BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 07:55 AM

McGrath,

It is because of the Free Trade agreement that I was not required to pay Duty. I would have been required to do so before the agreement. The Sales Taxes that I paid were 7% Federal & 8% Provincial.

I think if the instrument had been more valuable I would have found an "alternative" way of getting her here.

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 05:34 AM

I thought you had some kind of a free-trade arrangement set up between the US and Canada. Sounds more complicated than it would be between different countries in the European Union.

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 01:10 AM

Well, I just put new stings on her. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what she sounds like now, I don't think herself would appreciate Foggy Mountain Brokedown (my version of the Scruggs classic) at this time of night.

I'm off to bed myself.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 12:24 AM

I have had Purolater shipments from Utah. That's where most of my jewelry comes from (Navajo trader).

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 12:21 AM

Dicho,

It's funny, you mentioned Purolator in the original thread and Charcloth had never heard of them. I thought that they would be as big in the U.S as they are here, but I guess I was wrong.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 11:26 PM

About what I would figure. Thanks. I was called on by Canada Customs to provide proof of purchase price a couple of times, but they let me fax the bill of sale to them (Calgary). By doing the brokerage with Customs yourself, you avoid the brokerage charge put on by UPS or FedEx (Purolater has got jewelery items to me without the 10% duty and never charged me a brokerage fee, that is why I prefer them). In one case the shipper had put a ridiculously low value on the item hoping to help me on the taxes. The other, the shipper had done the opposite and they charged on his declaration, on which I asked for a correction. They threatened me with getting an appraiser at my cost, but didn't follow through since they knew roughly what the item was worth (why do people think Customs employees are stupid? It's amazing the knowledge that an employee with a few years experience has).

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 10:59 PM

Dicho,

Thanks again for your advice in the other thread I started.

After getting the run around from Fed Ex, I ended up calling a friend of mine who is in the freight business. I haven't seen the bill yet, so I'm not sure how much the shipping was. He did me a favour. Because I don't have a customs broker I had to get the paperwork from the warehouse it was in, go to Canada Customs with the bill of sale and the photocopy of the Money order that I sent to Charcloth. You were right, there is no duty on stringed instruments. I had to pay PST & GST on the $312 U.S. that I paid. That came to $74.47 Cdn. I expect the shipping to be about $50 U.S.

I think in the future I would use UPS.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 10:50 PM

Steve, for future cross-border shippers of delicate machinery, tell us a little of the customs charges, taxes, shipping charges, etc. I have received a lot of different items, but not musical instruments. I would like to know if I was right on this item.

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 10:33 PM

Very damned good! I'm glad it arrived and that you are pleased with it. Good on Charcloth, too, for donating the profits to Mudcat! I don't know banjos, but it looked like a beauty from the photos.

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 10:26 PM

I tuned her up and played it tonight.

I'm gonna love this banjo!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 03:28 PM

Glad to hear it arrived safely. I had noted Rick Fieldings comments in the auction about the Aria Pro - it certainly sounds as if it should be a good one!

Re the tone ring, there is a bit more to it than that. There are other tone ring banjos that have great sound but not a bluegrass sound. Really it is specifically the Mastertone type designs you are looking at for that music.

Jon

Subject: The Aria Banjo Has Arrived!!!
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 03:10 PM

Well, I was starting to think that this day would never come. The Aria Pro that Charcloth put up on the Mudcat Auction has arrived. I have jumped through a bunch of hoops getting it here, Charcloth has been really patient and helpful in going through some of these hoops with me. You should see the steps he went to to make sure it arrived to me in one piece. I think that the Louvre receives priceless art that isn't as well packaged. It did arrive intact.

Well, this looks and feels like a beautiful instrument. For those who were also bidding, I thought you would like to know it sounds and plays terribly. However, I suspect that will improve once I put the bridge back on and tune it up.

Well, I now have a real Banjo. My current one was a pretty good sounding and playing Cast Aluminium pot, but this has a Tone Ring. I've played my Uncle's Tone Ring Banjos and there is no comparison in sound and playability.

I can't wait to run her up and hear her voice.

I also think that I've made an online buddy in Charcloth.

Thanks Mudcat.