Want the secondhand scoop?
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please try again.
Confused about U.S.-Canada tariffs, USMCA/CUSMA rules and how global trade policies affect vintage and secondhand goods? This guide for buyers and resellers tells you what you need to know about tariffs, customs fees and cross-border shipping
Ed. note: This article was originally published on Feb. 12, 2025 and is frequently updated to reflect the latest events. Information is subject to change any time and is based on interviews and current guidance from Canada Border Services Agency, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, third-party shippers and customs brokers. We cover tariffs as they relate to the retail/resale sector, especially as they pertain to the relationship between Canada and the United States. We do not cover steel, aluminium, dairy, electricity, etc. Always check directly with your local transportation carriers and your customs agency for the latest information.
Buyers and sellers of vintage, antiques and secondhand are affected by the global trade war either directly or indirectly.
We’re here to answer your questions on what this means for your purchases and shipments, and for the community.
Use the navigation below to jump to your most frequently asked questions. If you have a question that isn’t addressed here, contact us.
General questions
What’s the latest on tariffs in vintage and secondhand?
What are tariffs and who pays?
What goods and countries are currently subject to tariffs?
What is the difference between tariffs and customs/import duties?
How are tariffs applied to vintage, antique and secondhand products?
What vintage and secondhand goods are included in Canada's retaliatory tariffs?
Does the removal of de minimis apply to my personal exemption when I return to the U.S. from a trip?
Do tariffs apply to in-person border crossings, too?
If I ship or import this item, what will the tariff be?
How are the online buy-sell marketplaces handling shipping and collection of tariffs?
De minimis/duty-free/exemptions
What happened to de minimis in the U.S.? What tariffs and duties do I owe now?
Does Canada still have its de minimis exemption?
Are antiques over 100 years old exempt from U.S. tariffs and duties?
Are informational materials (posters, photos, films, etc.) and artwork exempt from U.S. tariffs?
What about vintage items made in USA? Can they enter duty free?
What other exemptions should I be aware of?
Complying with tariffs, shipping & country of origin
General/for buyers
How do I calculate how much I will have to pay in tariffs and duties?
Which tariff will be applied to my package, the percentage or the flat rate?
Why is pre-paying duties (DDP) not always available for vintage and secondhand items?
What are the differences between express carrier vs. postal carrier?
For vendors
What should sellers be doing to comply with current tariff rules?
I'm a U.S. seller. What's required to ship outbound now?
How do I determine country of origin?
What if I don't know country of origin?
What if there are multiple countries of origin (e.g., multiple disparate items or a bundle or kit?)
What is the difference between country of origin and manufacturer information?
Do express shippers (UPS, DHL, FedEx) require manufacturer information?
Can I still ship through Canada Post/my national mail service?
My national mail carrier temporarily stopped service. How do I ship?
Do items over 20 years old need to be marked with country of origin?
Is any HTS code okay? / Can I use a different country of origin with a lower tariff rate?
What are the specific codes for items that may be exempt from U.S. tariffs?
How do I collect and remit tariffs?
Can I mark an item as a gift so my buyer can avoid duties?
I found a ruling online that states something. Can I apply it to my scenario?
USMCA/CUSMA exemption & compliance
General/for buyers
What goods are eligible to qualify under USMCA/CUSMA?
Can vintage, antiques & secondhand goods be USMCA-compliant?
What happens if the item I'm ordering/shipping isn't USMCA/CUSMA- compliant?
For vendors
Is filling out country of origin on my shipping paperwork enough to qualify for CUSMA/USMCA?
My item is tagged Made in Canada, Made in USA or Made in Mexico. Does that mean it qualifies under USMCA/CUSMA?
How can I prove origin for USMCA compliance?
How do I get a certification of origin if I don’t know the manufacturer?
Do I have to claim USMCA/CUSMA if I have an item made in Canada, Mexico or the U.S.?
Support & impact
What does the removal of de minimis mean for vintage, antiques and secondhand businesses?
Are all items costing me more as a buyer?
Should I buy vintage and secondhand locally/within my own country?
What does Canada dropping its retaliatory tariffs mean for vintage and secondhand?
What does the overall trade war mean for vintage, antiques and secondhand buyers and sellers?
Who in the North American market is actually being impacted?
Is it true that tariffs could help the vintage & antiques market?
How can I adapt to these changes as a seller?
How did this trade war get started?
Who can I contact to express my concerns?
Where can I find more tariffs resources specific to vintage and secondhand?
Where can I find additional tariffs resources?
On Sept. 3, U.S. President Donald Trump requested the Supreme Court review his case after an Aug. 29 decision by a U.S. appeals court sided with the U.S. Court of International Trade that most of the tariffs implemented by the U.S. government are not legal.
The tariffs remain in place until at least October 14. If the Supreme Court takes on the case, that deadline could be extended.
Also on Aug. 29, the U.S. government ended the de minimis exemption (Section 321) that allows packages from any country valued at or under US$800 to enter the U.S. duty free. More in the de minimis section.
More than 25 international mail carriers have suspended their service to the U.S. as they are not yet equipped to handle the new requirements that go along with the removal of Section 321.
On Aug. 1, the U.S. government raised Canada's tariff rate to 35 per cent, up from 25 per cent (more below). There are tariff rates ranging from 15 to 50 per cent on more than 90 countries. Most other countries have tariffs of 10 per cent. China, Hong Kong and Macau having their own rates (see subheading “China” in this section).
Canada and Mexico
The current tariff rate for items made in Canada is 35 per cent, and, for items made in Mexico, 25 per cent. The tariff does not apply to USMCA (CUSMA)-compliant goods. Postal shipments are not eligible for USMCA/CUSMA tariff-free treatment, but may be eligible for duty-free treatment.
USMCA/CUSMA is the free trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is called USMCA in the U.S., CUSMA in Canada and T-MEC in Mexico.
For an explanation of what USMCA/CUSMA compliance means and why it may not include your vintage products, see the relevant question below.
On Sept. 1, Canada lifted its retaliatory tariffs of 25 per cent on $30 billion worth of American goods only for items that qualify under USMCA/CUSMA.
China
China's baseline tariff rate currently ranges from 30-54 per cent, depending on the value of the item and how it enters the U.S.
International
Many countries have tariffs of 10 per cent, but tariff rates range from 15 to 50 per cent on more than 90 countries.
A tariff is a surcharge applied to a product when it enters a country. The tariff is determined by where the product was originally made, not where it was shipped from.
Think of a tariff like a duty that gets collected. There are already import duties on many (but not all!) items, and the tariff is like an extra duty. See below for the difference between a tariff and a customs/import duty.
The U.S. government (U.S. Customs & Border Protection, or CBP) collects the tariff duties on items shipped to the U.S. The Canadian government (Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA) collects the tariff duties on items shipped to Canada.
Generally, it is the importer — the business that is ordering the goods or the individual consumer who is ordering the goods — who pays that money to the federal government. If you are ordering items via FedEx, Purolator, DHL Express, etc. you will pay the tariffs and duties as the buyer.
However, for items valued at or under US$800, sent either via mail carrier (e.g., Canada Post) or through commercial carriers that offer postage options (ChitChats, Stallion Express, etc.), the carrier must collect the tariff duties in advance.
That means the carrier needs to charge the exporter — the business that is sending the goods — upfront for the tariff before the parcel crosses the border. In this case, the cost would usually be passed on to the customer by way of increased prices if the vendor is not able to charge the buyer for the tariff at checkout.
The 2025 tariffs (also known as the U.S. tariffs or the IEEPA tariffs) are calculated on the value of the good, and are paid over and above any existing applicable tariffs, customs duties and/or taxes.
Some products have their own special tariffs independent of the ones announced by the U.S. administration this year. So any given purchase may have an IEEPA tariff, a customs duty, a brokerage fee and a tax applied. Others may have only a tariff and brokerage fee if the items are listed as duty-free.
How tariffs work in practice
If you’re ordering from an online marketplace or directly from a reseller, depending on the value of the item, one of two scenarios will happen:
1) you as the consumer pay the tariff and duties either directly to the customs agency in your country by way of the shipping company bringing you your item, or via the platform you are buying from, or
2) the vendor pays the tariff and associated duties or fees for you in advance. In that case, you may be paying indirectly via an increased selling price on the item.
If you’re running a business that imports in bulk or receives large shipments (e.g., vintage wholesale or furniture), you would probably be working with a customs broker who helps you to pay the tariff to the customs agency in your country on the value of your shipment.
If you are purchasing an item within your own country, but that item that was originally imported from elsewhere and then marked up to cover the cost of the tariff, you indirectly pay that tariff because it's been worked into price of the item when it's sold to you.
U.S. consumers and companies (aka importers) must pay the U.S. government tariffs of 35 per cent on all imported goods that do not comply with USMCA/CUSMA and that “originate” (a.k.a. were manufactured in) in Canada for all items.
