Buying Online in Canada

So I am on the verge of purchasing my first mac, and first laptop for that matter. My question is, if I order through Apple Online, will I get charged a bunch of shipping and duty fees when the thing arrives? (I have been caught with this purchasing items through ebay.) If so, I would be better off buying one through a local retailer? Also, if I do purchase one online and I need service, can I take it in to the local retailer? I am buying this for recording purposes and am really excited to finally see what all the fuss is about.

If you buy it through apple.ca you won't be hit with any extra import duties. The price you see is what you pay, plus tax.

It comes from China, so a carrier like Fed-Ex can't rip you off for their fantasy border and handling fees (that private sales such as an ebay transaction) allow them to get away with.

I've never bought online. Call me old fashioned, but I want someone I can take the thing back to and speak to in person after buying it there, rather than by international phone calls to a series of nebulous, anonymous voices who don't know me from a hole in the ground and have no personal stake in any of it.

I just bought my first mac from the apple canada store. Mine is a macbook refurb and it was shipped from California. I was not charged any extra shipping, duties, brokerage, etc fees.