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Cross Border Trades

Oct 10, 2013
155
8
18
Thornton, ON
Anyone have any experience with this. I have a possible trade with a pin coming from Michigan to meet in Sarnia. If he is bringing a pin with him and going back with one will there be issues at the border. Machines are of similar value give or take and both made in US. Any help is appreciated.
 

spiroagnew

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Dec 1, 2012
1,334
311
83
Scotch Block, ON
www.creditdotpinball.com
I think this has been discussed before...but instead of digging, I can give you the gist...

Taking the US-Made machine back into the US should not be a problem. As long as machine going back into the US wasn't a re-import, the guy should have no issues. Bringing in the new machine, be prepared to pay the 13% HST tax (US made product=no duties). Since the machine coming back in trade has never been on Canadain soil, taxes SHOULD be collected even though no money is exchanging hands. You are going to need to put a value on the machine for the Border Officer, lest they will value it themselves and will probably use eBay...and we all know how skewed eBay prices are. I would suggest having printouts Pinside/PBRev/MAACA FS threads for the two machines in question, so that the officer can base the value for taxes from the documentation you provide.

I'm sure some will chime in with their own personal scenerios where taxes were not collected or they were collected at a lower rate. Also popular are those "What If..." scenerios looking for a loophole in the law to save a couple of bucks. That just muddies the waters. I've described the "What SHOULD Happen" scenereo above, your mileage may vary depending on how the officer interprets the situation. At most, you'll be on the hook for 13% of the pin's "market value".
 

quarter grabber

Active Member
May 29, 2013
514
49
28
Ottawa
I traded my BDK for a Family Guy with a pinsider from the states. We met at starburst in Toronto. It is true he will have no issues going back into the states. Because you see the Canadian boarder guards coming in and the US guards going out and they do not communicate with each other, we came up with the plan to avoid taxes by telling the Canadian guard he was bringing the FGY to me to be repaired and he would bring it back when the repair job was completed, that way no taxes would be charged. However he chickened out at the boarder and didn't follow through with the story. When the guard asked for the value of FGY he told him $2500 and the guard just waved him through and no taxes were paid by anyone.
 

TwilightZone

Active Member
Nov 25, 2012
329
77
28
Ottawa, ON
QG was lucky. Expected to pay taxes. If he brings the game over, I believe the taxes are reduced to almost half. I know a fellow American collector who brought a game to Canada and he only paid 7 or 8% not the full 13%. If you bring the game to the Statues, it will go over without any taxes/duty I believe and you will pay the 13% when you come back with the other game.

Cheers,
Duane
 

spiroagnew

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Dec 1, 2012
1,334
311
83
Scotch Block, ON
www.creditdotpinball.com
quarter grabber said:
...we came up with the plan to avoid taxes by telling the Canadian guard he was bringing the FGY to me to be repaired and he would bring it back when the repair job was completed, that way no taxes would be charged. However he chickened out at the boarder and didn't follow through with the story.

Good thing he chickened out! They never would have never believed he was trusting you to fix that machine anyway...given some of your past "fixes"...
 

quarter grabber

Active Member
May 29, 2013
514
49
28
Ottawa
spiroagnew said:
quarter grabber said:
...we came up with the plan to avoid taxes by telling the Canadian guard he was bringing the FGY to me to be repaired and he would bring it back when the repair job was completed, that way no taxes would be charged. However he chickened out at the boarder and didn't follow through with the story.

Good thing he chickened out! They never would have never believed he was trusting you to fix that machine anyway...given some of your past "fixes"...

Hahahaha, so true :lol: