25 customs/tax fee to ship audio to Canada ??

Actually, just wanted to ask one more clarifying question - does the fact that the preamp was originally made in Canada have any bearing on the tax charge, or would it need to be paid irrespective of country of origin? Thanks!!
Outlier.

It doesn't matter where the unit was made as it pertains to tax. Be it a Thor preamp from the US or a Sonic Frontiers from Canada your buyer was going to pay the taxes because the unit was coming into Canada. The Governments "pretend" like you were buying it locally where you would have paid the tax anyways. Now European and I assume Australian stuff as well would be subject to I believe 6% duties which are factored into the cost of the unit prior to administering the tax rates!

As I pointed out earlier - if you reside on the northern side of the border you should try all avenues before purchasing from outside the country. This negates all applicable taxes, duties and brokerage fees. All you'll have to pay is the freight assuming you are buying from a private individual as opposed to a dealer of used gear.

Gear availability is tied into demographics - there are 10 Americans for every Canadian and it only stands to reason that the greatest supply of used gear will be available from the USA.

Outilier:
So far as I know, it does not make a difference.
C'est las vie!

Jeff

Wow, I had no idea Canadian rates were so high. I appreciate the heads-up. I got a pre amp from Australia with a declared value of $2500 and my bill was around $75.

Regards,
Patrick