Shipping from Canada to the US now that small parcels pay duty
Since August 29, 2025, parcels worth US$800 or less no longer enter the US without duty. What changed for Canadian sellers, how CUSMA helps, and what to do about it.
By the Othermile team
For years, a parcel worth US$800 or less entered the United States without duty. That allowance, often called de minimis, let Canadian stores ship small orders to US customers with nothing to pay at the door. On August 29, 2025, the US suspended it for parcels from every country. Every parcel now goes through customs, and duty applies unless the goods are exempt.
What changed for Canadian sellers
- Every parcel goes through customs. Carriers file an entry for each one, and many charge a clearance fee for it.
- Duty applies from the first dollar. The ordinary US duty for the product's tariff code, plus any extra tariff on goods from its country of origin.
- CUSMA claims matter much more. Goods that qualify as made in North America can still enter without the ordinary duty when the claim is made. Some extra tariffs apply even then; Border news lists which.
- Fees add up. US customs charges a processing fee on entries, and carriers add their own fees on top.
Mail or courier
Both go through customs now. Courier services clear parcels with their own brokers and bill the fees to whoever pays the duty. Mail goes through customs too, and the way duty is collected on postal parcels has changed often since 2025, so ask your postal service or label provider how it works today. Compare the total, including fees, not only the label price.
Who pays: you or your customer
US customers are not used to paying at the door. If they have to, some refuse the parcel. Many Canadian stores now ship duty paid (DDP) to the US and price it into the order. Our guide to DDP and DAP explains the trade off.
What to do now
- Confirm the tariff code and origin of every product you ship to the US.
- Check which products qualify for CUSMA, and keep the records that support each claim.
- Decide DDP or DAP for US orders, and make sure your checkout says which.
- Price the border into your margins. A product that made money at US$30 may not once duty and fees are added.
See the numbers
The free checker prices a parcel into the US with today's rules, and Border news lists the tariffs in force on Canadian goods every morning.
This guide explains public rules in plain language for general information. It is not customs, tax or legal advice; the exact tariff code, your paperwork and the carrier decide the final amount.
Keep reading
What your Canadian customers pay at the door, and why
Duty, sales tax and a handling fee can turn a C$45 order into a C$57 surprise. Here is what the charge is made of, why mail and courier differ so much, and four ways to stop it.
CUSMA in plain language for online sellers
The trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico lets qualifying goods cross without duty. Which goods qualify, how a claim works, when no certification is needed, and what CUSMA does not cover.
Print on demand across the border: where it is made matters more than where it ships from
A shirt sewn in Honduras and printed in North Carolina is usually still a Honduran shirt at the border. Why origin decides duty, CUSMA and tariffs, and where to find it for your products.