Good morning from Ontario

[PaulRVA]

Welcome from Richmond VA.

 

[Michigan_Bill]

Welcome from Michigan! Glad you’re here!

 

[Michigan_Bill]

If you are thinking about implementing your idea of visiting the States to acquire some tobacco, you might consider having a friend who just happens to live near a border crossing. You could have an order sent to him, and he could hold it for you (hint, hint.) If you were crossing at Sarnia/Port Huron, for example. It would depend on your travel time to Sarnia, of course.

 

[sparker69]

Welcome from Montreal! (You know there is a calculation for the duty that CBS charges? I know some people from a Quebec group called them directly to get the exact calculation. It's true they seem to be cracking down as of late, but after duty I'm only paying what I'd pay here, or a little less - but with more choice. There is no limit on importation (they do need to understand that it's not for resale if it's a large amount,) and if you are overcharged, you can fill out the form to be reimbursed to extra you were charged).

 

[David D. Davidson]

Welcome from Montreal! (You know there is a calculation for the duty that CBS charges? I know some people from a Quebec group called them directly to get the exact calculation. It's true they seem to be cracking down as of late, but after duty I'm only paying what I'd pay here, or a little less - but with more choice. There is no limit on importation (they do need to understand that it's not for resale if it's a large amount,) and if you are overcharged, you can fill out the form to be reimbursed to extra you were charged).

100%! I wrote a letter to them with my CBSA import form attached, included a calculation of correct federal and provincial charges, and am waiting to hear back.

That being said, last time I did this, their "corrected" duties owed were nearly double the prior erroneous fees. I'm increasingly certain they just pull a number out of a modified lotto ball machine. I always accept the duties then contest afterward, as with the random nature of the duties calculation, you run the risk of getting a number that's even further off than your initial quote, and good luck asking them to revert back to their prior calculation!

Even still, you're right that averaging orders it's generally a little bit cheaper to order stateside, although lately I've had much worse luck with getting dinged and hit with excessive duties that's starting to make the cost about the same or higher. Hopefully things come back to a slightly more normal balance moving forward, but time will tell. Even if it doesn't, I'll still be ordering from the US for various blends that are nigh on impossible to purchase domestically!

 

[STP]

Welcome

 

[jpberg]

Welcome from south of Cornwall. Let me know if I can do anything for you.

 

[mso489]

Hey from central North Carolina. I enjoyed my various forays into Canada, family vacations with the folks, business trips to Toronto, and my sixtieth birthday in Montreal. Welcome aboard.

 

[sparker69]

100%! I wrote a letter to them with my CBSA import form attached, included a calculation of correct federal and provincial charges, and am waiting to hear back.

That being said, last time I did this, their "corrected" duties owed were nearly double the prior erroneous fees. I'm increasingly certain they just pull a number out of a modified lotto ball machine. I always accept the duties then contest afterward, as with the random nature of the duties calculation, you run the risk of getting a number that's even further off than your initial quote, and good luck asking them to revert back to their prior calculation!

Even still, you're right that averaging orders it's generally a little bit cheaper to order stateside, although lately I've had much worse luck with getting dinged and hit with excessive duties that's starting to make the cost about the same or higher. Hopefully things come back to a slightly more normal balance moving forward, but time will tell. Even if it doesn't, I'll still be ordering from the US for various blends that are nigh on impossible to purchase domestically!

Well, I'll try to remember to keep you informed on my experience. Mine was only a question of $10 or so. But someone else I was chatting with got hit with over $150 over. He called CBSA and they told him on the phone that he was overcharged. When I contested, I wrote the exact gram weight and did the calculations in the comments box. So, we'll see what happens. Others have suggested that it's better to go with big orders to save on the handling - which is always the same.
This being said, I come from cigars too - Cubans. And the cost, even buying them in Cuba, was more than anything I've spent on pipe tobacco. I'm on vacation now and smoking daily, but normally spring - fall, I'm maybe smoking three or four bowls a week.
I guess I could be upset about the duty etc.. I did receive packages duty free in the past and I know of others who have ordered for 10 years+ with no duty. Those days might be gone, or this is just a "blitz". Who knows? But I don't really feel like raving/complaining too much about it. It is what it is and I have the funds to be able to buy tobacco, am able to purchase occasionally as well from the local b&m's to encourage them, and I have access to quite a wide variety. There's a bit too much raging these days IMHO. I'd rather just relax and enjoy my pipe passion for the time that I have it.
But I will call out systematically CBSA for bad calculations. Duty is one thing - someone not doing their job or being over zealous is another. (Side note - guessing you're in Ottawa - is there a difference between there and Gatineau? I've heard the taxes are higher for tobacco in Ontario - my home province!)

