If the DW is made in the USA you won't have to pay duty....
You will also have to pay pst and gst when entering Canada.

If you purchase it in Canada you will be exempt from pst if the DW is energy star rated.

Thanks.

The PST exemption on energy star appliances is only valid in Ontario.

Another thing to consider: if you buy your appliances from a state that doesn't have sales tax, like Oregon, you won't have to pay the taxes on the American end.

Here is a link that might be useful: pst exemption Ontario

My big concern is warranty validation. I am just under an hour's drive(not taking into account any waits at the border)from Bellingham, Washington. Plenty of stores, plenty of appliances I'm interested in, but my concern is the warranty and compensation from the appliance companies to the repairman should anything go wrong. When I was interested in getting a Blue Star, I was told that getting financial compensation for the technician had been a problem for cross border shoppers. I'd love to hear from anyone that has purchased, say, GE appliances and had warranty work done on them and how that all worked out.

If you have Best Buy in the Washington area and see what they have for information. They also have a world wide warranty that you can buy. The warranty is valid anywhere. I have not read the fine print so beware.

I agree you have to talk to your insurance company and ask if it has a UL approval is it OK or what stamp do I need. Importing from outside the US example Europe is no a good idea for sure. UL approval is the CSA of Canada as I understand.

loralee-did you have the appliances shipped to your house or did you drive across and get them?
I spend a while on the computer last night trying to figure out having to pay duty on appliances. It seemed like what I read was saying that because of NAFTA, if something is made in Canada, USA or Mexico, no duty has to be paid when it crosses border. Is that the case or am I mistaken?
I'll have to look and see if there is a BB in Bellingham. I'll try looking up their website to research the world-wide policy.

Hi Pelican, I imported all my appliances a year ago (Wolf, Subzero) back when the Cdn. dollar wasn't so strong and I still saved a pile of money (over $9000). As the appliances were manufactured in the US, I only had to pay GST (no PST as I live in Alberta). I was told that customs might check to ensure the appliances were CSA/UL approved (most major brands are) but they never did. I drove them across the border myself and had absolutely no problems. In regards to warranties, most major brands provide international warranties so don't believe the Cdn. salemen when they tell you that the warranty won't be honoured - not true in most cases! I checked with my chosen manufacturer beforehand to make sure. I am planning on doing it again this year for my 2nd home reno. Hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks for your information, it was exactly what I was looking for. Since I first posted my question, Sears Canada have actually increased their price by $50.00. I did give Sears Canada the opportunity to compete, but they refused. I guess their are still enough people buying for them not to lower their prices. Regardless of when they inventoried their stock, they should lower their prices immediately, and eat the loss if they have to. It would make good business sense for the major retailers to do this. $699.99USA or $1099.99CDN. It is not a hard decision.

"I guess their" should have been "I guess there".

moose, yes I did go across and pick them up. I'm in Winnipeg so I'm only an hour and a half from Grand Forks so it was a no brainer to get these 2. I don't know of any company that could incorporate shipping costs + customs paperwork and still be a bargain versus local prices.

You are correct that "most" things made in Canada/US/Mexico are duty exempt. There are exceptions such as jewelry, booze, tobacco, etc. But any electronics, clothes, appliances, etc that are made in the exempt countries generally do fall under NAFTA and are exempt.

If you are unsure, look up your local Canada Customs office. I've called them a few times, having imported fairly expensive china and unsure about "self clearing", they were just a wealth of info and were extremely helpful. If you're ever unsure, just call them and ask.

Interestingly, I did price ALL of my appliances in the US before I bought, and there was only $200 difference total on all. The only reason I went down and picked up the 2 I did was because they weren't released in Canada, and since that's what I wanted, I had to go pick them up.

I was surprised because we've always experienced HUGE markups on most things in Canada so I expected substantial savings on appliances....just last year we went down and bought DH a snowblower for xmas and it was $700 cheaper in the US - even though it was manufactured here, exported to the US, and brought back. Now how does that work?? lol

HTH

Thanks Loralee
It will be interesting to see what happens in the new year to see if pricing becomes more competitive.
Unbelievable that Sears Canada is actually increasing prices!

