MGM delivery to Canada? Spanish heel?

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jqvwxyz

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Hey guys,

I'm just about ready to upgrade from my $50 locally purchased soprano, to something a little nicer, and alot bigger (my long arms make holding this soprano slightly awkward).

I'm thinking of purchasing the Kala Spruce Top Tenor (KA-ST). Can anyone here that is Canadian tell me what kind of shipping to expect? I know MGM lists his Canadian shipping around $35-$50, but I hear that I may actually pay more at the post office when I pick it up, like a duty?

Also, I notice that he is selling two versions of the same uke'. A spanish heel version and a normal version. Anyone can tell me the difference?

Thanks a bunch.
 
Sorry, can't answer your questions. But I must say you've made some good choices thus far.

MGM is the best! Can't go wrong there.

The Kala spruce-top ukes are wonderful! I love my concert....wish I could afford a tenor, as well.

Good luck with your purchase!
 
Depends how the item is shipped... You can get away with no duties a number of ways. Also comes down to luck as well. I would expect MGM to ship with Properly Filled out papers and fully insured. So you have a slight chance that you wont have to pay duties if you are lucky. ( Canada post might be swamped with work and not care ) DHL shipping is horrible and I have yet to pay Tax on anything shipped via DHL. ( their system is full of holes.)

I think it's about 14%... last purchase I made that I paid duties was for ~350 for a watch part, I paid 78CDN for the tax. (But I contested it saying it was for business and got away for less... ) I'd check Canada Post they should have something.

Also I Would not expect MGM to manipulate the papers. ( It would amount to lying in his accounting documents )

hope that helps.
 
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jqvwxyz said:
Can anyone here that is Canadian tell me what kind of shipping to expect? I know MGM lists his Canadian shipping around $35-$50, but I hear that I may actually pay more at the post office when I pick it up, like a duty?
Most items I get shipped from the US have duty attached. However, when I received my Flea from MGM, there was no duty. Someone suggested to me that it was because the Flea was made in the US, and was thus exempt from duty under the Free Trade Agreement. I don't know if that's true or not; I just know it was a pleasant surprise not to have to pay duty.
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jqvwxyz said:
I'm thinking of purchasing the Kala Spruce Top Tenor (KA-ST).
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If you want to save a few dollars, I have one in mint condition (with case) - cutaway with pickup.

I'm looking to sell it (to help finance another purchase...). I'm in Canada (near Toronto) and might even throw in free (or low cost) shipping. Email or PM me if you're interested.

PS. Canadians: expect to pay another $50-$75 in duty, brokerage, and taxes. I won't charge you those!​
 
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hoosierhiver said:
You will definitely have to pay a customs duty when you pick it up.
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Actually, if it's shipped through the post, Customs puts an invoice on it and the mail carrier collects it from you. You also pay a "processing fee" for the privilege of having your taxes figured out for your pleasure of paying - around $10-$12.

If you ship via UPS across the border, UPS adds an outrageously high "brokerage fee" - approx. $40-$50 per $100 in value. Plus of course you still have to pay the taxes. I paid a $60 "brokerage fee" for a $120 Strumstick last year. My resonator uke cost me another $80 in brokerage fees. Plus the taxes on each one... So I try to avoid UPS shipping across the border!​
 
Can you just drive to Michigan and buy a 'ukulele in the US and drive back, or do they squeeze you at the border?
 
Ahnko Honu said:
Can you just drive to Michigan and buy a 'ukulele in the US and drive back, or do they squeeze you at the border?
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You have to declare what you bring - the charges/fine for being caught is never worth the cost compared to paying the taxes. Plus they can confiscate the item(s) not declared and you lose them as well!

In order to bring in $100 worth of goods, you need to stay at last 48 hours (if I recall the rules correctly). So the cost includes at least two nights' stay in a hotel... plus gas to drive there (for me, Detroit is a 5 hour trip, for example). And you still get dinged for taxes on the remainder of the cost.

So it may be worthwhile if you're close to the border and have someone to stay with, or plan a longer stay anyway, but for a single mid-price uke it may be hard to justify otherwise.
​
 
Thanks for all the great info guys. Sounds like ordering from MGM might end up costing my a few extra loonies and toonies. Mr. Chadwick, you have mail! (or will have mail in a few minutes when I send it)
 
there's no duty on anything manufactured in the united states - it's called free trade people!!

you will have to pay tax and brokerage fees if you use ups. pretty sure the usps doesn't charge you any brokerage fees though so count on paying provincial tax plus gst.

i just got a k2 kanilea from musicguymic and it arrived in about 5 days after it left hawaii - note though the post office held onto it a couple of days after mgm shipped before sending it off to the mainland.

only paid the cost of shipping and the taxes.

oh, for the record, i have a brand new pono pts tenor that i'm selling for 350 in the toronto area. this is a replacement uke that ko'olau sent out for another uke that was damaged in shipping after it was sent to them for repairs.

brand new ko'olau brown hard shell case and a lovely little instrument. i just love my kani'lea k2 too much to consider anything else at this point.

lemme know if you're interested!

karl

UPDATE:

just added the pono pts to the market place and dropped the price to 300 plus shipping. check it out if you're looking for a great tenor uke in the toronto area!
 
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grownupboy said:
there's no duty on anything manufactured in the united states - it's called free trade people!!
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That's not true for EVERYTHING. There are items not included under free trade (NAFTA), but musical instruments are (happily for us!) not among them. But there are both provincial and federal taxes to be paid, based on the Canadian equivalent of the US dollar.

If the invoices includes shipping in the total, in my experience, 90% of the time you will be charged taxes on the shipping, too. So make sure that the value for duty does NOT include shipping.

pretty sure the usps doesn't charge you any brokerage fees though so count on paying provincial tax plus gst.
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USPS doesn't - US agencies cannot charge Canadians anything - but Canadian Customs does. It's listed on the invoice under "handling fee" on the right hand side, towards the bottom of the invoice. The amount seems to vary from a low of $5 to a high of $17 for my various invoices.

Ian​
 
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