Gail B

I have never paid duty or Canadian taxes on fabric orders. Just lucky I guess.

nannykins8

It might have to do with the amount of the purchase. I ordered batting once and when i had to pay tax, was told by the delivery person that if the order was over $100.00, then it gets charged.

Sandra-P

Well unfortunately that didn't make any difference when I sent a box of fabric and quilting goodies to my friend Kate in Scotland. Hubby insured it for $200 and I found out that they charged Kate a VAT of about 12%. They based it on 200 euros, not American dollars. Yikes.

klswift

they may still have to pay duty charges. I had a shipping business for 28 years. Only in the last 10 years did this become an issue. I would tell my customers to value the parcel as low as they felt comfortable so the duty (if charged) would be lower. One man sent his granddaughter a tablet for christmas valued at $300. We were notified that there was a $74 duty owed. We requested that it be returned - they required the duty paid whether it continued to be delivered OR if we had it returned! Customs forms clearly stated a christmas gift for a child! You just have to value low and cross your fingers. Obviously this only works for personal shipments, buying from a company doesn't give you any flexibility.

EasyPeezy

I usually limit my purchases to below $100 but this was a fat quarter bundle.
In hindsight I should have asked the shop owner if they could split that order.
Oh well. Live and learn.

GEMRM

And another thing to consider is the shipping method. If it comes via the postal system (USPS to CPS) then there isn't a surcharge by the carrier - if it comes via UPS/FEDEX etc, they charge a brokerage fee to move it, in addition to any customs fees.

ArchaicArcane

Actually, CP charges a $8 fee for brokerage. Chances are that's part of what the original poster paid.

NatalieF

I've gotten nailed for brokerage fees before (I think it was FedEx). It wasn't fabric, but it doesn't matter. They charged a brokerage fee equal to the value of the item, so I wound up paying twice the original price I intended to pay. Needless to say, I always check to see if it will ship USPS. I don't have that issue with them.

GEMRM

I haven't ever been charged that, maybe I was just lucky?

Tothill

I have learned that Connecting Threads collects tax and takes care of duties, so I do not have to worry about paying extra on their packages. I also get free shipping from Connecting Threads, the only US company that has offered free shipping to Canada.

I think Craftsy does too as I have not had to pay tax or duty on packages from them either.

I am expecting a fairly pricy package from MassDrop after Christmas I am waiting to see what I may have to pay them.