According to BDO Canada, approximately 90 per cent of Canadian exports are considered USMCA eligible, though the number that are actually compliant may be closer to 50 per cent. Vintage, antiques and secondhand goods generally fall in the remaining 10 per cent that are not eligible.
Being USMCA compliant means you can prove an item’s origin to be Canada, United States or Mexico, which is difficult to do with secondhand products that lack documentation and traceability. For more on this, see below.
U.S. consumers and companies (aka importers) must pay the U.S. government tariffs of at least 30 per cent for goods made in China and Hong Kong for goods valued over US$800.
If an item with a country of origin of China, Hong Kong or Macau valued at or under US$800 arrives to the U.S. via courier/express carrier (i.e. UPS), its duty owing is 54 per cent, until Nov. 10.
If an item with a country of origin of China, Hong Kong or Macau valued at or under US$800 arrives to the U.S. via international mail (postal network), it will receive either a duty of 54 per cent OR a flat fee of $100 per item, until Nov. 10. It's up to the carrier to decide which duty to apply.
These rules for China, Hong Kong and Macau apply no matter which country the items were originally shipped from.
U.S. consumers and companies (aka importers) must pay the U.S. government tariffs of minimum 10 per cent, ranging up to 50 per cent, when importing any goods originating from most countries other than Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong and Macau, all of which have their own special rules.
As the U.S. makes deals with different countries, those tariff rates are changing. For example, goods made in South Korea receive a tariff of 15 per cent, goods made in Japan receive 15 per cent, goods made in the European Union receive 15 per cent and goods made in the United Kingdom still receive 10 per cent.
Canadian consumers and companies (aka importers) must pay retaliatory tariffs, called a surtax, of 25 per cent on certain goods made in the U.S., including clothing, jewellery and more (see a partial list below) that are not compliant with USMCA/CUSMA.
This surtax is applied to any shipments valued over CA$150 when sent by courier and over CA$20 when sent by mail.
The surtax is also applied to in-person border crossings: If a resident has visited the U.S. less than 24 hours, if they've brought back more than CA$200 after 24-48 hours, or if they've brought back more than CA$800 after 48 hours.
Just as with the U.S., the Canadian surtax applies even when the made-in-America item has been exported from a country other than the U.S. into Canada.
Both tariffs and customs duties are types of taxes.
A tariff is a surcharge applied to a product when it enters a country, and it's used specifically to increase the cost of foreign goods to make domestic goods more attractive to consumers.
Not every country uses tariffs on all goods; the tariffs established by the U.S. government under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA tariffs) in 2025 apply to all goods coming into the U.S.
A customs duty is a tax collected on goods that cross the border into a country. Every product has a code assigned to it in a system maintained by the World Customs Organization.
Every country maintains its own "tariff schedule" based on this same set of codes that identifies the duty rates for goods entering that country. Some goods enter with "free" duty, and others have a percentage attached to them.
Consumer goods usually have duties between five to seven per cent on average. Some categories have duties as high as 40 per cent or more.
Tariffs are applied based on country of origin. If the product is being exported by another country, it is tariffed at the rate set for the country it was manufactured in.
In the U.S., if the item was originally made in a country on its tariff list and does not meet any exemption rules (e.g. USMCA/CUSMA), the tariff applies.
Duties and tariffs between 30 and 54 cent apply to items entering the U.S. that were originally made in China, Hong Kong and Macau. For more info on that, see the section on what goods get tariffs.
As far vintage, antiques and secondhand products in North America go, these tariffs apply to almost everything coming into the U.S. — including items that previously fell under free trade regardless of value, such as antiques over 100 years old — if those items are not compliant with the regulations of USMCA/CUSMA. For more on antiques, see the relevant section.
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs apply to a range of U.S.-made vintage and secondhand products (see a partial list below).
Tariffs are paid on top of any existing rates of duty. They are generally paid by the person or company who is purchasing the item, however, parcels valued at or under US$800 sent by mail carrier, or certain commercial carriers that offer postage options (e.g. ChitChats, Stallion Express, etc.), need to clear customs with pre-paid duties.
Until selling platforms have a way to charge customers at checkout for those duties, it means the business shipping the item is often responsible for paying tariffs and import fees ahead of time. Because most small businesses can't absorb those fees, as a consumer, that cost would usually end up being reflected in the selling price of your item. Some shops have paused shipping to the U.S. until there is a way to charge customers at checkout.
Examples of how the IEEPA tariffs are applied to vintage and secondhand products
Here's how a tariff works: a bale is filled with women’s silk suits and dresses, all made in Canada between the 1980s and 1990s. It's valued over US$800 and heading to the States. The bale is already subject to a duty of 7.1 per cent according to the tariff rate schedule. The 35 per cent tariff gets added on in addition to that initial 7.1 per cent.
Here are some additional scenarios (note these examples illustrate how IEEPA tariff rates work and do not reflect other applicable duties including import fees, taxes and brokerage fees):
A shop in the U.K. sells a vintage painting to a U.S. customer. The painting is valued at US$1,000, was originally created in Canada and is being shipped via postal network. Canada's tariff rate is 35 per cent. The tariff needs to be pre-paid, meaning the vendor owes $350.
A Canadian shop sells an antique coat originally manufactured in Canada to a U.S. customer visiting Canada for three days. It's valued at US$1,900 and it's over 100 years old. It does not have a certification of origin. When the customer crosses the border back to the U.S., they receive a personal exemption (accompanied baggage) of US$800, and the remaining $1,100 receives a tariff of 35 per cent because the coat is not USMCA compliant. The customer must pay a $385 duty upon return to the U.S.
A Canadian shop sells a vintage armoire originally manufactured in Canada to a U.S. customer. The selling price is $3,500. The seller has a certificate of authenticity for the armoire, knows all about the manufacturer, and is able to complete a certification of origin to ship alongside the armoire. The armoire is considered USMCA-compliant by U.S. border agents, and does not receive a 35 per cent tariff.
A U.S. shop sells a vintage candelabra made in the U.S. to a Canadian visiting for the day. The selling price is equivalent to CA$130, but the Canadian only visited the U.S. for six hours. The Canadian must pay a 25 per cent surtax when returning to Canada for not meeting their personal exemption requirements, and because the candelabra is not CUSMA compliant. They owe $32.50 in surtax, plus any applicable existing taxes.
A shop in Canada sells a wooden box inlaid with mother of pearl to a U.S. customer. The box was originally made in China, sells for US$90 and is arriving via mail. The box receives a duty at 54 per cent, or US$48.60.
A Canadian shop ships a vintage hand-beaded dress originally manufactured in India to a U.S. customer via express carrier. Its selling price is US$1,600. India's tariff rate is 50 per cent. The customer owes US$800 in tariff duties upon delivery of the item.
A shop in Japan sells a vintage necklace to a Canadian customer valued at CA$550. The necklace was originally manufactured in the U.S. It has precious stones and is on Canada's list of made-in-U.S. items. It is not CUSMA-compliant. The customer pays a 25 per cent surtax, which is $137.50.
A U.S. shop ships a vintage platter made in Mexico to a Canadian customer and the selling price was US$190. The customer does not have to pay the 25 per cent surtax because the surtax only applies to U.S.-made goods. However, the platter may be subject to additional existing duties because its value is over CA$150.
A U.K. shop ships a vintage designer jumpsuit originally manufactured in the U.K. to a U.S. customer. It's valued at US$949. The jumpsuit receives a tariff of 10 per cent, because that is the rate of duty the U.S. is applying to goods from the U.K. That's $94.90.
A Chinese shop ships a vintage bomber jacket originally manufactured in Hong Kong to a U.S. customer and is arriving via international mail. It's valued at US$200. The customs officers apply a $100 flat fee for the customer to pay instead of a tariff.
For specific calculations that include duties and other fees, jump to that section.
These are just some of the categories and products included on the list of U.S.-origin products that Canada is collecting a 25 per cent surtax on. On Sept. 1, any goods in these categories that can comply under USMCA/CUSMA rules will be exempt from the surtax.
Art & collectibles
Clothing & accessories
Jewellery
Home decor & furniture
Luggage & bags
For the full list, click here.
No. Section 321 covered duty-free exemptions for importation via shipment — that rule was removed, but not the exemption for things you bring back on your person.
If you are arriving back into the U.S. from a vacation after being away more than 48 hours, you are still allowed a US$800 personal exemption (called “accompanied baggage.”) If you’re away less than 48 hours, the personal exemption is US$200.
Keep in mind that this is for items that are on your person — in your suitcases, etc. If you ship anything from wherever you were visiting, it will receive the full slate of duties and tariffs. If you exceed your exemption, you will owe tariffs and duties on the amount you have exceeded. See more in the question below.
Yes, tariffs apply to in-person border crossings, but only for items that exceed your personal duty-free exemption.
