Canada is a great market to target your eCommerce business. With a leading economy in the world, Canada offers a high-income economy with customers who are willing to buy new products.
With the rise of e-commerce, more customers than ever are shopping online. And since Canada shares a border with the United States, many American companies often include Canada in their marketing.
even better, shipping from usa. uu. going to canada is even easier thanks to nafta. Both countries can freely ship products across their borders (with a few exceptions that most e-commerce businesses don’t have to worry about).
in this u.s. shipping guide. uu. To Canada, you’ll learn about shipping options, rules, transit times, and services that can help you expand your business to Canada and start selling internationally.
shipping to canada: usps vs. oops. against fedex against dhl
usps, ups, fedex and dhl are great options for shipping to canada. Below, we break down the price and transit times for these carriers when shipping a package to Canada.
Note: These are general options for consumers submitting orders. To find out what Shipbob offers when shipping to other countries like Canada, request a quote here.
*only usps offers flat rates for shipments from the united states to canada. All other prices were calculated using the respective carrier’s price calculators for a 2kg package as of December 2019. Exact prices are subject to change.
source: https://www.stamps.com/whitepapers/how-to-ship-to-canada-with-usps-guide.pdf
1. USPS
usps is a good shipping option due to its flat rate shipping options. Unlike other carriers, you only have to pay a flat rate based on the class of mail and the weight of the package.
usps also has many locations in the united states to drop off packages. you can go to local post offices or just drop packages in a drop box. If you want to save money on shipping and delivery time isn’t a high priority for your customers, USPS is a great option for shipping.
However, one of the main disadvantages of using USPS for shipping to Canada is that packages are transferred to Canada Post once they arrive in Canada. This may add some additional delivery days due to customs clearance and the need for a new tracking number provided by the Canada Post system.
international options
- express international priority mail
- international priority mail
- first class international service
when should you ship with usps
You want the lowest cost and fast turnaround time is not a high priority.
2. ups and downs
ups is a great option for Canadian shipping due to its extensive logistics network. They can pick up packages in the United States and deliver them to Canada overnight. As an eCommerce business, you probably don’t do much overnight shipping, so UPS is a great option because they can deliver most packages within 2-3 at an affordable price.
Unlike USPS, packages are tracked from pickup to delivery through the UPS tracking system, so you don’t have to worry about any package being transferred to Canada Post.
however, shipping can be expensive if you ship heavier items over 10lbs.
international options
- accelerated worldwide
- global savings
when should you send with oops
- you want tracking
- you want faster delivery
3. fedex
fedex is another great option for shipping to canada due to its extensive logistics network. They can pick up packages in the US and deliver them to Canada overnight or within a few days. Due to their strong competition with UPS, shipping prices can be quite competitive, which means more money saved for your e-commerce business.
Just like UPS, FedEx can be expensive if you ship heavy items over 10lbs. If your customers don’t expect 2-day shipping, USPS might be a more affordable option.
international options
- international priority
- international economy
when should you ship with fedex
- you want tracking
- you want faster delivery
4. dhl
dhl is considered the leading carrier for air and overseas shipping due to its competitive prices on shipping worldwide. because usa uu. And Canada share a land border, you probably won’t use DHL too much because they can be more expensive than the other carriers for transportation.
when should you ship with dhl
if you ship packages abroad, dhl is a great option. but for us to canada, fedex, ups and usps can offer the same transit options at a cheaper price.
factoring in taxes and customs
Even with nafta in place, there are some taxes and customs rules that go into effect when packages are shipped to canada. Please note that you must notify your customers that customs taxes may apply to their items and that it is not the seller’s responsibility to pay them. pay these fees (unless you offer ddp shipping).
tariff and customs taxes
This will be a percentage charged for any product worth more than $20 can.
handling fees
handling fees can be around $10 collected from Canadian customs.
slowdowns and environmental factors when shipping to canada
Canada has a great delivery infrastructure due to its many highways, paved roads and bridges. most delays will occur due to winter weather and customs.
customs handling times
In general, customs can only take a few days to a week. however, customs can sometimes hold packages for up to a few weeks or a month. Please keep this in mind when your customers place orders. They need to be aware that customs may delay their packages from the expected delivery date.
