I have a US post office box and I pick up my purchases there and drive them into Canada. I do not have to pay brokerage fees, but depending on the amt. and ????? sometimes I am charged federal and provincial tax and sometimes nothing. However, they first take the total minus the shipping charges and then add the exchange rate and charge taxes on that total. Unless it is a REALLY good price I don't buy stateside. In fact I may not keep my PO box as this too is an added expense.

The taxes Canadians pay on US purchases are Canadian taxes, not state taxes. Canada has a national Goods and Services Tax called the GST. Most provinces also have a provincial tax PST, some have a harmonized tax HST, which is the GST and PST combined.

Connecting Threads will collect the GST from Canadian customers. They also offer free shipping on orders over $75.00 to Canadians, which is a great deal.