# Any canadians here bought a used bow from the US?



## GravityOrange (Aug 23, 2015)

Hey guys, looking to buy a used mathews bow from the US. Juzt wondering if anyone else has bought one like this and if you had any problems getting it over the border. Tips? Recommendations? Cheers


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## Z3R0 (Nov 6, 2014)

Yea, I bought a Prime and a PSE separately from American sellers on here. Just have them be honest on the customs form when they mail it and have them ship it USPS, not UPS/FedEx etc. You'll pay less in fees if it comes across via USPS/CanadaPost.

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## GravityOrange (Aug 23, 2015)

How much did you pay in fees bud?


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## Z3R0 (Nov 6, 2014)

I don't recall exactly. It'll depend on the declared value of the bow. It's supposed to be basically sales tax plus some small flat rate ($10? Not a lot). Something on the order of $40-50 anyway in my cases.

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## blademan (May 8, 2005)

I have bought several as well. As stated have them send by U.S. Post. Cost is sales tax on value plus $10 flat rate. I usually have them include insurance for a few dollars more just in case.


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## CHAPPS44 (Aug 15, 2008)

Have bought and sold. No issues


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## arrowpuller (May 14, 2007)

They will convert the declared value into canadian dollars and you will pay the taxes on that , plus a small handling fee 10. bucks or so....but never, never, never ever use UPS...they will hose you so bad you won't sit down for a week...use USPS


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## muskykris (Jun 2, 2009)

I live close to the boarder... so I have them shipped to an American address and then drive it back across.
USboarder towns have depots that let you use their address for $2 fee.

I don't think I'm saving a ton of money this way but I get my bow/package in 2-3 days not weeks


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## GravityOrange (Aug 23, 2015)

Awesome, im so close to the border thats great. How do you go about contacting the depots? How long can it sit there? And is it cheaper if you go stay in the states for over 48hrs? Cheers guys


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## bigHUN (Feb 5, 2006)

usaddressinc.com I use often for mailing and shipping in-and-out


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## strayarrow (May 7, 2003)

Waaaay too many. As above I have the bow shipped to the border storage on the US side and then go pick it up when I go down or have a friend pick it up. I print off copies of any paypal, email, pm's, and even the page of the post showing the bow and asking price. This way I can back up the fact that I paid what I did. I have had friends pass through the border and declared a product only to be charged what a regular price because they didn't have the proper paperwork to back up the price. I've heard [have never seen it myself] that CBSA can search a product on line and can charge you a higher amount. The CBSA are easy to deal with when you have everything to back up your transaction and it makes their job a lot easier.


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## Thumbs (Sep 8, 2013)

From my experience; for delivery directly to you use USPS only, other carriers can charge you exorbitant brokerage fees. If you're near the border just look for freight forwarding services, make sure you have an ID number for USPS. Strayarrow has it right, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING, if you're getting a deal you have to prove it or they can do an internet search and charge you more sales tax. Remember Sporting Goods are Duty Free but not Tax Free. Make sure the seller includes the bill of sale, any missing paperwork will send the CBSA into high gear. If you are in the US less than 48 hours and all your paperwork is in order its easy and takes about 15-20 minutes. I once crossed the border without all the paperwork, even though I declared everything I was pulled aside. I had to turn out all my pockets on a table while they really searched my car. They then took my bow inside to do an internet search, they ended up charging me double the sales tax I should have paid. This whole drama took about an hour it felt like ten.
Thumbs


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## 4 Fletch (Jan 25, 2014)

Not a bow... while my longbow came from there, I bought it used here. Lots of other stuff tho. 

If you ship here, do not use a courier. Only USPS, because brokerage fees are usurious. 

I prefer to drive and pick stuff up from a full time mailing address there. 

Having been doing this cross border thing for decades I can write a book about dos and don'ts and fill it with stories. I might some day, after I've finished the books I'm writing now. 

For sure have your original invoice printed to show them. Like all bureaucrats they love paperwork. 

Declare EVERYTHING. They interview hundreds of people every shift, which means after about three shifts they can spot a liar at 10 paces. 

Answer all questions and stop there. NEVER volunteer information... it only perturbs them. They know what they want to ask, so wait for them. 

When they ask, "anything else?" I tell them if I've bought fuel (always cheaper, even with 40% exchange) and the leftover dinner I'm bringing home. 

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2924146&p=1078327706#post1078327706


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## 4 Fletch (Jan 25, 2014)

Here's another thread that took me so long to find I can't edit my post above. 

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2341018

Favor to ask: Allowing my ego to control my keyboarding, I used a different spelling for a word in a post in this thread; one which I found out the hard way from using in another thread will get me banned if a mod sees it or is told about it. So I'd appreciate it if you simply skipped over it and not rat me out to a mod. 
Seriously. 
I'll owe you one. Thanx.


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## muskykris (Jun 2, 2009)

GravityOrange said:


> Awesome, im so close to the border thats great. How do you go about contacting the depots? How long can it sit there? And is it cheaper if you go stay in the states for over 48hrs? Cheers guys


You must call/email to register with them 
The ones I go to allow storage up to a few weeks.... maybe more.
They send you an email when it arrives.
Photo ID to pick up until they know your face... at this point u have an AT classifieds problem:smile:


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## muskykris (Jun 2, 2009)

4 Fletch said:


> Not a bow... while my longbow came from there, I bought it used here. Lots of other stuff tho.
> 
> If you ship here, do not use a courier. Only USPS, because brokerage fees are usurious.
> 
> ...


Guessing ur a bad liar


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## GravityOrange (Aug 23, 2015)

Awesome tips guys.. thanks for all the help


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## buckhunter49 (Nov 25, 2016)

Bought new and used in the past from the US. But currently the conversion rate is awful. Bows have to be dirt cheap in order for it to be worth it


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## bowtechbear (Jan 23, 2009)

muskykris said:


> You must call/email to register with them
> The ones I go to allow storage up to a few weeks.... maybe more.
> They send you an email when it arrives.
> Photo ID to pick up until they know your face... at this point u have an AT classifieds problem


I have this problem for sure lol. I live on a border town and am always going over to pick up archery talk stuff and gas its addicting. Also i live in the north and i dont have a good pro shop around so if i want anything good i have to order it from across so much easier.

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## MinderThr33 (Apr 4, 2012)

I agree with USPS only. If you want to risk it, you can also make the request for the seller to lower the declaration value so you don't get hit as hard in customs. Usually if it's under $100, there's no customs. The downside of course, is that if something goes wrong during shipping, then you may have just lost a good chunk of money.


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## GravityOrange (Aug 23, 2015)

Again, thanks for all the responses. My bow is now waiting for me across the border and I'm picking it up on the weekend. I was going to take some arrows across and have it sighted and set up at a shop down there. Any issues bringing arrows across? I want to make sure that i can use the same ones for my new setup. Should I tell them when I cross that I am going to pick up a bow that I bought from a guy in the states and to grab lunch and gas?


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## muskykris (Jun 2, 2009)

You'll be fine crossing with arrows.
If u want to avoid issues on the way back, you can stop at Canadian customs on the way over and declare your arrows and they will give u a green card to return with them. 

Saves a hassle 

Or roll the dice


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## muskykris (Jun 2, 2009)

Are you in jail for weapons smuggling?


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## bullrambler (Mar 11, 2006)

It' been a while but I've bought a couple of bows through US AT sellers and received the products as described. I reside several hours away from the border so I'm not sure I would save much by doing the drive there and back. It would be useful to re-establish an address if I was doing a lot of purchases.


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