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Overpaying Due to Inflation-Buying New

Dabbler said:
About 20 years ago, I imported by car a rifle stock from Accuracy International. The Canadian distributor wanted 2.3X the American price. So I bought one and had it shipped to a friend in norther Washington state.

When crossing with a rifle part I found out you need to do an exit declaration and an import declaration to satisfy ITAR regs. At the US side, it was all cool. people walking around with glocks and uzis strapped to their belts. They looked at it and said "pah! bolt action stock, free to go" 2 minutes.

At the Canadian side, there was a ruckus. None of them people knew what to do. They kept asking me if the rifle was an automatic, and sever variations of that question. At one point ALL the border guards were standing there... I quoted the part of the regs and the section number, to help smooth things along. (none of the guards were armed and none seemed familiar with firearms)

After 2 hours, I was down to one older guy. He was confused and worried looking. I actually showed him wow to look up the section on his computer system. I finally and pointedly told him it was time to get his boss on the line. Didn't make him happy. but after wrangling it out, he finally made the call.

Nearly an hour later a bleary eyed (he was in bed) border guy in almost dress uniform came in, and I explained the whole schtick to him again.... Within 5 minutes of discussion and him examining the bolt notch, and looking it up in the internet, he let me go, and for all my trouble sent me on my way sans fees. Which was good, but there was about 200$ that should have been due!
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Man I admire your determination and grit. I find that sort of thing so unpleasant and maddening I would never attempt such a thing in a million years. It's good there are folks like you willing to do that however.
 
PeterT said:
That is a very noteworthy thing to be aware of. I can totally see that happening with a more persnickety Customs official - 'show me what's in the crate or it's not going anywhere'. Perfect hiding place for an illegal alien to ride across the border rather than just walk LOL. Partial disassembly would be a major PITA tearing it apart just for a looksee & carry on with journey to the border.
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Tell them to drill a hole and insert a camera?
 
Dabbler said:
About 20 years ago, I imported by car a rifle stock from Accuracy International. The Canadian distributor wanted 2.3X the American price.
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Too funny! VERY similar story. Brothers from another mother thing again.

Family got me a nice muzzle loader when I retired. Only hitch was that the model was not sold in Canada. ITAR regs don't apply to muzzle loaders in the USA. Might as well be a leaf blower or a kid's squirt gun.

Canada is different. Had to get the serial number and register with the RCMP in advance. Easily done complete with a registration number already in the system ready to go. Guy even told me where to find it and what was involved. Thank God!

Picked a nice day to drive over. Should have brought my bride along but didn't. She has a way of calming my adrenalin levels. Little did I know how badly that would be needed.

No problem leaving the US via Detroit Bridge. Arrived at Canada Customs. Proudly announced I had a muzzle loader to declair. What is a muzzleloader she asked. When I told her, you would think I fired it. All hell broke loose. 20 gaurds around me, ordered to get out and "WAIT OVER THERE WITH THAT ENFORCEMENT GAURD". Gaurd was half my size. He had a gun but it might as well have been a pea shooter. He knew it too. I had to wonder what the hell he was thinking as he stood there staining his pants.

I watched as they took my brand new unfired gun out of the box, THREW it onto a steel cart with sharp steel container edges, and then bounced across the lot over to the office with it.

Adrenlin flow rate increased. Gaurd knew it. Backed away from me. Pant staining rate increased. So did the growing stains in his arm pitts.

Asked if I should go in. Was told "STAY RIGHT THERE AND DON'T MOVE".

An hour later the biggest guy in the place came to get me. Still maybe 2/3 my size. Also very nervous. Went inside with him. Muzzle loader was nowhere in sight. THEY were waiting for me.

The smallest guy in the place called me over to the declaration desk and then gave me a very stern lecture about bringing guns in, clearly against the law, they were confiscating it, and I would be detained until the RCMP arrived. Should have seen his face when I told him the RCMP already knew I was coming and I had a clearance number on file. Looked at me for 10 minutes as though I had a third eye in my forehead. Then asked me to repeat that. I did.

