Hi Gary!
No I haven't visited the Oakville Mall yet. That will be a trip we'll take soon. I have been querying online for marine/fish/aquarium stores in the Toronto area and not much has come up. But, once we get a list of a few places we'll make a trip and check them out. There is one place we found "Oakville Marine Gallery" that has a store front with regular hours. A few other places were home based businesses by appointment. I'm more comfortable "shopping" in a regular store where I may or may not decide to purchase something as opposed to making an appointment in someone’s home and then feeling like I "now need to buy something".
Regarding the border; this is third party - but I was told by a US marine store owner that they have imported from Canada and the issue was not the corals but the entry of commercial goods (as opposed to goods for personal use) into the US required the usual customs entry procedures that any other commercial endeavour would be required to fulfill. In other words a documented customs entry for the goods and the required duties and taxes owing. (Pay your toll to the troll!) The documentation may require the completion of import permits as well, but that is just usual custom procedure and not difficult. Import permits are used by governments for the statistical collection of “balance of trade” information and a few other reasons that really make no sense to most of us, but required none the less. Many items that we purchase at our local grocery stores, for example; coffee, require import permits. Steel requires an import permit. The list is long and the permit is a very simple form to complete. It’s just life at the border and once you do it you realize how simple it actually is. But personal importation for personal use will not require the formal import procedures. Remember you are not importing endangered goods, please keep reading below.
CITIES is to control the international movement and possession of specifically identified endangered species. This is an international attempt to eliminate the destruction and extinction of specifically identified species. For example; the possession and international movement of any “ivory” item is illegal, (this includes great grandma’s ivory hair brush that has been in the family for 90 years). This is to stem the trade and harvesting of elephant tusks and decimating the elephant populations. The CITIES agreement could be the subject of a very long debate and not everyone will agree with how we stop the destruction and trade of endangered flora and fauna. The corals that we are able to purchase in the marine trade at our local LFS stores are not on the CITIES list. Now I'm not saying that you can’t find illegally obtained species, because a person can find illegal goods of any kind almost anywhere if they want to pay for it. The standard run of marine life that we can all purchase in almost any LFS is not endangered – YET! If what you are importing is for your own personal use, is not intended for resale, is not on the list then revenues may be collected if the value exceeds the personal exemption limit. Exemption dollar value limits are based on the length of time absent from the US.
I’m just trying to highlight the border crossing requirements a wee bit. I have been importing and moving goods both ways across the Canada/USA border personally and commercially for more than 30 years now. It can seem confusing to folks not used to it, but you shouldn’t have a problem if everything is done on the up and up. If you are looking to import for commercial purposes, your life will be easier, albeit slightly more expensive, to use the services of a customs broker. If you want to know something; just make a telephone call to your local Customs Office and ask. Notate the date, time and person that you talked to just in case you encounter someone with a different understanding of the rules. But you shouldn’t have a problem.
I avoided the border question at first because it is a complex international trade negotiation matter. But to the average person who shops in a store in one country, anywhere in the world, and then takes their personal goods across the border into their own country too their own home for their own personal use; it’s really not a big deal. It’s done by thousands of people every day!
Anyway, I’m enjoying reading the thread and everybody’s ideas. I truly don’t want to offend anyone with my response above. On a more fun level; I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone at the Frag Swap! Any ideas on a way to identify each other; being as I don’t know anyone yet? What about some type of meet and greet? Or is all of that just too silly for all of us grownups? Coffee someplace before the swap starts, because once I’m finished shopping I’ll want to get my stuff home before it cools. How does everyone keep their purchases warm on a road trip home of any duration, like 4 hours or so?
Dave & the Boss (Tracy)
