No Stupid Questions

Yes. But only one or two things at a time. It's illegal but like you said if you just say you had it when you entered Canada you'll probably get away with it.

If you come over with 100 laptops in your trunk you will almost certainly be forced to pay import duties on them.

Basically if you're trying to save some money personally yes it's possible. Under a certain dollar amount you can usually even do it legally as long as you don't intend to sell it. But if you're planning on making a business out of doing this and selling it in the US cheap then you're gonna get caught

As I and others have mentioned elsewhere, you're taking a risk doing this, as if you get caught it will cost you more.

One other thing to keep in mind is warranties if anything goes wrong with the item. If you are trying to make it look like you brought the item with you, you'll be getting rid of all the documentation and packaging that proves you purchased it. That includes receipts. Warranties often require proof of purchase, so you may be throwing away your warranty by doing this.

Also, keep in mind that models and model numbers are often different in Canada. I've had phones that were identical to the US model but had a different model number. I've also had phones where they sold the European version in Canada (again with its own model number) and so it was basically a different phone from what you'd get in the States for the same model name (different CPU, different supported communication protocols.)

Often our model numbers will get a "CA" added to the end making it obvious. Sometimes it won't be obvious, but won't match model numbers you can easily find info for online. My current laptop model number is undiscoverable online because it is so rare. There are similar ones for which the info mostly matches my computer, but I'm not always able to find good info.

It's kind of funny watching Americans talk about this now as it was something we Canadians used to talk about all the time... Strategies for buying goods in the US to save money.

Welcome to Europe's cheat code. Within an hour I can reach 4 countries with 4 different tax laws.

So, I live right on the Canadian border. Right there.

If I went over to Canada, somebody gave me a bunch of product for free, then I took that product and gave it to someone else for free, would that be legal? No money was exchanged.

Let's say the product was plushies. A large amount of them. What's the legality of that?

According to the customs and border protection website, there is a max limit of $200 that is free from duty and tax if you've spent at least 48 hours there, and it has to be for personal/household use. There are amount limits on alcohol and tobacco.

But if it's something like a single phone, you pay in cash and open it there and dispose of the packing material. You could get away with violating those restrictions, but at your own risk.

Side-note: The limit is $800 if you go to the Caribbean, and up to $1600 for places like US Virgin Islands

Going across the border to buy something is completely legal. Bringing it back for resale is different. You said something you want, and then you said pretend it's a personal item. There's an inconsistency. If it's something you want, then it is a personal item. As long as it isn't illegal, you're legally fine. That being said, there are two things to be aware of. Legality is a bit more fluid these days (especially at the border), and I'd guess you'd look and act very suspicious, which would probably end poorly for you based on the first thing.

I did this often when I was in a country with VAT. It was cheaper to fly, buy the thing, and fly back. Or sail, which I also did.

If it's under a certain dollar amount and not to be sold, sure, but this is probably not going to practical for a lot of things unless you're pretty close to the border.

For residents of the United States the duty free limit when returning is 800 dollars worth of stuff. I believe that's every thirty days. You usually have to answer whether you exceed this limit in the declaration.

So you just go to Canada, buy the thing, unpack it from the packaging, and pretend like its just personal items. Just like a smartphone.

If tariffs become a big thing, this will definitely happen more, but it will also get a lot more scrutiny from customs as well.

AFIAK, border agents usually don't ask if you bought your phone in the US or from outside, they shouldn't ask about other personal electronics, right?

Stuff that you exported and reimported for personal or business use, but not for resale, is exempt from duty with no dollar limits. If you want documented proof that you are reimporting, you can register the stuff at a customs office in the United States before you leave.

There is a whole genre of smuggling that is literally just buying a bunch of watches or couple of high-end laptops or something and then throwing them in your suitcase and doing exactly this.

If you’re doing it with single items for personal use is it fine? Probably so, as long as you can avoid being extra stupid about it. Is it a good thing to get in the habit of? Oh mercy no.

Yes I live near a border and I know lots of people who do this.

There's a whole TV show about this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Security:_Canada%27s_Front_Line

I live a few miles from the border and cross at least weekly. You could generally get away with this for a handful of things, especially if you're smart about it (dispose of all packaging and tags, have an otherwise legit reason for a short visit, etc).

But if they question you, and they determine you're intentionally lying about it, you can expect to pay additional fines and lose several hours of your life.