Goods intended for commercial use are supposed to be claimed as such, with duties and tariffs owing on the full amount.
If you are crossing the border with a large volume of goods for commercial purposes, it's best to contact a customs broker who can help you navigate the import rules.
For Canadian residents
There is a different personal exemption for in-person border crossings vs. the value for duty exemption for imported goods via courier or mail.
For in-person border crossings, the exemption is CA$200 after you have visited the U.S. for between 24-48 hours, and CA$800 after 48 hours. If you have visited less than 24 hours, there is no exemption.
If you exceed the exemption and have been out of the country less than 48 hours, you must pay tariffs and duties on the full amount. If you exceed the exemption and have been out of the country more than 48 hours, you pay tariffs and duties on the difference.
For American residents
The personal duty-free exemption for in-person border crossings after visiting Canada is US$200 for less than 48 hours, and US$800 for more than 48 hours. If you exceed the personal exemption, you pay tariffs and duties on the difference.
How tariffs for in-person crossings are applied
How the tariffs are applied depends on where those items were made.
Canada's surtax (retaliatory tariffs — the tariffs Canadians pay the Canadian government upon re-entering Canada) of 25 per cent only applies to certain items that were originally manufactured in the U.S. if they are not compliant with USMCA/CUSMA.
Canadians pay Canada's tariffs to Canadian border officials. Americans pay IEEPA tariffs to U.S. border officials.
Here are a few scenarios (note these examples illustrate how base tariff rates work and do not reflect other applicable customs duties):
Example 1: A Canadian visits the U.S. for a half a day, and thrifts CA$100 worth of clothes or home decor made in the U.S. that fall under Canada's list of tariffed U.S. products. They pay 25 per cent surtax when coming back to Canada, or CA$25.
Example 2: An American visits Canada for 31 hours, and thrifts clothes or home decor made in Canada but doesn't spend more than US$200. They do not have to pay a tariff when returning to the U.S., because they have not exceeded their personal duty-free exemption.
Example 3: A Canadian visits the States for 28 hours, and thrifts clothes and home decor, including items made in the U.S., but doesn't spend more than the equivalent of CA$200. They pay no surtax when returning to Canada.
Example 4: A Canadian was in the States for three full days and spent CA$1,000 thrifting, all of the items were made in the U.S. They exceeded their personal exemption, but were gone more than 48 hours, so they owe 25 per cent surtax when returning to Canada on the CA$200 difference. That's CA$50, plus duties.
Example 5: An American visits Canada for five days, and thrifts clothes or home decor made in Canada, spending US$1,500. They exceeded the US$800 personal exemption and owe a 35 per cent tariff on the difference of US$700 when returning to the U.S., equivalent to US$245.
Example 6: An American visits Canada for nine days, and buys clothes or home decor made in Canada worth US$900, and clothes or home decor made in India worth US$900. They get a personal exemption of US$800, and owe a 35 per cent tariff on the remaining US$100 in Canadian-made items, which is US$35, plus a 50 per cent tariff on the remaining $900 in Indian-made items, equivalent to US$450, totalling US$485.
These are general examples, because items are assessed individually. So it depends on what mix of product you are bringing back and which countries they originated from. They are also assessed based on whether or not you have changed the item or added to its value in any way.
If a person spends over their duty-free exemption limit, they may still owe other duties that were in place already, depending on what country the items were originally manufactured in.
See the following sections for specific vintage examples: How are tariffs applied to products? and do tariffs apply to in-person crossings?
For items being shipped into Canada, use the Canada Tariff Finder to view tariff charges if you don't know the HS code.
There isn't a user-friendly tariff lookup for items being shipped into the U.S. that includes the IEEPA tariffs that we know of. Free customs and duty calculators vary on how up-to-date they are, and on additional customs duties that may be applied after tariffs.
Your best bet is to search online for the IEEPA tariff associated with the country of origin for the item you are interested in.
For a more thorough breakdown of all tariffs and fees, see our section on calculating the duty fees for vintage and secondhand items.
Etsy and eBay both have disabled their labels for national mail services (Canada Post, Australian Post, Royal Mail, etc.) until further notice. At this time, tariffs and duties must be paid directly through the shipper, not via the platforms.
eBay will open eBay International Shipping for Canadian sellers in October, meaning that the platform will collect tariffs, duties and international shipping at checkout for customers in the U.S., U.K., E.U. and Australia. This means vendors will be off the hook for pre-payment.
The company says that returns, refunds and chargebacks and claims will also be covered under this program. “You can enhance your eligibility for eBay International Shipping and offer a better customer experience by including Country/Region of Manufacture (country of origin) information in your listings,” eBay says in a statement.
Poshmark and Depop have not published guidance as of this writing.
The “de minimis” exemption (aka Section 321) that allowed items valued under US$800 to enter the U.S. duty free was removed on Aug. 29. It no longer exists as an option to send and receive parcels without extra costs.
Without de minimis in place, every parcel will receive IEEPA tariffs and/our additional customs duties unless the item(s) inside are compliant with USMCA/CUSMA or on a short list of exemptions.
Other countries did not receive their duty-free exemptions; it was only the U.S.
Goods valued at or under US$800 entering the U.S. from Canada & other countries (excluding China, Hong Kong and Macau)
Goods imported to the U.S. at any value, including those valued at or under US$800, arriving via express carrier (e.g. Purolator, FedEx, DHL Express, UPS) and non-postal options through certain commercial carriers (e.g. ChitChats, Stallion Express), receive all applicable duties, meaning the IEEPA tariffs corresponding to their country of origin, plus customs duties and various associated fees. These duties and fees are often paid by the buyer, though with some carriers, the vendors have the option to pre-pay.
Goods imported to the U.S. valued at or under US$800 arriving via mail carriers (e.g. Canada Post or certain commercial carriers that have postage options — scroll down for further info on postal shipments) will receive tariffs that must be pre-paid by either vendor or buyer in one of two ways, outlined below:
1) Carriers can choose to apply a duty on the entire package value equal to the IEEPA tariff rate assigned to that country. For example, 10 per cent for made-in-U.K. items or 35 per cent for made-in-Canada items,
OR
2) Carriers can opt for duty to be applied to each item in a package instead of the percentage tariff.
In the second case, packages containing products of origin from countries with a tariff rate of less than 16 per cent receive duty of US$80 per item. For countries with a tariff rate between 16 and 25 per cent (inclusive), the duty is $160 per item, and for countries with a tariff rate above 25 per cent, the duty is $200 per item. For example, for a made-in-Canada item, the flat rate would be $200. For a made-in-U.K. item, the flat rate would be $80.
After Feb. 28, 2026, all items arriving via the international postal network will receive tariffs at the rate outlined for their country instead of the flat fee.
Carriers have to choose either option 1) or option 2) and apply that method to all the parcels they send, so check with your carrier if it's collecting the flat rate or the percentage tariff.
Further info about postal shipments entering the U.S.
Goods imported to the U.S. valued at or under US$800 arriving via postal shipment (e.g., Canada Post, or a commercial carrier's postage option) owe an IEEPA tariff only — they are spared additional customs duties for now. Postal shipments must also enter delivery duty paid, meaning the tariff duties are paid in advance by either the buyer or vendor.
Delivery duty paid may not yet be available for every national mail carrier. USPS has its systems in place already to collect duties from other countries, but not every country's mail carrier has the ability to collect pre-paid duties to hand them off to USPS. If your national mail carrier does not offer delivery duty paid, it is likely to suspend service to the U.S. until it does — more than 25 international mail carriers have done this.
Canada Post has implemented a delivery duty paid (DDP) service and all U.S.-bound shipments must be delivery duty paid going forward.
Canadian transportation carriers ChitChats and Stallion Express have both removed their delivery duty unpaid (DDU) options.
Etsy and eBay have suspended their shipping labels for several national mail carriers, including Canada Post, on parcels destined for the U.S. until further notice.
Check your national postal service on the rules for your country for information on service delays and changes to this process.
Goods valued at or under US$800 entering the U.S. from China, Hong Kong or Macau
If an item valued at or under US$800 originally made in China, Hong Kong or Macau is arriving into the U.S. via courier/express carrier, it is subject to a tariff of 54 per cent until Nov. 10.
If an item valued at or under US$800 originally made in China, Hong Kong or Macau is arriving into the U.S. via international mail (postal network), it is subject to a tariff of 54 per cent OR a flat fee of $100 per item, until Nov. 10. It's up to the carrier to decide which duty to apply.
Let's say a U.S. customer is purchasing an item made in China from a Canadian shop on Etsy. The item price is equivalent to US$25 and arriving via courier. That item receives an IEEPA tariff of 54 per cent, or US$13.50, plus any existing duties.
If a U.S. customer is purchasing an item from a Hong Kong shop for US$350 and it arrives via mail, that item may receive a flat fee instead of the percentage rate. That means the customer owes an additional US$100 in flat fee to cover the IEEPA tariff, plus any existing duties.
