A Metro Vancouver man was stunned to see how much duty he had to pay on an online purchase from the U.S.
Jeff Billington says his wife ordered him a $385 USD ring for Christmas, but when the package arrived, the duty fees weren’t what they expected. It turns out the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) valuated the ring correctly but listed the box it came in as worth $430.
Even the shipping packaging was valued at $42.
The duty and taxes calculated are based on the entire value of the package and totaled just over $200.
Billington says even the clerk at the post office thought the charges were “bizarre.”
“She said she’d never seen such a large price for a small box and the weight.”
He plans to dispute the fees and the assessed price of the jewelry box, but it will be up to him to prove the value of what was purchased.
Robert Levy of Border Gold Corp. says the CBSA may have thought the ring box was an antique.
“Is it an antique or is it just a ring box? That is something they are weighing and it’s up to the consumer to prove otherwise,” Levy said.
The jeweller in Alabama, where the ring was sold, told Global News the ring boxes are free with purchases and only cost a few dollars.
No one from CBSA responded to inquiries from Global News.
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