I am wanting to purchase a used horse trailer sight unseen that is located in Texas. I would need this trailer to be shipped to a location near the Canadian border, to be imported into Canada. How can I cover my butt to make sure that this trailer is what I was wanting? What if it arrives and it isn't what I was looking for? This trailer is being sold by a private individual and not a dealer.
1 Verify the horse trailer's branding history if you are buying the vehicle in the U.S. This will confirm if the trailer has been involved in a serious accident and may not be deemed roadworthy by Canadian authorities.
2 Contact the Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RIV) in Canada for "recall clearance" for your horse trailer. Once RIV has received confirmation that any manufacturing defects have been corrected and the trailer does not pose a safety risk, recall clearance documents --- valid for 30 days --- will be issued. There are some exemptions to this RIV process, such as vehicles imported by temporary residents or visiting forces personnel. RIV can be contacted toll free at 888-848-8240 in both the U.S. and Canada.
3 Confirm if the horse trailer needs modifying to comply with Canadian motor vehicle safety standards by checking the website of government transport agency Transport Canada.
4 Complete all relevant documentation such as the vehicle import form --- available at border crossings or in advance from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) --- and ensure you have original proof of ownership for the vehicle. Because the horse trailer is not a self-propelled vehicle, there is no need to fill out forms for U.S. Customs.
5 Pay the relevant vehicle import fee to CBSA. As of February 2011, this fee was around $220, including taxes. You can pay via credit card at the border or in advance through the agency's website or at its offices. Checks are also accepted but should be sent well in advance as processing times can be lengthy. Due to local taxes, import fees may vary depending on the region of Canada you arrive in.
6 Check the inspection form issued by RIV in order to determine if any modifications are needed. If they are, they should be carried out as soon as possible and the trailer taken to a RIV inspection center for checking.
Posted 2012-03-27 9:21 AM (#142527 - in reply to #142519) Subject: RE: sight unseen purchase/cross international border
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Originally written by comrey2006 on 2012-03-26 8:51 PM
I am wanting to purchase a used horse trailer sight unseen that is located in Texas. I would need this trailer to be shipped to a location near the Canadian border, to be imported into Canada. How can I cover my butt to make sure that this trailer is what I was wanting? What if it arrives and it isn't what I was looking for? This trailer is being sold by a private individual and not a dealer.
The only way you can be sure of the trailer is to go look at it for yourself. Depending on the trailer price... Airfare may be cheap insurance for your " butt".
Posted 2012-03-27 10:32 AM (#142539 - in reply to #142519) Subject: RE: sight unseen purchase/cross international border
Member
Posts: 13
Location: London Ontario
I am in Ontario and have been looking at various trailers on the site. Same concerns about bringing one in to Canada and not knowing condition of used. Ninety nine point nine percent of people are good, honest and represent the equipment as it is. My fear is the point one percent. Unless its new, its hard to know. How can you tell if any welds are cracked etc. without actually looking at the trailer. My needs are simple. A 16 to 18 foot aluminum to haul cattle to shows and market about 4 times a year. Good luck with your search.
Posted 2012-03-27 5:47 PM (#142543 - in reply to #142519) Subject: RE: sight unseen purchase/cross international border
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Another thought ... Take pictures... lots of them all around and in the trailer . If you do decide to purchase it, show the pictures to the transporter. Tell them if the condition has changed when they arrive to p/u. DON"T take it. Then the transporter is responsible to deliver it in the same condition they picked it up. If it's not, you have some hold on the transporter.
Posted 2012-03-28 9:17 AM (#142569 - in reply to #142519) Subject: RE: sight unseen purchase/cross international border
Regular
Posts: 56 Location: Shawnee, Oklahoma
I would either fly down to look at it....or....call a reputable dealer nearby and pay them to go inspect it....I wouldn't give any down payment to a private individual at all....they may be perfectly ok, but I wouldn't risk my money. We have inspected several trailers off of our lot for out of state purchasers....for one thing it insures that the trailer is actually a real trailer and not a scam ad....as well as verifying the condition is what the seller is advertising....We had a customer wire money to Florida to have a "good deal" LQ trailer shipped up here to Oklahoma....supposedly, the trailer was in the E-bay "yard"....we all know how that worked out...if they had called a dealer to go look at it, they would have found out real quick that the trailer was no longer in the "yard" and that there really never really was a trailer to begin with.....P.S...A few months ago, I bought a classic car at an auction out of state....I paid a regular vehicle inspector to look it over for me first....money well spent....
sight unseen purchase/cross international border
