Vendors, borders, & paperwork

  This might be a good place to bring this up.... problems and solutions for crossing the Canada/U.S. border.

   At the World Horror Convention in Toronto last year, a group sharing a dealers table flew in from the States, but they couldn't get their books from customs (temporarilly lost or something).  They had some brochures, and a few odds and ends between them, but it was quite a wake up call.

  I'm very new at this, just started last year with crossing the border for conventions.  I was lucky to be able to cross the border with my stuff, but that was for art shows.  I'm looking into paperwork that vendors need to use going back and forth with their stuff, my case being prints of my artwork.

 I need to learn what/where/etc... to obtain the paperwork.  I'm Canadian.

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Dead people are so passive....

That is a really good point.  I bet alot of people do not realize that!  Thanks for posting it!

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Selling or displaying "over there"

A situation arose at the border for me, while heading into the States for an artshow I was displaying at.

The boder gaurd asked where and what...

I said going to display at a show. I have art prints and T shirts.

He asked what I was going to do with the shirts.

I said sell them !

You all can guess what could have happened next.  I was told I needed paperwork and an agent or broker or something, to get my stuff in for sale.

Guess who almost croaked at THAT little bit of info !!!  I had to go back to Canada to get all that done first to sell anything, yet the event started that morning.

So, did it get any worse or better you ask ?  YES !!!

It got better.  

I asked him," So even though this is my own artwork, I can't go to the convention, and show my work in the artshow without paperwork and brokers ???"

He said, "You can show your artwork, but you can't SELL the artwork , or the shirts"!

 "So I can show my stuff still ?  Hell... that's the most important part.  I couldn't care less about a few stupid shirts.  Cripes almighty, you almost gave me a heart attack.  Officer, it's the artshow  I'm attending, the shirts will stay in the car, or you can throw them in the trash right now...oh man, I'm so relieved...I thouht you were going to send me home, after all the work getting accepted into the artshow...."

He let me in with everything, and it went okay (eccept for paying duty on all that vodka I brought back, but that was still worth it).

This year I'll be looking to sell stuff, so I'm looking for info on the paperwork the guards will ask me for.  I'm getting it ALL done right .  Canadian vendors and artists who have wisdom and advice to share, please do so. 

 

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Dead people are so passive....

I worked with a company (and one time personally took items over the border from Canada to US - I'm in US). They used these people that we called Border Brokers. Their offices are all around the border just for that in case you get stuck at the border.

Anyway - maybe do a google search on border brokers to see what comes up. They do want their fee (of course - paperwork is not for free.... :(  

My personal experience going to Canada - I got stuck because I forgot that I was born in Italy and did not bring my Naturalization paperwork. I've lived in the US ever since I was 2 and it just didn't EVEN cross my mind. The border police nearly tore my van apart. I was going over empty to bring telephone equipment back. They checked in cubby holes that I didn't even know that I had. They looked in my purse, everything. They finally let us over. (We went up through Montana.)

Then we went and got our equipment (we had paperwork too) and were coming back to the US. With the hassle that we had previously, and the equipment we now had in the van (some of it was very questionable about coming over) we were not expecting it to go well. The guards were changing shifts (it was probably about 4 o'clock). One looked at our paperwork. Then laid it down. Another picked it up and told us to just go. We got out of there as fast as we could. Nobody looked in the van at all. We were even afraid to go to the bathroom. We just wanted out.

Not fun. Major adrenaline rush.

Sandy 

 

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Finally got it all together.... but forgot where I put it!

Tomornorman wrote: A situation arose at the border for me, while heading into the States for an artshow I was displaying at. The boder gaurd asked where and what... I said going to display at a show. I have art prints and T shirts. He asked what I was going to do with the shirts. I said sell them ! You all can guess what could have happened next. I was told I needed paperwork and an agent or broker or something, to get my stuff in for sale. Guess who almost croaked at THAT little bit of info !!! I had to go back to Canada to get all that done first to sell anything, yet the event started that morning. So, did it get any worse or better you ask ? YES !!! It got better. I asked him," So even though this is my own artwork, I can't go to the convention, and show my work in the artshow without paperwork and brokers ???" He said, "You can show your artwork, but you can't SELL the artwork , or the shirts"! "So I can show my stuff still ? Hell... that's the most important part. I couldn't care less about a few stupid shirts. Cripes almighty, you almost gave me a heart attack. Officer, it's the artshow I'm attending, the shirts will stay in the car, or you can throw them in the trash right now...oh man, I'm so relieved...I thouht you were going to send me home, after all the work getting accepted into the artshow...." He let me in with everything, and it went okay (eccept for paying duty on all that vodka I brought back, but that was still worth it). This year I'll be looking to sell stuff, so I'm looking for info on the paperwork the guards will ask me for. I'm getting it ALL done right . Canadian vendors and artists who have wisdom and advice to share, please do so.

Did you ever consider preshipping the merchandise over as freight to
a trusted associate in the US and then pick it up when you get here.
Ship it as  though it was somebody's order for your merchandise. I
would be happy to act in this capacity for you when you cross into the
US via the Ambassador Bridge. I live about a half an hour from the
border. I would only charge you a lunch or dinner. Italian or steak
please. Seriiously!!

Wally

 

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Just Nurturing My Inner Deviant

If all else fails, you'll be my hero 

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Dead people are so passive....

Border Brokers.... That's a good start.  Must learn more.....must surf the internet....

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Dead people are so passive....

I'm reading up on the Border brokers, but there is a lot to read.

Two questions :

 1) Are brokers sometimes located very close to the border crossings, so you can pic up your stuff and continue your journey ?

2)  Do you find their prices reasonable ?

 I'd be sending over a package or box that would be 12"x 14"x 12", maybe weighing 20 lbs, and that is all.

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Dead people are so passive....

Quote: "1) Are brokers sometimes located very close to the border crossings, so you can pic up your stuff and continue your journey ?"

The border brokers are usually real close to the border.

Usually border brokers handle the paperwork for you to
get your stuff across. You have to handle with the guards at the border
with your paperwork and items.

If shipping the items, use fedex or ups. Fedex or ups handle all the
paperwork. You just use one of their forms for international shipping. 

Quote: 2)  Do you find their prices reasonable ?

Reasonable - who wants to pay to move a box from here to there and pay someone so that can happen? I guess it depends if you consider that reasonable. I don't mean to be a smartie about that. I just hate it when we are doing something honest and you have to pay extra to do it.

I don't know the going rate for border brokers. I would guess that you would have to do the old fashion way and shop around.

Border brokers may handle more than just paperwork, but that's all I've had to deal with them is strickly paperwork. To be honest, I never met one.

Maybe call a couple up and start asking a bunch of questions to see what will work the best for you and the services that they offer.

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Finally got it all together.... but forgot where I put it!