Anyone been thru this? Selling a car/2 to fella in canada?

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

I have been speaking with a fella in canada and i am willing to sell 2 cars to them.
Ive never sold to canada, and they have never purchased from USA.

So the short story, buick board member, i dont know the specifics of selling to canada...

Any canadians here willing to give me the run down of what to expect? I have clean and clear titles for the vehicles, neither have been wrecked, and neither have branded titles. I dont have current registration on one, is this a issue? As in the Title is in my name, but i just didnt pay 45.00 for a new tag/ plate because im not driving in the snow with it, obviously...
I just did a quick search, said current registration needed, but that doesnt make sense because thats MY reg, not the future owner.

Is it as basic as selling to usa fella?
I just want to be helpful getting them to the boarder, and no issues to cross.
Anything i need to know in advance?

Thanks

 

[sweetv6]

Hi Bryan

you have nothing to do
the buyer have to fill a custom form ( he need to call them to order it )
the form should be fill and send back to the custom
a week or 2 before. after that he can pass the border
with custom instruction it look like that and some fee and or taxe
need to be pay.

but for the title i dont know

for me the buyer will need to pass a mecanical inspection
and the province gov will delevring the new title but not sure

it is what i know
sorry my english suck
claude

 

[Dennis Kirban]

We did a few years ago to Canada.

The tricky part unless it has changed and your customer would know for sure is at the border they need the actual title in advance to check it out.

This can be tricky as obviousily as the seller you don;t want to release the title without payment.

Penalities are heavy for the buyer if games are played between prices paid and price actually paid.

They have no sense of humor at the border....the good news is I am sure cars get sold frequently and being its an older car rules are probably not as strict.

To avoid any hiccups I would have your Canadian customer do all the need research if he does not know he can easily check with a used car dealer up there as I am sure they have experience.

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[reggie44]

Hi Bryan,

Dennis is on the right track... it's not as difficult as it sounds if one has done it before or once or twice but it can be difficult to sometimes find the 'correct' answers or information from US Homeland Security or Canada Customs and Border Service as you will get many different opinions and answers (especially internet information). This is comming from someone that has done it many times. In a nutshell, to answer your first question, yes both ORIGINAL US Titles have to be in your name and have to be clear. If any liens are outstanding US Customs will require a notarized letter from the Bank, Credit Union or the person/company that holds the lien indicating that it has been released and said persons have no outstanding interest in that VIN #.

As Dennis said this is where it can get tricky, especially if the person interested in buying the vehicles is doing all the 'leg work' themselves. US Customs MUST be notified at a minimum of 72 hours at the Port of Entry (in other words) which border crossing the cars will be declared at ie: Peace Bridge Buffalo NY/Fort Erie in the form of the ORIGINAL TITLES from you the seller sent to the attention of the acting US Customs/Homeland Security Acting Supervisor on Duty AT THAT border crossing. THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT COPIES - EVEN NOTARIZED! The primary reason they want the original clear copies at US Customs is to run the VIN # through the FBI National Auto Theft computer to make sure the cars are in fact clear and never been stolen or involved in any illegal activities. If there is anything at all 'fishy' the vehicles are liable to be seized and impounded at US Homeland's discretion.

Assuming the original title arrive at US Homland security on time (minimum 72 hours) prior to crossing at the correct port of entry and again assuming the new owner is towing/trailering them, that person would report to the US Border Patrol office with the vehicles for inspection of the VIN plate and other parts of the vehicle mostly EPA. If everything checks out they will release the original titles to the new owner and they will be responsible for crossing the border and then declaring the cars and titles to Canada Customs and pay any applicable taxes to allow the vehicles into Canada.

My advice to you Bryan, even though you want to sell your vehicles and I am sure help the possible new owner as much as possible is make sure you are PAID IN FULL by wire transfer, CASH or you have CASH in hand before obviously releasing the clear original titles and vehicles to the new owner. I would also strongly suggest that you tell the person if they are from Canada to pay the few extra bucks and use a Customs broker to fill out all the correct paperwork and believe me there is a fair bit of it (Canada side). It's not worth it for the new owner to try and say they paid a different amount or low ball it as the pennalties on the CDN side can be quite stiff including worst case seizure and impoundment of the vehicle or triple the sales tax. Alot of guys will try this and it's a roll of the dice but believe me I know many people in Canada Customs and they are well tuned and aware of shows like Barrett-Jackson and clearly know the value of these vehicles. Plus the US and CDN dollar are almost at par right now.

PM me if you want the name of a good customs broker.

My employer is US Based and everything we import is Made in USA and have 15 to 20 trucks crossing every day and very large and expensive equipment in the millions but one wrong document can hold or stop things dead in their tracks. Hope this helps a bit.:biggrin:

 

[87NAT]

Bryan I have a guy from Canada looking at my Gn right now. We spoke on the phone for over an hour last night. Everything these previous posts have stated is true. My potential buyer said all of the same things. Its a real pain but mostly for them...not us. Good luck my friend.

 

[turboc87gn]

I bought a car from canada before and the easiest way to cross the border with the car is to drive it across plated and registered like you are visiting then sell the car in person....Have a friend follow you when all is done take your plate jump in with your buddy and ride back home... I did this but in reverse i was the buyer had no probs..My canadian friend i bought the car from had no issues either...