 

[WVOldFart]

Hello and welcome from West Virginia.

 

[trouttimes]

Welcome from Alabama, USA.

 

[upnorth1]

Bienvenue from Pointe Claire, Qc.

 

[yanoJL]

What Great first post!
Welcome from California Happy to have you here, friend!

 

[jwussow]

Long time listener, first time caller! I've been into the pipe scene for about five years now, as cigar prices in Ontario were rapidly rising, and I found I preferred shorter, more frequent smokes over less frequent, multi-hour sessions (and I would be lying if I didn't have an unhealthy tendency to collect and hoard various tins).

I work a pretty high stress and competitive job (work from home though, which is a godsend), and find that pipe smoking is one of the most cathartic ways to calm my mind after a long day at work. I love the ritual of smoking, the flavor, but don't enjoy anything more than the mildest nicotine buzz, which is another big part of why I gravitated toward pipes and away from cigars. Now that the CBSA has started really cracking down on importing tobacco from the US, I'm rethinking my most cost effective way to feed my TAD - likely going to start visiting the states for some long weekends and bring tins back that way, as I'm tired of the completely random duties being assigned my orders (most recently was dinged at about $40/oz, roughly doubling the cost I would have incurred buying in Canada at their already steep prices).

I love latakia-forward english blends year round, but enjoy vaper blends during the hot summer months, and now and then a simple burley in the morning with a coffee. On the rarest occasion I'll have an itch for an aromatic, but I'm not sure that I've ever finished a bowl of that stuff satisfied.

I smoke roughly a single bowl a day, in part because of the exorbitant costs of tobacco in Canada, and in part because I find the infrequency makes me enjoy the experience. In the evening I love to pair my bowl with a heavily peated islay!

Outside of pipes, I'm a big fan of the outdoors - my girlfriend and I usually spend our weekends hiking and field identifying mushrooms, slime molds, ferns, and wildflowers. Pic related; our latest neat find from this past weekend were a patch of ghost pipes! A very cool little plant that doesn't photosynthesize, but rather gets its nutrients from the symbiosis between the roots of (primarily) beech trees and the fungus that grows around those roots - very cool!

Living in a government city, the amount of anti-smoking sentiment is off the charts around here. Not going to get political about the marijuana-tobacco bipolar dichotomy up here, but it's bonkers. I'll leave it at that, I know the rules! I'm perfectly content to sip and puff on my porch and let the world move in whatever direction it will. Can't stop it, so might as well enjoy what I've got.

Wishing you all a beautiful Wednesday

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

[FurCoat]

Welcome from North Carolina

 

[Bassman65]

Right in the dark heart of legislature! Moved here for work a few years back, and now looking to move back out into the middle of nowhere now that WFH is here to stay.

Welcome to a fellow Ontarian! Family is originally from Renfrew.

 

[lordnantwich]

Welcome from Rhode Island! I also enjoy latakia blends love the flavor complexity.

 

[proteus]

 

[GreatWhiteNorthPiper]

Welcome from Toronto mate! Glad to see another Canuck on here. I hear you about the ridiculously high prices here and the CBSA crackdowns as of late. I also hear you about the outdoors...I also work a pretty high-stress job one of my favourite things to do after a long, hard day's work is light up my pipe and stroll around our garden. A great way to wind down. I will also sometimes sit out on the porch with a nice cigar as the sun goes down and find that helps me to relax as well. Welcome to the forums!

 

[tklee]

Hi, welcome from Malaysia!