Yes, but Canada calls it something else. De minimis in Canada is called value for duty, which is the base amount used to calculate duty owed on goods being imported. You can think of it like a de minimis exemption.
The value for duty of an imported good (the item being shipped) in Canada via courier (e.g., FedEx) is CA$150, meaning that any goods being imported via courier with a value under CA$150 are not subject to duties or the retaliatory tariff (surtax). Any goods imported via courier over CA$40 are subject to tax, however.
The value for duty of an imported good (the item being mailed) in Canada via mail (e.g. United States Postal Service) is CA$20, meaning that any goods being imported via mail with a value under CA$20 are not subject to duties or the retaliatory tariff (surtax). Any goods imported via mail over CA$20 are still subject to tax.
In addition, “goods that are made in the U.S. and are repaired or altered across the border — for example, a specialized good in the U.S. might require repair in Canada, or vice versa,” would not be subject to the surtax, according to the CBSA's documentation. However, “if the good were in Canada, it would need to already be duty paid.”
Note there is a different value for duty exemption of CA$200 for in-person border crossings after you have visited the U.S. for between 24-48 hours, and CA$800 after 48 hours. This is not the same as the CA$150 value for duty for packages being shipped via courier, or the CA$20 value for duty for items being shipped via mail.
The tariff for goods entering the U.S. that are made in China, Hong Kong or Macau valued over US$800 is 30 per cent. This is part of a temporary "pause" on the back-and-forth raising of tariffs, until Nov. 10.
But the tariffs for those same country-of-origin goods valued at or under US$800 entering via commercial carrier are 54 per cent, and entering via mail (e.g., USPS) either receive a duty of 54 per cent OR a flat fee of $100 per item, until Nov. 10.
You could have an item valued at US$600 arriving via mail that receives a flat fee of $100, and an item valued at US$600 arriving via courier that receives a 54 per cent duty, or US$324. Meanwhile, an item valued at US$810 arriving via courier receives a duty at 30 per cent, or US$243.
The heavy tariffs on “small parcels” (the catch-all term for items valued at or under US$800) are intended to target and gain revenue from the high-volume, low-cost goods arriving from Chinese manufacturers including SHEIN and Temu.
Unfortunately, as of this moment, small businesses that move low-value parcels across the border are also affected by this rule.
Many classifications of antiques over 100 years old, or over 250 years old, were once exempt from all duties.
However, the IEEPA tariffs announced by the U.S. override the terms of free trade agreements, meaning most antiques receive tariffs. Some printed materials and artworks may be exempt, however. Find out which ones below.
The other way antiques can be exempt from tariffs is through USMCA/CUSMA classification, which requires a vendor to prove provenance through a certification of origin.
Regardless of whether an antique falls under USMCA/CUSMA or not, the country of origin must be declared, as must value of goods and the HTS classification code.
While antiques are subject to tariffs, if they are marked as "Free" in the duty rate column of the HTSUS, they will still enter duty free (IEEPA tariffs and customs duties are different things). So you'll get charged a tariff, but no additional duty. You may still be charged other processing fees.
Learn more about the difference between tariffs and customs duties and get a fee breakdown.
If you have specific objections, you can request a customs ruling for your particular case.
Yes, informational materials and some artwork may qualify for exemption from the IEEPA tariffs for all countries (including Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong and Macau), so long as they are correctly classified under the exempt headings and subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
These items may include:
It’s up to the U.S. customs agent to decide if the HTS code supplied matches an exempt item. For a specific list of HS codes that may qualify for exemption, visit our compliance section.
In some cases yes, in other cases no. Items marked under HTS code 9801.00.10 (U.S. made goods that have been exported within the last three years) may enter duty free, or if they fall under informational materials, but otherwise, applicable duties depend on the classification of a product.
Made in USA items entering the U.S. will not receive tariffs, because the United States is not tariffing its own products. But many will still receive duties based on the corresponding amounts attached to their HTS codes.
Continued below
Continued from above
Any product arriving to the U.S. by way of another country that was originally manufactured in the U.S. may be exempt from any other applicable tariffs or duties under the “domestic status” provision, if it was exported within the past three years.
These items are considered previously imported and have either had their duty and tax paid or are free of duty and tax.
For example, if a Canadian shop is shipping a product that was originally manufactured in the U.S. in the last three years, it may not be subject to duties.
Canada has a similar system whereby items originally made in Canada may be re-imported and may qualify for duty-free re-entry.
Both of these exemptions are independent of the current tariffs. They were already in place.
Duties associated with tariffs are usually collected by the shipping company on behalf of the customs agency of your country. There are two ways the money is collected: Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) or Delivery Duty Paid (DDP).
Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) or Delivered at Place (DAP) means you as the buyer will be responsible for paying the tariffs and associated clearance fees and taxes when the item gets delivered to you. The shipper will collect the fees at your door or send you an invoice. DDU/DAP is no longer be available for postal shipments, but it is available for express carriers. See more guidance on this in the section on de minimis.
Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) means the duties are pre-paid. Any shipment entering the U.S. via transportation carrier that uses the international postal network is now DDP. Some express carriers offer DDP, too. Duties are pre-paid by either the buyer or the vendor. Until vendors shipping to the U.S. have implemented a way to collect duties from buyers at time of checkout, they may cover the cost of tariffs and any associated duties and taxes. That means the buyer may not be responsible for paying the tariffs, duties and taxes — but expect the cost of those fees to be reflected in the selling price of the item you are purchasing.
Look for whether or not your item will be DDU or DDP at checkout, read shop policies and read every listing carefully to ensure you have no surprises. Knowing you will pay an import fee with DDU will help you to make shopping decisions that fit your budget.
First, it depends on how the item is shipped.
If the item is shipped via express carrier (Purolator, DHL Express, UPS, FedEx, etc.), the buyer usually pays the tariffs and duties upon delivery of the parcel.
If the item is shipped via a transportation carrier that uses the postal network (mail carriers such as Canada Post, many international couriers such as ChitChats and Stallion Express that offer postage options), the U.S. government is requiring the tariff duties to be paid before shipping the parcel.
Whether you are a buyer or a vendor, you will want to know how these tariffs and duties will be calculated for packages entering the U.S.
We will go over fees next. Please note this may not be exhaustive of all fees — for example, if your parcel needs to be held for any reason, you might be subject to further storage fees, or if it requires special handling it might get hit with an additional fee. If your parcel arrives via ocean or air instead of ground, you may be subject to different types of fees, too.
Here’s a general breakdown:
Tariffs: Calculated based on country of origin of the product and based on the item value. For express and commercial carriers, the baseline tariff is a percentage. For transportation carriers using the international postal network, the baseline tariff is either a percentage or a flat fee. (See more on the breakdown in the de minimis section.)
Customs duties: Duty rates vary for every product. Generally, you can expect them to fall between five to seven per cent for many consumer goods, but depending on the product, they can be as high as 40 per cent. Some categories have no duties, meaning they are duty-free. Duties are calculated differently for items arriving via express carrier — they’re based on the CIF value (cost, insurance and freight), not just the item cost.
Merchandise processing fee (MPF): The merchandising processing fee for informal entries (goods valued under US$2,500) is US$2.62, $7.85 or $11.78 per shipment. For goods valued over US$2,500, the fee for formal entries is calculated at a rate of 0.3464 per cent, with a minimum fee of $32.71 and a maximum fee of $634.62, with a $3.93 manual surcharge. Goods that enter under USMCA/CUSMA are exempt from the MPF. With some carriers, the MPF may be included in your base shipping price, or it may be discounted.
Brokerage fees: Every company charges a different fee to handle the item crossing the border. Express carriers charge more than other carriers. Low-cost carriers such as ChitChats and Stallion Express are generally in the $1-$2 range.
You need this information to begin a rough calculation:
Let’s look at a few examples.
Note: We are estimating postage, insurance and brokerage fees — these are determined by the individual carrier based on the item. Actual calculations may vary depending on what HTS code is used, what state you are shipping the item to, etc. Note that AI platforms are not always reliable when estimating duties and taxes.
A pair of vintage brass candlestick holders made in Canada, purchased for US$60, sent from Ontario to New York via commercial carrier that uses the postal network, but via a non-postal option (e.g. ChitChats U.S. Select, etc.) that is charging the tariff percentage, not the flat fee.
In Canadian dollars
Item selling price: $60
Baseline tariff for Canada: 35% x $60 = $21
Duty: 5.7% x $60 = $3.42 (HTS code 9405.50.3000 used in this example)
Merchandise processing fee (estimate): $0.90
Brokerage fee (estimate): $0.90
Total tariffs, duties and fees: $26.22
Postage (estimate): $29.50
Insurance (estimate): $2.60
Total shipping charges: $32.71
Total of all shipping, tariffs, duties and fees: $58.32
A vintage snakeskin leather handbag made in Italy, purchased for US$210, sent from British Columbia to California via a mail carrier (Canada Post) that is charging the tariff percentage.
