Import Duty From Canada? HELP!

[esigs]

Has anyone from the US purchased a game worn jersey from a Canadian team, and had to pay import duty? I recently bought a game worn jersey from the Toronto Blue Jays, and when UPS arrived yesterday at my door, I was told I owed a brokerage fee. When I called the number the driver provided, I was informed it was the import duty for textiles, which has a 32% tariff. The amount I owe is just a couple of bucks more than 32% of the jersey cost, so I don't think this is UPS charging outrageous fee to serve as the broker to get the jersey thru customs, but I'm not sure.

Here are my questions:

1. Has anyone had a similar situation and figured out that the jersey did not require an import duty? If so, how did you do that?

2. The jersey is made by Majestic, and from their own website, all on field jerseys are made in Pennsylvania. Should a US-made jersey be subject to import duty? NAFTA regulations are quite c

[esigs]

Sorry, I hit the wrong key on my phone...

Continuation of question 2:
NAFTA regulations are very complex and there are many rules about where the yarn is from, the fabric, etc., before a textile is deemed to be free of import duty. Just being "assembled" in PA does not seem to be enough to determine whether it is duty-free.

3. The jersey was worn, and it appears that worn apparel is exempt from duty.

Any insight on this is appreciated!

[beaglegypsy003]

I bought a jersey directly from the Hamilton Tiger-cats and was not charged any duty. On the air waybill description, it says JERSEY - 100% POLYESTER NOT FOR RESALE. There have been other jerseys that I've bought from Canada with no additional cost added. On the other hand I was charged duty for a jersey from Japan. I think because it was listed as a collectible and not clothing.

[Phil316]

I have bought a few high priced items from Canada and always make sure it is shipped Canada Post. I would suggest NOT using UPS as it seems that is when people get hit with duty. I have never had issues with a Canadian sending Canada Post via USPS.

[scottishcowboy41]

I live over in the UK and have been hit with some serious import charges when buying things from the United States. The worst was approx $140 import charge on a jersey from Steiner which came via UPS.

The problem with International shipping is the Customs decal/paperwork. Most of the stuff I get shipped over here comes by USPS and the odd one comes by Fedex or UPS. Most sellers mark the item as a low value gift item on the Customs decal/paperwork. This way the item goes through Customs with no delays or charges ever.

I have had a few occasions were the seller has not done this for me yet I wasn't charged any import tax or fees. How that happens I have no idea as you would hope Customs checks every parcel thoroughly. Very strange.

All these principles work the same with Canada too.

[esigs]

Thanks for all who replied. As far as not using UPS, that was not an option, because the Toronto Blue Jays only uses UPS for shipping.

I had an interesting time the last few days trying to figure out whether or not a jersey made in the USA would incur import duty upon re-entry. The simple answer is "No" as long as the shipper states that on the shipping papers. In my case, the Blue Jays did NOT list the jersey as made in the USA. When I inquired them whether the jersey was made in the USA, the reply I received was: "The jerseys are manufactured in the USA however, because we add tags to the jerseys in Canada we say that final processing is done in Canada." Apparently they do this based on a recommendation from UPS.

I also made a few calls to UPS Brokerage Services, who handles custom clearances on behalf of the recipients (at a fee). When I finally got to the right person, I was told I had to "protest" the duty and I had two options to do so: get the shipper to fill out a form stating the jersey was made in the USA, or have them provide their NAFTA certification if they were firm on their position that the jersey was made in Canada due to the modifications they made, because a jersey made in Canada would not be dutiable under NAFTA.

Apparently, someone in the US Customs office made a mistake in placing an import duty on a jersey "made" in Canada! A few minutes after I talked to UPS, I got a call back from them stating that since the import duty had not been paid yet (it was going to be paid tomorrow), they could fix the improper duty and not have me file anything.

To summarize, a 100% polyester jersey made in the USA or Canada should NOT be subject to import duty, and if the UPS driver tells you that you owe a brokerage fee, I would decline acceptance and call UPS to have the improper duty removed.

I must add that everyone I spoke to at UPS Brokerage Services was very corteous and helpful.