Canadians and mail order tobacco from the US

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steyrshrek

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2012
252
1
New to all this stuff and just wondering what the experiences are that other Canadians have with ordering tobacco from the States. Have you found there is a certain amount that customs doesn't seem to bother with, like 2, 4 or ten tins? What sort of values have you been charged?

 

jobacco

Lurker
Apr 3, 2012
29
0
I have placed an order at smokingpipes , im suppose to receive it soon, i will let you know when it arrive.

I have heard that you can import 200g or less of tobacco and the value needs to be less than 20$.

So i ordered 2 tins , 50g each, total value at about 19$

 

steyrshrek

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2012
252
1
So less than 200 gram and less then $20 they don't bother jacking you for duty? I trying to find the happy medium between economical shipping usually more is cheaper and finding that point where customs seems not to care 75% of the time. If I get ding 1 in 4 I don't mind. thanks it'll be interesting to see how you make out.

 

schmitzbitz

Lifer
Jan 13, 2011
1,165
2
Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Steyshrek; this question is on every Canadians mind. I've received orders containing several pounds of tobacco (well beyond the 1kg maximum limit for import w/o licence) and not been dung. Conversely, I've received orders containing a single tin and been dung eighteen bucks. We used to be allowed up to 200g/$20 of loose tobacco before duty was imposed, but that changed this year. It's really just hit and miss as to whether the CBSA inspectors are on the ball when your package crosses their desk.

That said, I've had excellent luck with both 4noggins and Pipes&Cigars orders getting though without being dung; with the former being my preferred etailer. Also, UPS seems to get less hassle than the USPS, but of course can get pricey.

 

steyrshrek

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2012
252
1
Thanks that's what I wanted to here and really it seems if it gets caught basically you end up paying close tho what you would have paid for it here anyways. I guess its a matter of dollar cost averaging. So I'll think I'll try maybe half dozen 50 gram tins to start with ans see how that goes. Thanks for all the input it's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I also have Canadian friends that have use addresses and travel daily across they have always offered to let me have stuff sent to them then they'd just bulk ship it to me in Canada.
The trick with UPS is pay the little extra for expedited shipping, it covers the brokerage fee and comes no where close to being as costly as the brokerage fee, plus you get it faster to boot.

 

jobacco

Lurker
Apr 3, 2012
29
0
I got a surprise today:)

When my wife got home from work, she entered with a box.

When i looked at the description of the content on it i saw it was my order at smokingpipes that arrived.

I didnt had to pay duty/fees or anything.

All that to say i ordered less than 200g, i ordered 100g and the total cost was less than 20$.

So now i have 2 tins to try, one is CAO Eilens Dream and the other is Ennerdale, i smelled both and Ennerdale looks very interesting:)

 

superbob

Lurker
Mar 26, 2011
20
0
Victoria, Canada
The 200g rule only applies to travelling abroad. When it comes to mail-order, it's the luck of the draw. I've been dinged with orders as small as 100g before. It sucks when the duty, taxes, and handling fee cost more than the tobacco! I recommend trying different e-tailers and seeing what works best for you.
I also recommend choosing US Postal Service over FedEx or UPS. Packages delivered while I'm out get sent to the local Canada Post outlet. The couriers have less offices and sometimes charge international brokerage fees.

 

steyrshrek

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2012
252
1
I just order a couple pipes and some extras along with 1 tin of Orlik Golden Slice and 1 tin of MacBaren Vanilla Cream flakes, we'll see how that goes. I'm lucky I work from home so I can usually plan my day to be around when packages I want are going to arrive, plus the UPS, FEDEX AND Puralator Depot are all close to me too. I'll let you know how it works out.
Btw I have a Savinelli Oscar Tiger Smooth 673 and a Savinelli Venere Smooth 305 coming.

 

rd02sir

Can't Leave
Nov 1, 2011
415
1
Depends where i order from.
Boswells, I've never got problems when they ship.
Pipesandcigar, I don't recall getting dinged either, but the orders are usually under 200g's.
Smokingpipes, got charged on my two tins I ordered a few months ago. Amount was about 100g's.
Anyone know who charges the least for shipping? Even my smallest order and I'm paying upwards of $15-20 for one or two tins.

 

auspipe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 19, 2012
222
0
Australia
I am in Australia and only order 2-3 50g tins at a time. Both my two orders arrived without duty thankfully, because I would not be happy paying $450/kg on top of the original cost.

 

jobacco

Lurker
Apr 3, 2012
29
0
Anyone know who charges the least for shipping? Even my smallest order and I'm paying upwards of $15-20 for one or two tins.

My order at smokingpipes was of 2 tins and the shipping cost was about 7-8 dollars.

 

rd02sir

Can't Leave
Nov 1, 2011
415
1
Jobacco- that's what I thought it was before, did you call or do it online? I went to check out, and shipping was going to be $20 for 1 tin and a few small accessories!

 

jobacco

Lurker
Apr 3, 2012
29
0
Jobacco- that's what I thought it was before, did you call or do it online? I went to check out, and shipping was going to be $20 for 1 tin and a few small accessories!

I done it online, and i checked other website before ordering at smokingpipes and they were the one with lower shipping cost to Montreal.

 

auspipe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 19, 2012
222
0
Australia
My orders from 4noggins with 1st Class mail international have been $20 for 2-3 tins. They must make a bit of profit in there, I dont see it costing that much really. pipesandcigars and smokingpipes.com is even worse they want $35+ just for shipping so have not ordered from them.

 

rd02sir

Can't Leave
Nov 1, 2011
415
1
Ya, p&c and 4noggins, as well as many other etailers charge at least $20 to ship here. Smokingpipes is about $7 for a few tins, I just double checked.

 
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