Buying in US - XP from Nurseries and Baby Gear

maddiemoon43

Did you have any trouble bringing the items back? 

I have found the gov't site that lists the restrictions and requirements, but I am not sure if the US items will have the required info (ie: instructions in French, etc.). 

https://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/cons/consumer_prod-consommation-eng.php

I have a hard time spending $85 more on a Gracco PNP at BRU here than 50 minutes away in Michigan.  The Gracco crib we like here at Sears is over $300, and less than $200US. We paid $500 with taxes for our Chicco Cortina travel system since I know baby setas in particular are subject to Cdn. rules, and yesterday on here people were sharing that they got theirs for less than $300US. Ugh...this is so frustrating, esp when it is the same item, same brand, AND our dollar is pretty much equal these days.

jp03

Hi There,

First of all, I completely agree, and understand what you're thinking and where you're coming from.

We live in the 'Peg (only about an hour away from the border), and thought of doing the same thing - but were/are worried about bringing all this stuff back (especially complying with the safety regulations).

A couple of things - my father was a customs broker, so I suggest this if you're going to bring anything back.  Just declare it - if you're upfront & honest "I bought a playpen and here's the receipt" - worst case you'll have to pay the duty (regardless of how long you were/are gone for).

As for the $ amount - I'm so with you.  It was so frustrating to have to pay almost $400Cdn for our travel system, when it wasn't even $200 state-side.  But we have that maple leaf canadian sticker on it, in the event that we're ever pulled over by the police who are doing a spot check (I've never heard of it happening, but then again, Murphy does play a huge roll in my life).

Third thing - what about warrantee returns?  Say if something broke - would you have to return it to the US in order to qualify for the refund/exchange/fix? That could be a real pain in the rear end - because sometimes, things that are bought in the US have their warrantees voided when crossing the border...check that one out.  Sometimes you're fine, sometimes you're not.

So at this point, I say take a 'research trip' down to the states.  See what they have, what they don't have and check your prices. Sometimes if you're pretty close to what it would cost up here (calculating the duty on it), it's cheaper to purchase it up here.  Also, figure in the cost of gas down & back - again, if it works out, brilliant.  And last but not least, down there see what you can find on the outside of the product boxes (most of them have spanish/english for the states), and see if the store might even let you open them up.  Then you'll know for sure.

 Good luck - let me know how it turns out - feel free to PM me. 

crusty1

I'd buy everything but the car seat from the US if I were you. We're only 1 hr from the border here, but 3 hours from any decent shopping locales... so buying stateside wasn't really an option we explored.

But the carseat... I'd suck it up & buy one here. We have stricter standards on our baby equipment - car seats especially - than they do in the US, so it's not only a matter of being pulled over & getting a ticket, it's a matter of your LO's safety.

MeghanF13

Different countries have different safety standards for more than just car seats. Each country has regulations regarding gaps in the crib (between bars), gaps between mattress and sides, standard mattress size, etc. So I would definitely check everything. Also, maybe check with the Healthy Canadians part of the government for info. Or border services to find out if you can bring that stuff over.