vB Easy Archive - Still possible to travel down to US to buy iphones?

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Still possible to travel down to US to buy iphones?
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Posted by: yalag

Any canadians have success stories? With all that credit card thing going on, is it still possible for someone to travel down to US and use a Canadian master card to buy phones?

Also what is the tax like when travelling back up with the new iphones?

Thanks

Posted by: Ev0lv3

i went down to minneapolis 2 weeks ago and got mine. It was fine, i even told them straight up that I was gonna hack it and they didn't even care. They're making money so why would they, IMO.

I didn't pay any taxes cause I hid it

hahaha.

Posted by: 1%er

I been over to Buffalo a few times. I haven't had any problems, but the Apple Stores have now limited to only purchasing two at a time. So you can't buy any more. I alwways declare one and keep one as the border agents are looking for the iphones. The last time I was through he told me "You won't believe the amount of these I have seized over the last 24hours."

He says people go over and don't declare them and they search the vehicles. So you take your chances if you don't declare at least one of the phones. Its only an extra 50 bucks, so I would rather pay for one than have both seized!!!

Posted by: andrewhaji

I just went down to the States to get mine. There were about $50 in taxes on the way back up...not as bad as I thought. It's running great on Rogers after using iNdependence.

Posted by: yalag

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1%er

I been over to Buffalo a few times. I haven't had any problems, but the Apple Stores have now limited to only purchasing two at a time. So you can't buy any more. I alwways declare one and keep one as the border agents are looking for the iphones. The last time I was through he told me "You won't believe the amount of these I have seized over the last 24hours."

He says people go over and don't declare them and they search the vehicles. So you take your chances if you don't declare at least one of the phones. Its only an extra 50 bucks, so I would rather pay for one than have both seized!!!

What are you saying, are you saying if you declear one, you dont have to pay taxes for the other one??

Posted by: genes83

Quote:

Originally Posted by yalag

What are you saying, are you saying if you declear one, you dont have to pay taxes for the other one??

technically yes because then they just send you in to pay the tax on 1 instead of searching your car and finding the other.

i got a friend of mine to buy it for me while he was in work training in seattle so i lucked out. if you pay $16, you can get the next day delivery and it's a lot quicker. it took only 24 hours from the time we ordered it to before it was shipped to his hotel =)

Posted by: photojoe83

How can they charge tax on an item that isn't even available in your country? Isn't the purpose of that tax is to sort of penalize you for not buying locally?

Posted by: chinese_fury

Is this U.S. Border agents charging the $50 or Canadian agents?
Seems like double dipping, because you first pay U.S. tax when purchasing the item then you are taxed again at the border?
or do you mean you paid duty?

Posted by: genes83

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinese_fury

Is this U.S. Border agents charging the $50 or Canadian agents?
Seems like double dipping, because you first pay U.S. tax when purchasing the item then you are taxed again at the border?
or do you mean you paid duty?

It's Canadian charging you duty.

It doesn't matter whether the goods are available in Canada or not, you're basically spending your disposable income elsewhere when you could be spending it on goods and services in Canada, which in turn run the Canadian economy

Posted by: cam'ron

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1%er

I went down to the Clinton, MI. Store, came back and didn't declare the iPhone. The customs officer searched our vehicle and didn't reach far enough under the back of the passengers seat. My buddy was crapping his pants as we drove over to the search area (he was the one getting it) and almost confessed. I talked him out of it thankfully and he got real lucky!

For the original poster, you pay state tax (for my buddy it was $25). We dealt with a teenage girl at the Apple store, she was so ignorant and didn't know about unlocking. She gave us a shirt for the drive to boot. They won't know if your MC is Canadian or American and won't care.

Posted by: 1%er

Quote:

Originally Posted by cam'ron

That is why you gotta be careful at the border. If you try to smuggle and get caught they will sieze them. Thats why I claim one of them and forget about the second one. If you go in and just tell them you have one and pay the taxes. Then your chances of being searched are slim.

As well remember that you don't have to pay duty on cell phones. You are only paying the gst and pst. So you are saving money again on that. Better off claiming one and hiding the other!!

Posted by: cam'ron

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1%er

No kidding, learned the (semi) hard way. Kinda looks sketchy when you are just on a "road trip". Good thing I bought a cd at an American Best Buy, so at least I had something.

Posted by: qw3rty

If you get rid of the box, it doesn't matter if they search your car and find the phone. You can tell them you had the phone before you left Canada.

Posted by: surfkitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by qw3rty

If you get rid of the box, it doesn't matter if they search your car and find the phone. You can tell them you had the phone before you left Canada.

I was wondering that myself. Ill be going to the States next month and bringing my iphone but i bought it unlocked in canada so of course I don't have a receipt. How can I prove that I had it before I left? Maybe I should take a pic and date stamp it, lol

Posted by: yeungman

Customs has a declaration form. It's a small green card, maybe 3" x 4".

On the card, you "declare" what you already own when you leave Canada, so you have proof of ownership when you return. You basically write down the Model number and serial number of any electronics (Digital Camera, Laptops, Cell Phones, Rolex Watches) and it gets stamped by customs.

For those that ditch the box and say that Customs can't prove you didn't own it before leaving Canada, Customs can ask why you didn't fill out the form. I guess you can act ignorant but it's just like if you didn't fill out medication importation forms. They could just confiscate your phone and you can't do anything about it. Now, I doubt they would actually confiscate your phone if you didn't fill out the declaration card. But, who knows, you may run into some crazy strict Customs Officer.

