Customs, taxes, etc. when buying from USA, shipping to Canada

[joohang]

I find some really great deals online (i.e. Hot Deals) and usually, the US prices after conversion tend to be lower than the advertised Canadian prices (before taxes).

Suppose I will buy a Sony VAIO laptop this summer. I see it listed as MSRP $2000 (US) in the US store while the Canadian store has it listed as $4000 (CDN) with no customization options (on the web, at least). The Canadian dollar equivalent of US$2000 is about $3500 Canadian.

Here's what I want to know:
- If I buy the laptop online and the company ships to Canada, do I still get charged all that hefty GST and PST? (which turns out to be $600+)
- What happens if my friend (in Washington or New Hampshire) buys this laptop then ships it to me? Do I simply pay my friend's state taxes?

If my friend buys the laptop for me (and I pay him back later) can I avoid paying GST and PST (which are 14% total for me)?

I await for advises from the infinite wisdom in this forum.

 

[compuwiz1]

The only way out of those taxes, is if someone tells a lie.

Think about that.

The merchant would have to devalue the product, which most with any integrity would not do.
Someone else would have to buy it for you (in the USA), then declare it a gift, where you would pay zero.


What if they, or you get caught? What is at stake? Is it the right thing to do?

The deal, may not be a deal, all things considered.

 

[joohang]

Makes sense.

But damn... I want to buy a refurbished Sony VAIO SuperSlim Pro, which works out to be about $2300 Canadian. With taxes, shipping and everything, it becomes almost $3000. That's nuts.

Oh well.

Any ways, does anybody know if I get charged 7% GST AND 7% PST? Or just GST?

Buying from US doesn't look like "provincial sales" to me, but the tax system is so messed up with all these weird rules. So I was assuming that I'll get taxed on both. Someone prove me wrong.

 

[joohang]

Bumpy

 

[FrogDog]

I'm pretty sure when I bought a baseball glove from an online store in the states I didn't have to pay the 7% GST or the the 8% PST. I'm not sure whether I had to pay the sales tax of the state I bought it from though.

 

[cyclistca]

Also check into warrant requirements. Some items bought in the States will only be covered by the US arm of the company. If you have any warrant issue you will have to send it back to the States as apposed to maybe having it serviced locally.