Think twice before bringing CG to Canada!

I love Chemical guys and love trying out their products so I thought I'd make an order directly from the CG website in the states and have them ship it to the border (the ups store) and I would pick it up since I live only 45min away.

I ordered some JETseal, microfibres, A couple gallons of Undercarriage spray, pads, and the VRP dressing.

So I never mess around at the border and try to lie about claiming items so I printed off an invoice and made my way over there. I made my way over and because it was Easter Weekend I had to wait about 1.5hrs to get across the border at Ogdensburg right off the 416 South from Ontario. Didn't have many problems crossing into the border but once I picked up my shipment from the UPS store and started heading back my mind went off and started thinking of wild scenarios.

Now a little background info about me. Was born in India but moved to Canada when I was a kid and have been living here since. I'm 20 yrs old and my skin tone is brown.......and on that particular day I didn't shave.

Now picture a brown guy with a patchy beard and a black dodge charger with heavy tint coming into Canada with a box in his trunk that says "CHEMICAL GUYS" on it....yes you guessed it.

OHhhhhhhh LORD! so I tell the CBSA Officer "yes sir I ordered some car wax and car detailing products and have $140 to claim". He asks for the invoice and after I hand it to him his eyes opened wide and he looked at me as he went into deep thought. At this point all I could think of was "DAM IT! I hope they don't confiscate my JETSEAL! I paid good money for that 16oz bottle!!!"

The officer looks at me and finally tells me to park my car on the side and go inside to pay the taxes. I reach to get my passport back but he tells me I'll get this back after I've gone inside. Not exactly your standard procedure but hey, I'm not going to argue and get a nightstick to the back.

I park my car, proceed inside and pay my $16 in taxes. As I ask for my passport back the other CBSA Officer looks at me and says. Let's go have a look at your car first.
me: *sigh okayyy...right this wayy officer....

As he's walking to my car he puts on his gloves takes my keys and tells me to stand by the sidewalk while some of his buddies kept a close watch on me. He started to search my car inside out reading any documents that were there and going through everything. Again, I know I had nothing to hide so I let him go ahead and proceed and didn't say a word. Didn't feel like getting a nightstick to the back.

30 minutes later

CBSA Officer: So do you order stuff from Chemical Guys often?
me: First time ordering from this site, they sell car detailing products blah blah blah....


And finally the polite CBSA Officer sent me on my way and didn't confiscate my Jetseal :thumb:

Moral of the story....just order CG stuff from Chris @ eshine next time! it's all because of that 12 microfibres for $17.95 that got me hooked!

Anyways, that was my little experience at the border.....

-Waseem

 

I thought that was going to end bad, Hahahaha thank goodness you got your stuff, I never tried C.G. stuff, I guess I should.

 

yeah, CG makes some nice stuff.

 

I can just think what they where thinking when they see a brown person crossing the border with something called JetSeal from a company called Chemical Guys :lol:

Glad you got it pass the border, also nice to see another Indian on the board...dont know how many are on here...ha.

 

haha it also didn't help that the chemical guys logo was a big intimidating skull! but I love their products and will continue to buy them.

I also wanna mention tho that the guys at the border were very professional and also very polite. The guys opened up to me after I mentioned I worked for the RCMP. Boy I hate playing that card!

 

why am I the only one who faces A** cops lol

 

The Officers always glaze over when they ask what I bought and I try to go into depth about car sealants vs carnauba wax and polymer technologies while at the same time educating about proper car wash etiquettes.

They usually then get fed up and just tell me to be on my way.

 

that's sucks lol.

 

hahaha that's pretty funny

especially the CG logo

 

Sooo, do you work at the airport??? hehehe

 

what's that ticking noise...

 

crazy story man . . . . . . just be glad you can order CG stuff for a decent price. I live in Hawaii and CG is just to damn expensive to get here via FedEX from CG

 

My case is the other way around. I waited at the border for 2 hours plus 1 hour to wait inside the office, while they search my car. From now on, I will probably spend more to buy from Ken and Chris or ship directly to vancouver from the states.

 

That's why in my last trip to the US, I chose not to buy anything and take it back with me. Especially claybars.

Try explaining it to the officers what it is and they'll be thinking its some sort of plastique or something.

Glad you got through.

 

Wild! What a PITA though... Glad you were able to keep your chit though :thumb:

 

Waseem...at least you didn't hear the dreaded snap of the rubber glove, LOL. Too bad you didn't have some stripper scent...you could have told him he gets that for free at home from his wife!!! (or maybe not if you didn't want the glove treatment, hehehehhe)

 

at least ricarrdo is not white clay lol

 

LOL, he was wearing leather gloves :doh:

 

lol ps3king you have it Easy... im a Indian Muslim Born and Raised in Kuwait (Middle East) now living in Canada for the past 10 years.... its fun crossing the Border with the Kuwait Connection

 

LOL Waseem! That's crazy!

I would've thought the US border would give you much more trouble than the Canadian one. Canada is use to see you Russell Peters

Next time, get stuff ship here Corporate Center
Close to the border, and you don't go on a treasure hunt to find your stuff.