Started to give me a hard time, but I repeated what I had been told, pointed at his screen and told him how to get at my pre-clearance. He tried and failed. I remembered that the RCMP guy had told me it was buried several levels down under a menu on the top right. He failed again. I asked if he touched the right menu and he made a huge mistake - he turned the screen to where I could see it while he clicked. I walked him through getting to the right screen. Lotta poking at the wrong keys. Finally he turned the whole thing enough for me to punch everything in myself.

Sure enough, there was my clearance waiting for me. More blank staring. Gunna have to hold it anyway. Management orders. Out of his control. But thankfully an entirely different demeanour now.

After a bit more back N forth he went and got the manager. First time the manager ever laid eyes on me. I explained how it was already cleared and I lived an hour away, didn't really want to come back, they prolly didn't want me back either.

Manager stared at me for another 5 minutes. Those customs folks love to stare at you. I think it's part of their training. Either that or its the fear - freeze, flight, fight - reaction kicking in. He told the first guy to give me my gun and then gave him shite for letting me touch their computer, then gave me shite for touching it, then asked if I would come back and show them how I did that. I agreed and gave him my number to call.

They gave me my gun and I walked out of there holding it in plain view of everyone in the whole complex.

Never even paid tax on it.

Never got a call either.

What a shite show.
 
Typical CBSA ! Or standard government incompetence…lol

I brought my scuba tanks across the border once and they asked me how much air was in it, I replied around 3000lbs. He said confused that “you expect me to believe that weighs 3000lbs” so I stared at him speechless for 5 minutes…
 
And I thought i was the only one ever hassled by the border services branch for coming across with guns in tow...Wife & I were returning to "our" country from a Wyoming State Cowboy Action Championship competition with a box full of "undesirables" in the RV when we got "that Border guard" ...3 hrs later we were finally back on the road, my wife thought I was having a heart attack and still did 80 miles later, but the profuse sweating finally stopped and she shut up about going to a hospital.
The maddening thing about that incident was that on the way down and crossing their border, paper work was inspected guy smiled at us and "have a good day & enjoy your shoot" ....30 seconds later , back on the highway, in their country I could have taken our pistols out of the lock box and carried them beside me on the seat for the duration of our stay....they trusted me more than my own country....then all hell broke loose coming back into our country!!
 
Complain to your MP. IT is what they there for. Good MPs are surprisingly receptive. The MP's assistant contacts the minister's assistant who writes a letter and gets the minister to sign. A minister letter puts the fear into bureaucrats. This applies to MPs of all parties. If not spread the word and vote for the other guy. Canada's political system relatively small . I'm involved in a local community hall association, since the last election I have been glad handled twice already.
 
Maybe this one gets closer to machining tools, at least it involves machine tools. I live close to Grizzly Tools, KBC is further away. I'm old enough that my thin hair is white not grey. Going down, I get throughly interrogated, and that is the correct word.. A blond agent, she was in a really bad mood. For Heaven's sake , machine tools. Surprise coming back ,another blond agent, this one was very pleasant .
 
Proxule said:
You won in the end, clearly.
Nice story!
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Very painful process though. Not worth it. No more such US purchases for me. Found a guy in Alberta (Prophet River) who will handle everything for me if there is ever a next time.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
The way I see it, if I can wait at a lick for a moose or elk to come by, I certainly can wait for a agent to get his act together.
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Interesting way to look at it. But I don't share your outlook.

Truth is that I did wait. I just wasn't happy about it. On the other hand, I enjoy listening to the sounds of nature on a stand waiting for dinner to show up.
 
Susquatch said:
Truth is that I did wait. I just wasn't happy about it.
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In the case of bureaucracy, I willfully weaponize my stubbornness to defeat the intentional delays.

Downwindtracker2 said:
Or admire your beautiful gunstock.
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I think is is:

Surgeon.JPG
 
Intensemonerider said:
Wow, that conversation slipped away from metalwork in a hurry…lol
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O.K. Also off topic, but tool related. Years ago, I went to New York to buy extra film magazines for my Hasselblad 500 ELM. Filled out the declaration and the agent said " film magazines are duty-free". Sadly, I had to explain in more detail. Duty was still cheap. Sounds like it was a good thing that she didn't confuse them for ammunition magazines, otherwise I might still be there.
 
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