Posted by: WorldIRC

The onus is on the person crossing to prove, at anytime, that they had the goods prior to leaving Canada. Even with a 2 year old laptop, they can simply say prove it was bought in Canada and not "used" in the US.

Posted by: 1%er

Quote:

Originally Posted by surfkitty

This happened to a friend of mine. The answer is simple, customs will turn on the phone. Look at it to see if it is active, phone numbers etc. You can also show them the timer onthe phone to show it has been used alot. Then tell them you bought it off ebay and paid duty on it when it was delivered.

If you throw away the box and just say it is old, they have the right to search the phone and when you they see it has not been activated, or unlocked, then they will know it is new.

I asked the customs agent about this and he said they are briefed every day on "New" items that canadians are trying to get across the border. So they know most of the tricks of the trade these days. The easiest way, is always have something to declare and if they make you pay duty, pay it and be on your way. You may get an agent who just got a hummer in the break room and in a good mood and let's you go past!!!

I aksed the agent what they do with all the iphones they seize. He said like everything else they get shipped to an offsight location and destroyed.

Can you imagine all those phones being destroyed!!!

Posted by: genes83

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1%er

I aksed the agent what they do with all the iphones they seize. He said like everything else they get shipped to an offsight location and destroyed.

Can you imagine all those phones being destroyed!!!

i don't think all of it is destroyed, i think a lot of the stuff shows up in government run auctions where they sell the stuff to the highest bidder... you hear commercials on the radio for it all the time, except it's mostly for jewellery

Posted by: CountSessine

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinese_fury

No duty on cell phones. But, our f*cked-up tax/import laws give them the right to collect Canadian sales tax on goods made in the US, purchased in the US, from a US store.

Posted by: DMC8260

Just wondering, when a custom search your car, will they body search you as well?? Like do they make you take out everything from your pocket??

Posted by: yalag

hey I'm not worrying so much about the tax but what about the credit card? Do they accept Canadian credit card?

Posted by: 1%er

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMC8260

Just wondering, when a custom search your car, will they body search you as well?? Like do they make you take out everything from your pocket??

They have the right too. Usually only will if they find a bunch of goods and want to look for receipts. But usually that is an EXTREME case. They need pretty good reason to search your person. Usually if they find something in your car they have a big book with items in it and use that to assign a value. Then you have to pay duty on that value.

Best thing to do is have something that you bougth for around 20-30 nucks declare that and they will usually let you go. They may ask you to pop the trunk, so make sure you don't hide anything in there.

Posted by: 1%er

Quote:

Originally Posted by yalag

hey I'm not worrying so much about the tax but what about the credit card? Do they accept Canadian credit card?

I have been over to the apple store and no problem giving a candian credit card. They will also ask for id and as long as you are buying it for yourself and a friend they will let you walk out with two maximum.

Posted by: DJXP

If youre willing to wait for 2hrs in a line up just to get accross the border, then when coming back, another 2-3hrs, waiting in line again, then paying duty (about 1 1/2hr) then go ahead, to me its not worth the extra $50 or $100

One lady said when i was in line at customs to the customs officer, wouldnt it be easier to just pay the duty right after we get our duty price rather then wait in another line to pay it? the customs officer said "wouldnt it just be easier to just shop in your own country?"

So true, big deal so u save $10, $20,$50....not worth the hassle.

Most US retailers around the border have already jacked prices up for clothes etc and Canadians still think its a deal when its clearly not.

Posted by: sh0nuff

Well, if you stay for 48 hours, then you can bring it over for free, without paying tariffs. It works out to $430 canadian with the taxes (8%) and you can claim those taxes back if you want to go through the hassle. And seeing as though people seem to still be snatching them up localley for 600+ bucks, id say thats a good deal of savings.

Posted by: yalag

so if I have two Canadian credit cards I can buy four iPhones right?

Posted by: the_unknown2007

I also think it's a draw of luck with customs officers- I bought one almost 8 weeks ago at Walden Galleria, drove straight back with only that, told them straight up I had an iPhone and only been in the US for 1 hour and the customs officer sent me on my way without paying taxes. I would think that it's even easier to bring 1 back now as they don't want huge backlogs at the tax station. Key thing is to bring one back only, so they assume it's for personal use.

On the other hand, I've had hell coming back from Hong Kong at the airport- I've had every possible item on me questioned before (including clothing!!!!) and it ended with a seizure of my watch, laptop, camera that I had all bought in Canada, so I had to bring receipts that showed I bought it in Canada before they would release the items. And the laptop came back with a spiderweb crack on the screen and there was no possible way to complain. (I had bought the Sony laptop 4 months ago for $2300), this was in 2005.

Bottom line: Customs can and WILL make your life miserable. And they have every right to do so. They even have right to seize property that is rightfully yours or legally imported and basically damage them without any recourse.

As for destroying them- that's total bull****, why the hell would they destroy a perfectly good electronic item? All items of value (i.e. jewellery, electronics) end up being auctioned.

Posted by: goldsaint

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountSessine

No duty on cell phones. But, our f*cked-up tax/import laws give them the right to collect Canadian sales tax on goods made in the US, purchased in the US, from a US store.

thats why i call this communism.

North America will always fascinate me.

''keeping the population happy by bringing them cool toys''.

well...who said that americans are full grown babies?