"Bullshit Baffles Brains" <spammenot@nospam.com> wrote in message news:9gvqg310nrf8ru539a25clk7ceemebvuqo@4ax.com... > However, as you are in Edmonton, you have only GSTto pay. It's just > crazy to even consider going down to the states on a shopping spree > unless you plan to buy a car. Depends, go on a vacation in Florida, see cute little Vette, pick it up. > After all is said and done and Customs nails you, you will find you > that even on the small ticket items you bought in the US will cost > you less in Canada, even with a $400 exemption. You will have to pay > PST and GST, plus any duty on the excess. You have to factor in time, > gasoline, and other transportation or lodging expenses. At the end > of the day, what you may think is a bargain is really not. If you > have to go to the US anyways and if it's cheaper to buy certain items > then go for it. Otherwise, you like many people will hopefully > realize the error of their ways and eventually learn from your > mistakes. Then again, a lot of people don't. Customs isn't going to "nail" you unless your try to fraud them. The exemption is for any type of legal goods. So you put the stuff from Taiwan in there to beat duties/GST/PST. If it is manufactured in Canada, US or Mexico, it is GST/PST only. And for Albertans, just GST. That is thanks to NAFTA there is no duties on North American made. That being said, it would be dumb to drive all the way to Montana to save just on $400 of stuff.