Cross border purchase on tires..

[sweetkiss1]

Fellow Perbs & Perbites,
with our strong currency exchange and with all this SNOW!! , I'm in thought of crossing the border same day to purchase and install needed tires for my vehicle. Cuirious if anyone has done this and avoided duty charges by keeping it hush crossing back? Or, how much should one expect to pay in duty charges on the tires totalling 500 US. Your intel would be greatly appreciated

 

[87112]

Just drive down with your old winter tires and get some new ones installed and no one will know. I recommend Discount Tires. They can match tirerack.com prices. Cheapest place in WA state from my buying experience.

 

[IQof10]

Costco is even cheaper on tires than up here. Not worth the sweat at the border you only pay pst and gst no duty.

 

[asian dragon]

With the amount of money that you save by buying your tires in the US, just pay the tax. You are still way ahead. If you do not declare your purchase and get caught, you are in their computer for life listed as a smuggler, Canadian and US side. Not worth the future hassel.

 

[87112]

Just have the new tires installed on your car and not in your truck. I have never meet a border guard than wanted to inspect my tires!!

 

[vicgfelover]

I would just double check that the places are able to install the right type and size of tire right away. With the weather getting worse, quite often there is a wait for installation and the potential for them to be out of the right type of tire that you want. Also -- I wouldn't take your old tires back in the trunk with you as they have sensors at the border and your vehicle will register as being much heavier with four tires in the trunk (if they fit) --- I'd check to see if a place would offer any trade-ins if you still have tread on your current tires. I'd also just make sure that there is no left over labels or chalk markings at all on the the sidewalls..otherwise there is little, if any chance, that they'll stop you cause you have new looking tires on your vehicle. I just came back from being down in the states and the american border guards were lined up checking everyone's trunks who came through --but on the way back the canadian folks were more laid back -- mind you I was honest in declaring all my purchases and had to pay a small amount of gst and pst on the amount over what I was allowed to declare....good luck!

Just have the new tires installed on your car and not in your truck. I have never meet a border guard than wanted to inspect my tires!!

 

[Trevor2136]

7% duty on tires

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2008/01-99/ch40-eng.pdf

 

[greatshark]

7% duty on tires

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/trade-commerce/tariff-tarif/2008/01-99/ch40-eng.pdf

it will be 7% plus 6% GST plus 7% PST, so that would be 20% total.
On a $500 purchase you are looking at $100 in taxes.

As long as you don't bring your old tires back with you, then no one will know.

If you want to keep your old tires and bring them back, then I would recommend declaring the purchase. Otherwise, I had a friend of mine who bought $3,500 for some rims and tires and he did it without declaring and still brought back his old rims and tires.

what he did was tell the shop in advance that he would buy the new rims and tires if he could store the old rims at the shop for a week or two. And what he did was take out the spare tire, and replace it with his old rim. He made 3 additional trips to bellingham and brought back the old rims that way.

Now his rims where spanking new chrome rims, and he got away with it. So, with just tires, you should just be fine. Just have a story ready in the rare and i mean rare chance they ask you about it. even if you get caught, deny it, they can't prove anything.