Any idea what the duty is for appliances that are not from the duty free area? Europe or Asia?

Does anyone know if LG appliance are made in North America?

I live in Alberta and I am considering jumping across to Great Falls to buy them but don't want to pay duty.

Also, anyone know which American retailer is the easiest/cheapest to use? Sears? Home Depot?

I believe that LG(Lucky Goldstar)is Asian. HD will probably come in cheaper than Sears, except for sales, but you can look all that up and compare online. My friend bought a Sony TV across the line, had to pay duty, and it was still cheaper than buying it here.

I know LG is either European or Asian, but what is really important is where the appliances that are sold in North Amnerica are made.

Big difference between making it here and selling it here, or else making it in Asia and shipping it here.

Does anyone know?

LG is a Korean company - Lucky Goldstar - I have no idea where the appliances sold in North America are made.

canuck, I've never been able to find duty rates online, CBSA's website merely indicates that you need to call them to find out. I would imagine a "guide" would be enormous, and I can't see any customs broker sharing that info so you might just have to call CBSA to find out.

cweiss, I don't know the answer to your question but thought I would point out that many manufacturers will build "some" things in North America, but "other" items overseas. So a blanket statement of "are LG appliances built in NA" is really not easily answered unless you can define specifically which appliance you are referencing.

I did look on their website but it wasn't indicated, however, any salesmen can easily find this out for you, if they don't already know it - and you can bet many are learning this as quickly as they can since so many canucks are crossing the border in revolt to the predatory pricing going on here!

Only last suggestion I have for Canadians buying down in the US is to also "shop" your appliances as you would up here for quotes. Surprisingly, the best prices I got were from a local mom/pop store, and the service we received was stellar! To find this store since I didn't have Yellow Pages for this US city, google was my friend "appliance sales (insert city name)"

Lora

I too, am seriously considering buying my new LG dishwasher from an American online retailer (joemuscle.net or homeclick.com) and having it shipped to a UPS outlet in Sweetgrass, MT. The price for the dishwasher I am interesting is almost $700 less than any Canadian source I have checked. When I called Canada Customs, I was told that the duty would be 8% if the appliance was manufactured outside of North America. I am still waiting to find out where the appliance I am looking at was manufactured and how the warranty would work. Even without the warranty, I can have alot of repairs done for the difference in price.

I suggest to take the US price, go to Sears, Brick, Leons, Tasco, goemans.com, tasco.net stores, and haggle. They'll give you their best discount and you'll avoid the hassle of getting from US.

For those of you looking for that hard to find Customs Tariff - it's all available on line. No easy to use, but it's at start. Most appliances are in chapter 84 (Section 16).

(I hope this link works for you.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Canada Customs Tariff 2007

Laundry goddess, thanks for the posting. OMG! That is just way too much reading material for me! I did manage to locate dishwashers, was unsuccessful with any other appliance. After awhile, my scrolling started getting faster so I probably missed a thing or two.
When my time comes, I think I am just going to phone an office an ask someone!

I see Sears is price matching this weekend and have been dropping prices. Bosch dishwashers in the 7-800 range. Actaully they were clearing them out a few months ago maybe dropping the line altogether and they were on sale some as in the 5-600 price range. I live on the border and we get flyers from Michigan stores and much of the stuff isn't any cheaper I find. Certainly the odd thing here and there.. but when I compare the Michigan Best Buy flyer to the Ontario Future Shop (owned by Best Buy btw) often as not the price is almost identical or close enough that it's not worth the bother and sometimes the item is cheaper in Canada. Our Canadian Tire is matching US prices if you bring the ad in to the store and they're selling the identical item..
I did the other day...3M Filtrete furnace filters were $8.99 each at Target... $16.99 at Canadian Tire.. I got them for $8.99 at Canadian Tire by bringing in the Target flyer.

My local Sears has now begun price matching too so I'm trying to find US prices on the exact Kenmore appliances I can get in Canada. But the product numbers online don't match. Does anyone have any tips to identify the matching Kenmore products on the Sears.ca and Sears.com websites?

