about my ignorance but I just worry a lot...

[SGxi]

Paypal only...don't do wire transfer, western union or money order...

[Nikos335i]

Originally Posted by SGxi

Paypal only...don't do wire transfer, western union or money order...

I do like paypal as well!

Do not do Western Union (easiest way to get ripped off). Money order only if it's your only other alternative.

Later,

[Nikos335i]

Originally Posted by Magimac

Actually yes they can -- the Customs officer can establish a price if he or she chooses (this job used to be done by a Customs Appraiser, but that function ended years ago)...

I could see it being done if you really over do it but we are talking about a set of used wheels not a Rolex worth 10K and trying to pass it for 1K. I've purchased so many items from the US and never had any issues (4 set of wheels, watch, SLR camera).

Regards,

[DJ 83]

Yup, PayPal only for me too, meaning that you can reverse the charge so you can fear less about getting scammed and losing money. Basically by paying with credit card, you can do that.

I have lots of experience from eBay transactions, having owned an online distribution chain prior to selling it to a client. When purchasing goods from the US or internationally, I always ask the seller from eBay to indicate "Gift" or "Warranty Replacement" on the parcel. Half of them do it, but the other half are reluctant and don't comply with my requests. But this way if they do you the favor, you can avoid customs fees, duty and any brokerage fees. I'm always happy when UPS or FedEx or US Postal/Canada Post delivers me a package and no additional fees are required!

Another thing I suggest is that you may want to ask them (the seller) your special request prior to bidding/buying for that particular item that you're wanting to get your hands on. Usually after you've won the auction/bought the item off eBay, they will not want to fullfill your request, from my past experiences.

-D.J.

[SGxi]

Originally Posted by DJ 83

I always ask the seller from eBay to indicate "Gift" or "Warranty Replacement" on the parcel. Half of them do it, but the other half are reluctant and don't comply with my requests. But this way if they do you the favor, you can avoid customs fees, duty and any brokerage fees. I'm always happy when UPS or FedEx or US Postal/Canada Post delivers me a package and no additional fees are required!

That is not necessarily the case. Although I don't ask the sellers to do this, some of them do it on their own, but when I got it, I am still being charged for the parcel based on their "estimate" for the value of the parcel, so I still got charged even when it's clearly marked as "gift". I suppose if you get a lot of parcels throughout the year, they know it's not a gift...