If only i had known this BEFORE we moved....

What’s the deal with this thing called Duty (or as I like to say, doo-dee) in Canada? It is seriously putting a cramp in my on-line purchasing style. Basically anything that I purchase from the US or anywhere else outside of Canada (e.g. Mini—Boden in the UK) is subject to not only Canadian duty, but also the goods and services tax (GST – 6%) and provincial sales tax (PST – 8%). By the way, I have absolutely no idea how to find out what the tariff rate is for items purchased outside of Canada. I believe it’s different depending on what country you order the merchandise from? If someone can explain it to me, I’d appreciate it.

Oh wait, there is an exception – if the value of the item is $20 or less you don’t need to pay duty (but you are still charged GST and PST). But then again, what’s the point of buying anything if it’s less than $20… it’s not worth the shipping costs.

Oh yeah - that brings me to shipping. The cost of shipping purchases to Canada is crazy high… and the Canadian postal system sucks a$$.

Okay. That’s all.