Is Cross Border Shopping Unpatriotic ?

Boges · October 22, 2014

No idea of th distance from GF to Winny is but Buff-TO is 2 hours, more if the border guards decide to open 1 lane.

Frankly, the savings have to be huge to go that route. So far, not worth it. Getting there..?....no problems but there is no way on return, tired, traveled out,cranky and then a 2+hr trip?

F it, Pearson here I come

Not just Toronto but other parts of the GTA. Many people stay at a hotel the night before that offers parking and a shuttle to the airport.

Then you get cheap gas and duty free on the way back.

I've never done it myself by I'm open to it.

guyser · October 22, 2014

Not just Toronto but other parts of the GTA. Many people stay at a hotel the night before that offers parking and a shuttle to the airport.

Then you get cheap gas and duty free on the way back.

I've never done it myself by I'm open to it.

Fine, but people outside the GTA come stay at airports here on the strip.

The issue, for me at least, is the return.

If I had to face a 3 hr delay AFTER I arrived home from Australia last year, Id have gone postal.

I understand zipping around inside the states, but still, arriving in Buff after a week in Arizona or some such, a 3 hr trip after the plane would drive me nuts.

Now tell me I can save 1000 buck on a 1500 flight we cfan talk.....but that aint happening.

Boges · October 23, 2014

It's meant for going around the USA.

You wouldn't fly outside B-Lo to go international.

Maybe the Caribbean.

You save the money on the taxes and airport fees.

As for the border, the rainbow bridge rarely has a line.

Bryan · October 23, 2014

No idea of th distance from GF to Winny is but Buff-TO is 2 hours, more if the border guards decide to open 1 lane.

That's about the same.

Boges · October 23, 2014

The biggest problem is that it's hard to get direct flights. The US airline system works around hubs, which Buffalo is not one of them. Usually you'll have to stop at Atlanta.

bush_cheney2004 · November 28, 2014

Canadians wishing to get their 'Murican on for Black Friday face some serious fees:

Purchasing from stores outside Canada mean shoppers get hit by duties, taxes and other fees that quickly add up.

A few examples:

A Quebec resident who spends $100 on baby clothes will pay $35.11 in duties and sales tax.
A British Columbia resident who buys a tricycle worth $100 will pay another $32.16 in duties and sales tax.
A Nova Scotia resident who buys $100 in bedroom furnishings will pay 35.70 in duties and sales tax.

On top of that, Canadians can pay courier and customs brokers fees that companies charge for delivery as well as processing and collecting those duties and taxes. And since the items being ordered are priced in U.S. dollars, the exchange rate conversion to Canadian funds will add roughly 15 per cent. It can all make for a surprisingly large final bill.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-friday-2014-surprising-fees-canadians-pay-for-shopping-online-1.2852813

The_Squid · November 28, 2014

Know the costs of shipping/duties/taxes if you are going to shop internationally.... it's not that difficult to figure out.

Bryan · December 1, 2014

Canadians wishing to get their 'Murican on for Black Friday face some serious fees:

Purchasing from stores outside Canada mean shoppers get hit by duties, taxes and other fees that quickly add up.

A few examples:

A Quebec resident who spends $100 on baby clothes will pay $35.11 in duties and sales tax.

A British Columbia resident who buys a tricycle worth $100 will pay another $32.16 in duties and sales tax.

A Nova Scotia resident who buys $100 in bedroom furnishings will pay 35.70 in duties and sales tax.

On top of that, Canadians can pay courier and customs brokers fees that companies charge for delivery as well as processing and collecting those duties and taxes. And since the items being ordered are priced in U.S. dollars, the exchange rate conversion to Canadian funds will add roughly 15 per cent. It can all make for a surprisingly large final bill.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-friday-2014-surprising-fees-canadians-pay-for-shopping-online-1.2852813

When coming back from Black Friday, Canadians are generally given an full exemption for whatever they have. My wife and her friends make Black Friday an annual girls trip, and they always completely fill the van, going WAYYYY over their limits, and they're always just waived through without even being asked what they bought or what the value was.

Know the costs of shipping/duties/taxes if you are going to shop internationally.... it's not that difficult to figure out.

It's easy to figure out, and it's usually a lot less than people think. I primarily shop online, and It's very rare to ever get any extra charges for things bought through the mail internationally. It's less than one order in 50 that I see any tax or duty added.

