It's a Canadian thing too. See you aren't supposed to put electronics in landfills. Bad for the environment. Countries (and apparently certain states) who choose to be environmentally friendly charge this fee upfront so that at end of life you can take your gadgets, computers, TVs, etc. to an enviro-depot and drop off no fee & no questions asked and do the responsible thing.
I had the same problem this morning. But, I figured at least half of the civilized world was trying to place an order at the same time so I logged off. When I got to work this afternoon, my order sailed right on through without any problem. Now I just have to sit and wait by the door for my new iPad to arrive.