canada post
If you ship with USPS, your package will be delivered to Canada Post. this may delay delivery times because handling may take a few more days. If you ship with UPS or FedEx, you don’t have to worry about the Canada Post.
snow, sleet and other weather conditions
Winters are brutal in Canada. If you ship to Canada in the winter, be prepared for delays caused by snow and sleet on the road. inform your customers in advance that the delivery of the package could be delayed due to weather conditions.
consider 3pl for business shipping
If you’re an eCommerce business looking to ship to Canada (or already shipping to Canada) and need expert guidance on shipping to Canada, consider working with a multi-location 3PL to make the process even easier.
3pls are used by many growing e-commerce companies to turn fulfillment and logistics operations from a cost center into a revenue generator. 3pls stores your inventory, fulfills your e-commerce orders, offers substantial discounts on shipping, provides an easier infrastructure for customs forms and taxes, and connects you with other international partners.
So, with 3PL fulfillment logistics for packages going to Canada, you won’t have to worry about picking and packing orders, warehouse management, labor, training, and more. Your 3pl handles all of that for you, so you can focus on other areas of your eCommerce business.
This is why you should drop off Canadian shipping to shipbob:
offer shipping to Canadian customers
Many growing eCommerce businesses are unaware of the rules and requirements for shipping to Canada. It may sound easy because of NAFTA, but there are still some rules you need to keep in mind. otherwise your packages will not be delivered.
shipbob provides excellent and discounted shipping services that your intern may lack. We can ship orders from the United States to locations in Canada (as well as from Canada to Canadian customers), while also providing order updates and tracking numbers. you can track each order from the shipbob dashboard.
As Bakblade expanded their online presence into Canada, they knew they needed a trusted fulfillment partner with a physical presence in Canada.
“we have seen canadian customers order more when they know the order is shipping from within canada and they don’t need to worry about additional taxes if the order comes from the united states. from our history over the years with shipbob in the usa. In the US, it was a no-brainer to expand into other markets with them knowing that they have done their due diligence to meet the shipbob standard.”
marc fontanetta, bakblade COO
save time and money
Working with shipbob, you won’t need to manage expensive warehouses, complicated logistics operations, or hire and train labor. Working with shipbob turns e-commerce and logistics warehousing into a revenue generator because you can increase sales and offer the shipping options, transit times, and delivery speeds that customers want. Do you want to offer 2-day shipping so you can compete with amazon? shipbob makes it happen.
shipbob also handles order fulfillment. You don’t have to pack boxes, wait for packages to be picked up, or spend time searching and building warehouse space. working with shipbob gives you time to focus on other growth areas like marketing, customer service, and product development.
Take Canada-based bath company Bathorium as an example, which partnered with Shipbob to expand operations. they saw a 70% reduction in shipping costs and even an increase in conversions. speeding up deliveries and keeping them affordable for customers is one of bathorium’s main concerns. With shipbob, they can conveniently assign a shipping cost to each order by identifying the weight of the product and the destination zip code.
“compared to shipping products to the us. uu. Coming from Canada, which can be extremely variable in cost, shipbob fulfillment is much easier to estimate because we know the true cost of fulfillment. it makes it so much easier to spend marketing dollars when we know exactly what the shipping costs will be.” – greg macdonald, CEO & founder of bathorium
work with 3pl experts like shipbob
ecommerce businesses are complicated. You don’t have time to become a certified expert in all aspects of warehousing and logistics. That’s why shipbob exists: we’re staffed by eCommerce professionals who know and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and intricacies in the industry so you don’t have to. By partnering with shipbob, you’re adding expert warehousing and logistics to your team.
shipbob also has the technical resources and network of partners, including carrier associations, custom packaging providers and more, that allow us to constantly improve and bring optimizations to the supply chain to ultimately drive success. of electronic commerce.
conclusion
ship to canada from usa uu. It doesn’t have to be a hassle. Keep in mind that while free trade is easy between both countries, there are some rules and customs that you need to be aware of. partner with a 3 pl shipbob like shipbob with locations in the usa uu. and Canada can make Canadian shipping even easier for your business. are partnering with shipbob to turn logistics into a revenue generator.