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Shipping to US customers from Canada: what you pay on top of postage

The US tariff your product pays, and what mail or courier adds.

Estimate duty and fees
Updated Oct 22 · Ian Chang · We may earn a fee i

Updated October 22, 2026 How we check prices Published by Ian Chang We may earn a fee from some providers. It never changes the prices we show or what we recommend. How we rank

Extra US tariff on a product made in Canadarules checked Oct 29, 2026

US rules checked October 29, 2026 Estimates, not legal advice. Confirm with a licensed customs broker.

Our pick for a small parcel

The cheapest way to cover duty and customs for one parcel, when your customer should pay nothing at the door, and the cheapest of all:

  • For just starting: your first US orders (a few parcels a month) · must have Duty prepaid by you, Files CUSMA claims, No account minimum, Customs fee published

    Our pick

    Chit Chats US$1.50 per parcel

    Visit Chit Chats

    Lowest cost, and it has prepaid duty, CUSMA claims, no account minimum and a published customs fee.

    Why not the others?

    Missing a must-have: Canada Post (misses: CUSMA claims); Purolator, UPS, FedEx (misses: a published customs fee).

    Can't confirm here (a must-have or the full price isn't published): DHL Express, Stallion Express.

  • For a CA$100 order of CUSMA-qualifying goods · must have Duty prepaid by you, Files CUSMA claims

    Our pick

    Chit Chats US$1.50 per parcel

    Visit Chit Chats

    Lowest cost, and it has prepaid duty and CUSMA claims.

    Why not the others?

    Missing a must-have: Canada Post (misses: CUSMA claims).

    Can't confirm here (a must-have or the full price isn't published): DHL Express, Stallion Express, Purolator, UPS, FedEx.

  • For a CA$100 order that doesn't qualify for CUSMA · must have Duty prepaid by you

    Our pick

    Chit Chats US$8.63 per parcel

    Visit Chit Chats

    Lowest cost, and it has prepaid duty.

    Why not the others?

    Can't confirm here (a must-have or the full price isn't published): Stallion Express, Canada Post, FedEx, Purolator, UPS.

How we picked

Duty plus every customs fee you pay on one parcel, on top of postage, for one Canadian-made item with 0% normal US duty, so the duty is the 10% tariff unless a CUSMA claim is filed. Only 2 of the 7 ways to ship publish every fee with a currency, so only those have a total; the rest are listed as can't confirm, never as zero. Postage isn't included: compare it on the cheapest way to ship page. Our pick is the lowest cost option that has every must-have; within 10% of it, no contract, faster payouts and longer support hours win. Payment from a provider never changes it. How we pick

There is no duty-free limit for parcels to the US. The old US$800 "de minimis" exemption is suspended for every country, every value and every way of shipping, Canada and mail included.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: White House, Executive Order 14388 (Feb 20, 2026)

US customs no longer collects duty from your customer when a mailed parcel is delivered, so duty on mail has to be paid up front.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669

How and when the old US$800 limit ended: is the duty-free limit gone?

The money line: how you ship can decide the duty

Same CUSMA-qualifying item, three ways to ship it

A CA$100.00 order of one CUSMA-qualifying item made in Canada with 0% normal US duty (candles, HTS 3406.00.00.00), duty prepaid by you. On top of postage:

  • Canada Postduty US$7.13, the 10% tariff US$7.84 + $1.99 (currency not stated)
  • Chit Chatsduty US$0.00, CUSMA claimed US$1.50
  • UPSduty US$0.00, CUSMA claimed US$0.00 + UPS brokerage fee: not published

Our reading, not a ruling Canada Post is shown paying the 10% because its duty partner Zonos says a CUSMA claim on mail removes the normal duty but not the Section 301 tariff (vendor statement, as of Oct 29, 2026). US dollars at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4036 for Oct 28, 2026. "Not published" parts are never counted as zero.

The law lets a CUSMA claim cut the tariff to zero on mail too. In practice it depends on who files your customs data. Couriers and consolidators that file CUSMA claims can do it today; Canada Post’s duty partner says it can’t yet:

Vendor statementZonos, Canada Post's duty partner, told us in writing on October 29, 2026 that since October 22 a CUSMA claim on a Canada Post shipment under US$2,500 brings the normal duty to 0%, but does not currently remove the 10% Section 301 tariff, and it has no date for that. Its public page was contradicting itself and Zonos says it is being corrected.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: Zonos Customer Success Manager, email to Honest Fees, 2026-10-29 (page: zonos.com/canada-post)

Exact words from the source
"Since October 22, 2026, CUSMA claims apply to qualifying Canada Post shipments to the U.S. under 2,500 USD ... A successful claim brings the item's standard duty rate to 0%. ... a CUSMA claim on a Canada Post shipment does not currently remove the 10% Section 301 tariff on Canadian-origin goods."

See every channel’s fees side by side in the cheapest way to ship to the US.

Who pays the duty: you or your customer

  • By mail, you do. Canada Post won’t print a US label without a Declaration ID, which proves the duty was paid up front. Details on Canada Post to the US.
  • By courier, you choose. You can prepay it (often called DDP), or let your customer pay on delivery. If they pay, the carrier may bill them its own fee on top, as UPS does.
  • Who pays doesn’t change the duty. It changes who sees the bill, and the carrier’s fee for handling it.