In Canadian dollars
Item selling price: $210
Baseline tariff for Italy: 15% x $210 = $31.50 (HTS code 4202.21.3000 used in this example)
Remittance fee: $1.99
Postal service fee (estimate): $31.50 x 10% = $3.15
Total tariffs, duties and fees: $36.64
Tracked postage (estimate): $26.91
Additional insurance (estimate): $2.75
Total shipping charges: $29.66
Total of all shipping, tariffs, duties and fees: $66.30
A secondhand, crocheted wool women’s sweater made in Scotland, purchased for US$160, sent from Alberta to Missouri via an express carrier (ground) where the recipient pays duties. Weighs one kilogram.
In U.S. dollars
Item selling price (cost): $160
Shipping/freight (estimate, ground): $28
Additional insurance (estimate): $2
CIF value: $190
Baseline tariff for Scotland (U.K.): 10% x CIF value $190 = $19
Duty: 16% x $190 = $30.40 (HTS code 6110.11.0030 used in this example)
Merchandise processing fee: $2.62
Disbursement fee (estimate): $11.40
Total tariffs, duties and fees: $44.42
Total of all shipping, tariffs, duties and fees: $74.42
For express carriers (DHL Express, Purolator, FedEx, UPS etc.), and other commercial carriers (e.g. ChitChats, Stallion Express, etc.), the tariff is applied via the percentage associated with the item’s country of origin.
For mail carriers, it’s up to the carrier whether they will apply the percentage or the flat fee (see the amounts in the de minimis section). The flat fee is only available for a period of six months, until Feb. 28, 2026, and in some cases would grossly exceed the percentage amount, so it’s less likely to be used.
Check with your local carrier to find out what they are using. Carriers are required to choose one of the two options and stick with it for all packages, but they can change which they choose once per month.
Pre-paying duties requires listing not only country of origin, but also, with some carriers, manufacturer information (company that created the item and their address). Manufacturer information is not always known on a vintage item if it is unmarked, without tags, etc.
In these cases where a vendor can’t use delivery duty paid (DDP) through their chosen shipper to send parcels into the U.S., they currently have two choices: ship via express carrier (Purolator, UPS, etc.) or remove the U.S. as a destination country for their shipping.
For Canadian sellers, Canada Post is able to accept DDP shipments without manufacturer information.
Tariffs are applied to items that are entering the U.S. for consumption, meaning they are staying in the U.S. for consumers to use.
For example, a French shop is sending a secondhand item to a Canadian buyer and for logistics reasons, it's passing through the U.S. on its way to Canada.
The U.S. is not the final destination, so the item doesn't get a tariff — but the parcel would need to have the proper documentation declaring it as transit cargo and to indicate it is not remaining in the United States.
If you are a vendor shipping bulk or large shipments, there are penalties surrounding what are called “transshipments” — if you order a bale from China, for example, then ship it to another country (e.g., Vietnam) for a period and then import into the United States so that you pay a lower tariff than you would if you were to order from the originating country directly.
Express carriers (Purolator, DHL Express, UPS, FedEx, etc.) and non-postal options through commercial carriers have a number of differences when they enter the United States from postal shipments (delivered via mail carriers such as Canada Post or postage options through commercial carriers).
Duties: Express carriers allow for delivery duty unpaid, whereas shipments from carriers that tap into the international postal network must be delivery duty paid when entering the U.S.
Postal shipments sent through national mail carriers and postage options through commercial carriers (e.g. ChitChats USPS Priority Mail) are subject to only the IEEPA tariffs at the moment, not additional customs duties, but non-postal commercial shipments (e.g. ChitChats U.S. Select) are subject to both. Express carriers are subject to all customs duties and tariffs.
Clearance: Express carriers enter under commercial clearance, which is stricter and guided by a global agreement called Incoterms. Shipments generally must meet more documentation and classification rules. Postal shipments enter under postal clearance, an agreement with the United States Postal Service (USPS) guided by the Universal Postal Convention.
Cost: Express carriers tend to be more expensive as a shipping option than postal shipments.
Every item a U.S. buyer purchases internationally now has tariff or duty applied to it. If you are receiving that item via express carrier (FedEx, Purolator, UPS, DHL Express, etc.), there’s a good chance you as the buyer are the one who needs to pay duties on it.
When you are buying a product, read the listing carefully. If you are not paying the duties at point of sale and the item is being shipped via express courier, check with the seller to find out if they are shipping the item delivery duty unpaid so you know to expect a bill.
If you placed the order and still wound up with a bill that’s higher than you expected, you can dispute the charge with the carrier if you think it was miscalculated.
Technically, you may be able to refuse the package, which means not paying the tariff or duties. Several things happen if you refuse it: you won’t get a refund from the platform you purchased it on, you won’t get the item you ordered, and you might even have to pay return shipping depending on the seller's policy.
It is a huge inconvenience and cost for the vendor to retrieve an already-shipped item (or they have to forfeit the item if they can't cover the shipping), so if you aren’t willing to pay tariffs and duties, don’t order the item in the first place.
To avoid paying tariffs and duties upon delivery as a U.S. buyer, only order international items that are being sent delivery duty paid (DDP). Check with the seller directly to confirm their process.
If you ship into the U.S. or Canada, label the country of origin on all packages. All products within the package must be labelled with country of origin, too, with a label or a tag. If you do not comply, you could get fined up to US$50,000 and get banned from shipping to the U.S. altogether.
No matter what the country of origin (COO) is, label it so it can be inspected properly. For example, if the country of origin of the product is France, declare it as such. Couriers are reporting that entire trucks are being turned around if there's one package that isn't labelled properly with COO.
For vintage, antiques and secondhand, the country of origin is the place the item was originally manufactured. You may not know this information, in which case proceed to the next question.
You also must include the corresponding 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code which can be found on the U.S. International Trade Commission website, on the Canada Border Services Agency’s tariffs portal, or via your shipper.
You may also need manufacturer information if you are shipping via a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP), depending on the carrier.
If you want to meet USMCA/CUSMA compliance for goods entering the U.S., scroll down to see what’s required.
Check directly with your shipper for the latest requirements.
Customs forms for all parcels sent from the U.S. to international destinations now require more information: a detailed item description, sender and recipient information, item value, weight and the HS code associated with your product.
Some carriers will provide the HS code for you rather than you having to look it up yourself — for example, USPS will supply that code based on a full description of what you are sending.
For more information on how to write your descriptions and on HS codes, check the USPS Customs Forms rules.
Check tags and markings (e.g. "Made in [Country]”) to determine country of origin. If there are no tags or you don't know manufacturer, see the next question.
If you know the manufacturer but don't have an accompanying origin tag, check to see where the manufacturer had/has its factory operations and use the country.
Country of origin is where the product was originally manufactured or produced, unless it underwent a significant change in another country after it was produced (called a “substantial transformation”). There can only ever be one country of origin, so if an item was worked on in multiple places, the country of origin is the last place the item was worked on.
If a product has been altered in some way that greatly affected its value, it may affect what its COO is.
There are many small rules around country of origin but this is generally how it works.
If you are in Canada, shipping an item made in China to the U.S., the country of origin is China, not Canada.
Get more information on marking country of origin on U.S. imports through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
If there are no tags or clues to provenance for your item based on its materials, try to figure out the dominant material and where it was most likely to be made. For example, there's a good chance a fur might be made in Canada, and a silk made in China. This is how the border agencies classify tagless items.
If you can't figure it out, the safest thing to do is assume it was made in China and declare it as such.
If you have reason to believe an item was manufactured in Canada or the U.S., you can declare it as such. If it's a vintage piece it's more likely to have been locally manufactured. But you need to be able to prove that within reason.
And if you can't prove origin with manufacturer information and product-specific rules of origin, don’t try to claim it as USMCA/CUSMA compliant.
You do need to declare a country of origin on all packages, regardless of the value of the item. Couriers are reporting that entire trucks are being turned away at the border if packages are improperly documented. Check directly with your shipping provider or marketplace provider for more best practices.
You have the opportunity to list each item and COO on its own line when completing your customs declaration.
For international mail parcels, U.S. Customs & Border Protection indicates that it will apply a tariff in accordance with the country of origin in the package that has the highest IEEPA tariff rate.
For express carrier parcels, each item receives its own tariff and duty.
In the cases of pre-assembled bundles/kits with products containing multiple countries of origin (e.g., that would be packaged all together as one unit rather than multiple separate items), the customs agent will look at two things first: 1) if there was value added, and 2) whether or not the final bundle has undergone a significant transformation.
For example, say you have a three-piece bundle wrapped as one item containing a silk from China, a silk from Canada and a wool from France.
Has putting them together in one set added to their individual value? (No in terms of the actual item replacement value).
