Buying from Hong Kong

[swatt13]

So I was on ebay the other night and stumbled across an acessory (scope) that I wouldnt mind picking up, the seller ships via Hong Kong mail. Now my question is what kind of duties can get tacked on to this. The part is $50, shipping is $50, but what will duties be? Does it get shipped directly to canada, or does it get shipped to the states and then shipped up here? Do you pay duty on it coming into the states, and then duty on it coming to canada. If its shipped via mail there arent duties correct? And if it wasnt shipped via mail, how much would a guy expect. Anybody with definative advice would be appreciated.

[gamer123]

Well I too bought airsoft accessories from an eBay store, eHobby I believe its called. It was a battery and charger that I purchased. All I was charged was the price for items and the shipping. No additional duty fee needed to pay when I picked it up at CanadaPost.

[swatt13]

Sweet, I think this item was actually from ehobby as well, thanks. any other posts are appreciated.

[Rumpel Felt]

And what kind of scope is this?

Even if you have to spend 50 dollars more to get it in Canada, it's probably worth the risks and possible taxes from getting it overseas. Unless this is some amazing deal that would cost $300 in Canada or something.

[swatt13]

well egsactly, $100 over seas vs $300 canada, so thats whats so tantalizing, even if duties are $50, its still half as much as getting it here.

[GMTII]

It's hit and miss with customs. I bought webbing from overseas valued at $200 and didnt have to pay a single cent when it arrived. But then, I bought a manual for a WW2 Cushman Paratrooper Bike for $250us after shipping and then had to pay another $100 for duty fee.

[Greykin]

Is the duty fee the thingy you have to pay when you go to pick up the package? Or the letter than you get like........ 1year after you buy something? I'm guessing when you pick it up ._.

[GMTII]

There's a difference between duty and service charges. If something is shipped UPS, there might be a service charge for that (they ask for money when they deliver the package or they wont give you your parcle) I also think thats the same for duty fee too. you can also be charged weeks or even months later (although I'v only heard of that happening once to someone but its still possible) you can also be charged duty when you pick up your parcle.

[Greykin]

Oh, I got this letter for some sorta handling service charge, and I just sorta left it for a year and forgot about it, I think it was $6.50 for a digital camera I shipped over......... I wonder what happened to that record thingy >_>.

[odp]

Originally Posted by swatt13

So I was on ebay the other night and stumbled across an acessory (scope) that I wouldnt mind picking up, the seller ships via Hong Kong mail. Now my question is what kind of duties can get tacked on to this. The part is $50, shipping is $50, but what will duties be? Does it get shipped directly to canada, or does it get shipped to the states and then shipped up here? Do you pay duty on it coming into the states, and then duty on it coming to canada. If its shipped via mail there arent duties correct? And if it wasnt shipped via mail, how much would a guy expect. Anybody with definative advice would be appreciated.

It should get shipped directly to Canada. If Canada Customs inspects it (happens most of the time) and the value is declared over like $40, you'll pay $5.00 for handling, and GST + PST most likely at the post office where you'll have to pay to pick up your package.

This applies for pretty much everything coming into Canada via mail. When you deal with different carriers (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc...) things get screwy. Instead of the $5.00 handling, you'll pay their "brokerage fee" which can be anywhere from $10-$30. Somewhere in this fee, they'll sometimes cover the PST. Then you'll pay GST on top of that. Sometimes you'll pay the fee upfront, at your door when they deliver it. And they'll need exact change too. (FedEx) Sometimes they'll deliver it to you then charge the brokerage fee a week or two later. (sometimes UPS, FedEx) Sometimes they'll double charge you. (UPS - happened both times I dealt with them)

If for some reason they shipped it to the States, then Canada, then *somebody* will have to pay the duties for it to enter the US. It should be "them" but I wouldn't be surprised if they passed the costs onto you. Then of course you'll get hit from the US to Canada.

Couple of interesting notes from stuff coming from the US. If you don't have to pay any duty, Purolator is in charge of it. If you have to pay duty, Canada Post is in charge of it. EMS shipments from the US are supposed to cost $8 instead of the regular $5, and you might end up in a different category if the value is about $1000.

[odp]

Originally Posted by Greykin

Oh, I got this letter for some sorta handling service charge, and I just sorta left it for a year and forgot about it, I think it was $6.50 for a digital camera I shipped over......... I wonder what happened to that record thingy >_>.

Then you better pray that they forget about it too. Otherwise they'll send a collection agency after you. Then can also damage your credit rating as well.

[Greylocks]

Buy a scope from Marstar. They have a really impressive lineup, and their prices are quite low.

[Gryphon]

I've been less than impressed with airsoft replica scopes. Perhaps I'm just spoiled from my real steel days where one of my scopes was worth $2,400 (Nightforce NXS), but optical clarity is very important to me and I find most airsoft scopes lack it. Peering through some is like looking through a paper towel roll painted black, with pantyhose over the end of it. The light gathering is poor, the eye relief is usually a narrow range and not engineered properly, and the quality of the glass is sub-par (assuming it's actually glass!).

And don't even get me started on illuminated reticles. A lot of people seem to think they're the best thing since sliced bread and look killer shiat, although don't have the slightest clue how they're used properly. An illuminated reticle is supposed to be DIM so as to preserve your night vision, and is only meant to be just slightly visible above the darkness so you can superimpose your reticle properly over the target. Most illuminated reticles I've seen on airsoft scopes are so bright they're painful to look at in the daytime, never mind in the dark! Unless you plan to stalk by the pale moonlight, don't bother with one.

A fancy multi-graduated reticle may look cool, but really what use does one have besides cluttering up your view? Most serious players I know use a standard duplex. Mil-dots can be advantageous if you know the behavioral characteristics of your bullet and can estimate hold-overs, or are good enough with them to do ranging, and aren't "busy" like some other rather useless reticle designs I've seen.

All that said, here's what I chose to top my KJ M700 when I had it:

http://www.bushnell.com/products/rif...cs/73-3946.cfm


Bushnell Trophy 3-9x40mm, matte finish, mil-dot reticle. The magnification may cause some to balk, but it's a variable; you don't need to put it up to 9x if you don't want to. I usually left it on 3x or 4x, but occasionally I'd crank it up to 9x for longer range shots or more importantly, to determine if what I saw was someone's head or a tree stump. For this use it was invaluable.

Cost me $139.95 at Wholesale Sports plus another $10 for some cheap-assed B-Square high rings. The optical clarity was excellent for a scope of its price, the mil-dots looked great and were functional, and Bushnell is an established company with a fantastic lifetime warranty, something you WON'T get with airsoft scopes.

That's my $0.02, hope this helps.

[Greylocks]

http://www.marstar.ca/optics/index.htm

There, go see. Buy in Canada.

[Janus]

Good find. Pretty low-priced reflex sight.