THIS POST IS SUPERCEDED BY THE SUSPENSION OF ALL DELIVERIES TO THE USA UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* US CUSTOMERS WILL NOW PAY DUTIES UPFRONT unless picking up in Toronto.
* US customers must pay the duties and taxes before the order is delivered.
* If the US customer does not pay the taxes and duties, the order will be returned to me at my expense with penalties. Such orders will NOT be fully refunded.
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Because of these new circumstances, and because many carriers are now refusing to ship to the US, shipping is not calculated for US orders. This does not mean that shipping is now "FREE". It means that I need to contact the US customer to discuss the circumstances and costs.
If the US customer refuses to pay the duties and tariffs, OR cancels the order and requests a refund, the product total will be refunded WHEN THE ORDER IS RETURNED, MINUS, if applicable:
Finance costs (ex PayPal transaction and refund fees)
Return postage costs (ex original cost + 5%)
Original postage costs (as calculated)
$30 Admin restocking fee
HERE IS A SAMPLE COMMUNICATION FROM A CARRIER.
Please note that taxes and tariffs go to the US government, NOT to the seller or to the Canadian government.
We want to inform you that starting August 29, 2025, the U.S. will eliminate the $800 de minimis exemption, which means that all international shipments inbound to the United States, no matter the value, will require duties and taxes.
What's changing
Under the de minimis exemption, shipments valued under $800 USD can enter the U.S. without duties or taxes. Beginning August 29, 2025, this exemption will be eliminated. From that date forward, all imports into the U.S.—no matter the value—must go through full customs clearance with duties, taxes, and proper documentation. The only exception is gifts valued under $100.
In addition, duties and taxes must now be collected before a package can clear customs. The traditional Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) model, where duties and taxes are paid by the package recipient upon package delivery, will no longer be an option. Instead, shipments must either use Delivery Duty Paid (DDP), where you pay duties and taxes upfront, or what we at Shippo call a “Pre-Entry DDU” model – a model that some carriers already offer and others are actively developing. In the “Pre-Entry DDU” model, the package recipient is responsible for paying the duties and taxes. Once the package is shipped, the carrier sends the package recipient a payment link (this process will vary by carrier), and once the taxes are paid, the shipment can clear customs. If the package recipient doesn’t complete payment within the time frame set by the carrier, the parcel may be returned to the sender at a cost.