In the past few trips to SXM we never purchased anything that was over the allowed amount which I think is 750.00. If we do this time (never know if hubby might find it in his heart to purchase a nice gift for my 60th) LOL,,,how do they charge or should I say what would they charge me? Has anyone done so? I know some would say, for instance, if it is a ring, just wear it,,,but I am somewhat of a coward when out of Canada. Opinions??

My wife is Canadian and any time she was over the limit going home, they just made her pay the GST. I would take no chances in not declaring with Canada Customs. In my interactions with them, they are always harder on returning Canadians then they are visitors.

The allowance is $800 per person. If you purchase something of value over that, just declare it and they will charge you the appropriate duty and taxes for the item. Sometimes, they may give you a break depending on the amount over the limit. It is always better to declare it, as if you don't and they suspect and have you open your bags, you could be denied access to travel out of the country and your name will alert them to check on you going forward. Canadian customs is stricter in a lot of ways over US customs. Lots of people as you say don't make a truthful declaration and sometimes get lucky, but it is not worth the risk. Even paying duty and taxes on an expensive jewellery item, you still save money.Honesty is always the best policy!

Does Canada allow you to use the maximum total of all in your family traveling together as is the US custom?

Depends on how the agent asks the question . many times they simply ask what is the total value of your purchases . Some times they ask ..what is the value of your highest valued purchase ... If your total is less than the $1600 for two ...they don't care ...So if your husband didn't meet the $800 ..yes for sure let him claim your $600 peice of gold ...

in toronto they now have the machines determine who gets the lucky number. it is a very prompt service.
that being said, i was way ahead of my friend escaping their eagle eyes.. and as i passed thru the last double doors i was questioned extensively. the agent was disappointed i had a new passport and could not trace my last steps.
10 mins later and over 100 people went thru despite some voluntarily stopping to be searched, most from an international flight, and my friend was the next person to be questioned after me. she got the same battery of tests. her customs card was marked differently than mine... so somehow, they still know.

ps we had absolutely nothing to declare tho we both put a nominal amt in case they find some sand they want to charge me gst on. lololol

Thanks. Good to know the amount is 800.00 per person. We are not that big of spenders,,,but you just never know. I will feel better playing it safe. Hopefully the amount can be total of both of us. We usually only buy t shirts, maybe a nice tablecloth as they have such nice ones, a sundress, a shirt, etc. But,,just wanted to ask in case we decide to spend a little more. As I said,,,I am a bit of a coward, so go the honest way.

No, this no longer applies since the new exemption rules came into effect in 2012. Here are the rules as they now apply taken from their website.

[color:"blue"]Are personal exemptions subject to any terms or conditions?[/color]
[color:"blue"]
You should be aware that the following terms and conditions apply to personal exemptions:

You are not allowed to combine your personal exemptions with another person’s or transfer them to someone else.
You are not allowed to combine your 48-hour exemption ($800 CAD) with your 7-day exemption ($800 CAD) for a total exemption of $1600 CAD.
Children are entitled to a personal exemption as long as the goods they are declaring are for the child’s use.
Personal exemption claims must be made in Canadian dollars, which requires you to convert the amount you paid for goods in the U.S. (including sales tax) into Canadian dollars at the applicable rate of exchange.
Generally, the goods you include in your personal exemption must be for your personal or household use. This includes souvenirs, prizes and gifts.
Goods brought in for commercial use or for another person do not qualify as a personal exemption and are subject to full duties.
Goods you include in your 24-hour exemption or 48-hour exemption have to be with you on your arrival in Canada. Goods you claim in your 7-day exemption may be shipped to your home by mail, courier or other means of transportation, except for tobacco and alcohol.[/color]

TY, Elizabeth, for the clarification. Too bad for the Canadians who shop and wish to be honest about it. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

And if you have Nexus/Global Entry and you get caught not declaring properly, it gets taken away.

It sounds like Canadian regulations are a lot more strict than US, if they actually enforce them. We regularly buy more than our allowance of certain things and always declare it on the form and can't remember EVER having had to pay duty.

Wow - this Canadian stuff is really amazing. God help the detail oriented honest person! We try to declare purchases liberally and have never been asked to pay anything even though we were over a couple times - jewelry can get you up there pretty quickly. Years ago, coming back into US from SXM, we had actually purchased/acquired nothing - zero - and we put zero on form. That was the only time we have ever been picked for the secondary screening and they actually opened our bags and looked through our stuff. They very quickly lost interest in us - the wife claims they quickly realized that we are just cheap. Ever after we put at least some positive number greater than zero on the form - and we almost always have acquired stuff anyway.

Yes, we learned that a while ago, even if we really did buy nothing, we put down like $50, because we were questioned when we didn't put down anything. They didn't actually search our bags though. We told them "we've been to SXM a million times, we don't need any more jewelry, liquor is too heavy to carry back and we sure as heck don't need any more t-shirts!!" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> If they looked at our passports, they saw a million stamps in there for SXM, so guess that satisfied them. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" /> These days, we have a brand new passport that we just initiated in December, so that story might not work! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Thank you so much. When I vacation, I want to be happy, stress free, and no problems. This information helps so much.
Re new Canadian rules,,,,,only in Canada - eh?? lol
One more sleep,,,,all is good!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Honesty is the best policy ..Not worth while getting caught because we needed another bottle of booze ...not worth the $20 ....