Just to throw my .02 in here since I've done a lot of importing from Ogdesnburg over the last 3 or so years while I've been in Ottawa: As already stated, bring a signed receipt of the purchase which describes the goods in decent detail (not just "good wheels"... lol). Have the email trail/paypal transaction/PM conversation either saved to your phone or printed out for them to see. A lot of the officers don't really feel like muddling though webpages that load slowly because of poor service (also why you'll want to have them saved to the phone itself, service usually isn't great).
Depending on what you bought (small items, less than $100 total worth, that kind of thing) they usually just wave you through unless you're on their radar already... like me. Hence the next part:
I didn't prep like this the first time and ended up paying for it. I forgot the total paid, undervalued it as a guess to the worth, was told to show a receipt, and upon looking it up showed the officer the correct amount inside.
Big no no. They didn't ticket me but did mark whatever record they have for me down there even though it was an honest mistake. Everytime I go through I'm asked to show valid receipts inside. regardless of who's with me.
Real point to all of this: Is it worth it? In my opinion YES, but only when the dollar is strong... lol, otherwise I just try to find the part somewhere in Canada, usually equal or slightly cheaper. Sit down and calculate what it'll cost for either option, shipped to Canada or to the UPS in Ogdensburg. Always assume the 13% tax, it's a good estimate to set expectations. As an example FS thread below, assuming size and weight of an OFT:
FS OFT TABLET OMG ONLY $500 SHIPPED US
$500 US = $650 CAD (
http://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/exc...ily-converter/)
Shipping to Canada: probably around $25-$35 CAD
Import tax: 13% for Ontario = $84.50 (on the $650)
Duty/Custom fees/brokerage fees (depending on carrier): ~$15-$30
TOTAL: $800 shipped to Canada
Or just pick it up yourself, declare it and cut out the shipping and duty fees, sometimes you get lucky and they wave you through anyways.
Caveat here is that the dollar sucks, so $800 shipped from the US is more expensive than just buying it new here (~$750 from Andre @
Slick). If the dollar was better, hey you saved! Lol.
Keep in mind the example above is for something small and not really expensive to ship. Now do the same thing for something like a header or exhaust system. Push that $50-$75 saved to $100-$200 for bigger heavier items if you just get it yourself.
Post was a little long winded, sorry about that. Figure it might help someone out there, at least doing it the honest way. If you try to slip through, just be aware that if you get caught the consequences can be serious. From a fine to seizure of the goods and so on. But the part that sucks the most: continued searches/distrust afterwards for who knows how long.