Have the pieces undergone a significant change from their original state? (Also no).
That means that while you assembled the bundle in your shipping country, you don't claim the bundle as made in your shipping country. You look at the sum of its parts.
If there are more products from one country than another, mark country of origin as that country. If not, turn to the material that captures the essence of the majority of product.
In the case of our example, it's silk because two out of three pieces are silk. The country most associated with silk as a material is China, so the COO is China.
It's up to the individual customs agent to make the final determination if they disagree.
Country of origin: The country where the item was originally manufactured. Usually found on a tag or mark on the product. For more on determining country of origin, see the section above.
Manufacturer information: This goes beyond the country where the item was originally made. Manufacturer information includes the company/brand name that originally produced the item, plus their address.
If you're in Canada, use Canada Post as their Zonos integration does not require manufacturer information for DDP. But many other carriers do require manufacturer information to complete their DDP paperwork — so if you don't have it, you won't be able to send via those carriers.
If your shipper requires manufacturer information and you can't provide it, your only option would be to send via express carrier (FedEx, DHL Express, etc.) where the buyer can cover the duties, or to not send the item to the U.S.
If you are in another country, check directly with your local shipper about whether or not they require manufacturer information for DDP.
No, they do not.
Only mail carriers that have instituted a delivery duty paid (DDP) service are permitted to deliver to the United States. Most mail carriers that have not yet set up a DDP service are suspending their shipments to the U.S. Check directly with your national carrier to find out what they’re doing.
Yes, you can ship through Canada Post — it has a delivery duty paid (DDP) service available.
“Zonos, which specializes in cross-border technology solutions, will collect duties and remit them directly to U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” says Canada Post in a statement.
Canada Post covers the platform cost of Zonos for you, and then charges fees depending on whether you file your declarations on browser or app. For all the details including the special link to download Zonos, visit Canada Post's Ship to U.S. site.
Ship via an express carrier to the U.S. (allows for delivery duty unpaid), find a carrier in your country that offers delivery duty paid (DDP) to the U.S., or remove shipping availability to the U.S.
Yes, the flat fee, which starts at US$80 per item, could be higher than what you would have paid via the percentage rate. Check with your local carrier to see if they are applying the flat fee or the country percentage — it’s up to the transportation carrier to decide which one they are using, and they have to apply it to all their shipments. Canada Post is not using the flat fee, it is using the percentage tariff.
No, technically the items themselves don’t need to be marked individually with country of origin if they are older than 20 years old, according to a representative at U.S. Customs and Border Protection and 19 U.S.C. 1304 — but it is advisable to mark every item individually anyway because you don't know what agent you are going to get at customs. It's also now a blanket rule for a lot of carriers to advise marking every item with a tag to ensure their trucks don't get turned around at the border.
If you choose to not mark COO on individual items over 20 years old, the outermost package or container the items are being shipped in must be marked clearly and legibly with country of origin as part of the required import documentation, and you must indicate the items within are over 20 years old.
It’s our understanding that U.S. Customs & Border Protection is checking parcels quite carefully to ensure descriptions match HTS codes, and even opening parcels sometimes to ensure the forms are accurate and the declared country of origin (COO) matches the item inside.
Misdeclaring items can lead to you being banned from shipping across the border, up to US$50,000 in fines from the U.S. government, your item being tossed at the border, and, if you’re using a third-party shipper, a hefty administrative fee (ChitChats’ is CA$1,000) for dealing with the item.
Informational materials and some artworks may qualify for exemption from the U.S. tariffs. For an overview of what these are, see the relevant question above.
In order to be considered for exemption, items must be correctly classified under the exempt headings and subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
The goods classified under the following HTS headings and subheadings may qualify for tariff exemption:
9903.01.22
9903.01.12
9903.01.03
9903.01.31
Chapter 49
3704
3705
3706
5807
8310
9701
9702
9703
9704
9705
6307.90.30
6307.90.85
8523.80.10
8523.29
8523.41
8523.49
9405.61
9405.69
Note that assigning these HS/HTS codes does not guarantee your item will be exempt. It’s up to the U.S. customs agent to decide if the HTS code supplied matches an item.
You as the vendor do not collect tariffs directly from your buyer for items that previously fell under de minimis (Section 321) unless you have the option to adjust your shipping and handling charges on your chosen selling platform and can work in line items for this (keep in mind the fees will be different for every parcel).
Your chosen selling platform may introduce a way to collect these duties at some point. eBay will implement a program for Canadian sellers to collect duties, taxes and tariffs at checkout.
If you do not have access to the above options, the simplest way is to pay the tariffs and import duties to your shipper (e.g. ChitChats or Stallion Express) directly in advance of the parcel crossing the border. That means you as the business owner has to front the money.
In the event you can't cover that cost for your customer (highly unlikely as a micro-business!), in order to recoup that money, you need to raise the selling price of your items. Or you need to turn off shipping to the U.S. until there is an option for you to collect directly from your customer.
That’s up to you. If you are concerned that a buyer will refuse to pay the tariffs and duties, your option is to send the item delivery duty paid, or to not send it.
If you are able to communicate directly with the buyer beforehand to ensure they are aware of the delivery duty unpaid status through an express carrier, that can help to mitigate what happens on the other end.
Keep in mind that with higher-value items, buyers are likely more familiar with paying customs duties already.
Items valued under US$100 marked as gifts for personal use can enter duty free, as can letter mail (documents, etc.)
If you sell to make a profit, you are considered a business by the law, even if you haven’t formally registered as one. Gifts are not to be used by businesses, or individuals who have sold items to someone else. Lettermail is for documents, cards, papers, etc. — not parcels.
U.S. customs is checking parcels carefully, and misdeclaring items can lead to fines, getting banned from shipping and other consequences.
Rulings are specific to the individual cases they pertain to and shouldn’t be used as precedent. If you are importing to the U.S. and would like to request a ruling, you can do that here.
The U.S. tariffs, and Canada's retaliatory tariffs, and any applicable duties, do not apply to items certified as USMCA/CUSMA-compliant. Postal shipments are not eligible for tariff-free USMCA/CUSMA treatment, however they may be eligible for duty-free treatment.
Only items that were originally manufactured in Canada, U.S. or Mexico are eligible to be considered for USMCA/CUSMA exemption. If you are buying something made in England or selling something made in Spain, it doesn’t count toward USMCA/CUSMA.
To qualify for tariff-free treatment under USMCA/CUSMA, the item's HTS code needs to be marked with an S or S+ in the Special column of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
If you have a product made in Canada, U.S. or Mexico, it does not automatically qualify for USMCA/CUSMA. You need to prove it either through an informal statement or formal certification of origin, and it needs to be approved.
To qualify under USMCA/CUSMA, your product must fulfill specific production requirements depending on what it is. This often involves a calculation called Regional Value Content to determine how much of the content was produced in a USMCA country.
Check Chapter 4 of the USMCA Rules of Origin and Annex 4-B: Product-Specific Rules of Origin to see what the product-specific requirements for your item are (Canadian link here and US link here).
Learn more below about what's required for USMCA/CUSMA compliance.
They can be, but it’s not always easy. You would need, ideally, a certificate of authenticity or something that shows the traceability or provenance of the item.
Jewellery, antiques and items that have been professionally appraised may have this.
Tags, written documents, research and/or records can be used to trace a producer to North America, but the materials used to produce the item also need to meet certain origin requirements outlined in USMCA in order to qualify.
You have to be able to prove the “product-specific rules of origin,” many of which use a calculation to determine how much of the product's content was created in that region.
This is difficult in many cases — secondhand items are often missing tags, marks and manufacturer information. If the company that produced the item is defunct, it can be difficult to know where the company obtained its materials.
For more answers about USMCA compliance, see relevant questions below.
Ordering/shipping into the U.S.
If the item was originally made in Canada and does not have certification of origin paperwork or a written statement certifying that the product was made in Canada, it will be subject to a 35 per cent tariff, usually paid by the U.S. importer (customer) unless it arrives Delivery Duty Paid.
If the item was originally made in Mexico and does not have certification of origin paperwork or a written statement certifying that the product was made in Mexico, it will be subject to a 25 per cent tariff, usually paid by the U.S. importer (customer) unless it arrives Delivery Duty Paid.
Ordering/shipping into Canada
If the item being shipped via courier is over CA$150 (or via mail, over CA$20), and on the list of goods receiving a surtax, it will receive a surtax of 25 per cent if it is not CUSMA compliant.
Buyers: Remember that it can be difficult to prove origin when it comes to vintage, antiques and secondhand. If your seller sends an item that likely was made in Canada, U.S. or Mexico but they can't prove with certainty that’s where the item was manufactured using approved materials, you may still have to pay the tariff.
A certificate of authenticity is best. Or you have to be able to prove, if required, through maker's marks, written documents, research or records that 1) the manufacturer of your item was located in North America and that 2) it was largely produced in North America.
