Cross-Border Beer Shopping - tips & discussion

Blasphomet · Post by **Blasphomet** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:16 pm

When you guys go to Premiere Gourmet, do you just do a day trip and declare everything and pay tax/duty? Or do you usually go down and stay over night in NY?

I've done three day trips and always declare the beer. First time i was let through with no fees, second time I paid tax/duty. Third time I paid, and had my car searched lol. I haven't bothered going since on a day trip.

What are your experiences?

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:28 pm

Blasphomet wrote:When you guys go to Premiere Gourmet, do you just do a day trip and declare everything and pay tax/duty? Or do you usually go down and stay over night in NY?

I've done three day trips and always declare the beer. First time i was let through with no fees, second time I paid tax/duty. Third time I paid, and had my car searched lol. I haven't bothered going since on a day trip.

What are your experiences?

Always declare everything (volume anyway).

Going over for 24 hours doesn't get you an exemption but usually gets you waived through if you have a case or less. 48 hours gets you your one case exemption.

If I had to guess I'd say I crossed over about 10X in 2013 on day trips and paid duty 9 times. I almost always had 2+ cases of total volume so I wasn't expecting to get waived through. Go prepared to pay duty and hope for the best.

Also, BT pet peeve, there's no 'e' in Premier Gourmet

Had to finally say that. Everyone around here does it! You guys can flame away at me now.

Blasphomet · Post by **Blasphomet** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:35 pm

Yeah I never even noticed being Canadian lol. Like I said, I always declared everything and always will. I don't mind paying duty/tax, as I pretty much break even monetarily even after paying for gas. I want to go down there again some time soon. I was just wondering if the searched my car because of it being my third time in about half a year, or if it was because my girlfriend also declared a few articles of clothing.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:42 pm

TheSevenDuffs wrote:
Blasphomet wrote:When you guys go to Premiere Gourmet, do you just do a day trip and declare everything and pay tax/duty? Or do you usually go down and stay over night in NY?

I've done three day trips and always declare the beer. First time i was let through with no fees, second time I paid tax/duty. Third time I paid, and had my car searched lol. I haven't bothered going since on a day trip.

What are your experiences?
Always declare everything (volume anyway).

Going over for 24 hours doesn't get you an exemption but usually gets you waived through if you have a case or less. 48 hours gets you your one case exemption.

If I had to guess I'd say I crossed over about 10X in 2013 on day trips and paid duty 9 times. I almost always had 2+ cases of total volume so I wasn't expecting to get waived through. Go prepared to pay duty and hope for the best.

Also, BT pet peeve, there's no 'e' in Premier Gourmet Had to finally say that. Everyone around here does it! You guys can flame away at me now.

It's not our fault they spelled it wrong.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:46 pm

Blasphomet wrote: I was just wondering if the searched my car because of it being my third time in about half a year, or if it was because my girlfriend also declared a few articles of clothing.

They searched your car because they didn't believe that you were declaring everything. That's the bottom line. It was probably just a suspicion that the border guard had based on how you answered a question or some other non-verbal signal that you or your girlfriend gave.

One you pay your duty, if they give you your yellow ticket back it means you are getting the search.

I have been searched once. It was when I went to Michigan with a friend literally for an hour. maybe they thought it was a long way to drive 6 hours round trip for beer and that was enough to do it.

I have probably crossed over 30 times over the past 3 years when exceeding my exemption and that was the only time I was searched. So it has nothing to do with the number of times you crossed over in a period of time. In fact, there's been times where I have crossed over two or three weekends in a row without prompting a search.

Alpha10 · Post by **Alpha10** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:22 pm

I made 6 day trips last year via Queenston/Lewiston and declared everything on return. I was asked to pay taxes once. Declare everything. I know a bunch of people who work for CBSA and they aren't so kind if they find something that you haven't declared. Also, the extra "e" at the end of Premier is for "e"xpensive hobby.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:08 pm

Alpha10 wrote:Also, the extra "e" at the end of Premier is for "e"xpensive hobby.

