Walking to duty free at the border
 

Just over this holiday friends and I wento the states.
Entered from peace arch lane.
Without a doubt, there was a long wait.
I got out of the car and walked backwards to the washroom thats a concrete round shaped building. Since the duty free shops was just right across, I walked over to buy some drinks and food at the mini bar inside of the duty free shop. I know not to buy anything else so I might get busted at the border.

Same day, on the way back. We crossed the canadian border and someone had to use the washroom. So we stopped the car at the resting area, I led them to the same washroom I went to.

Then I wondered, would it be okay to buy booze and smoke just like I did in the morning then get back in the car and drive home?

Any ideas?

yes! i have the same question

at the truck crossing into the states, the duty free shop have very cheap smokes. 2 for like 100 bucks

i wanna get some for my dad, but just want to know if its okay to drive and park at the parking lot beside the shop, walk in, buy some cigarettes and go home.

You cannot reverse or go back out of the duty free shop cause at the entrance they have these one way spikes, to pop your tires if you try to get out.

sorry to hijack, but i think we have the same question.

anyone clarify

If you cross the border to buy the cigarettes, then you'll get raped on the taxes on the way back. (i.e. you'll probably pay the same as you pay locally) You have zero exemption on a <24 hour trip. That's assuming the clerk will even sell it to you since they'll more than likely ask you if you've been out of the country for more than 48 hours.

I am not crossing the border to buy cigs.
I AM on the canadian side buying cigs from our own duty free shop.
The only place Im crossing by walking is the two roads entering peace arch, and exiting peace arch.

Oh, OK. I think in that case they might not sell the items to you (or they'd sell it at full price will all the taxes, duties, etc tacked on)

Every time I've bought booze at the US Duty Free they've always asked me if I've been out of the country for more than 48 hours and then swiped my passport. I heard the Canadian side asks for your license plate number. I'd call them to check but my guess is that they'll probably won't sell anything to you if you're not planning to head over the border.

My buddy wanted to buy smokes but missed the exit when coming back from the states so he tried to buy some at the Duty free on the Canadian side.

He was denied. They asked for his license plate number.
If it is Canadian, they won't sell it to you since your are coming back from the states.
All products must be bought from opposite ends and visa-versa (to my knowledge)

Funny thing was, the point of the trip was to buy smokes in the first place. lol

When that duty free shop was first built, it didn't even have the one way spikes on the ground. You could just drive in then drive right back home after buying. I thought about doing it...but I was lazy. haha