Amazon.com starting to ship to Canada brokerage-fee-free

[gars]

I noticed this on photoprice.ca

Canadian photographers: you've finally been heard. No longer will we miss out on great camera and lens deals from Amazon.com -- they now ship electronics to Canada! A quick glance shows that Canon and Pentax are amongst the brands available.

Shipping via DHL. Standard and Expedited shipping is done by DHL Global Mail, which is brokerage-free. DHL final delivery to your door is done by Canada Post.
Import Fee Deposit. Amazon charges you a deposit for the tax at the time of sale, which means you shouldn't receive any unexpected bills for tax or duty on delivery.
Affordable Shipping. Standard and Expedited shipping options are quite cheap -- about the same as B&H's Purolator Ground -- but quite slow.
Don't forget that many photographic items are covered by US/Canada or Worldwide Manufacturer Warranties, so many items you purchase from the US often come with warranty coverage in Canada. You can read our article on warranties for all the information. If you're new to buying from the US, you can also read about Tax, Duty, and Brokerage Fees when buying from the US.

Amazon now joins B&H as the second large US retailer to offer affordable shipping to Canada. More competition is great! If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact us. Good luck, and happy photographing!

http://www.photoprice.ca/article/ama...hips-to-canada

No more shipping to Pt Roberts for me! You can still probably save money by using Pt Roberts - because you have to pay for shipping, AND, you're not likely to get off scott-free for HST, but it might not be worth it for the drive down.

[1exotic]

[ddr]

their import fees deposit calculation is not explained very well

BH explains it in more detail, and to consist of the HST, Disbursement (?), and Security & Handling.

I put a lens in my cart just for fun (~$450), amazon was $5 cheaper.

Does this include all the other sellers on amazon.com? or just amazon.com specifically?

[gars]

I think the deposit is just an approximation of the HST / other taxes that might get added on. Supposedly - Amazon isn't charging extra for any brokerage fees / disbursement / security handling - all that is included in the shipping/handling fee.

I think this only includes amazon.com.