Eastern Canadian returning to pipe smoking SPc questions

[svii]

Hey guys I moved to PEI from Toronto back in 2014 and was used to some tins back then, however down here at best you can only find the usual captain black etc locally...35 a pouch.
Since "vermont" seems to get "returned" after reading a few places with searches since the last year, it would seem SP com is our next best option.
Here is my question and probably best for some "pm" answers.
I'm generally looking to order stuff like petersons tins ( and irish dew ), cult blood red moon, black house, and davidoff scottish mixture. I won't claim I'm against "bulk" but at the least I would like to get a couple of these tins over the next few months for both display and for some variety. You could say I'm working on a cellar slowly long term here.
Now...I'm not asking people to answer specifics here, we all know eventually what happened to vermont. It would seem that there is two "opinions here" over super saver vs the next one up which is first class, the shipping is not a major issue but I would like some "pm" opinions here.
Let me put it to you this way, tin's tend to be around 45 or so in some parts of this country, they are 9 plus around 3 shipping "ss" method, even with the first class it's about 20.
This is my idea...
1 7 ounce bulk order and multiple tin single orders. I figure the damage won't be so nasty if I'm out 13 bucks and a few with no damage vs having to shell out some 150 bucks or more which I don't have as I'm already on a budget and simply wish to enjoy and get back into quality pipe smoking.
Again I would prefer pm's if possible as I don't wish to cause any drama here or go against any rules thanks very much.

 

[svii]

Also to clarify...I'm looking for opinions for those who have RECENTLY dealt with them ( canada wide ), ie within the last 2-5 months. I know in the past there has been some conflicting information over this whole super saver vs first class. I've read some have been hit with the first and others claiming due to the way it's handled in the usa that it gets waved a lot too. On top of that SS method seems to get through faster where the later sometimes takes weeks sitting there ?
Again thanks for any input guys.

 

[sasquatch]

Here is what matters, and it's the ONLY thing that matters: If you import tobacco, you face having to pay import duties and taxes, per the Tobacco Act. Provincial and Federal taxes apply, GST, and duty. That's all there is to it. There's no magic shipping code, doesn't matter if you use Fed/EX or DHL or USPS or anything. None of it matters. Doesn't matter if you order 200 g or less, or tins, or bulk. If you import tobacco, you are subject to the taxes. The border has been much tighter in the last year or so than in years past. CBSA is not letting anything through with vague declarations, and anything marked as tobacco will be hit.

 

[svii]

What is the damage usually for eastern provinces on say 50g tins ? and is there anyone recently who has made orders without getting dinged ? I realize what you are saying it's been like that for years anyway just it's also clear for many years people have "claimed" to have gotten many orders that never were dinged, so I'm trying to find out how often that has been within the last few months or if everyone is suddenly hit.
I'm not questioning you, it's just quite clear that pre 2019 ( due to lack of recent posts ) that many canadians have almost NEVER been or in other cases only rare times, this would also lead me to believe that if that truly has changed to such an extreme, that we would suddenly be seeing lots of complaint threads all over the popular pipe forums/groups over this matter. So will be interesting to see if others reply to this or pm me cause I am very interested to get a few opinions, there is bound to be a number of people on here in canada that have placed a couple of orders since jan 1st ?
The problem is it seems there is very few ( that I can find ) 2019 posts over this subject, they all seem to be from 2018 or years before, so I'm trying to get some recent input on how it's been for many within canada vs before. I don't mind losing the odd 10-20 bucks vs ridiculous taxes that could be rung up.

 

[olkofri]

I've ordered from other place sunnier than VT and didn't get dinged. BUT... they fully declared the contents and the CBSA DID open the box: they simply decided to wave it through without assessing any duties. Go figure. Other times I've gotten dinged for a small amount on parcels that were indeed fully declared. So, I guess the answer is the annoying phrase "it depends". Best practices are to be ready to pay duties and order small amounts (up to 3 tins) in case the CBSA decides to charge you a fee. Small amounts should make for small fees (not always, though, hence the frustration that in spite of there existing a set tobacco excise fee, in the praxis the amounts are all over the gamut); ordering 20 tins will definitely make you a target for the CBSA's 2x4.