What each option costs with every carrier: DDP or DDU.

Four checks before you ship

  1. Find your product’s 10-digit US code (HTS). It sets the normal duty and tells you whether a special tariff applies. Which rate your product pays walks through it.
  2. If your goods qualify for CUSMA, ship with a channel that files the claim. Keep the certification on file.
  3. Check the code against the Section 338 lists. They reach well past alcohol, dairy and cars, and CUSMA doesn’t help there.
  4. Over US$2,500 in one parcel, use a licensed customs broker. That’s a formal entry.

The CUSMA certification in step 2 needs no form: what it must say.

Mail rules change on January 20, 2027. That’s when CBP’s stricter entry rules for mail start; what they cover is on Canada Post to the US, with sources.

Do I need a customs broker?

US customs doesn't require a customs broker. An importer may file the entry itself or hire a licensed broker, and stays responsible for it either way.

As of Oct 24, 2026 · Source: CBP, Tips for new importers and exporters (last modified August 27, 2024)

Exact words from the source
"they may make entry on their own."

For a parcel worth up to US$2,500, you don't hire a broker yourself: the carrier or shipping service clears it, and its customs fee is what that costs you. What each one publishes:

  • Canada Post ↗: Remittance fee (Zonos Verified Account) $1.99 (currency not stated); Disbursement and bond fee 10% of duty
  • Chit Chats ↗: Customs processing fee US$1.35; Broker item fee US$0.15 per item
  • Stallion Express ↗: Brokerage fee $0.99 to $1.99 (currency not stated)
  • DHL Express ↗: Duty Tax Paid fee CA$16.00 or 2.5% of duty, whichever is higher
  • UPS, FedEx and Purolator: their fee for clearing a parcel isn't published, so you'd have to ask.

Over US$2,500 in one parcel, the entry is a formal one, and in practice that means a licensed customs broker:

Parcels worth US$2,500 or less can clear by informal entry. Over US$2,500 they need formal entry, which in practice means a licensed customs broker.

As of Oct 29, 2026 · Source: CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669

Your first US order: checklist

  1. Find your product's codes.

    The CUSMA certification needs the 6-digit HS code of the good; the US duty is set by the longer 10-digit US code (HTS). Which rate your product pays.

    "Description and HS code of the good (6 digits)"

    Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026

  2. Check whether it qualifies for CUSMA.

    Qualifying depends on the rule of origin for your HS code, not only on where the item was finished. The guide linked below walks through the rule for your code.

    Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026

  3. Write the certification of origin.

    There is no official CUSMA form. The certification of origin can go on your invoice or any other document, as long as it has the required data elements, including the 6-digit HS code of the good.

    "There is no official form, but specific data elements under Annex 5-A of the CUSMA must be included. The certification can appear on an invoice or any other document and must include:"

    Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026

  4. Ship with a channel that files the CUSMA claim.

    The US importer claims CUSMA when the goods enter the US, using the certification you provide. On a parcel, that is whoever clears it for your customer. Channels that say they file CUSMA claims: Chit Chats, UPS and Purolator. Not for the 10% tariff: Canada Post (its duty partner says a CUSMA claim on mail removes the normal duty but not the 10%). Not published: Stallion Express, FedEx and DHL Express.

    "The U.S. importer must claim the CUSMA benefit (preferential tariff treatment) when the goods are imported into the U.S."

    Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026

  5. Prepay the duty so your customer pays nothing at the door.

    US customs no longer collects duty from your customer when a mailed parcel is delivered, so duty on mail has to be paid up front. Canada Post asks for a Declaration ID before it prints a US label. By courier you can choose. Canada Post's older Small Packet USA product page still says your customer pays duty and taxes at delivery. Its newer US duty page and the CBP rule say duty on mail is paid up front, with a Declaration ID.

    "Under U.S. regulations, every package entering the U.S. by mail must have proof that duties were prepaid. Canada Post requires a Declaration ID (a 13-character code) before it can generate label for a U.S. parcel as proof. Without a Declaration ID, you cannot create a Canada Post shipping label for U.S. shipments."

    CBP rule, Federal Register 2026-12669, checked Oct 29, 2026 · Canada Post, US duty page, checked Oct 26, 2026 · Canada Post, Small Packet USA page, checked Oct 29, 2026

  6. Keep your records.

    Keep the records that show your goods qualify for at least 6 years after you ship them. CBSA or US customs can audit them. Your US importer keeps its own for five years from the date of import.

    "Keep all documentation supporting the origin for at least 6 years after the exportation of the good. Traders may be audited by CBSA (for imports into Canada) or U.S. CBP (for imports into the U.S)."

    Trade Commissioner Service, Step-by-step guide to CUSMA compliance (updated August 28, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026 · eCFR, 19 CFR 182.15, checked Oct 26, 2026

  7. Over US$2,500 in one parcel, use a licensed customs broker.

    That is a formal entry; see the broker answer above.

Estimate your own parcel

Put in your order value and what you sell, and the duty and fee estimator shows the total for every way of shipping, with the date and source of each rule.

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