# how bad is it to buy a good carseat from US and use in Canada?



## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

I purchased a Radian online and it shipped directly to my house in Canada.
Is it legal to use in Canada?
I feel it is safe.
I am def. more concerned with safety than legalities, but I also would rather not have a fine.
How do I find out if my purchase is legal in Canada?


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## sanguine_speed (May 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *colsxjack* 
I purchased a Radian online and it shipped directly to my house in Canada.
Is it legal to use in Canada?
I feel it is safe.
I am def. more concerned with safety than legalities, but I also would rather not have a fine.
How do I find out if my purchase is legal in Canada?

It is not legal in Canada. The fine is $120 and 2 demerit points.
The safety testing standards are different between countries and Canadian seats must pass Canadian testing and get a CMVSS label.
I get what you're saying though.

Here is some more info I found from CTV news:
Every country has its own child seat standards and Canadian regulations differ from those in the United States. For example, U.S. certified booster seats have a lower weight limit than Canadian standards.

Car seats bought outside of Canada don't meet standards set by Canada's Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations (RSSR) or those of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), and do not bear the National Safety Mark required in Canada.

The Toronto Police Services sent out a news release this week to remind drivers that police are required to confiscate any car seats bought outside of Canada. Drivers can also be issued fines and/or demerit point penalties. Border guards can also take away the seats.

Transport Canada points out that should a car seat bought outside of Canada be involved in a crash that results in injury or death, insurance coverage could be reduced or even voided completely. As well, the owner could face criminal charges and/or face a lawsuit.

What's more, if a recall notice is issued on the car seat bought outside of Canada, it's possible the parent or caregiver would not be informed of the recall, nor would they be able to qualify for a refund from the manufacturer.

When buying a child safety seat, Canadian parents and caregivers should ensure it bears the National Safety Mark label indicating it complies with Canadian regulations and standards.


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## NaturallyKait (Sep 22, 2006)

American seats in Canada are a no no. We require different padding than the states, your manual will describe things (example :top tether) as optional when actually it is illegal in Canada not to do them, and as stated above it is illegal to use a non-Canadian seat in the first place. I've seen some cops do nothing and some cops refuse to let a parent drive away with the child until they have a legal seat. Also it is possible for an insurance company to refuse to pay for medical bills if your child was on an illegal seat.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

On the other hand, where did you order from? The majority of US retailers will not ship to Canada, so I am very confused. You should contact the place you ordered from and make sure that they know that they are encouraging illegal activity.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Even if they say they will ship to Canada it may very well get seized at the border.

IMO - not worth the legal risks. Heaven forbid you were in an accident & something awful happened - insurance wouldn't cover you & you could even be charged for having them improperly seated.

Safety wise - there are differences but I don't know that I believe one is better than the other.


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

Its a Radian 65Sl that I bought on-line from HealthCheck Systems.com
I did not know until recently that you needed to buy it in Canada.
I just checked and the seat does not have a sticker with a maple leaf. It has a sticker that says it is approved for aircraft by the FAA. That is the only sticker I see that isn't a manufacturer sticker.

I don't know what to do. I spent about $250 with shipping. We were hoping that it would be a car seat that we could use for a few years. We can't really afford to buy another car seat. And the thing is new. Manufactured in Sept 2009. Use half a dozen times. Maybe I could try to sell it to someone in the states? And then I could use the money to put towards a Canadian car seat.
Can you sell used car seats?

We rarely drive, and wanted to buy one that could do our DD for quite sometime. This really sucks.


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

You would think that they shouldn't be able to sell it to Canadians and ship it to a Canadian address! It isn't like I bought it in the States and brought it over the border. UPS shipped it directly to my front door.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

My guess is they can sell to Canada because selling doesn't mean they have the intention for their Canadian customer to actually _use_ the car seat. If there is a warning on the site that says the seats are illegal to use in Canada, they have no liability there.

You can sell used car seats, but understand a lot of people are hesitant to buy used car seats since they don't know the crash history and have to simply trust what you say.


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

I just checked the website and the no longer ship outside of the US for car seats. Maybe they realized they shouldn't, or they were sued or something?!
I am going to try contacting them and see if I can send it back and get a refund or something since they obviously shipped to me outside of the states.

I don't even know how to go about selling to someone in the states. And I couldn't sell to someone in Canada because I couldn't knowingly pass on my problem to someone else.
I guess I have to just buy a new seat and be out the hundreds of dollars and send mine to be recycled or landfilled. This sucks. I definitely have a lot more things I could do with >$200.


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## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

You could possibly send it to a hospital or somewhere in the US that provides car seats to low income families. It's worth looking into if the company won't take the seat back, though they should.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

If the site doesn't take it back (which they certainly should!!) you could sell it online to a US person and at least recoup some of the cost.


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## Michelle Renee (Dec 31, 2005)

This is a mess for me
My girls go back and forth every week.

They have one radian (canadian) and one britax decathalon.

The detroit/windsor thing...

I dunno what this means for us.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Michelle Renee* 
This is a mess for me
My girls go back and forth every week.

They have one radian (canadian) and one britax decathalon.