My Ge dishwasher officially packed it in this weekend so I was forced to do my shopping here in Canada.(I have 11 month old twins and could not imaging going without for two weeks until I could get my spouse to watch them while I went to the States or worse yet, taking them with me alone...Yikes.)
We found out that Sears had their Kenmore Elite HE dishwasher on sale. We purchased it online from Sears.ca and it was actually cheaper than on Sears.com.
Lysbeth, to compare products from the two sites, look for the last 5 numbers of the item# on .ca and the last 5 numbers before the zeros on .com, At least this was the case with our dishwasher.
Also, I emailed LG about the warranty on appliances purchased in the US and brought into Canada. They emailed saying that all warranty would be void on LG appliances purchased outside of Canada.

I just called GE.ca. Their warranties won't cross the border either.
About the dishwashers, a KA that I would like is priced @$1200 on the Kitchenaid.com web-site(curiously I rechecked a couple of days ago and they are no longer listing prices). I cross checked on Sears.ca and they are now offering it at the same price.

This is bad news!

Are there any major appliance manufacturers that will give a warranty on appliances bought in the USA for use in Canada ?

I ended up spending $50 on gas, and saved $850 total on a range and dishwasher. I picked up the appliances on Black Friday, which helped me save $111. The Sears store was having a food drive, so I took in a couple of canned goods, and saved an additional $40. The Canadian Customs guy screwed up and put down $800 for the range, instead of $1800, so I saved another $140 in taxes as well. Everything was just working in my favour. Sears Canada did drop their prices for a couple of days on the two appliances I bought, but I would still have saved $300 by shopping in the U.S. I see that Sears Canada prices are back up to regular now, at least on the two items I purchased. As long as there is a big disparity in prices, I would do it again.

Pelican, what did you do about warranty on the appliances? (or was the disparity in prices so big you felt you could ignore the warranty??)

I never investigated warranty. The Bosch dishwasher has a warranty telephone number for U.S. or Canadian customers. The Kenmore range is made in Canada. Both have manufacture dates stamped on them. Warranty is not a big issue for me. At our last house we had a brand new range malfunction. The repair man said that he will be at our house within the next two weeks. We could not be without our stove for that long, so I just ordered the parts myself and installed them myself, and paid for them myself. If warranty is important to you, you might want to investigate it further.

In case our American bretheren wonder why we Canadians are looking to buy in the USA, here is an example:

Samsung RF267AARS 25.5 cu ft French door fridge

BestBuy USA $2,159
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17005&type=page&_requestid=112997

FutureShop Canada (owned by BestBuy) $3,199
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0770HDS0010091522&catid=24415

A price difference of over $1,000, or looking at it another way, the Canadian price for the identical fridge is 67% more in Canada than in the USA !! (that is treating the two currencies as on par.)

I asked FutureShop about their price match program with BestBuy, but they do not price match with Best Buy USA.

jason-nice fridge. That is infuriating! Are you going to make the trip anyhow?
I'm thinking that the things I want that have a lot of electrical controls, ie., induction cooktop, monogram wall oven, dishwasher, I probably will buy here. I need the warranty security blanket. The Jenn air island hood is about three or four hundred dollars cheaper in the US. I'll probably pop over for that after I drop the kids off at school one day. I figure there's not too much that can go wrong with that. The fridge...I am undecided. Of course, our house is still just a hole in the ground right now, so I've got some time.

Well Moose, I am in the market for a complete kitchen and laundry set of appliances so the potential saving is very big. The warranty is a concern of course. I spoke with Samsung, and they say the warranty is valid in Canada only if it is an "international" warranty. They wouldn't give me information on that, just said I have to check with any dealer I do business with.

The price difference is VERY frustrating !!! ... lol

1st time post here. I am looking for a 36" gas cooktop and a pop up downdraft system and Wolf is my number one choice right now and I phoned Wolf's toll free number and the gentlement told me most Wolf products are CSA approved and they will warranty their products in Canada that are brought from the States as long as you register your product in their computer. Does anyone have any price for a Wolf 36" gas cooktop and downdraft system or any cooktop that you think my should consider as well. By the way I am in Lethbridge which is 2 1/2 hrs to Great Falls, Montana. Thanks!

