importing a mill to canada ?

[cyclestart]

x2 mill from the only Canadian source I could find $1098 CDN bucks
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=18460

What appears to be the same mill ~$500 CDN bucks
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44991

This isn't even about money at this point. I simply refuse to be gouged.
Well, okay, it's partly about the money

Any Canadians reading this have experience bringing a mill into the country by Fed Ex ? I have imported many motorcycle parts but that was by mail. This was was never a problem or large expense. The information at the Fed Ex site is a bit overwhelming.

Edit. Should explain Harbor Freight insists on Fed Ex for international shipments.

[dertsap]

i ve never had anything that size shipped but i would imagine shipping and duties will add up to near the same price as the force tools mill

[cyclestart]

Shipping charges might be a saw-off as I'm not close to the Canadian source in Edmonton.

Import tariffs can be unpredictable. Often this depends on the individual customs agent and how he/she decides to classify an item. Not more than 15% with any luck.

Looking into having it delivered to the nearest American freight handler and acting as my own broker. Will post back on my experiences when the pieces fall into place. My gut feeling is this will all come in at well under $1098.

Harbor Freight lists freight as $62 + liftgate fees. Not sure what liftgate fees might add up to on a 150lb item.

[HuFlungDung]

You're in for a shock: it cost me 2 grand to get my mill drill hauled in from California to NE Saskatchewan.

Oh, I should mention it was a 13,500lb Haas VF3

[DareBee]

The second machine has an R8 spindle, the first an MT3.

Mt3 spindle on milling machine is bad.
My 1948 Defiance boring mill had MT5 and it is scary when a 6" face mill comes out. We had to cross drill and pin all of our shanks.

I brought my 4th axis up from the states for $350 including ALL fees.

1 problem you may have is the machine origin.
If it is made in NA sending it across the border is very easy and inexpensive.
It can be very problematic and pricey for not-of-this-continent products.
I am told it has to do mostly with import taxes. ie (hypotheticall) we tax Jap stuff 20%, if this item was imported to US then sold from US to Canada, you will have to pay 20% at border. I could be wrong though.

[Geof]

The least expensive way might be to find some trucking company with a depot just across the border. Have it shipped there and then pick it up and import it yourself as personal property. You will probably run into fewer problems related to machine origin etc.

But if you put a value on your time and level of frustration you may be better of buying in Canada.

[dtman2]

I dont know if this helps - I live in Hamilton, so I just drove over to Harbor Freight in Buffalo and loaded an X1 into my trunk. At the border I had to pay PST+GST and that was it. There was no problem at the border, it took me about 10 minutes at customs on a Friday afternoon at about 2pm. For an X2 I guess you would need a van? The guys at HF will put it in your car for you so you can go yourself. OF course this all depends on you being close to the border.

[Al_The_Man]

I have been importing & exporting for several years now and always have cleared my own, I guess it depends on where in Canada you are, but most of the Couriers have a weight/size limit, if it exceeds this then you want to look for a trucking company that will bring it across the border In-Bond, they will then hold it in their compound untill you clear it.
The paper work, B3 form and the Harmonized code is on the Govt Canada web site, you want the Chap84ne and Chap85ne harmonized code list in PDF to look up the equipment in question (CNC etc).
A hint is if you cannot do the clearing yourself and your transport/courier company do the customs clearance, Look up the Harmonized code that is closest to the equipment type, but select a number that is FREE not 6% or 10% duty, Then get your shipper to make sure they put this Harmonized Code on the Commercial Invoice they have to supply, there is usually a spot for it.
Brokers are basically lazy, so if there is a supplied number they tend to go with that one.
Al.

[cyclestart]

Thanks for the replies. A little bit of foreknowledge can be a big help at times.

Maybe should have mentioned in the first post that I'm 15 minutes from a U.S border town and approximately 2 hrs from a Harbor Freight dealer. Found a parcel & freight company/warehouse nearby that specializes in handling deliveries for Canadians. Up to me to get it through customs.

Will post back when the deal is done. Looks like it will have to wait for a day off work and the borrowing of a truck/van.

[gun_mike]

I was looking in there monthly flyer the other day and i was shocked to see an x2 mill. they have it on an introductory price of $849.99 i think... any ways you could look into that they have very good customer service i have used them many times for little things.

http://www.princessauto.com/_osn.cfm...LING%20MACHINE

MIke

[BCwanderer]

Harbor Freight uses Yellow Transportation to ship.
Yellow Transportation has bonded warehouses in London and Kitchener.

If you order your mill from Harbor Freight and have it shipped Yellow Transportation, they can handle importing paperwork.

Or you can have it shipped Yellow Freight to the closest border Yellow depot and pick it up there. You will pay GST and PST at the border.

Harbor Freight does not sell to Canadian addresses. Use the US Yellow depot as your shipping address and they will take your order.

You will pay less than buying from a Canadian supplier.
If you buy from Princess Auto, you will pay much more than if you import from Harbor Freight. You can buy tooling with the money you save!
Worked for me!!

[dtman2]

Princess Auto is great I agree, but $469US vs 849 cdn is still a bit steep. I usually go to the Princess Auto here in hamilton every two weeks and I have never seen a mill there although I have seen the lathe and the bandsaw - both of which are quite a bit cheaper at HF. The only advantage I can see for buying it here is if there was anything wrong with it - it would be pretty painful to have to take it back to Buffalo or whatever. However, I thing that ALMOST anything that was wrong with it you could fix for less than the ~300 price difference.

Originally Posted by gun_mike I was looking in there monthly flyer the other day and i was shocked to see an x2 mill. they have it on an introductory price of $849.99 i think... any ways you could look into that they have very good customer service i have used them many times for little things. http://www.princessauto.com/_osn.cfm...LING%20MACHINE MIke