Paying U.S. duty on wine brought in from Canada

[Jenise]

A Canadian friend who has sold some California wine to an Oregon buyer has asked me what kind of duty to expect. He'll move the wine, about a case, over the border.

I've only been required to pay duty once and it was only about six dollars on three cases of Canadian wine, but the circumstances could be different for a Canadian national. And too, the circumstances could conceivably be different and more lenient if the wine in question is American and not from Canada or further afield.

Anyone here have experience, either as a buyer or seller, in a similar situation, and if so, what did it cost you?

It is much worse trying to take wine into Canada than the reverse. On quantities less than a case, I've always been waved through, although this is mostly before our post 9/11 security theater. Recently coming back from Portugal I acted impatient with the grumpy immigration woman looking at my passport (I think she asked me some inappropriate questions regarding my trip - as a US passport holder returning to my own country) and she had me flagged for the full customs grilling. The customs guy, on the other hand, couldn't have been nicer. He asked me " why do you think she sent you over"? I replied that perhaps it was the 9 bottles of wine (declared) in my luggage. No, he said, " I probably shouldn't say this, but I don't care about the wine, as long as it is for personal consumption."

i buy wine in canada all the time. at our border, windsor ON, i've never had a problem or been charged anything. technically an american is allowed to bring back 2 bottles free if they have stayed for 48 hours. in practive, at least at my border, they have much bigger fish to fry. i've come back after an hour with 2 cases and barely got an reaction. the main thing they are concerned about is spirits. the duty on wine is so low - about 17 cents a bottle - that is a waste of their time to be bothered. spirits are much higher and for that reason they focus on them. just don't carry anything else that might raise a problem - agricultural products, spirits, meat, you know the drill.

I belive the question is about a Canadian bringing American wine from Canada to a buyer in Oregon. He is concerned what will happen at American customs. I don't think he will be treated like an American doing the same thing.

I belive the question is about a Canadian bringing American wine from Canada to a buyer in Oregon. He is concerned what will happen at American customs. I don't think he will be treated like an American doing the same thing.

It's been a number of years (10 or so), but as a Canadian, I once took 1 1/2 cases of wine down to MoCool (for trading) from Toronto, and was just waived through. I did say it was for personal use though. Of course when I brought the wine I'd traded for back to Canada, I had to pay 100% markup or so.

[Jenise]

It is much worse trying to take wine into Canada than the reverse. On quantities less than a case, I've always been waved through, although this is mostly before our post 9/11 security theater. Recently coming back from Portugal I acted impatient with the grumpy immigration woman looking at my passport (I think she asked me some inappropriate questions regarding my trip - as a US passport holder returning to my own country) and she had me flagged for the full customs grilling. The customs guy, on the other hand, couldn't have been nicer. He asked me " why do you think she sent you over"? I replied that perhaps it was the 9 bottles of wine (declared) in my luggage. No, he said, " I probably shouldn't say this, but I don't care about the wine, as long as it is for personal consumption."

I've had similar experiences. Once had to pay duty on three cases that amounted to about six dollars, but otherwise have been waved through except one time when Bob and I had spent three days on Vancouver Island and were bringing back just four bottles--that time, and we weren't "impatient", the agent sent us in for the full treatment. He kept saying "why so much" like four bottles was ridiculous, and we were going "uh, you must have misunderstood, we said four bottles, not cases" and he was unswerved. Fortunately, the guys inside just laughed, and good-humouredly offered to hassle us real bad if that would make it feel like it was less a waste of time.

But what I was wondering was whether or not they treat Canadians differently, or if that 17 cent rate is only for American citizens.

Seems to me a Canadian would be treated the same as an American in this case. In effect, you're being charged for importing wine into the US and logically it shouldn't make any difference whether that "importer" is Canadian or American. However, this may well be one of those cases where "logic" doesn't apply; I'm only guessing.

[Jenise]

Seems to me a Canadian would be treated the same as an American in this case. In effect, you're being charged for importing wine into the US and logically it shouldn't make any difference whether that "importer" is Canadian or American.

It only seems to when there is concern that the person doing this is doing it for business instead of personal reasons. Canadian friends who live here in my neighborhood but also maintain homes in Canada have been hassled about that from time to time, although the cost differential between American and Canadian wines doesn't encourage them to drag any Canahooch this way. Anyway, my own experience suggests that if the guy is bringing American wines, he'd be looked as less skeptically.