The detroit/windsor thing...

I dunno what this means for us.

You need to have carseats that 'match' your car's registration and licence plates. Visitors are granted some leeway.


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## soso-lynn (Dec 11, 2007)

If you do not have any luck with the company you bought it from, perhaps you could try contacting the manufacturer and seeing if they will exchange it for a Canadian one.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

dont send it to the landfill... If you cant figure anything else to do with it, Holiday Helpers just opened and I'm sure we could find a FIN who needs a carseat.


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## Britishmum (Dec 25, 2001)

Can't you sell it to someone in the US on ebay?


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## sanguine_speed (May 25, 2005)

You could sell it and buy another car seat for what you get for the Radian. You don't need a $250 car seat right now, if it really is a matter of you cannot afford another dime to add to what you can sell your seat for. In Canada, every car seat is tested to the same safety standards as the next. You just need to find something that fits your car, fits your child, and you can use correctly every time.


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## colsxjack (Dec 9, 2009)

Yes, I could not ever just send it to landfill. For one, I try to put very little into landfill, and also I could never throw away a perfectly good object. I was being overly dramatic.
I am just frustrated.
I think I am going to try to sell it to someone on ebay. Although shipping will be quite a bit. This thing is heavy.
I guess I will just have to buy another seat that is good in Canada.
We bought the radian because it had good reviews and will last our DD for a long time and I like that it has low sides and she can see over them.
We also love that it folded. We do not own a car and rarely rent or borrow one (hense the reason it has only been used a handful of times). So we liked that it stored easily in our home without taking up much space.

We now live somewhere with more storage. So I guess that isn't a necessity anymore.

I have been super busy so haven't contacted the company yet. I guess I am not feeling optimistic about the chances of them taking it back.

I guess I should try to sell it to see if I can recoup some of the cost. And then buy a new car seat.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with this.







When you get the chance, make sure you contact the company you bought from as well as Sunshine Kids.

If you have the money, you can still buy a Radian, just from a Canadian source.


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## ~Amy~ (Jun 7, 2009)

I would definitely contact both the company who sold you the seat & Sunshine Kids before you list it on ebay. The company absolutely should take it back, as they should not have sold it to you in the first place. If they don't, I'd call Sunshine Kids...I suspect they'd want to know one of their distributors is selling a seat outside of the country it's labelled for.


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## littlemizflava (Oct 8, 2006)

i would sell it on kijiji.ca or www.toronto.en.craigslist.ca/ if you say it is a usa seat only legal to use in the usa. you could sell it to someone moving there.

i know it is hard but a radian is on sale right now. both locations are in the GTA so you would not have to pay shipping. the XT $279.99 premeir $249.99 the regular one with no added padding for $229.99
http://www.babyproofingplus.com/item14336.htm
http://www.dearbornbaby.com/product....&cat=53&page=2


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## Adventuredad (Apr 23, 2008)

Using a non-CMVSS certified seat in Canada is technically illegal. Buying a seat from US or Europe and have it shipped to Canada is perfectly legal. Customs might add on some fees and taxes but your seat will not be seized.


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## nutritionistmom (Jun 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Adventuredad* 
Using a non-CMVSS certified seat in Canada is technically illegal. Buying a seat from US or Europe and have it shipped to Canada is perfectly legal. Customs might add on some fees and taxes but your seat will not be seized.


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## RaeDyCo (Jul 21, 2010)

One other consideration -- if you are in a car accident, using an "illegal" car seat, at best case you would not have your car seat replaced by insurance. At worse case, you could be considered partially negligent for any injuries sustained by your child.

I know insurance and dealing with the after-effects of a car accident aren't anyone's idea of a good time... but it is something to be considered. I would talk to your insurance company as well. I'm in AB so know insurance laws are different in every province.


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## corrio (Jul 11, 2005)

This question has left me to know which is safer.. The American carseat or the Canadian ones?? Really I would want what is safest for my child.. Cars all drive the same.. It would be great to see some research on this..


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Sometimes they are the exact same seat with different labels. Sometimes they have minor changes, but are very very similar. There is no reason to think that either US or Canadian seats are safer. IMnsHO, the laws are based in politics or economics, not safety -- but as a tech I can't advise anyone to disregard the law, and as an individual I think the (legal) risk just isn't worth it.


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## nutritionistmom (Jun 16, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy* 
Sometimes they are the exact same seat with different labels. Sometimes they have minor changes, but are very very similar. There is no reason to think that either US or Canadian seats are safer. IMnsHO, the laws are based in politics or economics, not safety -- but as a tech I can't advise anyone to disregard the law, and as an individual I think the (legal) risk just isn't worth it.

Agreed. Well said.


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## Carrie1105 (Oct 26, 2010)

I am an American living in Canada. We live on the border and bought most of our baby stuff in the US. However, the car seat is illegal. We ended up buying both the infant and convertible car seat in Canada. The border will not let you across if you have it and you take the risk if you decide not to claim it. Also, if you get into an accident, there could be issues.

We decided to be safe than sorry and purchase in Canada. The car seat is manufactured in the US. Go figure. It's all politics.


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