I mean, say, you want a really nice camera, or a drone, or maybe a gaming laptop, and since those things are made in China, they are too expensive to buy right now in the US, since tariffs are over 100%. So you just go to Canada, buy the thing, unpack it from the packaging, and pretend like its just personal items. Just like a smartphone.
AFIAK, border agents usually don’t ask if you bought your phone in the US or from outside, they shouldn’t ask about other personal electronics, right?
The border patrol doesn’t really care as long as the amounts are small. A lot of times, border patrol will even provide the limits.
If you are going to go over and you get inspected, you’re going to need a good reason for what you’ve got. For instance, going for a day trip but coming back with a week’s worth of clothes are going to be a red flag. Border patrol is also going to look at condition of the items if they are at the point they are inspecting the items.