Issued official BDU and Load Bearing Vest

[felix.tae]

I am wondering if it is possible to buy previously issued BDU as well as load bearing vest on US Ebay and have them sent into Canada? Someone mentioned to me those items cannot be imported into Canada. Thanks.

[cadpat_tact]

I've purchased lots of army surplus clothing and field gear from the States with no issues.

Sometimes, packages are inspected by CBSA at the border (x-ray or physically opened) but as long as you're not importing ITAR-controlled goods or prohibited items, you shouldn't run into any issues. Probably more information than you need, but it may be of interest:

Examples of controlled goods, technology, and software (list is not all-inclusive):

Toxicological agents*
Nuclear materials and technology
Lasers and Sensors
Night vision equipment
Select agents (and other pathogens)*
Arms and ammunition
Explosives Detection Equipment
Chemical warfare precursors*
Semiconductors and microprocessors
Telecommunications and encryption software
Missile technology
Navigation and avionics
Marine vessels
GPS technology
Countermeasure technology for controlled goods
Endangered Species
Body armor and protective gear
Fingerprint and identification retrieval
Oscilloscopes
Gas centrifuges
Mass Spectrometers
High strength materials

Quoted from https://export.duke.edu/exporting/controlled-items

Edited to add: beware of eBay's Global Shipping Program which basically charges double the cost of United States Postal Service (USPS). I always choose the latter.

[felix.tae]

Originally Posted by cadpat_tact

I've purchased lots of army surplus clothing and field gear from the States with no issues.

Sometimes, packages are inspected by CBSA at the border (x-ray or physically opened) but as long as you're not importing ITAR-controlled goods or prohibited items, you shouldn't run into any issues. Probably more information than you need, but it may be of interest:



Quoted from https://export.duke.edu/exporting/controlled-items

Edited to add: beware of eBay's Global Shipping Program which basically charges double the cost of United States Postal Service (USPS). I always choose the latter.

Thanks for you reply. The page is very informative. So, used BDUs (with patches) and LBVs are not ITAR-controlled? Are there additional legal concerns on the US side?

[cadpat_tact]

Originally Posted by felix.tae

Thanks for you reply. The page is very informative. So, used BDUs (with patches) and LBVs are not ITAR-controlled? Are there additional legal concerns on the US side?

Used BDUs are fine, but most sellers won't export IR patches (ie. Infra-red reflective). Vests are fine on their own, so no soft armour or plates.

If there's any doubt in your mind don't hesitate to message the seller first; some do lots of business with Canadians, while others refuse to ship outside of USA.

Final note: It's often cheaper buying locally when you consider the costs of shipping, exchange rate, import duties and taxes. Here are a few of my favourite Canadian sellers with US military items at reasonable prices:

Army Issue (Port Credit, ON)
Army Outfitters (Toronto, ON)
Frontier Firearms (Saskatchewan)

Once you get age-verified in the forum you can also access the Classifieds section. Lots of good stuff on there.

[Orpheus]

Its not illegal, but many businesses or ebay stores either think it is or dont want the hassle and use that as their stock answer.

Its sometimes frustrating but usually you can get what you want.