Where should I buy my Duty Free items?

Duty charges on used items (TV) i buy @ Yard Sales in the states and bring them back to canada with me?

• I live close to the boarder, I want to go from canada to the US and buy items at yard sales -- like a big screen TV, tools, anything cheep at the yard sales. Do I need a reciept and ...show more

• Answer:

  You are liable for paying duty on any item you purchase while out of the country. They will charge you duty on the item based on the perceived value, not on the value you paid if you bought it used. By that I mean if you buy a used big screen TV for $50 and the CBSA agent feels it is worth $500 then you will pay duty on the $500 even if you have a receipt from the yardsale. That is one reason why when people go to the States and buy an item that is way cheaper then it is in Canada...they find that with duty it can be more expensive in the long run. The whole concept of "duty" is to make up for the tax dollars that the Govt didn't get when you bought the big ticket item out of the country.