Canada to USA Amazon FBA Guide

The practical consequence is that customs entry and brokerage costs are now largely fixed per shipment rather than per unit. Importing in bulk into a US warehouse and fulfilling domestically pays those costs once instead of on every parcel — which is why holding US stock has stopped being an optimisation and started being the default.

USMCA: What It Does and Does Not Cover

The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement can allow qualifying Canadian-origin goods to enter the US at preferential duty rates. That is genuinely valuable — but the qualification test is stricter than most sellers assume.

Goods must meet USMCA rules of origin. Buying a product in Canada does not make it Canadian-origin. If you import finished goods from Asia into Canada and re-export them to the US, they are almost certainly not USMCA-qualifying, and routing them through Canada adds cost without adding benefit.

USMCA is likely to help if you manufacture or substantially transform in Canada. It is unlikely to help if Canada is a waypoint. Have a customs broker assess your specific product before you build a plan around it.

The Trap: Canada as a Staging Post

A pattern we see: a Canadian seller imports from Asia into Canada, stores there, and ships to US customers as orders come in. Since de minimis ended, that model pays duty twice — once into Canada, then again into the US — plus a customs entry on every single parcel.

If your customers are American, the goods should clear into the US once and sit there. Canada in the middle is a cost, not a shortcut.

Shipping from Canada

Method	Typical transit to Delaware	Best for
LTL road freight	2–5 days from Ontario/Quebec	Pallet volumes; the usual choice
FTL road freight	2–4 days	Full trailer volumes
Courier	2–4 days	Small consignments and samples

Canada's advantage over every other origin in this series is proximity: road freight from southern Ontario reaches Delaware in a few days, so restocking is fast and cheap. The constraint is the border, not the distance.

Why Canadian Sellers Hold US Stock

• Cross-border delivery times. Even a short physical distance becomes days once customs is in the path of every parcel.
• Per-parcel entry costs. With de minimis gone, each direct-to-consumer parcel carries its own entry and brokerage.
• Returns. A returned unit crossing the border twice is usually not worth recovering.
• Sales tax. Inventory purchased into and shipped from Delaware is bought in a 0% state.

Working with QuickShipment from Canada

Ship LTL or FTL to our Claymont, Delaware warehouse. We receive, count, photograph and log within 24 hours, then prep to your specification. Carton and parcel receiving is free; pallet receiving is $25.00 per pallet.

FBA prep runs $0.69–$2.00 per unit by monthly volume, and pick and pack for marketplace or DTC orders starts at $3.00 per order.

Tariff Position — Reviewed 5 September 2026

US tariff policy has moved repeatedly since 2025: Section 232 measures on metals and derivative goods, country-specific layers introduced, amended and challenged in court, and further changes still working through. Any specific rate we printed here would be wrong within weeks.

So here is the durable version. What you pay on a shipment from Canada is decided by three things: your product's 10-digit HTS classification, its country of origin (where it was made, not where it shipped from), and whatever additional duty layers are in force on the date of entry. Only a licensed customs broker can give you the number that will actually apply, and it should be confirmed close to shipment rather than at the planning stage.

What we can tell you with confidence is the direction: duty and entry costs are now charged per shipment, not per parcel. That is what makes bulk import into a US warehouse cheaper than cross-border parcels, whatever the headline rate turns out to be.

What Your Forwarder Must Send With the Goods

Missing paperwork is the most common reason a shipment sits at the port at your expense. Before anything leaves Canada, make sure your supplier or forwarder has:

• Commercial invoice — value, currency, Incoterm, and a description a customs officer can match to an HTS code. Vague descriptions cause holds.
• Packing list — carton count, dimensions, gross and net weight per carton. We reconcile against this at receiving.
• HTS classification for every line, confirmed by your broker rather than guessed by the factory.
• Importer of Record details — your EIN or your broker's arrangement. Without an IOR nothing clears.
• Customs bond — single-entry for a one-off, continuous if you import regularly. A continuous bond usually pays for itself by the third shipment.
• ISF filing for ocean freight, submitted at least 24 hours before the container is loaded. Late filings carry penalties that dwarf the filing fee.
• Power of attorney to your broker, signed before the goods sail rather than while they wait.

A Landed-Cost Example

Numbers make the argument better than adjectives. Take 1,000 units at a $6.00 factory cost, shipped from Canada in one consignment:

Line	Per unit	1,000 units
Factory cost	$6.00	$6,000
Freight and drayage to Claymont	$0.45	$450
Duty (assumed 10% for illustration)	$0.60	$600
FBA prep at the 1,000-unit tier	$0.99	$990
Landed cost	$8.04	$8,040

The duty line is an illustration, not a quote — substitute your own rate once your broker has classified the product. What the table shows regardless of that number is the shape of the cost: freight and prep are per unit and predictable, and the entry costs behind the duty line are paid once for the whole consignment rather than on each of a thousand parcels.

Storage sits outside this table because it depends on how long the stock rests. Our warehouse sizing guide works that part through, and the cost calculator runs your own volume.

What We See Go Wrong on Arrival from Canada

These are the four issues our receiving team logs most often on shipments from Canada. None of them are exotic; all of them cost a day or two when they are found at our dock instead of at the factory:

1. Goods sent as "returns" to avoid a formal entry. Customs treats this as a misdeclaration, and it is the single riskiest shortcut Canadian sellers are advised to take by people who will not be paying the penalty.
2. USMCA claims made without the certification data on file. The agreement can reduce or remove duty on qualifying goods, but the origin certification has to exist before the claim, not after a question.
3. Parcel-level entries instead of one consolidated consignment. Sending fifty parcels across the border means fifty entries; one pallet means one, and the brokerage difference is large.
4. Cartons labelled for Canadian retail with bilingual packaging. It is not a customs issue, but bilingual French/English retail boxes sometimes carry barcodes that need covering for FBA.

Every one of these is cheaper to fix before the goods sail. Send us a photo of a packed carton and a copy of the packing list before your first shipment and we will tell you what will not pass.

When Holding US Stock Does Not Pay

The honest counter-case, because it exists. Bulk import into a US warehouse stops making sense when:

• Volume is low and value is high. Under roughly 200 units a month on an expensive item, the capital tied up in stock costs more than the per-parcel savings.
• The product is a one-off drop. A single seasonal run that sells out in three weeks may genuinely be better served by direct shipping.
• Demand is untested. Prove the listing with a small consignment before committing a container. We would rather receive 200 units twice than 5,000 units once and watch them age.

If your situation is one of these, say so when you contact us and we will tell you honestly rather than sell you storage you do not need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does USMCA mean my goods enter the US duty-free?
Only if they meet USMCA rules of origin. Buying or storing a product in Canada does not make it Canadian-origin. Goods imported into Canada from elsewhere and re-exported usually do not qualify.

Can Canadian sellers still use the $800 de minimis exemption?
No. It ended for all countries on 29 August 2025 and became permanent regulation in June 2026.

Should I store inventory in Canada and ship to US customers?
Usually not, if your customers are American. That model pays duty on entry to Canada and again on entry to the US, plus a customs entry per parcel.

How long does road freight from Canada to Delaware take?
Typically 2–5 days LTL from southern Ontario or Quebec, plus customs clearance at the border.

Does a Delaware warehouse reduce my duty?
No. Duty is federal. Delaware's benefit is 0% state sales tax on inventory purchases.