You also have to prove if components were sourced from outside North America, that those materials would pass the rules of origin outlined in Chapter 4 of the USMCA Rules of Origin, as well as Annex 4-B.
The certification of origin declaration is rigorous. It asks for certain manufacturer and origin information to be included (see below) — and more importantly, that you'd be able to prove it if audited. If requested by U.S. Customs & Border Protection, documentation needs to be produced within 24 hours.
“The value of the good doesn't change whether you are eligible for the rules of origin or not,” says Dave Coulson, chief operating officer at online customs brokerage BorderBuddy. “Whether it's a $30,000 good or $10 good, you still have to prove whether it's CUSMA-eligible or not.”
For goods valued under US$2,500, you need what's called an informal statement to certify origin. That's a written declaration from you that the product is what you say it is. To write that statement, you would have to be 100 per cent certain that the item you’re shipping was originally either:
a) 100 per cent produced within North America using North American materials, or;
b) 100 per cent produced within North America using some materials from outside North America, while still meeting the rules of origin requirements for those specific materials as stated under the USMCA agreement.
For goods valued over US$2,500 (entering the U.S.) or CA$3,300 (entering Canada), you need what's called a formal certification of origin. It includes nine points of information (see below).
You still need to know the nine points of information if you claim USMCA/CUSMA for goods valued under US$2,500 because you may get audited. You just don't have to include all of it in your import documentation.
If you know the manufacturer and can do some research on how that manufacturer conducted their business and where they sourced their materials, you may be able to provide enough information to satisfy the USMCA/CUSMA requirements.
But be wary. In order to qualify for USMCA/CUSMA, “you have to have a legitimate — legal — proof that you know that you meet the rules of origin,” says Dave Coulson at BorderBuddy.
“If audited and you can't prove enough evidence — to prove the supply chain, essentially, of where it came from — then you're in trouble, and they can come back to you five to seven years later.”
If you falsely make a USMCA/CUSMA claim, you could be fined.
No. You need proof of origin. This means an informal written statement of origin if the item is entering the US and valued less than US$2,500 or entering Canada and valued less than CA$3,300, and being able to prove it within 24 hours if you were audited through certificate of authenticity, commercial invoice, production records, etc.
If the item is valued over US$2,500 (entering the U.S.) or CA$3,300 (entering Canada), you need to complete a formal certification of origin.
More on what those involve below.
If you have a product labelled “Made in Canada,” “Made in USA” or “Made in Mexico,” it does not automatically qualify for USMCA/CUSMA. It needs to meet what are called “rules of origin.”
Check Chapter 4: Rules of Origin and Annex 4-B: Product-Specific Rules of Origin in the USMCA agreement to see what the product-specific rules of origin requirements for your item are (Canadian link here and US link here).
You then need to certify the rules of origin through a written statement or full certification (more below), and that needs to be approved in order to get clearance under USMCA/CUSMA.
Keep in mind postal shipments are not eligible for tariff-free treatment under USMCA/CUSMA, but may be eligible for duty-free treatment.
Your shipper will have a process for you to claim USMCA/CUSMA certification. If you have an item made in Canada, USA or Mexico and think it might be a USMCA/CUSMA eligible item:
Step 1
Find your product’s HTS code.
Step 2
Figure out if your product might meet USMCA/CUSMA rules of origin. You will need to use USMCA Chapter 4 Rules of Origin to do this.
Step 3
Ensure you can satisfy all other points required on a certification of origin.
This includes:
You can use the following certifying statement (via CBSA) if you are confident you can prove origin if asked:
“I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification.”
Note that if you’re the reseller shipping the item into the U.S., you are considered the “exporter,” and your customer is the “importer,” and vice versa for U.S. resellers shipping into Canada.
The “producer” is the manufacturer of the good, which you might not know — in which case you won’t be able to meet the USMCA compliance rules.
Step 4
a)
If you can satisfy all nine points, and your product is valued under what's called the Low-Value Threshold (LVT) — US$2,500 (entering U.S.) or under CA$3,300 (entering Canada) — include a written declaration of origin alongside your import paperwork.
The informal statement for LVT is not as simple as labelling the country of origin as Canada, U.S. or Mexico. You still need to know the nine points of data that are required for a formal certification (see below) in case you get audited. But you don't have to fill out all the name and address info on your customs paperwork.
b)
If you can satisfy all nine points, and your product is valued over the LVT — US$2,500 (entering U.S.) or under CA$3,300 (entering Canada) — complete a formal certification of origin.
You can search online to find a template for this. There are no “official” forms you need.
The formal certification of origin has nine points of data (above, in step 3) that need to be included, including manufacturer name and address, and a detailed reference to the USMCA/CUSMA agreement and how the good meets the rules of origin. (That's the sticky part for vintage and antiques, because how an item was made and where its materials were sourced from is hard to know.)
Visit the Canada Border Services Agency site to get more details on USMCA/CUSMA requirements (they are the same in Canada and the U.S.) and how to format them for the formal certification of origin.
Short answer: You can’t. In order to classify your item under USMCA/CUSMA requirements, which means it can enter the U.S. tariff-free, you need to know nine points of information about your item. The manufacturer name and address are one of them.
You do not need a certification of origin to ship products made in Canada, Mexico or the U.S. Just label your package with country of origin and it will receive a tariff.
No, and you should not unless you are certain you can fulfill the nine points required to certify, or you might be fined.
The “Rules of Origin” point is the most challenging to fulfill for vintage, secondhand and antique products but it can be done if you have enough records. See the relevant question above.
A high volume of vintage, antiques and secondhand items from around the world crossed into the U.S. duty free under its de minimis threshold of US$800. This allowed a thriving independent resale ecosystem — international businesses were able to grow their businesses through easy access to the large U.S. consumer market, and, similarly U.S. collectors and dealers were able to easily access rare items at favourable exchange rates.
Here are some of the major impacts of the U.S.’s removal of the duty-free exemption:
Fewer shipping options for U.S. customers when buying internationally: Many carriers now require duties, tariffs, and taxes to be prepaid — something most international vintage and secondhand sellers can’t cover because they’re often squeezed on margins. Raising prices to offset costs doesn’t help, because it can render them non-competitive against U.S. sellers.
Items become more difficult to ship: Many vintage/secondhand goods don’t contain manufacturer or origin info, making them ineligible to ship with certain carriers.
Higher costs for international sellers: If sellers can pre-pay with a postal-affiliated carrier, they face upfront fees (duties, brokerage, taxes) that eat into already thin margins.
Revenue loss for international sellers: The U.S. is a major customer base — losing that revenue puts shops at risk of closure.
Higher prices for U.S. buyers: Sellers may pass on the cost of pre-paid duties through higher prices. Buyers ordering via express carrier can expect extra duties and fees that weren’t there during the de minimis era.
Less access for U.S. buyers: Fewer choices, higher prices and reduced access to international shops that have paused shipping — especially Canadian shops with favourable exchange rates. American resellers who source internationally will see diminished variety as a result.
More sales for local businesses: As the costs of ordering cross-border rise with duties and fees, buyers are more likely to turn to shops within their own countries in search of lower prices.
Ripple effect for associated businesses: Shippers, restorers, estate sale companies, appraisers, thrift stores, and others connected to resale will feel the impact, because their customers (resellers) likely will be selling less and shipping less.
For more on how the independent resale sector is left out of this trade policy, read a copy of our recent advocacy letter.
Yes and no. Goods you purchase within your own country don't have a tariff, taxes or duties applied, so they don't cost more at the point you order them.
But over time, the base cost of all goods, even those you purchase within your own country, cost more because:
a) all raw materials cost more because the cost of importation has increased;
b) U.S. companies that import inventory need to raise their own prices to cover cost increases from international vendors who must pre-pay duties before shipping them the items, and;
c) costs rise on many items related to running a business (for example, if a vintage shop purchases office supplies that cost more than they did a year ago due to tariffs, the shop might pass that cost on to their consumer by raising the prices for their vintage items).
Any international order placed by U.S. buyers that's not on a list of exemptions will likely cost more, because either the buyer must pay tariffs, duties and taxes themselves, or the cost of the items is higher in the first place to cover the pre-payment of duties by the vendor.
Small secondhand businesses across North America and the world rely on cross-border sales. Please continue to support as you can.
Supporting locally can help to avoid tariff fees, but depending on the item you are buying and from what country, you may still find better prices than equivalent finds in your own country, even with tariff and duty fees applied, because of the exchange rate.
Shopping local and supporting your communities has always been, and will always be, a good idea, too — find vintage, antiques and pre-loved shops near you, and online-based businesses that ship to you, at the Shop Secondhand Directory, which lists over 3,600 shops and services across Canada and the U.S. in more than 130 categories.
Now is the time to revisit your sourcing strategies, your marketing tactics and your local networks.
