That's a good question and wondering the same. I'm sure they will get taxed but all I can say is if you buy a pin in the states and bring it back to Canada, don't lie to the customs officers. They will tear you a new ***hole and they're not as dumb as they look . Oh, and they are very familiar with this forum.

Yup, they know about Pinside. They'll even ask you to log into your bank account on their system, and show them where you took out the "supposed" amount. They know all the tricks. If you think you can out-smart them through one angle, there's a 99% chance they got it covered.

There's more damage done by not paying the stupid tax on the pin you're bringing up. Always tell the truth. It's better paying $600 tax on the pin than paying a penalty + additional fee's because you were caught lying (which can be $1000+).

Seems like US customs are lenient, but I guess having a machine that was manufactured in your country changes everything. From my experience, everyone who's bringing anything back from the US whether it be a magazine to a t-shirt has a target on their head. They're money hungry and I'm sure each officer has a quota to meet which is why you'll sometimes get a pleasant officer or you'll get that power-tripped guy/gal. I don't know why, but every time I enter the US the customs officers are super chill. Sure they ask the typical questions but it'll end with some sort of humor for example, one officer asked if I had a dead body in my trunk, or another asked if I am hiding any terrorists . Canadian customs need to lighten up a bit. But in the end I do respect them for keeping our borders safe. That's what it's really all about right? Or just increasing the bottom line for our government LOL.