I always see it too when I pay. Love the new store!!

Crossing the border, I'd say don't be at all sketchy or have any clever ideas. You'll just come across nervous or phoney. Just don't GAS that you might have to pay 30% of your receipts and resign to the fact in advance and it won't bother you.
I'm always like 'yup I was just down for the day, did X and Y, some groceries and beer, cost Z amount.' Because it's entirely true and forthcoming they don't ask a lot of Q's anymore.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:17 pm

Alpha10 wrote:I made 6 day trips last year via Queenston/Lewiston and declared everything on return. I was asked to pay taxes once. Declare everything.

Well - don't declare that our Mayor would be better replaced by an orangutan. He'll think you're a smart ass and this will only piss him off.

Masterplan · Post by **Masterplan** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:37 am

In terms of "declare everything", you are much better to declare by the case of beer say you have 'a case and half of beer', then it is to say you have '$150 worth of various craft beers...' Made that mistake once, every other time I've gotten through without hassle. The level of truthiness is the key.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:37 pm

in December, i went to Buffalo for the day. it was a tuesday. the wife was working, i had an order of East Coast yeast waiting for me and the Jets were playing. so i thought i'd do a 1 day solo trip.

bought a bunch of beer at PG. also bought some bourbon.

driving back, there's a white-out snow squall that hits the highway. i'm pretty stressed. i also got crazy reflux from the gatorade i was drinking to get rid of the salt pasties i had from eating at Coles.

i pull up to the border and get a really unfriendly guard. i'm also really tired. he asks me what i've bought and i totally blank. i say "uhhhh...$100 or so in beer.2 cases."
"pop open the trunk, sir."
so i do.
he yells "and what's this bottle of bourbon???"
i say "totally forgot."
he says "where's the receipt?"
i say "it's in the back." i get out and grab the receipt and he sees that i spent $240 plus the bourbon. he's looking through stuff and asks me something again. i'm in the car and i get out to reply and he yells "GET BACK IN THE CAR, SIR."
i almost puked on him. fun times.

the bottom line:
1. keep your receipt on you
2. know your dollar amounts
3. declare everything and pay the f'ing duty
4. do NOT buy spirits, since the tax is 100% of your purchase price
5. do NOT get out of your car when at the border.

Masterplan wrote:In terms of "declare everything", you are much better to declare by the case of beer say you have 'a case and half of beer', then it is to say you have '$150 worth of various craft beers...' Made that mistake once, every other time I've gotten through without hassle. The level of truthiness is the key.

they always ask me the total value of the beer, i think. or for a receipt.

JProulx · Post by **JProulx** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:28 pm

I've only gone once. When I crossed, I told him the exact amount of beer we had purchased, in Litres. The guy barely even looked at us, and waved us through.

After hearing all of the other stories, my adrenaline peaked as we got to the gate. I was so underwhelmed.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:31 pm

JProulx wrote:I've only gone once. When I crossed, I told him the exact amount of beer we had purchased, in Litres. The guy barely even looked at us, and waved us through.

After hearing all of the other stories, my adrenaline peaked as we got to the gate. I was so underwhelmed.

How many litres did you have? I find they are likely to waive you through if you are under 8.5L, but as soon as you are over that, it is usually duty time !

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:42 pm

I once crossed and told the lady how many beers I had. When she asked if they were all regular sized I said no and she asked me how much beer I had. So I told her the total number of ounces. Eventually she just asked me if I had more than a 24 or not and let me through.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:55 pm

it also depends on the border crossing.
i think niagara falls is the most lax, but not positive.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:24 pm

atomeyes wrote:it also depends on the border crossing.
i think niagara falls is the most lax, but not positive.

From my experience Niagara Falls is the least lax. I cross there all the time and pay duty almost every time. Compared to friends of mine who regularly cross at the Peace Bridge, I definitely pay duty at a higher rate. Small sample size alert though.

I'd be interested to hear what others have to say on the matter.