Be sure to read our comprehensive overview with 15 steps to take as a seller, published Sept. 5: Selling vintage with tariffs: Impact on secondhand vendors — and 15 things to consider.
We have shared many more ideas on how to navigate this new era in our other tariff content below. Follow us on Instagram for timely updates.
Canada dropped its retaliatory tariffs to the U.S. only for CUSMA/USMCA-compliant goods on Sept. 1. So far, this doesn’t mean much for vintage and secondhand, since most of the products that move across the border in our space are not CUSMA-eligible.
However, if you are located in Canada and ordering an antique or vintage item from the U.S. that has enough provenance documentation to qualify under CUSMA, it means that you will not receive a 25 per cent tariff on that product when it crosses the border into Canada.
The tariffs are expected to cost the average U.S. consumer an additional US$3,800 per year and the average Canadian consumer CA$1,900 per year.
For U.S.-based vintage sellers, the impact of Canada's retaliatory tariffs might not be felt as immensely. The Canadian dollar is weak, which means sales to Canadian consumers are lower in general.
For Canadian secondhand shops, especially those operating online, the impact of the U.S. tariffs is broader. Some Canadian e-commerce resellers we polled see up to 85 per cent of their clientele from the U.S.
For any Canadian seller importing bulk shipments or large pieces from the U.S., they're subject to Canada's retaliatory tariffs and are seeing their costs raise, too.
As for local stores, the effects of tariffs vary.
It largely depends on where a local store sources its inventory from, and whether or not they are participating in e-commerce. For shops that source entirely locally, the impact of tariffs likely won't be felt until there are cost increases for other goods needed to run the business.
In other cases, there could be a trickle-down effect from the traditional retail market. In the case of the firsthand jewellery market, which sees tariffs applied to every raw material component and thus higher prices for finished goods, there could be subsequent higher prices in the secondhand market once those pieces are resold.
Some bricks-and-mortar vintage and thrift stores are seeing higher foot traffic and sales because shoppers can find affordable items there and are turning to shop locally.
But there are many other local storefronts that source internationally, and tariffs affect the cost of their goods.
Tariff proponents argue these price increases will level out over time and ultimately create more jobs and demand domestically.
For a detailed picture of how the tariffs affect individual Canadian sellers and any sellers that source in bulk or ship large volumes, watch our Mar. 3 interview with CityNews Toronto (below) and read the corresponding article.
Any shop, reseller or supplier that is buying and selling goods into the U.S.
Remember, it's the consumer (the shopper, or the business that orders the item) that ultimately pays the tariff on an item.
However, the tariffs will still impact everyone on a broader scale due to the effect tariffs have on our economy.
Bricks-and-mortar stores in border towns are also feeling the pinch as consumer boycotts dry up cross-border traffic. But storefronts in some cities, as well as large online marketplaces, are seeing a boost in traffic as local and domestic sales pick up.
For a deeper dive on this, watch one of our past Instagram Lives.
Depends on who you ask! The market is vast, and subsets within the sector are experiencing the effects of tariffs differently.
Vendors who sell across the border have largely reported a decrease in sales to The Vintage Seeker since the onset of the trade war. With the removal of the de minimis exemption, that's expected to continue.
That's also true for border-town shops that relied on Canadian or American customers, e-commerce shops and wholesalers that ship or mail across the border, American shops that import their vintage inventory from outside the U.S., and Canadian shops that import their vintage inventory from the U.S.
The domestic vintage, antiques and secondhand scene could stand to benefit, however.
Shoppers are checking out local thrift stores and vintage shops to keep their dollars close to home, and to seek out lower prices compared to newly manufactured items that have been hit with tariffs. However, as demand rises, prices may rise in vintage, too.
Be wary of language that vintage, secondhand and resale items are "tariff-free", "exempt from tariffs" or not subject to tariffs. This can only be true if those shops source their products within their own country and the items are purchased within their own country.
While sourcing domestically makes a shop's inventory relatively insulated from tariffs, not every shop sources domestically. Many shops import inventory from elsewhere, or they ship to customers internationally, and in those cases, items are not tariff-exempt. Prices on shelves may be slightly higher than they used to be to account for higher cost of goods.
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have a free trade agreement they signed in 2018 called USMCA in the U.S., CUSMA in Canada, and T-MEC in Mexico.
The agreement is not set to expire until 2036, though there is a planned review between all three countries scheduled for 2026.
Upon taking office in January 2025, President Trump declared a national emergency on fentanyl that allowed him to circumvent the free trade agreement and apply tariffs. His reasoning for tariffs is they drive up production in one's own country and encourage domestic spending.
After a month of threats between the three countries, the trade war between the United States, Canada and Mexico officially began on Mar. 4, when the U.S. applied 25 per cent tariffs on goods valued over US$800 originating in Canada and Mexico. It indicated tariffs would follow for goods valued at or under US$800 (de minimis exemption), and they did, on Aug. 29.
On Mar. 4, Canada enacted retaliatory tariffs, called a surtax, of 25 per cent on a suite of American goods valued at $30 billion, which includes secondhand staples like clothing, jewellery and glassware.
The Canadian surtax applies to goods that originate in the U.S., even when exported from a country other than the U.S. into Canada.
Just two days later, on Mar. 6, the U.S. offered some reprieve with its tariffs, indicating they would be paused through Apr. 2 so long as the goods in question were USMCA-compliant.
Canada was planning more tariffs on another $125 billion worth of retail goods, but on Mar. 6 paused the second set of tariffs and has not reinstated them.
The U.S. also initially imposed 10 to 15 per cent tariffs on goods originating from China (they've shot up and down since then, eventually cutting to 30 per cent for items arriving via courier or commercial carrier, and 54 per cent or a flat fee for small parcels valued under US$800 arriving via mail).
There have been many more back-and-forth-developments over the following months, but for the latest and most relevant, scroll to the top of this article.
Write to your local government representatives. If you are a business owner, consider approaching your local media, and getting involved with your local, regional and national associations including chambers of commerce and small business industry advocacy groups.
Canada
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
United States
National Federation of Independent Business
U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy
Small Business Advocacy Council
SMART: The Association of Wiping Materials, Used Clothing and Fiber Industries
The Coalition to Protect America’s Small Sellers
European Union
Members of the European Parliament
President of the European Union
European Small Business Alliance
Instagram Story Highlights on Tariffs — updated regularly
Your Quick Guide to Buying & Selling Vintage with Tariffs - Sept 9, 2025
Post–De Minimis: Buying & Selling Vintage in Our New Era - Sept 3, 2025
How is the Removal of De Minimis Affecting You as a Vintage, Antiques or Secondhand Buyer or Seller? - Aug 29, 2025
FAQs About Buying Vintage with Tariffs - Aug 27, 2025
Why Vintage Shops are Pausing Shipping to the U.S. — and the Impact - Aug 22, 2025
Advocacy request: Protecting vintage and secondhand micro businesses from the removal of Section 321 - Aug 21, 2025
How Does USMCA/CUSMA Affect Vintage & Secondhand - Aug 7, 2025
Tariff Update for Vintage & Secondhand - Aug 6, 2025 (note info has since changed)
Vintage & Secondhand Tariff Cheat Sheet - May 13, 2025
Could Tariffs Help Secondhand Sellers? - Apr. 24, 2025
Catch the full discussion below or on YouTube (tariff update begins around the 51-minute mark).
Are Tariffs in Place for Buying & Selling Vintage & Secondhand? - Mar. 9, 2025
Catch the full discussion below or on YouTube.
Tariff Updates for Buying & Selling Vintage & Secondhand - Feb. 10, 2025
Catch the full conversation below or on YouTube (the tariffs conversation begins around the 30-minute mark).
Catch the full conversation below or on YouTube (the tariffs conversation begins around the 25-minute mark).
eBay Tariff Updates: Canadian Buyers & Sellers
eBay Tariff Updates: U.S. Buyers & Sellers
Etsy: Will I Have to Pay for Tax, Customs or Tariffs on My Order?
General
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Information Center Helpline
Canada's list of retaliatory tariffs
Global Guidance for International Mail
Tariff schedules
United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule
HTS (HS) codes
United States Harmonized Tariff Schedule Search
United States Census Bureau Schedule B Search Engine
Country of origin
Marking of Country of Origin on U.S. Imports (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
USMCA/CUSMA compliance
USMCA Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Understanding CUSMA Compliance (Canada Trade Commissioner Service)
Chapter 4: Rules of Origin and Annex 4-B: Product-Specific Rules of Origin (USMCA agreement)
Rules of Origin by Tariff Shift (International Trade Administration via U.S. Department of Commerce)
Online selling guidance
Etsy Seller Handbook: Navigating Evolving Global Tariff Policies
eBay Tariff Updates: Canadian Buyers & Sellers
eBay Tariff Updates: U.S. Buyers & Sellers
— With files from Suha Momand
How is the trade war affecting your buying and selling? Let us know in the comments!