On Guard for Thee · December 1, 2014

I think I'd rather pull my nose hairs out than get involved in that gong show.

Boges · December 1, 2014

To combat Cross-Border shopping most, if not all, Canadian retailers had some sort of Black Friday promotion going on. I noticed they were even doing it in the UK.

I think some people just get off waiting in line to get a good discount on a TV even if they forfeit their dignity in the process.

bush_cheney2004 · December 1, 2014

We had some shoppers from Winnipeg on local television describing the advantages of driving across the border (to the Mall of America). I would agree that part of the draw is the "doorbuster" shopping frenzy that appeals to some people. My sisters-in-law buy a half dozen newpapers to review the advertised specials and plot their attack....it is fascinating to watch. And of course it would be sexist of me to say that women seem to enjoy the shopping battle more than men in my experience. Most men would not be found dead in the Mall of America.

The_Squid · December 1, 2014

I think I'd rather pull my nose hairs out than get involved in that gong show.

Well said. I agree.

Bryan · December 1, 2014

I think I'd rather pull my nose hairs out than get involved in that gong show.

I'm right with you there.

My wife and her friends on the other hand consider it the best part of the year. I'm just glad they don't make me come with them.

bush_cheney2004 · December 1, 2014

It's a lot easier to plan and coordinate the Black Friday shopping attack with cell phones. Basic strategy is to have one person get in the checkout line while others scout and return with conquests for the shopping cart(s). Multiple stores....multiple cars/SUVs.....dump off points for stuff...parking lot tactics....game face...let's go kick some ass ladies !

Mighty AC · December 1, 2014

Multiple stores....multiple cars/SUVs.....dump off points for stuff...parking lot tactics....game face...let's go kick some ass ladies !

Lol...I'm not tough enough to be a shopper. My role is limited to the later argument that we actually spent $600, not saved $400.

Bryan · December 1, 2014

Lol...I'm not tough enough to be a shopper. My role is limited to the later argument that we actually spent $600, not saved $400.

That argument hinges on whether or not you would have bought those items anyway.

bush_cheney2004 · December 1, 2014

That argument hinges on whether or not you would have bought those items anyway.

True, but the other extreme is scarcity for certain items...at any cost. Back in the 80's we had to buy Cabbage Patch dolls with matching "adoption paperwork" from greedy hoarders. Same thing for Tickle Me Elmo. I bought my first PS2 for a $100 premium from a shady looking Best Buy employee in a high school parking lot....it was like buying dope.

Mighty AC · December 1, 2014

I bought my first PS2 for a $100 premium from a shady looking Best Buy employee in a high school parking lot....it was like buying dope.

Kijiji purchases feel a lot like a drug deal now.

overthere · December 2, 2014

Kijiji purchases feel a lot like a drug deal now.

Haha, true. I bought a bike in a mall parking lot last summer.

It was all legit, but felt like a dope deal.

Topaz · December 7, 2014

You people won't believe this. A relative, has a friend that is a Security Guard and he decided to go to the states to do some Xmas shopping. He went through Windsor On with no problem BUT when he came home, he went through the Blue Water bridge in Sarnia On and there the US customs asked what he was doing in the US and by the end of the interview the US customs said HE was a SPY!!! The guy had to call the Canadian Embassy to get the US to let him go and needless to say, he was really peeved. So I'm wondering was his US custom agent a AO or is Harper spying on the US, the country he declared he loves?.

Smallc · December 7, 2014

Why would he go through US customs on the way back? You're right, I don't believe it.

The_Squid · December 7, 2014

Why would he go through US customs on the way back? You're right, I don't believe it.

I have been stopped by US Customs prior to getting to Canadian Customs at the border, however, I don't believe this story.

Need a cite.

Smallc · December 7, 2014

That's crazy I've never heard of that before

The_Squid · December 9, 2014

That's crazy I've never heard of that before

At the time, I figured they were looking for someone or something specific. Canadian spies perhaps?? lol

bush_cheney2004 · December 9, 2014

PM Harper is using the constant whining about U.S. prices compared to Canada to his advantage:

The federal government is unveiling legislation to give the Competition Bureau new power to investigate cases of price gouging in Canada.

Industry Minister James Moore, speaking at a Toronto toy store, says the proposed price transparency act follows through on the Conservatives’ promise to end unjustified price differences between Canada and the United States, for the same items.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-u-s-price-gap-complaints-could-soon-trigger-investigations-1.2865235