I also am interested in getting all my appliances in the US. 1 fridge alone can save me $800 dollars, and I need to buy everything new. I was concerned about the CSA approval so I contacted Maytag about it and this is what she replied back>

Thank you for contacting Maytag with your new product shopping questions! We appreciate your interest in our home appliances. When comparing models between Canadian and US web sites, if a product has the exact same model number, it is the exact same item whether purchased in the US or Canada, so it would be CSA approved for the Canadian market, as well as UL listed or approved for the US market. If there is a difference in the model number, however, even by one digit, we would recommend contacting customer service for verification on the appliance's CSA approval status. We hope you find this information helpful. Should you have further questions, please feel free to email us or call our toll-free number at (800) 688-9900. The Maytag Customer Loyalty Team is available Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00pm ET.

When researching products I did find alot of model numbers that were the exact same. And another good thing was, home depot's website both canada and US told the origin of the appliance which helped to tell if you had to pay duty or not.

At this point CSA approval, I'm finding, is not the issue. All the appliances I've had reason to research have had it. My problem is cross border warranty. GE has told me it's a no go. I tried calling Best Buy US to see if they had anything is place for international warranties and they told me that I would have to contact the individual companies. Still waiting for Kitchenaid to get back to me. I don't know what Samsung's policy is.
Financially, I think that even if alot of things had duty, it would still be worth the trip to go across for an appliance round-up.

Does anyone know about importing European appliances from the states to Canada? We were looking at Bertazzoni ranges, and they were more than $1500 cheaper in the states. I wouldn't think they'd make a separate model for the states and canada, hopefully the warranty would be good, we'd have to contact the company I guess.

I thought about the Berta... THe company didn't return my e-mails, I talked to Tasco in Richmond Hill, ON. They said they're the ones providing warranty service if I buy it from them and naturally, if I bring it from US, they won't deal with it. They agreed to $3300 over the phone, I am sure there's more room for negotiations. I went to see the Berta after that for the first time and we were not impressed. BTW they have floor model Viking for $3800 and sale for Capital. 30" was $3500. Pretty good prices. I am not sure about the models.

BTW, I imported laundry pair LG from US. I drove down, paid, picked it up (SUV) w/o boxes and was back in 4-5 hours in Toronto. Customs were very rude, they didn't believe I bought both appliances for $900. They searched my car and emptied my pockets. Finally they found the deal on the net and let me go - not even an apology or a thank you. I paid only GST, PST, they asked is it made in Mexico, I said, I think so. So I didn't pay any duties...

rosasonline.com have these deals once in a while. INSANE.
Same pair here $2400 or so, $2000 may be if you buy 10K worth of other stuff.

The Bertazzoni was $3200 online in the states, for the 36". We looked at them last year, and they were $4700 on sale, they may be cheaper now. So I guess the warranty is the only issue. It's only a 1 year warranty, so hopefully it wouldn't break down that soon. We'd have to see if Mailboxes international in Blaine, Wa. would accept something that large. The only place that sells Bertazonni in Vancouver is Trail appliances. I suppose they wouldn't want to service appliances purchased in the states either, under warranty. I guess if we can get them to sell it cheap enough here, it wouldn't worth the hassle, and rude customs officers.

Hi Pelican

Dave here in Toronto.

Bottom line - purchasing stuff in the U.S.A. is often EASIER than in Canada. You often get better service in the U.S.A. We purchased our top of the line Subaru Outback from Van Bortel in N.Y. last summer and paid only $USD 30,500 (just had to email for a quote - that's it) all options and freight in, vs $CAD 48,000 best quote in Canada. Only additional cost - $190 + GST for the federal import fee - that's it. No Canadian dealer style B.S. of attempting to further pad the sale with glass etching fees - or worse "administration fees" for their sub-par service. Of course we paid Canadian (PST/GST/$100 AC) taxes to register it (but never paid any US taxes).

Now that we are literally building a new home within our old home's 105 double brick exterior walls (totally gutted the interior - even gutted the studs, joists, etc), we're in the market for all new appliances, bathroom fixtures etc.

