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From Canada to USA - buying used stereo from private sale

Happy New Year everyone! Not sure where to post this! Please move it to the appropriate forum. 

So if I buy anything preowned such as amplifier, DAC, turntable, phonostage, cartridge that are originally made in Europe, what procedure do we (both buyer and seller) follow?  This is obviously for personal use. I (the buyer) am in the US and the potential seller is in Canada. 

1) Let's say the price is less than US $2500 and shipping is less than US $250. How much (if any) customs and other fees do I (buyer) pay? I looked at the Harmonized Tariff Schedule and it went way over my head!!!
2) Is shipping through Canadian mail vs Fedex or UPS makes a big procedural difference?
3) What is the responsibility of the seller and the same of the buyer? 

TIA for inputs!
Confused

128x128confuse_upgraditis
facten
2,726 posts
 
Might consider stopping by a local UPS & Fedex store and ask what the protocols are; or call their customer service lines to find out. If it was me I'd avoid Canada and US postal services during the pandemic both are having delivery turnaround time problems
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noromance's avatar
noromance
9,404 posts
 
I bought approx $1000 item from Canada-based vendor. No customs issues.
audio2design
1,351 posts
 
Used does not matter, country of manufacturing sets the tariff (if any). Usually low.  Get close on the tariff code.  You can usually do a basic web search and get something accurate. Taxes will need to be paid going into Canada on sale amount. That is buyers responsibility to pay. You can also have them responsible for duties and taxes. Just a check box on FedEx form. 
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,756 posts
 
As audio2design said, what matters is where the gear was made. Last I dealt with it, gear built in the countries that are partners with the U.S. in the NAFTA free trade agreement, Mexico and Canada, is duty free. So a pair of Paradigm speakers built in Canada should be free of duty. But a pair of ProAc speakers, bought from a seller in Canada but manufactured in England, would incur a duty, determined by the value and the existing trade agreement between the U.S. and England. This is complicated by whether the authority at the port of entry bothers to check and is able to figure out what they’re dealing with. That’s often not the case. So the answer to your questions is, it depends.
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