{"id":1557934,"date":"2025-11-13T08:58:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T13:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/?p=1557934"},"modified":"2025-11-13T10:48:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T15:48:35","slug":"canada-still-works-for-u-s-sellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/canada-still-works-for-u-s-sellers","title":{"rendered":"Canada Still Works for U.S. Sellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cross-border ecommerce between the United States and Canada has rarely been more uncertain than in 2025. Nonetheless, for U.S. merchants, Canada remains an easy first step into international sales.<\/p>\n

Canadian shoppers buy heavily<\/a> from U.S. sites. But this year’s holiday shopping season is testing even experienced sellers. Tariffs, a postal strike, and shifting taxes have turned what should be a smooth northern route into a logistical puzzle.<\/p>\n

Tariff Dust-Up<\/h3>\n

Many pundits have described recent trade relations as a war. Helaine Rich, the vice president of strategic sales and administration at ePost Global, an international shipping provider, was more tactful.<\/p>\n

“The current administration really took a look at what countries are asking [American businesses] to pay when we’re shipping into their countries and what they’re charging as a premium on U.S. goods,” said Rich.<\/p>\n

The result was a tariff for the United States that upset North-South relations. The back-and-forth trade negotiations included on-again, off-again reciprocal tariffs and surtaxes from the Canadian government \u2014 in some cases, up to 25%.<\/p>\n

At peaks in the U.S.-Canada dispute, ecommerce “shipment volumes dropped quickly as tariffs rose and some Canadian consumers began avoiding U.S. brands,” Rich said.<\/p>\n

Yet duties existed long before the recent dust-up.<\/p>\n

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August 29, 2025<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n

Canadian Duties<\/h3>\n

“Nothing is more frustrating than thinking you paid for a product and then getting surprised at the door that you have to pay this, that, and the other duty,” said Rich.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence for Canadian shoppers buying from American ecommerce stores. Here are a few examples of what Canada typically adds.<\/p>\n