Canadian dealers and distributors can go F*** themselves as far as I am concerned - and put that arrogant disservice attittude right in their ...... but I digress :-)

You will pay no duty on any appliance manufactured in USA/Canada/Mexico, otherwise, as I understand it, duty is limited to 6.1%, since Canada is part of the World Trade Organisation. GST is collected at the border, and is calculated on top of the duty. Legally you are supposed to voluntarily declare your purchase to the provincial government and pay P.S.T. as well - as if you would - LOL. P.S.T. is not applicable to any energy star rated appliance in Ontario anyways.

I plan to do the same for our bathroom fixtures. If you thought appliance fixtures were a rip off in Canada, check the Canada / US price differences on sinks, toilets, tubs, etc - often up to double the price in the U.S.A.

Too many stupid, compliant, lazy Canadians, make for continued windfall profits for greedy, sleazy Canadian distributors, and their compliant, wimpy dealers.

If only more dealers were like Walmart Canada, who temporarily pulled all Lego products off the shelves, until Lego cried Uncle, and agreed to sell their products here at the same price as in the U.S.A.

They do give you the warranty issue. Read the warranty and CSA vs UL rules. Some appliances have both etc some do not. Check electrical dimmers. Lutron dimmer $26 US ( I know a little high but... in Canada $45. I live on the border and have the stuff dil

Well, I did it, I ordered an appliance from the US and had it delivered to me in BC. After researching here and talking to others, I decided to get an island hood with alot of oomph. I didn't really like the appearance of the VAH, so I went with Futuro Futuro. The price is reasonable enough for what you are getting. The COD was $283 and some change. There were the taxes(GST & PST) when it crossed the border and an $80 brokerage fee for writing up the paperwork(that's what the UPS delivery man called it).
I'm not writing to complain, just letting you know what to expect.
Too bad I couldn't have picked it up myself across the border in Bellingham-it comes over from the New York area

Anyone else have recent experience with this? Was it worth it?

Contemplating doing it ourselves, either having it delivered, or driving to NY state (we're in southern Ontario) and picking it up.

If you have it delivered then the brokerage fees will always be there. If yu pick it up and it is low enough cost they may not even have you pay taxes. Depending on where in southern Ontario you might be better off to pick it up in Michigan.

If you can pick it up and place in your vehicle

Venice
How did you pick your name? I love being in the city of Venice, particularly in the evenings when it is dark and the lights reflect off the water.
As I wrote at the top of this thread, my issue has always been cross border warranty-so many companies will not honour cross border purchases. Now that the dollar is roughly at par I have no doubt that you can come out ahead going to pick things up yourself in the States if the state of the warranty doesn't bother you. However, if you have the time for deals to pop up, they are out there to be had. After the new year, I bought a Samsung FD at the Future shop on sale for $1949, just $100 more than Best Buy in the States had it on for. They are also hanging onto it for me with no storage fees until our new build is comlete. A mom and pop store in a town near by was putting together a show room for GE Pofile(induction cooktop) and Monogram(dishwasher and wall oven)products so I was able to order my appliances at the same time they were and got a great deal that way.

Moose, I picked it because the city inspires me, and I like to think I'm channeling Marcella ...

At Caplan's in Toronto, the price of the 36" Blue Star AG range is comparable to that of an online US store.

The other cost to factor in is that of one's time, if one picks them up one's self that is.

Anyone suggest some appliance stores that you have received good service and prices from in northern Michigan/northern NY; easy to reach from southwestern ontario.
I'm curious about pricing.

Thanks,
Judy

I have just checked the pricing (May 28/08) for a Sears Kenmore (Whirlpool) washing machine in the USA and Canada. What a difference. The model is HE2T (7561). The US price is $765, the CA price is $1000.

I phoned the local Sears manager to inquire about this difference. The only things that she could think of was maybe a) Sears USA management is taking lower margins, b) there are extra costs in shipping and duties, c) there is extra cost for CSA certification. She is going to speak with some others in the supply chain to get some more information.

She told me SEARS Canada will NOT price match SEARS USA. Go figure. They will not even drop the price $1 toward the US price, BUT they will price match products in Canada. Their own company - no, but other companies - yes! buyer beware.

what else is new, same old story....