 

[svii]

Right ok that was def more with what I've read in the past. I'm not looking to go full out here or anything it's mostly a test for this month to see how bad it might usually be per month, but it's gotta be better than being stuck with Captain Black pouches at 35 bucks a pop forever.
I'm going to try and keep to around 4 tins a month, once in a while some bulk 200g or under. It's really to build a cellar so that I can smoke different blends over months when I like, nothing extreme but enough that I have a decent supply on hand and don't run out each month, as I tend to keep it 100grams to smoke monthly.
It would simply suck if for example after the 10 handling fee each tin worked out to like 45-50 a pop, I could totally handle say 15 on a tin but 30+ would just be absurd and would simply send it back and eat the 13. This is why I'm trying to get some rough estimates on duty which seems to be accurate and way over at times from other threads too.
Thanks for the input though.

 

[mikethompson]

Agreed there is no magic way to get around duties. Customs can and might open anything that comes across the border. No business will mark packages as something else or anything.
If you live close to the US border, an option is to drive down to the US, but your tins and stay the weekend or something. I think you are allowed to bring a certain amount tax free if you stay for an extended period. I considered doing something similar last year.

 

[seanv]

You can bring back 200 grams of pipe tobacco plus cigars if you're inclined, but you have to stay in the US for 48 hours.

 

[svii]

Yea this seems to have been a confusion also over the years, it's totally true that you can bring back 200g of tobacco from duty free if you hop the border, I don't think ( anymore but maybe in the past like 10 years ago or so ) that it extended to also importing.

 

[sasquatch]

It does not apply to importing.
In the past, small orders were sometimes ignored. Without a free trade agreement in place, it seems like the border got very tight. I am not sure if certain vendors or even certain addressees are flagged, or what, but things are super tight.
I had tins from vermont returned to them 2 or 3 times. Gave up. I had 2 tins from tpc in florida come up no problem, except the 71 bucks in duties and taxes assessed (for a grand total of about 100 bucks, which is exactly what I'd have paid here, except my local 7 11 doesn't stock Sir John's Flake, oddly enough).

 

[svii]

Yes this seems to be the issue, the last 8 months that I can see from multiple places like reddit and groups etc, it would seem "Vermont" packages are getting returned without even the option to pay duty, the reason this is no longer worth it is because "he" will not refund the money if that happens ( and it seems to be happening since 2019 unless someone can confirm otherwise recently who is from canada ), he makes you sign that box before you place the order.
SPc does mark the actual contents, which yes may mean it's 50/50 chance but it also seems people who have ordered from SPc tend to get hit less money wise vs Vermont practices...and others times not at all.
I even emailed Vermont last week just to get his input ( and to find out officially if there is still problems ) and all I've got is radio silence ( never a good sign ), given the fact I don't see any recent posts ( within the last few months ) from his buyers, I don't know what the actual status is unless someone comes along to give input.

 

[sasquatch]

There's been all kinds of crying in cigar groups on facebook etc, this is not localized and it's not just one vendor, and it's ongoing. So, order as you please from who you please, and understand that you will like as not pay taxes on it. Another year from now internet tobacco sales will be banned and this will be looked back at as the good old days. LOL.

 

[seanv]

Please be mindful of things you post in an online publicly viewable forum. You never know whose eyes are reading this or posting......

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

seanv:

You can bring back 200 grams of pipe tobacco plus cigars if you're inclined, but you have to stay in the US for 48 hours.

Have you tested this first hand?

According to the wording of the law I “should” be able to bring 50 cigars across the border tax-free with 48 hours across the border, that’s possibly up to a pound and a half of tobacco if you pick the large sticks and likely worth thousands of dollars in Canadian market value. Problem is if you show up with that many cigars who knows how the border guards will behave.
I doubt it would be worth making a trip just for this purpose, but if you travel to the U.S. at least once a year anyway (family/business) it sounds to me like Cigars are the only way to go.

 

[svii]

That totally depends where you live for it being worth it or not. At one time I lived 20 mins from the border and it certainly was worth it back then. It still is looking at the prices for example on a liter of hard alcohol vs local. It's ideal if you have friends over there too and go with multiple people even if they don't drink or smoke, as each person in the vehicle is allowed a certain amount ~.^

 

[seanv]

Each time I have come back from a vacation in the US I have brought back 4 tins and a box of cigars. I also used to bring back a few packs of cigarettes too. I have not driven across, I have only flown.

 

[canadianpuffer]

I only order from Smoking pipes or Tobacco Pipes - even with duty it’s cheaper than local. The selection tops anything I can find even in the big cities like Toronto.

 

[upnorth1]

The Canadian rules:

The Rules